Sophia Bekele: Difference between revisions

She is also the founder and [[CEO]] of CBS International, a private California-based firm engaged in [[technology transfer]] to [[emerging economies]], and SbCommunications Network, an Ethiopian IT company.  In 2002 SbCNet was known for being successfully awarded a highly controversial bid for a government contract to build an integrated information network infrastructure for the [[Ethiopian Parliament]].  Bekele was also an elected member of the [[ICANN]] Council of the GNSO (Generic Names Supporting Organization), which advises on global internet policy.  She has served on [[United Nations]]-sponsored committees, such as the [[UNECA]]-sponsored African Information Society Initiative (AISI), where she represents the private sector in discussions about the economic development of Africa. She is also involved with the creation of policies towards bridging the economic gap between Africa and other economies, through the use of [[Information and communication technologies]] (ICT).

==ICANN Work==

Ms. Bekele initiated the formation of the [[AfriICANN]] grouping within [[ICANN]].<ref>[http://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiabekele LinkedIn]</ref>

'''Championing the International Domain Name (IDN) Policy'''<br />

'''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>

Enterprise Technology Magazine called her "Sophia Bekele: Champion of .africa initiative" <ref>[http://ictcreatives.com/component/k2/item/50-sophia-bekele-ethiopian-champion-of-the-dot-africa-initiative,Sophia Bekele, Ethiopian champion of the dot africa]</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 />

# ".. 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>[http://www.cio.co.ke/news/main-stories/Governments-have-no-role-in-managing-gTLDs Governments have no roles in 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>[http://gtldresult.icann.org/applicationstatus/applicationdetails/1276;jsessionid=2500230032894FB8CB3F16550E33DF0Farchive.constantcontact.com/fs053/1102516344150/archive/1110237447043,ICANN New gTLDs - Application Details]</ref>.

===Controversies===

Bekele’s recent venture is the  establishment of the DotConnectAfrica Trust and DotConnectAfrica Registry Services Limited, which is well-known for its successful six year Yes2dotAfrica global awareness campaign for the .Africa Top Level Domain Name.  Bekele made  a clear case for a DotAfrica (.africa) gTLD for Africa within ICANN and  introduced it to the PanAfrican organizations in Africa such as UNECA and African Union and the global publics.  She then received endorsements from both organizations in 2008 and 2009 respectively, and the global IDN working group for her DotAfrica Initiative.  Currently, Bekele's focus is on the .africa – a new generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) for the Africa geographic name that she initiated during her appointment at ICANN. The project will be introduced and delegated for operation under ICANN’s new gTLD programme.     

   

=====Other Endeavors=====

She is a Alumni Board Member of the Golden Gate University, Founder and Board Member of [[ISOC]] San Francisco Bay, a former board member of Information Systems  and Control Association ([[ISACA]]-SF), advisory member to the World Affairs Council of Contra Costa County, and adviser to United Nation Agencies, where she serves as expert advisor on ICT policy for various UN Agencies Boards and committees, including UNECA (Economic commission for Africa), UNPAN, UNGAID.<ref>[http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/un/unpan035404.pdf Presentation to UNPAN]</ref>

==Advocacy==

Bekele has written articles and editorials on issues concerning technology for development, [[good governance]], regional [[economic integration]], [[politics]], and [[Internet Governance]] that is of  global public interest and Africa. <ref>[http://cbsintl.wordpress.com/2007/11/30/editorial-archives CBS International Webpress: selected articles/presentations]</ref>