IGMENA is a program formed by the international organization Hivos, which that brings voices together from the MENA region (Middle East and North African region) on Internet Governance and policies.[1]
In response to the importance of internet during the "Arab Spring", and the limited amount of legal framework for Internet freedoms that exist in most of those countries, IGMENA believes in assuring freedom of expression and information within MENA counties. As a result, IGMENA believes that Internet Governance should be confined to the government, technical experts, and business representatives, and aims to attract wider participation from a wide-ranging number of civil society individuals, including bloggers, journalists, students, public sector employees and members of the private sector. It encourages those individuals to come together, share knowledge, and create national and regional action plans.[1]
Through Hivos, IGMENA also partners with a number of international and regional institutions to accomplish its goals.[1]
Objective & Actions
IGMENA's two main objectives are:[1]
- Improved Knowledge on Internet Governance in the MENA region
- Building stakeholder capacity on the Internet Governance process by conducting awareness-raising activities both on-site and online
- Empowering stakeholders to take the lead in advancing Internet policy agendas in their countries and to be engaged in regional policy dialogue at the Arab Internet Governance Forum, as well as global discussion at the IGF.
- Enhanced Legislation on Internet Policies in the MENA region
- Raising stakeholder awareness on how to influence the decision-making process and play an active role in promoting and safeguarding local Internet freedoms
- Drafting Internet-related policies through a participatory approach that engages multiple stakeholders
To meet those two objectives, IGMENA focuses on the three areas of Technology, Policy, and Advocacy, by preparing civic actors to take the lead in advocating for online human rights and Internet policy, while working closely with other concerned stakeholders.[1]
Projects
Internet Policy Analyst (IPA) Project
A grassroots initiative, the Internet Policy Analyst (IPA) project is led by authors from the MENA region who will support current developments specific to Internet policy and governance in their respective countries. The Internet Policy Analysis initiative is designed to meet the increasing demand and expertise on Internet Governance and policy in the MENA region specifically on issues such as freedom of expression, data protection and privacy, censorship and surveillance. The intention is to expand to other relevant themes to the Middle East in the future. The project will initially cover five countries: Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan and Iraq and will expand at a later stage to include more countries from the region. Other authors who would like to publish their research on this theme or would like to investigate a specific topic are encouraged to join this initiative.[2]