Ambassador at Large Fick’s Travel to Ethiopia

Ambassador at Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy Nathaniel C. Fick will travel to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from November 28 to 30, 2022 to attend the 17th annual Internet Governance Forum (IGF) and meet with African counterparts.

Ambassador Fick will speak on high-level panels addressing trust and security, as well as data governance and protecting privacy. He will be joined by policy experts from the State Department’s Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, and Bureau of African Affairs, as well as other U.S. officials. On the margins of the IGF program, Ambassador Fick and the U.S. government participants will meet with a range of officials, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders to discuss the importance of multi-stakeholder Internet governance, to support the work of the IGF, and to engage on key Internet-related public policy issues including the importance of protecting human rights online and digital freedom around the globe. The United States calls on the Government of Ethiopia, as the host of this UN Internet Governance meeting, to expedite resumption of telecommunications services – including the Internet – in conflict-affected areas, as provided in the November 2 Cessation of Hostilities agreement.

While in Addis Ababa, Ambassador Fick will meet with the U.S. Mission to the African Union (AU) and engage with other Permanent Representatives to the AU to underscore the range of cyberspace and digital policy issues of mutual importance to the United States and AU member states.

Follow the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy on Twitter @StateCDP.