December 12, 2019- The RIPE Network Coordination Centre (RIPE NCC), in cooperation with the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) in United Arab Emirates, organised a roundtable discussion dedicated to Arab ICT ministries and regulators on ‘The Role of Arab Governments in Internet Development.’ The discussion put the spotlight on current opportunities and challenges in the Middle East in managing Internet resources and highlighted new developments in the region.

The roundtable was attended by representatives from several Arab countries, including: United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Yemen and Egypt. The day-long event was opened by keynote addresses delivered by H.E. Hamad Al Mansoori, General Manager, TRA and Salam Yamout, Board Member, RIPE NCC.

In his opening speech, H.E. Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, TRA Director General, thanked the RIPE NCC for its efforts in helping countries and regions to promote the adoption and use of the Internet to serve the global transformation towards a digital knowledge society and economy. He also thanked the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their excellent hosting of the previous edition of this meeting. He added, “We have important strategic issues to examine and discuss, we have a lot of headlines that represent opportunities and challenges at the same time. These include the future of the Internet in light of the growing scope of users across the region and the implementation of IPv6 and the consequent necessities of coordination and mutual benefit from expertise and experience.”

Salam Yamout, Board Member, RIPE NCC, noted: “The RIPE NCC is committed to working with stakeholders, including governments in the region, to advance and develop the Internet, and to support them with the necessary technical expertise. We commend the work of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority in United Arab Emirates and its role in developing new initiatives to support the development of Internet and economic growth in the region. These meetings are an ideal platform to address some of the pressing challenges facing information sharing and Internet security today.”

The first discussion of the day, ‘Government Decisions on Internet: The Role of RIPE NCC,’ covered the outcome of the 2018 Roundtable Meeting, Internet development across the region, current RIPE NCC policies, and government interaction. The second discussion of the day, ‘Engaging with the Government and Regulators for Necessary Advocacy,’ touched on the economic aspects of IPv4 runout and IPv6 deployment, the continuing efforts to reinforce cooperation with governments and Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) to address Internet security challenges, and the role of TRAs from regulator to facilitator. Both discussions were followed by an open forum during which participants could interact with the speakers.

This roundtable event follows after the success of previous year’s events in the Middle East region. The RIPE NCC continues to live up to its commitment to support the infrastructure of the Internet through technical coordination in the Arab countries and its service region in Europe, Middle East and Central Asia.