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The International Chamber of Commerce and its BASIS (Business Action to Support the Information Society) initiative actively participated in the post- UN World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) activities, held May 14-18 in Geneva. The week-long series of events included the WSIS action lines forum, open consultation for the preparations of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) and meetings of the IGF multi-stakeholder advisory group, as well as a consultation on ‘enhanced cooperation’ convened by the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development. All of these dialogues are important to the success of the WSIS and its outcome.
Organized by the International Telecommunication Union, UNESCO, the UN Development Program and UNCTAD, the forum gathered representatives of governments, civil society, business and the Internet technical community to share experiences regarding initiatives and concrete projects that are helping countries more effectively harness the power of information and communication technology (ICTs) for the common global good.
“The tangible impact of ICTs on economic growth and opportunity is a shared objective,” said John Davies, vice president of Intel Corporation. “Simply put, countries with effective ICT policies tend to have higher productivity and countries with ineffective ICT policies tend to have lower productivity.”
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BASIS Chair Urges Greater Collaboration with Business on Internet-related Public Policy
Internet access can empower the marginalized and improve the lives of millions of people – but governments must work with business and other stakeholders to put the necessary conditions in place. This was the message delivered by Subramanian Ramadorai, chair of ICC’s BASIS initiative, to the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) during WSIS week in Geneva.
Ramadorai said governments and international institutions should ensure their Internet policy related decision-making activities were open and inclusive to all stakeholders on an equal footing. “All efforts to continue to advance enhanced cooperation should be based on the commitment to openness, inclusiveness, and outreach.”
The extent to which business and other stakeholders should be involved in public policy issues pertaining to the Internet, referred to as “enhanced cooperation,” was discussed during a CSTD consultation.
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