LACNIC's Board of Directors and staff have been closely following the situation unfolding in Haiti as a consequence of the earthquake the country suffered a few days ago, and we would like to express our full solidarity with the entire people of Haiti in this time of enormous hardship they are undergoing.
During these days we have been in contact with some of the Haitian Internet community’s most relevant actors to inquire about their personal situation. Because of the magnitude of the tragedy, all of them suffered major personal and material losses but fortunately they are safe.
Both directly as well as through colleague organizations such as the NSRC, we have been able to gather information on the situation of the Internet in Haiti. The results are diverse, but we have verified that the Port-au-Prince Traffic Exchange Point remains operational.
Clearly, Haiti's first priority is the humanitarian problem: to overcome the chaos and primary needs that have been generated as a result of the earthquake. For this reason, we would like to summon all members of the region's Internet community to contribute with the Haitian people, each from their own location, through the solidarity channels that exist within their local communities: international organizations, humanitarian aid organizations, governments, etc.
As regards Internet-related issues, thanks to the leadership of an excellent team of professionals, Haiti had achieved a high level of critical infrastructure availability. The situation of its ccTLD, its IXP, the progress made in terms of IPv6, the plans for installing a root server, are but a few examples of the results obtained in Haiti and a testament to the achievements that may be attained even in environments with economic deficiencies.
We at LACNIC commit all our energy to an international effort that will allow reestablishing, if necessary, the high levels achieved in terms of critical Internet infrastructure in Haiti as soon as it is possible to assess the situation and implement the required level of coordination. We are already in communication with other organizations, exploring the best possible ways to help the Haitian community in these issues.
We extend our warm regards and support to our Haitian brothers, in the hope that they may overcome this extremely difficult and painful situation as soon as possible.
Oscar Messano
President - LACNIC
French version: http://lacnic.net/sp/anuncios/2010_notahaiti_fr.html.
