Internet Governance as Foundation for Job Creation and Economic Growth

Baku, Azerbaijan
Baku, Azerbaijan

USCIB and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) will use their presence at the 7th annual Internet Governance Forum (IGF) on November 6-9 in Baku, Azerbaijan to reinforce the value of a multi-stakeholder approach to public policy development around the Internet and enhanced cooperation in stimulating economic growth.

Jean-Guy Carrier, secretary general of the ICC on behalf of ICC’s Business Action to Support the Information Society (BASIS) initiative, delivered a key message that stakeholders must collaborate more fully in order to bring about the positive policy changes needed to deliver open trade and Internet investment to enhance future economic growth and maintain the free flow of information online.

“There is a clear and positive correlation between investment in the Internet and the growth of economic activity,” he said. “To truly capitalize on this potential for economic growth, cooperation needs to be facilitated and promoted across the whole spectrum of organizations addressing Internet-related issues, including those that are private sector-led, multi-stakeholder and intergovernmental.”

Addressing approximately 1,700 business leaders, government officials, Internet technical experts, and civil society representatives attending this year’s IGF, Mr. Carrier said: “Business feels more strongly than ever that open trade and investment, respect for the rule of law and regulatory predictability, provide a path to growth and job creation. What’s more, bridging borders through global trade and the economic ties made possible by the Internet, has lifted millions of people out of poverty and contributed to improving living standards around the globe.”

Every year at the IGF, ICC’s BASIS serves as the voice of global business in the international dialogue on how the Internet and ICTs can better serve as engines of economic growth and social development. It is ICC’s’ longstanding belief that the IGF’s unique format and founding principles should be protected to ensure that genuine progress continues to be made towards addressing some of the most important global economic and social Internet issues.

David Gross, chair of USCIB’s Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) Committee and partner at Wiley Rein LLP, will be a featured speaker, providing the business perspective on a plenary panel exploring “Managing Critical Internet Resources.” In addition, Joseph Alhadeff, vice president of global public policy and chief privacy officer of Oracle Corporation and chair of Information, Computer and Communication (ICCP) Committee for BIAC, the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD, will contribute his considerable expertise on global privacy policy to a plenary session, “Security, Openness, and Privacy,” which will examine issues affecting security and openness of the Internet as it relates to human rights and access to knowledge. Barbara Wanner, USCIB’s vice president of ICT policy, will also attend the IGF.

 

Click here to read more on ICC’s website.

More on USCIB’s Information, Communications and Technology Committee

Staff Contact:   Barbara Wanner

VP, Digital Policy
Tel: 202.617.3155

Barbara Wanner directs USCIB’s work on information, communications and technology issues. She works with members and government officials on a wide range of international business issue that include advocating for the continuation of the multi-stakeholder model of Internet governance and for policies aimed at promoting the stability, openness and innovative flexibility of the Internet. She represents USCIB members’ interests in several international forums, including the UN, APEC and the OECD.
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