After a lengthy open consultation and discussion process to improve and evolve LACIGF, in July 2017, the Program Committee (a body consisting of Government, Technical Community, Private Sector, and Civil Society representatives) adopted the LACIGF Bylaws, a document that includes definitions relating to its scope, participation, processes, and structures.
The adoption of this document is the result of a careful review process that began in the first semester of 2019 and included consultancies, open consultation processes, multiple open calls, and discussions at the LACIGF event held in La Paz, Bolivia, in 2019.
The pandemic affected the anticipated plans and timeline, also causing a delay in the final definitions of the process.
One of the innovations of the document is the clear establishment of the roles of the different LACIGF bodies, including the Secretariat, a role that has been generously and efficiently carried out by LACNIC since the inception of LACIGF in 2008.
The operating mechanisms included in these new Bylaws differ from those that have existed so far and seek to strengthen representation and participation levels. Thus, we must now start the transition towards the full implementation of the new structures and roles. This process will begin with a call for organizations interested in serving as the Secretariat. It is expected that the effects of this gradual implementation process will be visible starting from the 2022 edition of LACIGF.
We invite participants and organizations involved in LACIGF to examine the mechanisms defined in the new Bylaws. We trust that the reforms and improvements to be implemented will strengthen this space for Internet governance dialogue and collaboration in our region.