Archived Newsroom • Press Release |
|
Significant progress on key issues of Internet Governance
ITU Conference gathers stakeholders from government, industry and civil
society to debate international Internet public policy-related issues
Geneva, 16 May 2013 - "This year’s WTPF, with its focus on
international Internet-related public policy matters, is especially timely – as
we stand at a ‘tipping point’, with the Internet making the transition from a
mass-market in industrialized countries, to strong demand and widespread usage
around the world”, said Dr Touré, as the ITU’s fifth World Telecommunication
Policy Forum concluded in Geneva today.
Dr Touré went on to say that "at WTPF, we have created a shared vision; a
shared vision that can now be transformed into effective action to bring
connectivity to the two-thirds of the world's people who are still offline – and
that is our bottom line, connecting the unconnected and achieving full digital
inclusion for all citizens of the world."
The WTPF was chaired by Mr. Ivo Ivanovski, Minister of Information Society
and Administration, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, who was supported
in his task by
six vice-chairs. “The WTPF came hot on the heels of the
difficult discussions in Dubai last December during the revision of the
International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs) treaty” said Mr. Ivanovski,
“so it is all the more remarkable to have witnessed such an incredible and
constructive spirit of cooperation and consensus. Representatives from
governments, private sector and civil society have worked side-by-side,
understanding what was at stake and fully focused on our common goal - nothing
less than the responsibility to ensure safe and affordable access for everyone
to the future Internet.”
This year’s Forum focused on the topic of Internet-related public policy
issues, a theme unanimously chosen by the ITU membership at its last
Plenipotentiary Conference in 2010. The Plenipotentiary is the main governance
body of the ITU and meets every four years. The run-up to the WTPF included
three preparatory meetings of the
Informal Experts
Group – a cross-sectoral, multistakeholder group, comprising
some 180
experts, which advised the Forum and supported the drafting of
the
Secretary-General’s Report which was the main input document to the
conference.
This report contained six Opinions – essentially, non-binding recommendations
to guide Internet public policy – which were discussed at length and finalized
in working groups and during the Plenary Sessions this week.
The Opinions cover some of the key and fundamental issues of Internet
Governance today, including:
-
Promoting Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) as a long term
solution to advance connectivity
-
Fostering an enabling environment for the greater growth and
development of broadband connectivity
-
Supporting Capacity Building for the deployment of IPv6
-
Supporting IPv6 Adoption and Transition from IPv4
-
Supporting Multi-stakeholderism in Internet Governance
-
Supporting operationalizing the Enhanced Cooperation Process
The conference was set up into three working groups, each dealing with two
opinions. Opinions one to four were finalized and endorsed ahead of time.
Opinions five and six required more in-depth discussion however, particularly
around the role of government in Internet governance issues. The necessity to
include government is not contested by any stakeholders, but the extent of their
role and responsibility opened up extensive discussions focusing on the need to
balance the mitigation of risks while maximizing the undoubted opportunities
provided by an open Internet.
In the end, in the words of one delegation, “perfect cannot not be the enemy
of good” and it was agreed unanimously that the texts should be fully adopted
and considered as important progress towards defining an efficient Internet
governance system to manage the incredible global resource which the Internet
has now become. An additional contribution on the role of government in the
multi-stakeholder model proposed by Brazil and revised after consultation with a
number of countries, received widespread support and though it was not endorsed,
it was agreed that it merited further discussion beyond WTPF.
The WTPF gathered more than 900 participants together in Geneva from some 130
countries, while over 3000 people participated remotely via webcast. All
sessions, including the WTPF working groups, were webcast. There was active
participation during the conference, which welcomed contributions from the floor
from governments, industry and civil society representatives encompassing both
members and non-members of the ITU itself.
Reflecting back on the week’s work and looking forward to future challenges,
Dr Touré said, “It is so impressive to see all stakeholders coming together and
working in such a positive spirit of collaboration. I am proud that ITU is
playing its part to champion multistakeholderism and to use its convening power
to facilitate constructive dialogue. We have achieved a lot together this week
and we are excited about what this will mean in terms of concrete, positive
actions over the coming years”.
For more information, please contact:
Paul Conneally
Head,
Communication & Partnership Promotion
|
Sarah Parkes
Chief, Media Relations & Public
Information, ITU
|
About ITU...