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ICANN work expanded
Sophia also initiated the first African-run bid for a [[.africa]] TLD, and is currently championing it across Africa under the non-profit, public-private partnership organization [[DotConnectAfrica]].<ref>[http://www.dotconnectafrica.org, DotConnectAfrica]</ref> Her organization has been endorsed by various prominent Pan-African organizations and African governments.<ref>[http://www.dotconnectafrica.org/yes-campaign/dca-endorsements, DCA Endorsements]</ref>
Sophia also initiated the first African-run bid for a [[.africa]] TLD, and is currently championing it across Africa under the non-profit, public-private partnership organization [[DotConnectAfrica]].<ref>[http://www.dotconnectafrica.org, DotConnectAfrica]</ref> Her organization has been endorsed by various prominent Pan-African organizations and African governments.<ref>[http://www.dotconnectafrica.org/yes-campaign/dca-endorsements, DCA Endorsements]</ref>
'''Championing the International Domain Name (IDN) Policy'''<br />
As a gNSO adviser to ICANN Bekele participated actively in policy development for IDNs and campaigned and championed the efforts to introduce IDNs in the ICANN policy dialog. Bekele successfully made the case at ICANN on behalf of the global IDN community. In a written Testimonial, and on behalf of the group<br />
''"Bekele was very influential in drafting the IDN policy guidelines as well as developed a framework for leading a language group. This required contentious and controversial matters with complicated political and commercial implications and interests. Ms Bekele strongly advocated and further went on to aggressively bring the voices of the global public of early adapters of IDN businesses and countries who implemented IDNs to the policy of ICANN" ,'' <small>said Mr. Yoav Karen, then Member of ICANN's President IDN Advisory Committee, Current ICANN gNSO Council member and Executive member of IDRU.</small><ref>[http://www.scribd.com/doc/101440288/ICANN-IDN-Recommendation-DomainTheNet, Testimony of Sophia Bekel's IDN work at ICANN]</ref>
'''Championing the DotAfrica [[.africa]] gTLD Project'''<br />
Following her successful achievement of IDN work for ICANN and for the global internet community, Bekele re-started the DotAfrica initiative following the important experiences gained from her work as gNSO advisor to ICANN. Bekele made a clear case for a DotAfrica ([[.africa]]) gTLD for Africa within ICANN and also the global Internet Community on behalf of the global African and Pan-African constituency.<ref>[https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:EWBJVYdjy14J:www.icann.org/en/news/correspondence/bekele-to-dengate-thrush-18jan11-en.pdf+&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESiuCAe7lIoCYxEwAc5Yu41rx2HvANtGY1LRavobL5r9wHrUKdj1xkZvECp7eQG1GI953IIVHfL_OXu-TfiqGAJA5ZPmXpkHFIal7qWavTkCuEMcA4w2KPcEu5PvA6ILizMOJb8D&sig=AHIEtbSsbKdUSWMD9IZ8rBrUyxvNbW581w, Open Letter to US Department of Commerce National Telecommunication Information Administration (NTIA) making a preliminary case for the .africa gTLD]</ref>,<ref>[http://www.prlog.org/11150099-dotconnectafrica-statement-to-icann-public-forum-cartegena-colombia.html, Open Letter to US Department of Commerce National Telecommunication Information Administration (NTIA) making a preliminary case for the .africa gTLD]</ref> ,<ref>[https://par.icann.org/files/paris/Paris-ICANNPublicForum-25JUN08.txt, The .Africa project announced at public forum in Paris, France]</ref>, <ref>[http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs053/1102516344150/archive/1104224678384.html, Open Letter to US Department of Commerce National Telecommunication Information Administration (NTIA) making a preliminary case for the .africa gTLD]</ref>,<ref>[http://forum.icann.org/lists/5gtld-guide/msg00108.html, DCA statement to ICANN public forum, Colombia]</ref>. She soon led the [[.africa]] initiative under a successful venture [[DotConnectAfrica]] organization, a non-profit, non partisan self start-up, and traveled throughout the various African countries and globally speaking and advocating the benefit of adapting to a .AFRICA (pronounced as ‘DotAfrica’) Top Level Domain name (TLD) for the African Continent. Her most significant accomplishment so far for the [[.africa]] gTLD project is undertaking and sustaining a successful global campaign, energizing it and giving it global momentum and raising its Pan-African and International profile to a position of relevance, and introducing it to the Pan-African inter-governmental organizations – the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African Union Commission (AUC) and getting them to endorse it.<ref>[http://www.scribd.com/doc/31565131/African-Union-AU-Endorsement-of-DotConnectAfrica, The dotafrica Project initiative, August 8, 2008]</ref> , <ref>[http://www.scribd.com/doc/31566444/Economic-Commission-for-Africa-ECA-Endorsment-of-DotConnectAfrica, Testimony of Sophia Bekel's IDN work at ICANN]</ref>. Bekele's presentations, speeches and publications used for this global campaign and promotional work to create awareness of the .africa TLD are chronicled on the Organization's website.<ref>[http://www.dotconnectafrica.org/yes-campaign/dca-presentations, DCA Campaign Presentations and Speeches]</ref>
Bekele therefore was recognized and credited for her efforts by the global internet community as well as various leading African and International media. As such, she was mentioned in the Economist article as "leading the .africa initiative" <ref>{{cite web|work=[[The Economist]]|date=2010-07-15|author=The Economist|title=Can "Africa" get a make over?|url=http://www.economist.com/blogs/baobab/2010/09/rebranding_africa|accessdate=2010-12-25}}</ref>. The Diplomat East Africa named her "Brains Behind .africa" <ref>{{cite web|work=[[Diplomat East Africa]]|date=2010-07-15|author=Jane Muangi|title=Connecting Africa, Towards a Digital Africa|url=http://www.diplomateastafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=388:connecting-africa-towards-a-digital-africa&catid=36:latest|accessdate=2010-12-25}}</ref>.
Enterprise Technology Magazine called her "Sophia Bekele: Champion of .africa initiative" <ref>{{cite web|work=[[Enterprise Technology]]|date=2011-11-30|author=Joyce Tonda|title=Sophia Bekele, Ethiopian champion of the dot africa \initiative|url=http://ictcreatives.com/component/k2/item/50-sophia-bekele-ethiopian-champion-of-the-dot-africa-initiative|accessdate=2012-06-02}}</ref>
CIO East Africa calling her views "controversial" on who should run gTLDs, saying "Sophia Bekele has been in the news if not for promoting DotConnectAfrica’s bid for the DotAfrica geographical gTLD for the past three years, then in a controversial statement about the same":<br />
{{quote box|width=50em|quote=''Governments have a role to play, especially regarding the establishment of an enabling and supportive environment for ICT initiatives to thrive. However, there is a role for everybody, and global Internet governance is currently based on a multi-stakeholder modeled by ICANN. Governments already have their two-code country-level top-level domains (cc TLDs), but they also have a role to endorse geographical gTLDs. The problem is that this power to endorse is often interpreted and extended to include overall sovereignty over the new gTLD. We believe this should not be the case since it is monopolistic and anti-competitive coupled with problems of lack of transparency and accountability...|source=-Sophia Bekele, in an interview on 09 March 2012, for the main story of ''[[CIO East Africa]]'', <ref>{{cite news|title=Governments have no roles in gTLDs|author=CIO East Africa Staff Writer|work=CIO East Africa|date=2012-09-12|title|accessdate=2012-06-02|url=http:
http://www.cio.co.ke/news/main-stories/Governments-have-no-role-in-managing-gTLDs}}</ref>}}
Ms. Bekele currently oversees the [[.africa]] new gTLD initiative of DotConnectAfrica Trust. As Executive Director of DCA Trust & CEO of DotConnectAfrica Registry Services Limited, she has led a multi-national team of experts to prepare and submit an application for the DotAfrica (.AFRICA) generic Top-Level Domain. [[DotConnectAfrica]] Trust (DCA Trust) has already submitted an application in May 2012 for the .AFRICA (pronounced as ‘DotAfrica’) geographic name string to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a U.S.-based non-profit organization that is overseeing the global Internet expansion project to introduce new generic Top-Level Domain Names (gTLDs) under the new gTLD Program. <ref>{{cite web|work=ICANN|date=2012-06-13|author=DCA|title= ICANN New gTLDs - Application Details|url=http://gtldresult.icann.org/applicationstatus/applicationdetails/1276;jsessionid=2500230032894FB8CB3F16550E33DF0Farchive.constantcontact.com/fs053/1102516344150/archive/1110237447043 |accessdate=2012-07-22}}</ref>
Bekele is a firm believer and an advocate of the multi-stakeholder model of internet governance and often writes and is asked to speak on this and related subject.<ref>{{cite web|work=DotConnectAfrica|date=2012-06-04|author=DotConnectAfrica|title=Open Letter to US Congress to Express Support in Defense of the Status Quo on Global Internet Governance Model and Reaffirmation of the Multistakeholder Process|url=http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs053/1102516344150/archive/1109793953303.htm |accessdate=2012-06-04}}</ref>, <ref>{{cite web|work=CircleID|date=2011-06-04|author=Sophia Bekele|title=Featured Blogs|url=http://www.circleid.com/members/5906 |accessdate=2012-06-04}}</ref>
==Corporate Experience==
==Corporate Experience==