- Renovation of the recording studio of blinds
- 2024 Youth ArmIGF
- 2024 ArmIGF
- 2024 Global Encryption Day in Armenia
- 2024 ArmSIG
- Computers, digitized libraries and WiFi routers for schools and sports-cultural center of Meghri city
- Botanic Garden Hackathon
- 2023 ArmIGF
- IoT hackathon in UNICEF project
- 2023 Global Encryption Day in Armenia
- 2023 ArmSIG
- UNICEF-Armenia Chapter IoT program for 14–18-year-old teenagers
- Creation of “Internet of Things (IoT)” laboratory, IoT demo stand, and training
- ArmIGF 2022
- ArmSIG 2022
- Digital Literacy in Rural Areas
- ISOC Armenia Chapter booth on ISOC Community week
- ArmIGF 2021
- ArmSIG 2021
- Chapterthon 2021
- ISOC Armenia Chapter Fundamentals
- Chapterthon 2020
- ArmSIG 2020
- "Services and Internet connection for used computers donated to schools within the framework of COVID” (Internet Society 2020 Small Grants Programme).
- ISOC Training progarm (Shaping the Internet, MANRS, OSE, Community Networks, Encryption)
- Internet literacy for vulnerable groups
- Chapterthon 2019
- Chapterthon 2018
- Internet Society 25th anniversary celebration node in ISOC Armenia Chapter
- Computers, services and Wi-Fi Internet for rural libraries
- Internet Radio for People with Visual Impairments
- Creation of Internet Availability Center at the Cultural Center of the Armenian Society of Blind and Visually Impaired People
- Internet use in Armenia: How might connectivity shape access to opportunity?
- Internet use in Armenia: Toward a greater role for digital tools in economic development
- Armenia Internet Speed | 2021 Data | 2022 Forecast | 2007-2020 Historical | Chart
- Internet use in Armenia: How do individuals and businesses use the internet to access opportunities?
Publications
IT news in Armenia
• ITEL
• UATE
• ARKA
Jobs in Armenia
Freelance Jobs in Armenia
Internet Society 2024 Action Plan
ISOC.LIVE
ISOC free online courses
Training and e-Learning Course Calendar
https://www.internetsociety.org/blog/2023/10/resources-and-tools-for-starting-a-technical-community/
https://communitytraining.internetsociety.org/
Armenia Internet report (pulse.internetsociety.org)
28 December 2024. Yerevan, Armenia
The House of Culture of the Armenian Association of the Blind on the eve of the new year organized a reception for donor organizations. ISOC Armenia Chapter was honored with a Certificate of Appreciation for its continuous help to the House of Culture.
27 December 2024. Yerevan, Armenia
ISOC Armenia Chapter provided 4 computers to Vanadzor city regional library and 4 computers Vanadzor city centralized library complex within the framework of the “Transforming Rural Libraries into Community Internet Centers in the Kotayk and Syunik Regions of Armenia” project.
17 December 2024. IGF 2024, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
ISOC Armenia Chapter Board member Kristina Hakobyan took part in the IGF 2024 - Day 1 - Workshop 3 - ISOC Foundation Funding Global Connection.
Rigdzin Pema Collins, LMSW Associate Program Officer at Internet Society Foundation was leadingtheworkshop.
ISOC Armenia Chapter together with ITU provided equipment for the renovation of the recording studio at the House of Culture of the Armenian Association of the Blind. Benefits for blinds: participation in the creation of musical and cultural programs, educational and development opportunities, cultural and social integration. The list of equipment includes: high-end computer, video recording device, sound cards, and microphones.
12 December 2024. Yerevan, Armenia
ISOC Armenia Chapter provided 4 computers to Hrazdan city libraries within the framework of the “Transforming Rural Libraries into Community Internet Centers in the Kotayk and Syunik Regions of Armenia” project. Computers were installed in the Hrazdan libraries No 1, 5, 6, 7.
2 December 2024. Q4 ISOC European Regional Call
ISOC Armenia Chapter board members took part in the Q4 ISOC European Regional call devoted to the 2030 strategy.
The following strategy programs were discussed.
20 November 2024. Yerevan, Armenia
ISOC Armenia Chapter provided 4 computers to Spitak city central library within the framework of the “Transforming Rural Libraries into Community Internet Centers in the Kotayk and Syunik Regions of Armenia” project.
November 6, 2024. Yerevan, Armenia.
ISOC Armenia Chapter together with ISOC AM NGO organized the Youth ArmIGF24.
At the forum, young participants were introduced to the latest Internet innovations in the field of education.
November 5, 2024. Yerevan, Armenia.
ISOC Armenia Chapter together with the Internet Governance Council and ISOC AM NGO organized the 9th Armenia Internet Governance Forum. Representatives from public and business organizations, along with renowned experts, participated in the event, that was supported by international partners. One of the main topics of the forum was the 30th anniversary of the .am domain.
October 20, 2024. Yerevan, Armenia.
ISOC Foundation published an article about the activity of ISOC Armenia Chapter.
11 October 2024. Yerevan, Armenia
ISOC Armenia Chapter started the implementation of the “Transforming Rural Libraries into Community Internet Centers in the Kotayk and Syunik Regions of Armenia” project.
10 October 2024. Yerevan, Armenia
ISOC Armenia Chapter started the implementation of the “All-Armenian Rural Libraries' Online Catalog and Librarian Network” project.
October 9, 2024. Yerevan, Armenia. Armenia Chapter board meeting
Agenda: Chapter 2025 activity plan.
Chapter president, Igor Mkrtumyan, presented the chapter 2025 activity plan.
The plan was approved unanimously.
ISOC Armenia Chapter members visited Digitec Expo, Armenia's top event for networking and exploring tech trends.
October 4, 2024. Yerevan, Armenia. Encryption day.Safeguarding Our Digital Future
Encryption Day in Armenia within the framework of Global Encryption Day took place with the agenda:
| Opening | Igor Mkrtumyan, ISOC Armenia Chapter, President |
AregShmavonyan, "InfoSec" LLC, Cybersecurity Engineer |
|
Sergey Abrahamyan, PhD, professor, AUA |
|
YeghisabetAlaverdyan, «EKENG» CJSC Head of Systems Integration Department |
|
Karen Yerznkanyan, Central Depositary of Armenia, Information Security Officer |
|
Encryption and Cybersecurity Challenges |
Discussion |
September 25-26, 2024. Armavir, Armenia. ArmSIG
ISOC Armenia Chapter together with ISOC AM NGO organized Armenian School of Internet (ArmSIG) in Armavir city under the theme “Internet and New Developments: Labor Market Trends.” 50 residents of Armavir participated in the event. Agenda of AmSIG included various developments on Internet governance, international scholarship opportunities in the IT sector, and the process of participating in local and global conferences.
September 11, 2024. Yerevan, Armenia.
Q3 2024 call for European ISOC Chapters.
New ISOC President and CEO, Sally Wentworth, shared her vision for leading the Internet Society and the Internet Society Foundation forward.
August 25, 2024. Yerevan, Armenia.
The Armenia Chapter has been awarded new ISOC Foundation Opportunities Funding for Armenian Internet Governance Forum 9.
August 17, 2024. Yerevan, Armenia.
Armenia Chapter has been awarded new Internet Society Foundation Beyond the Net grants for the project: "All-Armenian Rural Libraries' Online Catalog and Librarian Network" project.
August 15, 2024. Yerevan, Armenia.
Armenia Chapter has been awarded new Internet Society Foundation Beyond the Net grants sponsorships for the project: Global Encryption Day.
August 12, 2024. Yerevan, Armenia.
Armenia Chapter has been awarded new Internet Society Foundation Beyond the Net grants and IGF/SIG sponsorships for the project: Armenian School of Internet Governance.
August 6, 2024. Yerevan, Armenia.
Armenia Chapter applied for Internet Society Foundation Beyond the Net BOLTgrants with “Innovative Youth of Armenia: Empowering Regional Digital” project.
July14-17, 2024. Yerevan, Armenia.
Senior Program Manager of the Internet Society Foundation (ISF) Jenn Beard and Associate Program Officer Rigdzin Collins visited the “Internet Society Armenia Chapter” to get acquainted with its activity. They were interested in the ISOC Armenia Chapter’s program of digital management of libraries and community Internet center initiatives in the libraries located in the Lori region. The digital library management program was developed by Chapter’s technical professionals following a needs assessment. Through this program, the Chapter attempts to address the issues of not only modernizing the way libraries are organized, but also enabling the region to have access to the Internet and its educational resources. Vanadzor and Spitak libraries were visited.
July 7, 2024. Meghri city, Armenia.
Computers, digitized libraries and WiFi routers for schools and sports-cultural center of Meghri city
ISOC Armenia Chapter continued projects of providing schools and rural libraries with computers and digitized libraries.
This time it was Meghri city situated in the south of Armenia on the border with Iran. There is a great demand for computers in the city schools and cultural centers.
Pic. 1. Mkrtumyan Boris (1908-1998), Meghri native |
Pic.2. Mkrtumyan Vladimir (Aram), donor |
In addition to providing computers, we are also setting up Wi-Fi routers to create a Wi-Fi media environment within the libraries.
Computers and WiFi routers were installed in the following schools and libraries:
Meghri City School No 1: 2 computers for Internet access, a computer with digitized library, WiFi router.
Meghri City School No 2: 2 computers for Internet access, a computer with digitized library, WiFi router.
Meghri City Sports and Cultural Center: 2 computers for Internet access, a computer with digitized library, WiFi router.
Agarak Village: a computer.
NrnadzorVillage: a computer.
Syunik Regional Library: a computer with digitized library.
Vahan Misakyan, head of the "Community Libraries" project of the ISOC Armenia Chapter visited regional libraryand presented the digital library providing registration and maintenance of library patrons, digitization of bibliographic data of library collections, as well as report preparation.
26 June 2024. Regional Community Day, European Region, celebrating achievements and fostering global engagement.
Armenia Chapter Board members participated in the meeting.
21 May 2024. ISOC Armenia Chapter Board meeting.
Agenda:ISOC Armenia Chapter 2024 activity report.
The report was unanimously approved.
20 May 2024. ISOC Armenia Chapter received a letter from Kapan library with a request for digitized library computers and a course for librarians on how to use it.
7 May 2024. Q2 European Chapters' Call - Policy Updates
The call was dedicated to regional policy updates from experts at the Internet Society:
David Frautschy, Senior Director, European Government and Regulatory Affairs
Callum Voge, Director, Governmental Affairs and Advocacy
Topics included:
- 2024 EU elections and ISOC Chapter support activities; we will ask our EU Chapters to share updates on their support efforts
- UK Investigatory Powers Amendment Bill
- CSAM, Client-side scanning, and encryption
- Public consultation on European Commission’s White Paper
April 25, 2024. ISOC Armenia Chapter registered a domain armlib.am for serving country rural libraries.
April 9, 2024. ISOC Armenia Chapter Board meeting.
Agenda: Exclusion of members who have not paid membership fees.
March 6, 2024. Chapter check-in report.
Igor Mkrtumyan and Katarina Gevorgyan took part in the meeting with Nick Hyrka, Regional Community Engagement Manager, Europe. Here is his summary of the talk:
- The ISOC Armenia Chapter status is good and currently at the Gigabit level
- It is supported by approx. 51 active members
- Activities: The chapter is active and should post activities at the earliest convenience for earned recognition
The greater the number of mission-related chapter activities posted (4 or more is best) helps chapters achieve a higher badge status in the year-end performance review, which reflects the amount of eligible chapter admin funding for the year
The chapter may consider developing activities that promote the Internet Society’s Internet Growth and Strength areas as shown in 2024 Action Plan
It may also consider collaborating with renewed Special Interest Groups and Standing Groups (SIG/SGs)
- Elections: The chapter elections are in order
- Roles: The chapter roles are in order
- Web presence: The chapter’s web content is very good
- Funding: The chapter was approved for 2024 admin funding
- The chapter is aware that the Internet Society Foundation administers grants to fund a variety of events and activities, with new grants being offered from time to time
- Training: ISOC’s free Training and eLearning (TeL) portfolio is here; it should be shared with chapter officers and members
- It includes our Chapter Management Essentials Training which is self-paced
- The Essentials course is being updated this year and the new version will launch in Q4
March 6, 2024. ISOC Armenia Chapter 2024 Admin Funding was approved.
February 21, 2024. ISOC on-line
Armenia Chapter board members took part in the 2024 Q1 European Region All Members call with the following agenda:
- Internet Society Chapter Advisory Council Update - Katarina Gevorgyan (ISOC Armenia)
- The Internet Society 2024 Action Plan - Andrew Sullivan, President & CEO
- The Internet Society's Advocacy Efforts in ISOC’s 2024 projects - David Frautschy, ISOC
- Encryption: UK Investigatory Powers Act Update - Callum Voge, ISOC
- Chapter Highlight: ISOC Belgium's Encryption Activities - Frédéric Taes (ISOC Belgium)
- ITU-related issues and Chapter Support - Catherine Garcia, ISOC
Here are links to the call recordings:
https://isoc.box.com/s/lyv1krxcuzhzmuygdj7pxj870bvchyic
Other links:
Global Encryption Coalition
https://www.globalencryption.org/
February 6, 2024. Meeting with ITU
ISOC Armenia Chapter board members had a meeting with Ms. Natalia Mochu, ITU Regional Director, Regional Office for CIS and discussed the ways of helping vulnerable groups of population.
February 1, 2024. Yerevan, Armenia.
Vahan Misakyan provided digitized library management third online lesson for Spitak community eight librarians. The recording of the lesson was provided for all interested at https://gradaran.am/Zoom/video1908530537.mp4
January 30, 2024. Yerevan, Armenia.
Vahan Misakyan provided digitized library management second online lesson for Spitak community eight librarians. The recording of the lesson was provided for all interested at http://gradaran.am/Zoom/video1886103368.mp4
January 24, 2024. Yerevan, Armenia.
Vahan Misakyan provided digitized library management online lesson for Spitak community eightlibrarians. It was the first lesson in the series. The recording of the lesson was provided for all interested at https://gradaran.am/Zoom/video1326827668.mp4 .
January 17, 2024. Yerevan, Armenia.
ISOC Armenia Chapter meeting with ISOC Foundation
Participants: Rigdzin Collins, Jenn Beard (ISOC Foundation), Mélinée Farrugia, Elyse Desrochers (Simplon Co), Seda Papoyan, Tania Aydenian (relq.am), Igor Mkrtumyan, Katarina Gevorgyan, Vesmira Harutyunyan, Narine Derdzakyan, Kristina Hakobyan (ISOC Armenia Chapter)
During the meeting Igor Mkrtumyan reported the results of the ISOC Armenia Chapter project “Creation of rural community centers in the Lori Region of Armenia, based on digitized rural libraries with broadband Internet, WiFi access points, videoconferencing capabilities, and training community in digital skills”. Within the project 14 libraries of Lori province of Armenia were digitized, provided broadband Internet access, Internet access computers for library visitors, WiFi access for visitors with personal notebooks and smartphones, web cameras, speakers and earphones.
The project was appreciated by the ISOC Foundation. It was agreed that ISOC Foundation representatives will visit ISOC Armenia Chapter in July 2024 to get acquainted with the activity of the Armenia Chapter.
December 27, 2023. Yerevan Armenia
Internet Society Armenia Chapter board meeting with the agenda:
Presentation of the Chapter 2024 activity plan for the board approval.
Chapter chair, Igor Mkrtumyan, presented the Internet Society 2024 Action Plan and Armenia Chapter plan for 2024.
The Board approved the Armenia Chapter 2024 plan.
December 26, 2023. Yerevan Armenia
Internet Society Armenia Chapter donated two air conditioners to the House of cultureof blinds and visually impaired people. The air conditioners permitted to warm up house's computer lab and reception room during winter and created a pleasant working environment.
December 23, 2023. Yerevan Armenia
Internet Society Armenia Chapter donated a computer and a monitor to the ‘Huso Tun” (House of Hope) NGO requested for training of children refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh.
November 23, 2023. Yerevan Armenia
Internet Society Armenia Chapter installed 2 computers for Internet access, WiFi router, digital library computer with library management softwareand provided a broadband Internet to Dsegh community library. It is done within the framework of the project of converting libraries into community Internet centers.
November 21, 2023. Yerevan Armenia
Internet Society evaluated the Armenia Chapter performance in 2023 with a Gigabit Badge (the highest in the ranking).
November 21, 2023. Yerevan Armenia
Internet Society Armenia Chapter, Smart City Community Development Innovative Center, Internet Society IOT SIG and Yerevan Botanical Garden organized a "Smart Botanic. smart solutions in the Yerevan Botanical Garden" hackathon devoted to smart solutions digitizing the management of the Yerevan Botanical Garden to make it more efficient. Smart solutions were developed by 10 teams formed from schoolchildren and students of regions and the capital. The professional jury, observing the presented solutions, emphasized their importance and the need for additional development of some of them. The proposed Smart greenhouses are models operating with self-controlled lighting, irrigation and heating systems that determine soil moisture, air temperature. They make it possible to provide the necessary conditions for each type of plant by remote control and automated. The digital interactive map is a tool to verify the presence and condition of every plant in the garden at the moment and to ensure safety. An effective way to prevent fires can be the device for determining the composition of the air, which looks like a birdhouse, thanks to which it may not disturb the winged inhabitants of the park. The best of the proposed Smart solutions was recognized and the works of three teams were awarded cash prizes. The first prize went to Petros Paronyan and Hayk Asoyan's remote observation and automatic control system, the second to AGreen team for the digital interactive map, the third to Smart Tree team for the air composition checking birdhouse project. The project report can be seen here.
November 13, 2023. ISOC on-line
Armenia Chapter board members took part in the Q4 European Region All Members call with the following agenda:
Olaf Kolkman, Internet Society’s Principal - Internet Technology, Policy and Advocacy
Vashkar Bhattacharia, Vice Chair of Internet Society’s Accessibility Standing Group
European region Chapters that currently have Accessibility-related activities:
- Igor Mkrtumyan, ISOC Armenia Chapter: on Accessibility-related activities and Anahit voice assistant
- LejlaBećirspahić, ISOC Bosnia and Herzegovina Chapter: on “Internet as a tool for empowering the weak and silent voices of people with disabilities”
David Frautschy, Internet Society’s Senior Director, European Government and Regulatory Affairs: on Internet Society’s Fragmentation Project and on European government and policy issues.
November 12, 2023. Yerevan, Armenia
Anahit voice assistant, developed within UNICEF-Armenia Chapter IoT program, was installed in the House of Culture of blinds and visually impaired people.
November 11, 2023. Yerevan Armenia.
ISOC Armenia Chapter board members had a meeting with Eutelsat representative Ms. Sarra Didouche and discussed perspectives ofEutelsat LEO satellite Internet in Armenia.
November 7, 2023. Yerevan, Armenia
Smart City NGO and ISOC Armenia Chapter organized an IoT hackathon for Yerevan botanic garden.
The motto of the hackathon was “Smart Solutions in the Yerevan Botanical Garden”. The detailed information about the event can be seen here.
November 3, 2023. Yerevan, Armenia
ISOC Armenia Chapter together with Armenia Internet Registry (ISOC AM NGO) organized 8th Armenia Internet Governance Forum (ArmIGF8).
Agenda of the Forum can be seen here.
October 26, 2023. ICANN78
“Internet Society Armenia chapter” board chair, Vesmira Harutyunyan, was elected for the ICANN fellowship program and participated in ICANN 78 meeting on October 21–26 in Hamburg, Germany. Narine Derdzakyan, Armenia chapter vice-chair, and Kristina Hakobyan, chapter board member, had also participated at the meeting. The “German Internet Society chapter” invited the Armenian delegation to attend its session, during which there was an experience exchange.
October 13, Yerevan, Armenia
ISOC Armenia Chapter, in collaboration with UNICEF, successfully conducted a seminar marking the culmination of the Chapter-UNICEF project on IoT. There was a showcase smart prototypes made by teens as part of the “Information Technologies in Practice” project. This was the presentation and overview of the outcomes of the two-month “Internet of Things” courses, which was funded by the Russian Federation and conducted in collaboration with UNICEF and the “Internet Society Armenia Chapter.The two-month “Internet of Things” courses were attended by 80 teenagers, 12 of whom had special needs, in four regions: Kotayk, Shirak, Lori, Syunik, and Yerevan. Participation of teenagers with disabilities was one of the program key objectives. Teenagers learnt to come up with smart solutions for controlling street lighting, maintaining gardens, and sounding the school bell. Providing young people and adolescents with digital literacy and new technology skills was one of UNICEF’s objectives.Alvard Poghosyan, chief of UNICEF’s educational programs, said, “We are really delighted for the partnership with “Internet Society Armenia chapter” since it improved our knowledge in this area and helped us understand what opportunities exist in the modern world and the directions of education we can develop. Igor Mkrtumyan, chair of the “Internet society Armenia chapter” said that the growth of IT is the main way of Armenia’s development. This initiative provided a chance to educate our adolescents in the rural areas. We appreciate the cooperation with UNICEF. We see benefits of our training today and it is encouraging.
The event was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Education and a prominent NGO supporting children with disabilities. The organizers presented insightful reports on the project's achievements. Moreover, an engaging hackathon focused on IoT, specifically tailored for teenagers who had completed IoT courses, was organized. The participants showcased their impressive task results created using the Thinkercad emulator via Zoom. Additionally, the seminarfeatured a demonstration of the Armenian voice assistant, Anahit.
Ocober 6, 2023.ChaC Steering Committee nomination
ISOC Armenia Chapter nominated its ChAC Representative Katarina Gevorgyan for membership in the ChaC Steering Committee.
October 6, 2023. Global Encryption Day in Armenia
ISOC Armenia Chapter organized Global Encryption Day workshop with the following agenda:
- Encryption: Securing Digital Communication and Privacy - Igor Mkrtumyan, ISOC Armenia President
- Encryption in business – Areg Shmavonyan, InfoTec Сybersecurity LLC
- Encryption in cloud networks - Sergey Abrahamyan, PhD, professor, American University of Armenia.
A discussion on encryption challenges in Armenia took place, accompanied by the following recommendations:
1. Keep the global encryption map updated at gp-digital.org/world-map-of-encryption.
2. In the event that government requirement for obtaining encryption keys becomes unavoidable, mandate that responsible government personnel hold certifications in cybersecurity and encryption.
The workshop saw participation from 20 individuals.
29 September 2023, ISOC Foundation
ISOC Armenia Chapter members took part in the ISOC’s Fragmentation webinar.
29 September 2023, ISOC Armenia
ISOC Armenia Chapter submitted the final report for the ArmSIG7 grant.
28 September 2023, Vanadzor, Armenia
ISOC Armenia Chapter provided a notebook to No.8 Gyumri school.
17 September 2023, Yerevan, Armenia
ISOC Armenia Chapter ChAC representative Katarina Gevorgyan participated in the chapters’ advisory council meeting.
17 September 2023, Yerevan, Armenia
ISOC Armenia Chapter launched all-Armenian community libraries website remotelibrary.am, created within the framework of “Lori regions community Internet centers” program.
15 September 2023, Vanadzor, Armenia
ISOC Armenia Chapter donated a notebook to the best IoT training course student of Vanadzor group, LilitAlikhanyan.
15-16 September 2023, Spitak, Armenia
ISOC Armenia Chapter organized the 7th Armenian School on Internet Governance. It took pace in the Spitak city. More than 30 people attended the school.
The school was open to individuals from various fields and with diverse professional backgrounds. Encouraged participants include teachers, NGO representatives, as well as local government officials. The format of the event was accessible to all interested individuals. It was conducted at the city library of Spitak with the agenda:
Day 1
10:30 - 10:45 Opening ceremony
10:45 - 11:00 Introductory, ArmSIG history, goals, achievements
11:00 - 11:30 Internet ecosystem, history, development, nowadays trends like AI, IOT e.t.c
11:30 - 12:15 What is IGF globally, and what is ArmIGF as a local capacity building
12:15 - 13:00 Global ISOC
13:00 - 13:20 ISOC Armenia chapter- vision, mission, activities, and achievements
14:20 - 14:40 .am and .հայ domains registry
14:40 - 15:30 RIPE NCC basic information and the leading role in the region
15:30 - 16:00 Questions and answers
Day 2
11:30 - 12:00 IG learning courses, programs
12:00 - 12:45 ICANN ecosystem, activities, multistakeholder system
12:45 - 13:45 Personal data protection, human rights
14:45 - 15:45 Internet literacy, cyber hygiene, and Cybersecurity
15:45 -16:30 Closing ceremony and certificates award
14 September 2023, ISOC Chapters on-line
ISOC Armenia Chapter board took part in the ISOC Q3 Chapter Leaders Call with the agenda:
Regional Regulatory Update: David Frautschy, Internet Society
Chapter Highlight: ISOC Israel Chapter, Hank Nussbacher, Special Advisor for Technological and International Affairs
Project Highlight: ISOC’s Measurements and Pulse, Amreesh Phokeer, Internet Society
Get Ready for Encryption Day, Carl Gahnberg, Internet Society
Internet Society Chapter Advisory Council Update, Peter Koch, Senior Policy Advisor at DENIC
11 September 2023, Goris, Armenia
ISOC Armenia Chapter donated a notebook to the best IoT training course student of Goris group, Shahen Gyurjyan,
9-10 September 2023, Yerevan, Lori region, Armenia
ISOC Armenia Chapter Library program leader, Vahan Misakyan, visited Gugark and Spitak communities and provided digitized library training for community librarians. Total 10 librarians passed the training.
4 September 2023, Yerevan, Armenia
ISOC Armenia Chapter extends its heartfelt gratitude to the Director of the Armenian Indian Center for Excellence in ICT, Ms. Emilia Harutyunyan. Her generous donation of computers and technical literature is immensely appreciated. This contribution will undoubtedly have a significant positive impact on our Chapter's endeavors. We look forward to future collaborations and the continued growth of our shared initiatives. Thank you, Ms. Emilia Harutyunyan, for your invaluable support!
Ms. Emilia Harutyunyan
3 September 2023, ISOC Foundation
ISOC Foundation approved the application of the ISOC Armenia Chapter for the ArmIGF8 grant.
15 August 2023.Lori region, Armenia
ISOC Armenia Chapter Library program leader, Vahan Misakyan, and chapter member, Valery Stepanyan, delivered and installed 5 digitized libraries to community libraries and connected them to the Internet.
Community:
Gugarq, Spitak, Jiliza, Vanadzor regional library
11 July 2023. Yerevan, Armenia
ISOC Foundation approved the application of the ISOC Armenia Chapter for the Encryption Day Mini-Grant.
3 August 2023.Lori region, Armenia
ISOC Armenia Chapter Library program leader, Vahan Misakyan, delivered and installed 5 digitized libraries to community libraries and connected them to the Internet.
Community:
Akori |
Alaverdi |
Shahumyan |
 |
 |
 |
Stepanavan |
Tashir |
3 August 2023. ISOC Armenia Chapter applied for the Encryption Day Mini-Grants.
3 August 2023. Global Encryption Day
The members of the Steering Committee (SC) of the Global Encryption Coalition (GEC) invited the Chapter to join a presentation on the plans for Global Encryption Day 2023. The SC shared details on the planned theme, messaging, and activities for the third annual Global Encryption Day.
3 August 2023. ISOC Armenia Chapter check-in #2 with Nick Hyrka
During the check-in the following topics were covered:
-Chapter activities
- Chapter electionsstatus
- Web presence
- Chapter officerroles
- Funding
- Trainings
- New AMS
Nick Hyrka stated that the ISOC Armenia Chapter status is Gigabit level good, the chapter is very active and is encouraged to continue posting activities in the chapter’s AMS (MemberNova) record, Chapter elections were held in May; next elections are scheduled for 2026, the chapter roles are updated and in good order, the chapter’s web content is good. Nick Hyrka also mentioned the training: that chapter officers may join the third session of the 2023 Chapter leadership program; It is necessary to register to reserve a spot; a short video overview of the program is here. ISOC’s free Training and eLearning (TeL) portfolio is here. It includes Chapter Management Essentials Training which is self-paced.
26-28 July 2023. Vanadzor, Armenia
4 digitized libraries for Vanadzor town libraries were delivered and their librarians were trained during 3-days lectures on how to manage them. The project manager, Vahan Misakyan, explained the functions of the digitized library program and presented tools and necessary skills to use it.
They following librarians participated in the training:
Muradyan Mane
PapanianAnush
AghababyanTatev
Kharatyan Ani
Stepanyan Hayarpi
Mkrtchyan Anush
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25 July 2023. Yerevan, Armenia
ISOC Foundation approved the application of the ISOC Armenia Chapter for the 7th Armenia School of Internet Governance (ArmSIG7).
15 July 2023. Yerevan, Armenia
ISOC Armenia Chapter had finished the “UNICEF-Armenia Chapter IoT program for 14–18-year-old teenagers” project. The summary of the project can be seen here.
5-6 July 2023. Vanadzor, Armenia
ISOC Armenia Chapter organized a meeting with Lori region libraries involved in the “Creation of rural community centers in the Lori Region of Armenia, based on digitized rural libraries with broadband Internet, WiFi access points, videoconferencing capabilities, and training community in digital skills” project. Representatives of 14 libraries were present at the meeting.
N Library name
1 Lori regional library
2 Vanadzor Central Library
3 Children's library No. 2 of Vanadzor
4 Children's library No. 3 of Vanadzor
5 Children's library No. 6 of Vanadzor
6 Public library No. 4 of Vanadzor
7 Spitak Library
8 Stepanavan Library
9 Tashir Library
10 Tumanyan Library
11 Gugark Library
12 Akori Library
13 Jiliza Library
14 Library of Shahumyan House of Culture
During the meeting, library representatives were recommended to adapt their activities to the new role of libraries as community Internet centers. The availability of broadband Internet allows libraries to better serve their visitors by providing access to vast knowledge bases. In addition to traditional library services, libraries should now focus on serving the community's needs and assisting visitors in their search for information.
The librarians received training in various topics to support this transition:
1.Advantages of Community Internet Centers: Librarians were educated about the benefits of community Internet centers. They learned how these centers can bridge the digital divide by providing access to information and online resources to those who may not have such access at home. Librarians were encouraged to promote these advantages to the community and encourage participation.
2. Digitization of Libraries: Librarians were trained on the process of digitizing library resources and materials. They learned how to convert physical books, documents, and other media into digital formats, making them more accessible and searchable. Librarians were also taught techniques for preserving and archiving digital materials effectively.
3. Libraries and social media: Librarians were introduced to the importance of social media in reaching and engaging with the community. They learned how to utilize platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to promote library events, share information, and interact with library visitors. Librarians were trained in crafting compelling social media content and engaging with users effectively.
4. Internet Hygiene: Recognizing the importance of online safety and security, librarians received training on internet hygiene. They learned about potential online risks, such as identity theft, phishing, and malware. Librarians were equipped with knowledge on how to educate library visitors about safe internet practices, including the use of strong passwords, avoiding suspicious websites, and protecting personal information.
5. Library Activities in Mass Media: Librarians were guided on how to effectively engage with mass media to promote library services, events, and resources. They learned strategies for reaching out to local newspapers, radio stations, and television channels to publicize library initiatives. Librarians were encouraged to develop relationships with journalists and understand the value of media coverage in raising awareness about library offerings.
By equipping librarians with these skills and knowledge, libraries can transform into community Internet centers that not only provide access to information but also actively meet the evolving needs of their visitors.
The following library representatives took part in the training:
1 Tashir Library, Armenuhi Avetyan
2 Tashir Library, Narine Baghdasaryan
3 Spitak Library, Knarik Grigoryan
4 Spitak Library, Sofia Asatryan
5 Spitak Library, Varduhi Mashakaryan
6 Jiliza Library, Mher Vardanyan
7 Jiliza Library, Susanna Tsatinyan
8 Stepanavan Library, Sofia Dunkhamalyan
9 Stepanavan Library, Emilia Keghinyan
10 Library No. 2, Siran Zurabyan
11 Library No. 3, Anush Papanyan
12 Library No. 3, Naira Aghamalyan
13 Library No. 3, Anush Mkrtchyan
14 Library No. 3, Ani Kharatyan
15 Library No. 4, Hayarpi Stepanyan
16 Library No. 6, Ruzan Kotanjian
17 Lori Regional Library, Liana Kroyan
18 Lori Regional Library, Susanna Gevorgyan
19 Gugark Library, Kristina Tatosyan
20 Gugark Library, Heghine Arakelyan
21 Shahumyan Library, Senik Manukyan
22 Shahumyan Library, Anahit Gaginyan
23 Dsegh Library, Manik Yeganyan
24 Dsegh Library, Armine Amirkhanyan
25 Akori Library, Vergine Niazyan
26 Akori Library, Gayane Avetyan
27 Akori Library, Sohak Dallakyan
28 Community: head of department, Levon Sadaghyan
29 Library after Hrant Matevosyan, Aida Sokhakyan
After the meeting Chapter staff visited Dsegh village, the birthplace of the famous Armenian poet, Hovhannes Tumanyan, and meet with Dsegh village librarians. The Chapter promised to convert the library into community Internet center by providing PCs, digitized library and a WiFi router.
23 June 2023. Yerevan, Armenia
Internet Society Armenia Chapter presented the interim report on the grant “Creation of rural community centers in the Lori Region of Armenia, based on digitized rural libraries with broadband Internet, WiFi access points, videoconferencing capabilities, and training community in digital skills” to the ISOC Foundation.
June 16, 2023. Yerevan, Armenia
Internet Society Armenia Chapter within the framework of the UNICEF IoT project created an Armenian voice assistant, named Anahit, that was installed in the House of culture of blinds and visually impaired people. It will switch the lighting and water supply.
https://www.facebook.com/isocarmeniachapter/videos/941504526904983
6-7 June 2023. Yerevan, Armenia
Union of Operators of Armenia, ISOC AM NGO, and Internet Society Armenia Chapter organized the 2023 European Connectivity Summit Connecting the Unconnected: Europe & Beyond in Yerevan, Armenia.
Panel Discussion 1: Enabling Policy Environments
Panel Discussion 2: Innovative Financing Solutions
Panel 3: Technical Challenges and Opportunities
Recognition of Community Network Champions
Round Table: How to Empower the Rural Areas Communities
Session 1: Community network leads presenting their approaches in empowering rural areas communities for using the Internet in meaningful way.
Session 2: Participants presenting their ideas on the topic and how they can support the rural areas communities. What is needed?
https://www.internetsociety.org/events/connecting-the-unconnected-europe-beyond/agenda
Armenia Chapter was awarded the prize “In recognition of the efforts to grow and defend the Internet.
Local media coverage of the event
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1111738.html
http://www.parliament.am/news.php?cat_id=2&NewsID=18911&year=2023&month=06&day=06&lang=eng
https://hightech.gov.am/en/2023/06/06/yerevan-hosts-european-connectivity-summit-2023/
31 May 2023. New ISOC Armenia Chapter board meeting
The Internet Society Armenia Chapter Board conducted the Board Chair and Vice-Chair election.
The following are the election results:
Board Chair: Vesmira Harutyunyan
Board Vice-Chair: Narine Derdzakyan
30 May 2023. Internet Society Q2 2023 European Region All Members' Call
The call was interactive regional discussion on current Internet issues. Internet Society members and subject matter experts shared their thoughts on current issues that threaten the Internet, and learned what others are doing to preserve it for future generations. We are facing issues like Internet fragmentation, encryption, and content filtering and need to defend the Internet and help it grow. The call focused on what the Internet Society and ISOC members, are doing to achieve this. The agenda of the call:
- Welcome by Andrew Sullivan, President & CEO of Internet Society
- Internet Society 2022 Impact Report, Michuki Mwangi and Dr. Joseph Lorenzo Hall
- Chapter Advisory Council Steering Committee Update, Peter Koch, ChAC SC Representative
- ISOC Foundation Update, Rigdzin Collins, ISOC Foundation Grant Specialist
- with a highlight on ISOC Georgia Chapter activities funded by the Foundation
25-27 May 2023. ISOC Armenia Chapter
General Assembly
The Internet Society Armenia Chapter conducted the President and Board elections on 25-27th
May 2023 in an online mode.
The following are the election results:
President: Igor Mkrtumyan
Board members:
Igor Mkrtumyan (ex officio)
Katarine Gevorgyan
Kristina Hakobyan
Vesmira Harutyunyan
Narine Derdzakyan
Siranush Vardanyan
Karen Yerznkanyan
Armen Muradyan
VaheTadevosyan
Anna Karakhanyan
HrachyaAstsatryan
Audit Committee:
Aram Verdyan, Chair
Tatev Avagyan
Martin Minasyan
24 May 2023. Preparation meeting for Chapter GA
The meeting was called for explaining the President and Board election process details to Chapter members and considering their additional proposals if any.
8 May 2023. ISOC Armenia Chapter Board meeting
Agenda: Setting the date of the Chapter board and president election assembly.
The date of election was set to May 25, 2023.
It was decided that the election will be carried online by the ElectionBuddy online voting platform.
May 3-4, 2023. Internet Society Community Week 2023
ISOC Armenia Chapter members took part in the Internet Society Community Week 2023.
April 27, 2023. ISOC Armenia Chapter
ISOC Armenia Chapter submitted the report on the ISOC Foundation grant “Creation of “Internet of Things (IoT)” laboratory, IoT demo stand, and training”.
April 25, 2023. ISOC Armenia Chapter
ISOC Armenia Chapter submitted the report to UNICEF on the Hrazdan part of the IoT courses.
April 23, 2023. ISOC Armenia Chapter
ISOC Armenia Chapter submitted the statement of interest to implement the “Media and Information Literacy Hackathon” program to US Embassy.
April 22, 2023. ISOC Armenia Chapter
ISOC Armenia Chapter submitted a grant application to the AGBU Noubar Nazarian YP Innovators Fund grant (NNIF) “Rehabilitation of young people with disabilities as the result of wounds received at the last war with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh by training in programming”.
April 4, 2023. ISOC Armenia Chapter Board meeting.
ISOC Armenia Chapter board meeting took place with the agenda:
1. Termination of membership of those who did not pay the membership fee.
2. Approval of the financial and activity report.
March 28, 2023. ISOC Armenia Chapter
ISOC Armenia Chapter submitted areport to UNICEF on the Yerevan part of the IoT courses.
28 March 2023. UA day regional conference
ISOC Armenia Chapter together with ISOC AM NGO organized a UA day regional conference. The UA day report can be seen here.
ISOC Armenia Chapter visited the State University of Theatre and Cinematography and planned to install its developed digitized library.
21 February 2023, Q1 2023 European Region Chapters Leaders’ Call.
Agenda included the following topics:
Internet Society 2023 Action Plan - David Frautschy presenting
- Internet Fragmentation - David Frautschy presenting
- Internet Infrastructure Cost Sharing - Carl Gahnberg presenting
- EU Legislative Activities/Updates - Callum Voge presenting
- ISOC Foundation Update - Jenn Beard presenting
Highlighting: Télécom Sans Frontièrers (TSF), an ISOC Foundation grantee, on TSF’s recent response following the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria with Project Coordinator, Diane Lopiccolo.
20 February 2023. Armenia Chapter check-in call.
Armenia Chapter leaders had a chapter check-in callwith Nick Nyrka, (Regional Community Engagement Manager, Europe · Internet Society) on the current activity of ISOC Armenia Chapter.
The following topics were covered:
- Chapter activities
- Chapter elections status
- Web presence
- Chapter officerroles/needs
- Fundingneeds
- Trainings
- Anyconcerns or needs the chapter may have
31 January 2023. Meeting with Lebanon Chapter.
Armenia Chapter leaders had a meeting with the leaders of the Lebanon Chapter.
12 January 2023. ISOC Armenia Chapter.
ISOC Armenia Chapter started the project “Creation of rural community centers in the Lori Region of Armenia, based on digitized rural libraries with broadband Internet, WiFi access points, videoconferencing capabilities, and training community in digital skills”.
10 January 2023. ISOC Armenia Chapter.
ISOC Armenia Chapter started the project “Creation of an IoT laboratory, IoT demo stand and training” project.
29 December 2022. ISOC Foundation.
ISOC Armenia Chapter grantee report for the Internet Society Foundation's ArmIGF7 Sponsorships, has been reviewed by Foundation staff and approved.
25 December, 2022. Yerevan, Armenia.
ISOC Armenia Chapter started the UNICEF project on IoT courses for 14–18-year adolescents.
23 December, 2022. Yerevan, Armenia.
Armenia Chapter Board meeting with the agenda:
Report of the President on 2022 activity and 2023 plans.
The report of the president was approved.
21 December 22, 2022. ISOC online.
Internet Society completed the 2022 end-of-year chapter performance evaluations. Armenia Chapter was considered a Chapter in good standing and obtained a Gigabit Badge. Armenia Chapter was among 97 chapters that went beyond the minimum requirements and were able to obtain the highest Gigabit Badge.
1 December 2022. ISOC Armenia Chapter.
UNICEF approved Chapter's project on IoT courses for 14-18 year adolescenrts.
21 November 2022. ISOC Armenia Chapter.
The leader of the Chapter rural libraries program, Vahan Misakyan, provided on-line lecture on Computer Literacy to subscribers of the Tavush regional library subscribers.
15 November 2022. ISOC on-line. ISOC Armenia Chapter board chair Lianna Galstyan took part in the Chapters Advisory Council call. There was a discussion of the role of ChAC and its Steering Committee.
14 November 2022. ISOC online.
ISOC Armenia Chapter took part in the second regional call for 2022 open to all Internet Society members in the European region. There was an interactive discussion with fellow Internet Society members and subject matter experts, to share their thoughts on current issues that threaten the Internet and learn what others are doing to preserve it for future generations.There was a talk on the threat of Internet fragmentation; a focus on over the top (OTT) media and Internet infrastructure cost sharing; news about the Internet poverty research initiative.Agenda:
- Over The Top (OTT) Media Services and Internet Cost Sharing - Callum Voge, ISOC
- Internet Fragmentation - David Frautschy, ISOC
- A Brief on our ISOC Foundation - Mariana Diaz, ISOC Foundation
- The Internet Poverty Initiative (an ISOC Foundation grantee) - Jack Gisby and Isabell Roitner-Fransecky, World Data Lab
- Internet Society Pulse Project - Hanna Kreitem/Amreesh Phokeer, ISOC.
14 November 2022. ISOC Armenia Chapter.
The leader of the Chapter rural libraries program, Vahan Misakyan, provided on-line lecture on Computer Literacy to subscribers of the Syunik and Kapan regional library subscribers.
10 November 2022. Yerevan, Armenia. ISOC Armenia Chapter together with ISOC Armenia NGO organized the 7th Armenian IGF. Issues related to Internet governance were discussed, information andbest practice were presented.DankoJevtović (ICANN, Board Vice-Chair), Anja Gengo (Internet Governance and policy advisor at the IGF secretariat) and Dan York (Internet Society, “Low Earth Orbit satellite” Project leader) took part in the forum online.
ISOC Armenia chapter together with the Armenian Internet Registry organized the Yerevan Remote Hub of the IGF2022World Conference on Internet Governance. The Remote Hub connected local participants to several agenda sessions within the framework of the IGF2022. The following topics were discussed:
1. Online Misinformation
2. Fragmentation of the Internet
3. Online fight against the creators and spreaders of fakes
https://www.intgovforum.org/en/content/igf-2022-hub-held-in-yerevan-armenia
https://intgovforum.org/en/nri-news
1 November 2022. LA, US. ISOC Armenia Chapter board chair Lianna Galstyan took part in the PIR 20th anniversary celebration.
27 October 2022. Yerevan, Armenia.
Internet Society approved a grant proposal of ISOC Armenia Chapter for the Creation of an ““Internet of Things (IoT)” laboratory, IoT demo stand, and training” project.
24 October 2022. LA, US. Internet Society Armenia Chapter Board Chair Lianna Galstyan took part in the Armenia's Promise conference was held in Los Angeles to discuss "How can we prepare students in Armenia and Artsakh to shape the nation's future?" question. She spoke about the "Digital Literacy in Rural Libraries" initiative held in Armenia, its mission and the digital challenges rural libraries face.
Participants include the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies, Children of Armenia Fund (COAF), Hidden Road Initiative, UWC Dilijan, Armenian Educational Foundation, AGBU Armenian Virtual College, Teach For All, Yerevan State University, the Armenian Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports. During the forum students and teachers from Armenia and Artsakh — shared their experiences living, studying, and working in rural communities at what is a very difficult time for Armenia and Artsakh.
18 October 2022. ISOC online.
Armenia Chapter grantee report for the Internet Society Foundation's Beyond the Net Small Grants Program (ArmSIG6-Armenian School on Internet Governance), has been reviewed by Foundation staff and approved.
17 October 2022. ISOC online.
Armenia Chapter leaders took part in the ISOC workshop on “How to organize a national, regional or youth IGF”. The guest speaker was the IGF’s Associate Programme Expert and National and Regional iGF (NRI) Initiatives Focal Point for the NRIs’ Engagement, Anja Genco. Anja gave a brief presentation with a Q&A session to follow.
NRIs are organic and independent formations that discuss issues pertaining to Internet governance from the perspective of their respective communities, while acting in accordance with the main principles of the global IGF.
9 October 2022. Yerevan, Armenia.
ISOC Armenia chapter submitted the report on the 6th edition of Armenian School on Internet Governance was co-organized by the Internet Society Armenia Chapter and the .am ccTLD Registry. It became a good experience of holding the school in two phases bringing together different stakeholder group representatives across Armenia.
4 October 2022. ISOC on-line. Catch-up meeting with Nick Hyrka.
Armenia chapter leaders took part in the catch-up meeting with NickHyrka.The following list of items was briefly covered:
- Activitiesthisyear
- Chapter electionsstatus
- Web presence
- Chapter officerroles/needs
- Fundingneeds
- Trainings
- Chapter performance evaluationreview
- Anyconcerns or needs the chapter may have
27 September 2022. ISOC on-line.
Internet Society approved Armenia Chapter's grant proposal for the Armenian Internet Governance Forum (ArmIGF7). It will be the seventh national IGF.
24 September 2022. ISOC Armenia Chapter.
The leader of the Chapter rural libraries program, Vahan Misakyan, provided a lecture on Computer Literacy to subscribers of the Kotayk regional library.
14 September 2022. ISOC on-line.
Armenia Chapter leaders took part in the Q3 2022 European Chapters Leaders’ Call.
6-8 September 2022. ISOC on-line. ISOC Community Week.
Armenia Chapter leaders took part in the 2022 ISOC Community Week.
Internet Society members worldwide united to celebrate our collective work to build and protect the Internet for 30 years. ISOC will continue to connect the unconnected and fight for a secure and fight for a secure and trustworthy Internet for everyone.
During the Community Week the following topics were discussed:
- Policy Development Process (PDP): Digital Sovereignty White Paper
- Results Available: Internet Society's 2025 Strategy Consultation
- How Can Chapters Help Advocate for the Internet?
- What's New on the Pulse Platform
- Global Encryption Day: 21 October 2022
- ITU Plenipotentiary 2022
9 September 2022. Yerevan, Armenia.
ISOC Armenia Chapter had successfully completed the "Armenian School on Internet Governance” grant program. More than 30 participants took part in the school.
16 August 2022. Yerevan, Armenia.
Internet Society approved a grant proposal for Armenian School on Internet Governance 2022.
21 June 2022. Yerevan, Armenia.
ISOC Armenia Chapter had successfully completed the "Digital Literacy in Rural Areas” grant program. More than 150 participants from rural regions took part in the training.
June 8, 2022. ISOC on-line. Q2 regional call.
The call provided an opportunity for the chapter leaders to showcase what they are working on, share how they did it, and explain how individual members can get involved.
8 June 2022. ISOC on-line. ISOC AM Chapter leaders took part in the first regional call for 2022 open to Internet Society members in the European region. The theme for the call was Protecting the Internet. There were interactive discussions with fellow Internet Society members and subject matter experts, sharing thoughts on current issues that threaten the Internet, and learning what we can do to preserve it for future generations. The other discussed themes were: What are splinternet and digital sovereignty and what does it mean to Chapters?
What are the adverse effects legislation may have on security, privacy and digital rights?
What are Special Interest Groups and Standing Groups, what do they do, and how can we get involved in their work?
The organizers also highlighted and explained what they do, and how one can get involved in their work.
The video recording of the call is found here:
https://isoc.box.com/s/n13moikpun1xfz6568cnmz9aaf1w172j
June 1, 2022. ISOC on-line. Two ISOC Armenia Chapter members participated in the ISOC Fundamentals 2022 starting session on Low Earth Orbit Satellites.
Fundamentals_LEOs
28 April 2022. Yerevan, Armenia. Internet Society Armenia Chapter and Internet Society NGO joined the international Girls in ICT Day for the 5th time by organizing a “Girls in ICT. Access and Safety” hybrid conference.
The goal of the conferencewas to promote women in the areas of science, information, and communication technologies.
During the conference online security aspects and challenges as well as the ways to avoid them were presented. Leading specialists in the field also presented STEM education and innovative educational programs developed in Armenia in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The conference was broadcasted online.
21 April 2022. Yerevan, Armenia. ISOC Armenia Chapter Board meeting
2021 annual activity and financial reports were presented and unanimously approved by the Board.
Chapter President and Chair of the Board responded to questions on 2022 plan of action.
14 April 2022. ISOC on-line. Internet Society approved ISOC AM Chapter small grant application
“Digital Literacy in Rural Areas”.
24 March 2022. Yerevan, Armenia. ISOC Armenia Chapter took part in the Board of Trustees election.
17 March 2022. Yerevan, Armenia. ISOC Armenia Chapter General Assembly
Agenda
1. Changes in the Board members.
2. Approval of the Charter changes.
10 March 2022. Yerevan, Armenia. ISOC Armenia Chapter Board meeting took place with the agenda
1. Changes in the Board members
2. Approval of Charter changes.
27 February 2022. ISOC. ISOC Armenia Chapter Grant Agreement for 2022 - Chapter Admin Funding has been accepted.
24 February 2022. Q1 European Chapters Leaders’ Call. Agenda included the following topics:
-Encryption
Frederic Taes: ISOC Belgium chapter, Belgian data retention law
Olivier Crépin-Leblond and Christian de Larrinaga, UK England chapter, UK Online Safety Bill
-Regional Government Affairs and Policy Updates, David Frautschy and Callum Voge, Internet Society
-New proposals to the ITU by Russian Federation, Veni Markovski, Bulgaria chapter
-Internet Way of Networking (IWN) trainings for the community; working with the IWN Toolkit, Callum Voge, Internet Society
-Updates from the Internet Society Foundation, Megan Powers and Guilherme Rocca, ISOC Foundation
-ChAC Steering Committee update, Frederic Taes, Regional representative Europe
-The 2022 Action Plan and chapter support, Nick Hyrka
The video recording of the call may be found here:
https://isoc.box.com/s/b8dd3rrcdeurf2cyrqcowpoob1l3fn1c
-Attached is a PDF of two presentations combined: The ChAC Steering Committee Update and the Nurturing and Equipping Our Chapters in 2022 presentation
-Frederic Taes was unable to give the ChAC Steering Committee Update due to time constraints. His key messages are:
1) ChAC-SC supports ITU-T initiative (Veni);
2) ChAC-SC will send a survey to all chapters for priorities and topics of interest;
3) 10 chapters are invited to appoint a ChAC representative.
-For any question and feedback, he asks you to contact him directly: frederic.taes@isoc.be
-For any questions or comments related to the Nurturing and Equipping Our Chapters presentation, please contact me at any time
-The link to the EU Strategy on Standardisation document that David spoke on is found here:
-The link to the document “A vision for the future internet: a summary” that Borka shared is found here:
https://research.ngi.eu/longreads/a-vision-for-the-future-internet-a-summary/
-Information on the Internet Society’s Internet Way of Networking, the Toolkit, and Internet Impact Briefs that Callum spoke on are found here:
https://www.internetsociety.org/issues/internet-way-of-networking/
https://www.internetsociety.org/issues/internet-way-of-networking/internet-impact-assessment-toolkit/
https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/doc/2021/how-to-conduct-an-internet-impact-brief/
-Links to documents and reports related to Veni’s talk on the proposals to the ITU from the Russian Federation shared by Richard are found here:
https://www.itu.int/md/meetingdoc.asp?lang=en&parent=S22-RCLINTPOL17-C-0003
https://www.itu.int/md/meetingdoc.asp?lang=en&parent=S22-RCLINTPOL17-C-0004
https://www.itu.int/md/meetingdoc.asp?lang=en&parent=S22-RCLINTPOL17-C-0006
Representatives from the following ISOC Chapters participated in the call: Spain Canary Islands, Georgia, Estonia, Switzerland, Romania, Ukraine, the Netherlands, Spain Aragon, Germany, Slovenia, Belgium, UK England, Poland, Finland, Spain Catalonia, Armenia, Israel, Turkey, Norway, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Sweden, Kazakhstan, Portugal, and Bulgaria.
18 February 2022. ISOC Armenia Chapter check-in. Talk with Nick Hyrka. Summary of the talk:
-The ISOC Armenia chapter is currently a Gigabit-level chapter with 42 active members
-It performed well in the 2021 year-end chapter performance evaluations with no deficiencies
-Activities: the chapter is active and is encouraged to continue posting activities in the chapter’s AMS (MemberNova) as this helps the chapter in its badge status from the performance reviews, which reflect the amount of eligible chapter admin funding for the coming year
The chapter may consider developing activities that support the Internet Society’s Internet Growth and Strength areas as noted in our 2022 Action Plan
-The chapter may of course produce activities outside of these project areas such as the focus on regional capacity building, increasing digital skills, and supplying broadband connectivity for rural libraries as mentioned on the call
-Elections: The elections are up to date with the next elections scheduled for May 2022
-The chapter will update its bylaws to extend chair/president term limits and submit the bylaws for approval to ISOC before the elections
Roles: The chapter roles are otherwise in order
Web presence: The chapter’s web presence is good
Funding: the chapter is approved to receive 2022 chapter admin funding at Gigabit level (USD 3500);
the application period opened on 25 January and runs through June
As mentioned on the call, the Internet Society Foundation administers grants to fund a variety events and activities including grants for local IGF events and for research activities
Contact ISOC Foundation regional representative, Guilherme Gonsales Rocca, for any assistance
Training: A reminder that ISOC updated and restructured its Training and eLearning (TeL) portfolio in 2021 which ISOC encourages the chapter to promote to its members
Included is our Chapter Management Essentials Training; self-paced and free that we ask all chapter officers to take. This complements the updated Chapter Handbook.
Chapters are recommended to keep an eye out for the reconfigured Fundamentals training program that will feature courses on our 2022 projects
-It is understood that time commitments to take the courses and build a related activity is a challenge for chapter members
-The chapter recently signed the new Data Sharing Agreement and was the first of our chapters to do so
It was requested that reminders are sent to chapter leaders on upcoming Chapter Advisory Council meetings. Nick will forward this request to relevant colleagues.
We are encouraging chapters that have local government or legislative policy interests or influence to take an active role in developing Internet Impact briefs. We point chapter reps to our Internet Way of Networking (IWN) project and our Internet Impact Assessment Toolkit to build these briefs.
The office encourage chapters to contact David Frautschy, the Senior Director for European Government and Regulatory Affairs, if a chapter have questions on this or need information or support on how to influence local government and legislative parties.
8 February 2022. Yerevan, Armenia. There wasanISOC Chapter Board meeting discussing changes in the Bylaws that became necessary in the process of the Chapter activity. All proposed changes formulated by the Chapter jurist were approved by the Board and will be send to ISOC Chapters Administration for approval and after that will be presented to the Chapter Board for confirmation. The Board confirmed the election of Igor Mkrtumyan as a Chapter Voting Delegate.
ISOC Chapter president I. Mkrtumyan informed the Board about the current works including new grant proposal development.
Project requirement
The projects should address the challenges, gaps, problems and opportunities of the Armenian IT ecosystem and lead to job creation and/or increase employability with a focus on attracting women and youth.
Project identification
- Identify two follow-up (capacity building) projects based on the ecosystem analysis, these Project:
o should address the challenges, gaps and opportunities of the Armenian IT ecosystem;
o will lead to job creation and/or increase employability.
The committed stakeholders identified for phase 2 must be local stakeholders, as this project is financed by a program focused on strengthening the local private sector.
The counterparts can be sector organizations or other kinds of organizations representing (part of) the sector, but also government institutes which are responsible for the enabling environment.
Digital Skills program proposal/ideas to discuss
Digital skills
What should be thought in the program?
Kind of digital skills required
Basic skills –
Operate a computer and or device
Information and data literacy
Communication and collaboration
Digital content creation
Safety / Cybersecurity skills
Problem solving
Entrepreneurial skills
Language skills
Target groups
Adults with lack of digital skills
Adults with Disabilities: what has already been done?
Show Women (in rural areas); IT opportunities AND skills they can contribute to IT sector
What should be the entry level of candidates?
How they should be reached
How to reach in Rural area
Which rural areas and community
How is the access to the internet (Devices /Connection)?
What kind of Teaching method
Online (e-learning and /or online teaching)
physical
21 January 2022. ISOC Armenia Chapter.
Final version of Chapterthon video was published. It includes videos from many rural libraries, where computers and WiFi routers were installed. ISOC Armenia Chapter project was considered the best among European chapters.
18 January 2022. ISOC on-line.
2021 Chapter Admin Funding report has been accepted by the Internet Society. Chapter funding program of the Internet Society is a great help for chapters permitting them to cover organizational expenses.
14 January 2022. ISOC Armenia Chapter.
Rural libraries program manager Vahan Misakyanhad met with the head of the RA President's staff Emil Tarasyan.During the meeting V. Misakyan presented the program, implemented works, as well as the upcoming activities. During the meeting, the current condition of rural libraries, existing problems and development prospects, as well as opportunities for providing regionalrural libraries with broadband internet were discussed. It was a constructive dialogue with the expectation of future cooperation.
11 January 2022. ISOC on-line. ISOC Armenia Chapter Grantee Report on Armenian School of Internet Governance (ArmSIG) has been accepted by the Internet Society. ArmSIG is an annual conference educating young people on Internet Governance, its problems, and solutions. The report is published here