Call for Applications for APTLD-Sponsored Fellowship for the 2023 Asia Pacific Internet Governance Academy

Application Deadline: 21 June 2023

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 the 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 Internet Governance Academy (APIGA) 2023 (www.apiga.asia) is a 5-day capacity development workshop focused on topics related to Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and Internet governance.

It is targeted at, but not limited to, undergraduate and graduate students from universities and tertiary educational institutions in South Korea and Asia Pacific. Anyone between the age of 18 and 35 from the Asia Pacific region, interested in Internet governance issues and related international activities, is welcome to participate.

To bolster the Asia Pacific ccTLD community’s technical capacity, APTLD in cooperation with APIGA offers 1 (one) Fellowship to APIGA 2023 to be held in Seoul, South Korea, on 24-28 July 2023.

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

The Fellow to APIGA 2023 must complete pre-APIGA online modules ISOC, ICANN and APNIC, and if successful, will attend sessions where (s)he will be able to improve the understanding of Internet governance issues, and the multistakeholder processes that are largely responsible for driving these issues. Topics include History of Internet Governance; Fundamentals of Internet Infrastructure; and Multistakeholder Policy Making.

Expected Outcomes

Participants will build confidence in and appreciation for multistakeholder processes, such as that found in ICANN and IGF platforms. Participants will be exposed to a range of Internet governance topics and will be able to stay connected to the APAC Internet community through the Academy’s partnerships with regional initiatives.

Participants are required to complete customized online modules from ISOC and ICANN as prerequisite training for the academy, and will receive certificates upon completion. Upon successful completion of the 5-day Academy, participants will also receive a certificate of completion given by KISA and ICANN.

Upon graduation, participants will be a part of the APIGA alumni network, where regional organizations will continue to share information and participation opportunities on regional and global Internet governance-related events including IGF and ICANN meetings.

Selection Criteria for the APTLD Fellowship to the APIGA 2023

Qualifying for the Programme

Selection for the Fellowship is competitive.  In order to qualify for Fellowship, applicants must:

Be, at a minimum, a university undergraduate.

Be employed by an APTLD member.

Be between 21 and 35 years old by the date of the opening of APIGA 2023.

Be in a position to ensure (s)he meets South Korea’s requirements to enter the country (e.g. visa, including COVID-19 vaccination and test requirements). (S)he should also also understand that such requirements can be subject to change.

As well, please note that this Fellowship may not be awarded to any recent (since 1 November 2022 onwards) APTLD Fellows.

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 APIGA, including demonstrating a strong sense of:

what (s)he intends to accomplish or get out of attending APIGA;

how attending APIGA would help him/her in work or study, and

how he/she intends 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 in a single PDF file and should be sent by email to GM APTLD at: l.todorov@aptld.org .

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

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

Successful applicant is expected to:

Prepare in advance for APIGA by completing a series of online courses on Internet governance and ICANN, before they are able to attend the academy.

Attend the APIGA plenary sessions, and other sessions throughout the week;

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

Upon completion, provide APTLD with a brief testimonial (up to 300 words) highlighting on his/her impressions and takeaways from APIGA 2023.

How to apply and the application process timelines

Please complete the papers required and submit them as a single PDF file to GM at: l.todorov@aptld.org by 21 June, 2023.

The call closes at 23:59 Bangkok time (UTC+7) 21 June 2023.

GM, together with a designated APTLD board member, reviews the applications and submits the short list of nominees to the APTLD Board by 23 June 2023.

The Board considers the shortlisted nominations and selects the winner on 23 June 2023.

GM APTLD notifies the APTLD community of the Fellow on 26 June 2023.

GM APTLD begins the process of supporting the Fellow’s attendance on 26 June 2023

For more details on APIGA 2023, please visit https://community.icann.org/display/GSEAPAC/APIGA+2023

Force Majeure

APTLD shall not be considered in breach of this Call to the extent that performance of its respective commitments (including financial obligations) is prevented by an Event of Force Majeure that arises after publicizing this Call.