The ICT Division of ESCWA and the League of Arab States (LAS) are co-organizing the Partnership Building Forum for the Implementation of the Arab Top Level Domains (TLDs) ".arab" and ".عرب", from 5 to 6 July 2011, in Cairo, Egypt.  The joint event is held in collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) of Egypt.

The Forum comes within the regional efforts for acquiring the Arab TLD “.arab” and its IDN equivalent in Arabic “.عرب" as well as in support of the preparations for the establishment of the associated Arab TLDs Registry. It is intended to catalyze the partnership and consortia building process between parties who can meet, network and possibly collaborate for the purpose of implementing the Arab TLDs.

The event acts as a road show presenting the business case and investment opportunity and will explore the interests of potential partners in financing and managing the envisaged Registry. Furthermore, it will set the scene for an upcoming Request for Proposals (RFP) process that is expected to be launched in this year.

Participants in the Forum are from involved regional and international organizations, as well as governmental, non-governmental and private entities, such as managers of ccTLDs from the Arab region and other regions, Telecom Regulatory Authorities, registrars and ISPs located in and outside the region, and telecom operators. Participants also include investment bodies such as investments bankers and funds, venture capitals, and business incubators.

‎Submissions, inquiries and requests for additional information should be ‎addressed to:

Ms. Hania Sabbidin DIMASSI, ICT Division, UN-ESCWA, T +961 1 978 546, F +961 1 981 510‎, dimassi@un.org    

Inquiries on organizational matters are to be addressed to:

Mr. Mostafa EMAD, PR Manager, NTRA Egypt, +2011 1 111086, Memad@tra.gov.eg