EURid and UNESCO speak at IGF meeting in Baku

Brussels, 31 October 2012 – The .eu registry EURid and UNESCO will share their latest report on the global uptake of Internationalised Domain Names (IDNs) at the 7th Internet Governance Forum (IGF) meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan on 6 November 2012.

As panellists of a workshop themed around Internet access and diversity, EURid and UNESCO will also discuss the opportunities and challenges faced when measuring and promoting online multilingualism. Internationalised Domain Names form a vital part of the ecosystem necessary to foster the growth of local languages online and consist of characters from non-Latin scripts such as Arabic or Cyrillic.

• Event: 7th IGF meeting, Baku Expo Exhibition and Convention Center, Baku, Azerbaijan from 6-9 November 2012

• Workshop 126:
  • When: 6 November at 2.30pm local time
  • What: Session titled “EURid-UNESCO World report on IDN deployment 2012 – opportunities and challenges associated with IDNs and online multilingualism”
  • Who: Vint Cerf, Google; Baher Esmat, ICANN; Anne Rachel Inne, Afrinic; Janis Karklins, UNESCO; Markus Kummer, ISOC; Minjung Park, KISA; Giovanni Seppia and Emily Taylor, EURid, are panellists.

The IGF brings people together from various stakeholder groups to discuss public policy issues relating to the Internet. The IGF is an open forum and is convened under a mandate from the United Nations. While there is no negotiated outcome, the IGF informs and inspires those with policy-making power in both the public and private sectors. Discussion topics cover the Internet’s sustainability, robustness, security, stability and development. .eu representatives have attended IGF sessions since the organisation was founded in 2006.

Giovanni Seppia from EURid and Janis Karklins from UNESCO are available during the convention for interviews. For more information, please contact press@eurid.eu.

For media information, please contact:

EURid: Catherine Dowdell, PR Officer   Phone: 46 (0)8 5063 74 12   Email: press@eurid.eu

UNESCO: Sue Williams, Chief, Media Relations Section, Division of Public Information UNESCO Phone: +33 (0) 1 45 68 17 06

About .eu and EURid

The .eu domain ranks among the largest top-level domains in the world, connecting 500 million people in 27 EU countries to one Internet identity. More than 3.5 million .eu names have been registered since the domain opened for registration in 2005. Many companies and brands use a .eu website as a practical solution to convey a clear European identity and their business ambitions, including Fairtrade International, Foot Locker, Louis Vuitton, the MAN Group, Microsoft Corporation, Orangina and Toyota.

EURid is the not-for-profit organisation that operates the .eu top-level domain, following the appointment by the European Commission. EURid works with over 850 accredited registrars and provides support in the 23 official EU languages. EURid is registered by the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), which is an expression of EURid’s environmental commitment. With headquarters in Brussels (Belgium), EURid also has regional offices in Pisa (Italy), Prague (the Czech Republic) and Stockholm (Sweden). More information at: http://www.eurid.eu.   

About UNESCO

UNESCO is the United Nations specialised agency. Its mission is to contribute to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information.

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