My Time at CIVICUS World Assembly in Montreal
As most of you know, in August I announced PIR’s intentions to apply for the new domain extension, .NGO. My colleagues and I have been traveling around the world engaging with the NGO community – large, small and grassroots NGOs -- to better understand their needs and to make sure that the .NGO domain will be managed consistent with their values and needs.
Last weekend I attended the CIVICUS World Assembly in Montreal, Canada, a global event that gathers civil society organizations, NGOs, donors, international institutions and businesses. The goal of the event was “to seek collaborative ways to strengthen the rights of citizens everywhere to exist, express and engage collectively.”
On Monday, I had the opportunity to present the .NGO domain proposal to a group of CIVICUS delegates. I was anxious to speak with these individuals about the work they do, the challenges they face in building their communities online, and our intentions with .NGO. NGOs and civil society members are deeply passionate about their reputation as well as their ability to engage constructively with governments and industry to shape a better world for all. They see the current global environment as one of opportunity and risk – one where the global economic “meltdown” triggers a deeper sense of community and also where citizens are taking to the streets in many countries to challenge their governments. A noted risk for existing NGOs is that they may not, in some cases, be concretely connected with the “people power” movement. Being connected with on-the-street citizen activism is viewed as key to a vibrant NGO community.
It was a genuine privilege to be able to speak to these individuals about our intentions for .NGO. It’s so important for us at PIR to hear directly from members of the NGO community so that we can ensure we are meeting their needs. With this new domain extension designed specifically for the NGO community, it’s our goal to be able to expand on our core mission of providing a safe, trusted venue for organizations, individuals and companies to come together and to inspire and empower their unique communities.
