NGOs getting web domain

MANILA, Philippines–To enhance the visibility of civil society on the web, a new top-level global Internet domain will be launched this year.

Called .NGO, it will be open to all qualified nongovernment organizations.

Public Interest Registry (PIR), a US-based NGO, believes that the Internet is a powerful tool for NGOs in securing new supporters and donors.

For more than a decade, PIR has managed .ORG with more than 10.4 million domains in over 200 countries and territories.

“We are now talking to the NGO community in many countries to better understand their needs and to explain the new domain,” said PIR board member Ingrid Srinath.

According to PIR, the Philippines is one of the two priority countries in Asia for .NGO because of its vibrant online community and civil sector.

The new domain will be an international online community open only to genuine NGOs. It will provide an online space where NGOs can collaborate to reduce online risks, gain visibility, raise funds and connect with new partners worldwide.

Domain holders of .NGO will also have their organizations included in a searchable NGO directory that will include a customizable online profile to enable each organization to showcase their activities and communicate with partners, funders and the public.

Srinath and Nick Thorne, PIR’s international advisor and former UK ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, will be in Manila on Aug. 19 at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) to discuss the new domain, the changing structure of the Internet and how Filipino NGOs can qualify for inclusion in the new domain.

Srinath and Thorne will both be available for interviews before or following the event. To schedule an interview, contact Lin Neumann at [email protected].–Mariejo Ramos