Internet Governance
Internet Governance Forum (IGF)
ISOC's IGF Ambassadors – biographical backgrounds
The following ISOC Chapter representatives will be present at the Internet Governance Forum in Rio de Janeiro from 12 - 15 November 2007, representing the Internet Society as IGF Ambassadors:
Gabriel Adonaylo - ISOC Argentina
Gabriel Adonaylo manages Internet business arrangements for Comsat in Latin America. He has broad international and Internet experience, including Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) and peering arrangements. He participated in the first IGF meeting in Athens in 2006 and has also been actively involved in the Latin American and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry (LACNIC) community and in many Argentinean initiatives, such as the IPv6 Task Force (AR-IPv6), Comisión Interamericana de Telecomunicaciones (CITEL), Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA), and Cámara Argentina de Bases de Datos y Servicios en Línea (CABASE).
Yaovi Atohoun - ISOC Benin
Yaovi Atohoun has more than 15 years work experience in Information and Communication technology. An electrical engineer by profession, he gained significant international experience on UNESCO's West African News Agency Development project (WANAD/UNESCO), where he helped computerise news agencies in many countries as well as conducting training on computer and Internet usage. He has worked for USAID and is now an independent consultant involved in several international projects, gives workshops on Internet Exchange Points for the African ISP Association (AfriISPA), and participates in AfriNIC and ISOC activities.
Julián Casasbuenas - ISOC Colombia
Julián Casasbuenas is a chemical engineer with more than 20 years experience in environmental, information, and communication technologies. He has been involved with ISOC since 1993, when he helped establish the NGO Colnodo, which provides Internet services to Colombian development organisations. Colnodo is motivated by issues such as human rights, environment, housing, and the betterment of women’s lives. With Colnodo he has helped to promote and democratise the use of ICTs and the Internet in Colombia and has developed significant expertise in issues of rural access, telecenters, and open source software. He is a former chair of The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and is now on the Board of the Development Gateway Foundation. He participated in the first IGF meeting, speaking on issues of cultural diversity and the role of ICTs in sustainable development.
Veronica Cretu - ISOC Moldova (Chapter in formation)
Veronica Cretu has postgraduate qualifications in Diplomacy and Information Technologies from the DiploFoundation at the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies, Malta. She represented the DiploFoundation at the first IGF meeting on issues of multilingualism and promoting access to knowledge in the developing countries, and is a tutor in the Foundation's Internet Governance Capacity Building Program. She also has a rich diplomatic background, having previously worked with the former US Ambassador to Moldova, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) representative, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and the Moldovan Government. This year, she became a member of the ICANN At Large Advisory Committee (ALAC).
Abdul-Aziz Hilali - ISOC Morocco
Dr Abdul-Aziz Hilali has a long history of experience in the Internet. As a founder of the ISOC Morocco chapter in 1994, his involvement has spanned a broad range of participation in both technical and governance spheres. He holds higher degrees in mathematics and has a distinguished career as an academic, researcher, and government advisor, with a history of publications on many aspects of the Internet and telecommunications sciences. Dr Hilali participated in the World Summit on the Information Society and the first IGF meeting in Athens. He has served on the ICANN At Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) and taken part in many ICANN meetings around the world.
Monia Abalo Laforgia - ISOC Argentina
Monia Abalo Laforgia is a telecommunications and ICT lawyer specialising in Internet issues such as privacy, cyber crime, data protection, and regulation. She recently was an organiser of a public even on “New technical and legal trends in the Internet” for the ISOC Argentina Chapter in Buenos Aires. She is an experienced negotiator and has a background in international legal projects. She currently operates her own consultancy business, focusing on data protection, spam, security, and cybercrime. She also works in policy and regulation analysis. Ms Laforgia is an instructor in telecommunications law at university level and has participated in many events within the Latin American Internet community.
Charles Mok - ISOC Hong Kong
Charles Mok has a long involvement with the Hong Kong Internet community. He is the founding chairman of the ISOC Hong Kong Chapter, former president of the Hong Kong Information Technology Federation (HKITF), and former chairman and co-founder of the Hong Kong Internet Service Providers Association (HKISPA). Educated as an electrical engineer, he also has a strong business grounding, having been the Deputy Managing Director and a co-founder of one of Hong Kong’s first Internet service providers. He is a director of a technology consultancy business and sits on the boards of several technology companies. Mr Mok is a member of the Policy Advisory Board for the operator of the .mobi sponsored top level domain and is a former director of the .hk domain name registry. His has served on many government bodies and advisory committees, has a deep commitment to cross-sector public affairs, and is an experienced media commentator on technology issues.
Hakikur Rahman - ISOC Bangladesh
Dr Hakikur Rahman is currently the Executive Director of the Sustainable Development Networking Foundation (SDNF) – a not-for-profit foundation sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – and Chairman of the SchoolNet Foundation, which provides training and skills development activities to the school teachers, students, and other community members aimed at improving computer-related skills. SchoolNet seeks to empower the young, the disadvantaged, and women in Bangladesh using ICTs and knowledge sharing. Dr Rahman holds a PhD in computer engineering and a long work history spanning the education, NGO, and commercial sectors. In 2005, he coordinated the project to establish the F root name server mirror in Dhaka.
Rajnesh Singh - ISOC Pacific Islands (PICISOC)
Rajnesh Singh combines a strong technical background with extensive management and leadership roles in the commercial and non-profit sectors, focused on Internet issues and technologies. As a long-standing member of the Pacific Islands Internet community he has a deep understanding of the challenges facing remote and geographically challenged communities. He has held leadership positions in several regional and international organisations, including the ICANN Asia Pacific Regional At-Large Organisation (APRALO), the Pacific Islands Chapter of the Internet Society (PICISOC), IPv6 Forum Pacific Islands, and the IGF Dynamic Coalition on access and Connectivity for Remote, Rural, and Dispersed Communities. Mr Singh participated in the first IGF meeting, where he organised a successful workshop, and earlier this year organised a policy-makers and regulators forum at the PacINET meeting in the Solomon Islands.
Cristos Velasco - ISOC Mexico
Cristos Velasco is a professor of law, specialising in Internet and e-commerce law at Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM) and is Director General of the North American Consumer Project on Electronic Commerce (NACPEC). NACPEC is a not-for profit organisation whose primary mission is to facilitate information on policy issues and regulatory aspects of the Internet and e-commerce consumer protection, and to provide pro-bono legal services to Mexican consumers. He has been involved in the WSIS process since 2003 and participated in the preparatory meetings of the IGF and the inaugural meeting in Athens in 2007. At the first IGF, he presented on issues of privacy legislation in a globalised context, as part of a session which led to the formation of the Dynamic Coalition on Privacy and Identity. He is active in the Mexican Internet community and teaches about the legal and policy aspects of electronic commerce, spam, privacy, data protection, and cybercrime.
Carlos Vera, ISOC Ecuador
Carlos Vera an experienced electrical engineer who also has formal studies in international relations, technology and intellectual property law, and telecommunications and Internet regulatory policy. He is the founder and International Director of the Ecuadorian Chapter of ISOC, responsible for the Ecuadorian Internet Governance Forum. His history within the telecommunications and Internet sector spans more than 20 years and includes work as a former advisor to the President of the Council of Telecommunications in Ecuador. He was Director of the National Agenda of Connectivity in charge of Public Policies on Internet, ICTs, Connectivity, Universal Services and Internet Governance; President of the Electrical and Electronic Engineers Association of Pichincha Ecuador; and Vice President of the World Committee of IT in the World Federation of Engineers. Mr Vera has also published more than 200 specialised articles on engineering, business, ICTs, public policy, and Internet governance.
