Call for Applications for an APTLD Sponsored Fellowship to APSIG 2021

The Background

APTLD (Asia Pacific Top Level Domain Association) is a membership-based, non-for-profit organization that serves ccTLD (country-code Top Level Domain) registries in Asia Pacific region.

APTLD operates as the forum of information exchange regarding technological and operational issues of domain name registries in Asia Pacific region. As an interface to other international Internet coordinating bodies, APTLD fosters and elevates participation of AP ccTLDs in these global fora, as well as acts in the best interest of APTLD members in global Internet policy making process.

The Asia Pacific School on Internet Governance (APSIG) is a regional School of Internet Governance working towards raising awareness and capacity building within the Asia Pacific region. It’s an annual event that brings in Internet Leaders from the Asia Pacific region for a Training of Trainers program.

The sixth edition of APSIG, APSIG 2021, will be convened as a face-to-face event in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 13-15 December 2021. The local hosts of the event are SIG Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka IGF and the local co-host is the LK Domain Registry. APSIG 2021 is supported by multiple regional and international organizations engaged in Internet Governance and related activities.

To bolster the Asia Pacific ccTLD community’s capacity, APTLD in cooperation with the APSIG offers 2 Fellowship for the 2021 edition of APSIG.

Fellows to the APSIG will attend the classes to gain first-hand knowledge from the highly professional faculty and engage in capacity building exercises.

The Fellowship to the APSIG is aimed at enhancing APTLD members’ awareness and expertise in the area of Internet Governance and promoting their network of professional and community contacts outside the domains industry.

The situation with COVID-19 in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka has progressed well in COVID-19 vaccinations. The information available currently does not indicate the likelihood of further travel restrictions. In case of any last-minute restrictions on travel to Sri Lanka, the event will fall back into the hybrid mode, where the 15 Sri Lankan Fellows will meet at the venue, but the rest of the Fellows, as well as speakers, will join virtually.

Fellow to the APSIG receives the following assistance:

The Fellowship covers the Fellow’s entry visa fee, air travels (economy class), accommodation and per diem of USD50 through the duration of the School.

The key benefits of the Fellowship to the APSIG are that it:

– helps interested students understand better the global Internet Governance’s background and he state of play;

– allows the students to get a more comprehensive and structured knowledge on various aspects of Internet Governance

– covers various dimensions of the governance of the Internet;

– allows extensive networking and informal interaction between students and the faculty;

– increases Fellows visibility and prepares them to deliver more meaningful impacts at the local and regional level.

Selection Criteria for the APTLD Fellowship to the APSIG

The pre-requisite for APTLD fellowship to APSIG is that applicants must be employees with an Ordinary and/or Associate APTLD member located in an Asia Pacific economy.

Also, an applicant should have a basic academic degree (university undergraduate as a minimum) or relevant practical experience in the ccTLD-related area and originate from and/or reside in an Asia Pacific economy.

Furthermore, selection criteria for the Fellowship are guided by the following considerations in determining the priority of applicants:

– Representation of various AP sub-regions (geographical diversity);

– Gender balance;

– Involvement of  applicants in the Internet Governance in their respective economies;

– Effectiveness of applicants in applying or implementing what they will learn from the APSIG;

– New: Proven record of vaccination (a soft copy of a vaccination certificate) in the English language;

– New: Proof of the availability of airflights between the applicant’s economy and Sri Lanka.

Please note that the working language of the APSIG is English. Individuals applying for the Fellowship should be comfortable and able to follow policy and technical discussions in the English language.

NB: as established by the APTLD Fellowship policy, General Manager may at his discretion set up a conference call with an applicant to test his/her level of command of the English language. The interview findings will be reported to the APSIG to make an informed decision on the applicant’s eligibility for the Fellowship.

Successful applicant is expected to:

– Attend the APSIG classes, plenary sessions, and workshops sessions throughout the duration of the School;

– Share the experience and knowledge gained at the APSIG with their local communities when they return home;

– Draft and submit to APTLD a brief (a. one page as a minimum) account (testimonial) of his/her participation in the School (see examples at: https://aptld.org/documents/fellows-testimonials/);

– Assist with administrative aspects of the APSIG, including completion of necessary educational, reference and research documents.

How to apply and the application process timelines

Present a brief bionote (up to 200 words), a letter of reference from the employer, and a strong motivation (up to 300 words) for attending APSIG, including demonstrating a strong sense of:

– what you intend to accomplish or get out of attending APSIG;

– how attending APSIG would help you in work or study, and

– how you intend to apply thus gained experience when upon return to the home country.

The record of an active contribution to Internet Governance events, initiatives and projects is a plus.

These documents are provided in an arbitrary format as a single PDF file.

Please complete the papers required and submit them to GM at: l.todorov@aptld.org until November 4, 2021.

This Call closes on November 4, 2021 at 23:59 Moscow time (UTC+3).

Subsequently, GM, in consultation with an APTLD Board Director, will review the applications and announces the selectees by November 14, 2021.

Subsequently, APSIG and GM APTLD begin the process of logistically supporting the selectees’ attendance since November 15, 2021.

NB: the above schedule and the availability of the Fellowship should be subject to revision, should the situation with the coronavirus in Sri Lanka and/or the successful applicant’s country of residence prove unfavorable and result in travel bans/flight cancelations. APTLD will be closely monitoring the situation to ensure the Fellow’s safety and security.