FOSI Signs Internet Safety Agreement with the Suzanne Mubarak Women’s International Peace Movement and the Egyptian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology

Sharm El-Shiekh, Egypt – November 18, 2009 - The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Suzanne Mubarak Women’s International Peace Movement and Egypt’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in the framework of the Cyber Peace Initiative. The landmark agreement was signed at the United Nations 4th Annual Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Sharm El-Sheikh, in the presence of H.E Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak, the First Lady of Egypt, President and Founder of the Suzanne Mubarak Women’s International Peace Movement, and sets the scene for a collaborative partnership in family online safety in Egypt and around the world.

Over 1,500 participants from around the world gather at the IGF, which is a multi-stakeholder conference in Egypt and this agreement reflects the tremendous progress Egypt has made in the promotion of Information and communication technologies (ICT) and serves as a fitting venue for the signing.

“FOSI has had an outstanding past year, with flagship conferences in Paris and Washington, DC and we foresee a busy upcoming year with the first FOSI conference in the Kingdom of Bahrain on January 18-20, 2010,” said David Miles, FOSI Director of Europe, Middle East & Africa. “This agreement highlights not only the relevant role FOSI plays in the international Internet safety space, but also demonstrates the huge strides the Egyptian Government has made in creating a safer, better Internet for its citizens. Further, it reflects FOSI’s continued international growth in membership and commitment to work with governments to build a culture of responsibility amongst all digital citizens.

The agreement will commit both parties to work together to promote digital citizenship in Egypt, the Arab World and wider international community, a further development to the existing activities of the Cyber Peace Initiative of The Movement. It will include cooperation in a number of online safety initiatives and the convening of a workshop in Egypt to explore current protection tools and identify trends in family online safety. This will enable Egypt and the region to take into account best practices and inform future strategy, in light of the Regional Arab on Line Safety Project submitted by Egypt and approved by the Council of Arab Ministers of CIT in 2009. The agreement will foster the exchange of expertise and knowledge sharing between FOSI and the cyber peace initiative. FOSI will also join the Cyber Peace Initiative International Board and both organizations will seek to collaborate in a number of other important projects over the next two years.

Hoda Baraka, the First Deputy to the Minister at the Egyptian Ministry of Communications and Information said:

“The agreement with FOSI is a remarkable step forward in our Cyber Peace Initiative work, as it brings on board a large community of experts which represent the members of FOSI. We hope that the cooperation will provide a strong momentum for identifying the appropriate e-safety technology solutions in the region”.

Nagwa Shoeb, Director General of the Suzanne Mubarak Women’s International Peace Movement said:

“The agreement supports our vision for the Cyber Peace Initiative as a public private social partnership. Cooperation with international NGOs is an excellent venue for learning and sharing experiences in the benefit of our region”

For more information on this Memorandum of Understanding and FOSI’s wider work, visit www.smwipm.cyberpeaceinitiative.org and www.fosi.org.

About the Suzanne Mubarak Women’s International Peace Movement

First of its kind to emanate from the Middle East, the Suzanne Mubarak Women’s International Peace Movement (SMWIPM) works internationally, regionally and locally, pooling expertise and experience to enhance peace, justice and development in our societies. It partners with diverse stakeholders including the civil society, government, the private sector and the media to eradicate violence in all its forms by activating the power of women and youth to participate as key influencers, change agents and active partners in peace processes.

By promoting dialogue, advocacy and awareness through our diverse initiatives, the association helps women and youth develop the skills to initiate and spread understanding, respect, and peace in their communities, their countries and around the world.

The Cyber Peace Initiative of the SMWIPM is a key project of the NGO, working on using ICT to spread the culture of peace worldwide, and to empower youth in a Safe Knowledge Society.

About FOSI

The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) works to make the online world safe for kids and their families by identifying and promoting best practices, tools and methods that also respect free speech. FOSI’s members include: AOL, AT&T, Blue Coat Systems, Boodoo, BT Retail, Comcast, CompTIA, France Telecom, Google, GSM Association, Kingston Communications, Loopt, Microsoft, MySpace, NCTA, Ning, Nominum, Optenet, Privo, RuleSpace, Sprint, StreamShield, Symantec, Telefónica, TELMEX, The Wireless Foundation, Verizon, Yahoo!.

FOSI hosts an annual international conference to bring together Internet safety advocates from a variety of sectors, including global corporations, government, non-profits, academia and the media, to discuss the current pulse of online safety and emerging solutions that will enhance it. For more information, please visit www.fosi.org.