Words: Yasmeen AlKouz (ASREN)
This article was originally posted on the ASREN website.
The Arab States Research and Education Network (ASREN) and Internet Society (ISOC) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a vision of an open, globally-connected, secure and trustworthy Internet for everyone.
At the virtual signing ceremony on December 11, Nermine El Saadany, Regional Vice President of ISOC said: “ISOC’s goal is to ensure the Internet continues to grow and evolve as a platform for innovation, economic development, and social progress for people around the world. Such a goal is widely shared by many organizations across the world, including ASREN in the Arab region. ISOC has built a sound partnership with ASREN through engagement and sponsorship to many of its activities. We therefore welcome signing the MoU to continue our cooperation with ASREN and to jointly shape the future of Internet for better collaborations and improved research outcomes.”
The primary areas of cooperation agreed upon in the memorandum include capacity development, collaboration on Mutually Agreed Norms for Routing Security (MANRS) adoption, and the development of ASREN. Further potential areas of collaboration shall be explored.
Yousef Torman, Managing Director of ASREN, welcomed the new cooperation opportunities: “The relationship between ASREN and ISOC is longstanding. ISOC has been a major supporter to ASREN’s activities and its e-AGE annual conference for years and this has helped foster the good relations between us. We look forward to joining forces with ISOC to continue supporting our research and education communities in the Arab region with the support of the European Union’s co-funded projects AFRICACONNECT3 and EUMEDCONNECT3.”
