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<font size=3>hi everyone<br><br>
*** Organisations are invited to endorse the OECD CS Declaration (see
below) - some of you would have been involved in the drafting on the
publically accessible Public Voice Coalition list.. <br><br>
if any would like to endorse, please let me know by the end of the day
(offlist) . I am sorry for the short notice but the declaration was only
finalised yesterday. ***<br><br>
====<br><br>
the statement is in pdf format here:
<a href="http://thepublicvoice.org/events/seoul08/seoul-declaration.pdf" eudora="autourl">
http://thepublicvoice.org/events/seoul08/seoul-declaration.pdf<br><br>
</a>and in text below..<br><br>
thanks a lot<br><br>
karen<br>
====<br><br>
June 2008 1 “The Civil Society-TUAC Seoul Declaration”<br><br>
CIVIL SOCIETY - TUAC<br><br>
“THE SEOUL DECLARATION” TO THE OECD MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON THE FUTURE
OF THE INTERNET ECONOMY<br><br>
Seoul, Korea<br><br>
16 June 2008<br><br>
This gathering of civil society organizations and organized labor at the
OECD Ministerial Conference on the Future of the Internet Economy
provides a unique opportunity to bring to the attention of the OECD
Ministers assembled and the OECD member countries the concerns and
aspirations of people around the globe, those who are on the Internet and
those who are not. We thank the OECD and the Government of Korea for the
opportunity to organize a civil society and labor event and to
participate in the OECD Ministerial Conference. Civil society and labor
together prepared a paper for the OECD and organized a conference
"Making the future of the Internet work for citizens, consumers and
workers." A wide range of organizations participated in this effort,
and this Declaration builds on its results.<br><br>
A BROAD FRAMEWORK FOR THE FUTURE OF THE INTERNET ECONOMY<br><br>
The policy goals for the Future Internet Economy should be considered
within the broader framework of protection of human rights, the promotion
of democratic institutions, access to information, and the provision of
affordable and non-discriminatory access to advanced communication
networks and services. Compliance with international human rights
standards and respect for the rule of law, as well as effective human
rights protection, must be the baseline for assessing global information
society policies. Economic growth should be for the many and not the few.
The Internet should be available to all. We therefore call attention of
the OECD to Ministers to the following issues and we make the following
recommendations: <br><br>
* Freedom of expression. Freedom of expression is being violated around
the globe by state censorship and by more subtle measures such as content
filtering, privatized censorship and restrictions on so-called “harmful
content.” We urge the OECD to defend freedom of expression and to oppose
mandated filtering, censorship of Internet content, and criminalization
of content<br>
that is protected under international freedom of expression
standards.<br><br>
* Protection of Privacy and Transparency, We reaffirm our support for the
OECD Privacy Guidelines as a fundamental policy instrument setting out
minimal requirements for the transborder flow of personal data. We
recommend adoption of the recent policy guidance on RFID and Online
Identity Theft as Council Recommendations. We call on OECD countries to
adopt and enforce data protection laws covering all sectors, both online
and offline, and to establish international data protection standards
that are legally enforceable. We further urge member states to ensure
fairness, transparency, and accountability for all data processing for
border security, identification, and decision-making concerning
individuals.<br><br>
* Consumer Protection. Trust and confidence are critical to the success
of the Internet economy. The OECD should ensure that consumer protection
laws are properly enforced and cover digital products to the same extent
that other consumer goods and services are covered. We recommend that the
OECD adopt the policy proposals on Empowering Consumers in
communications Services and in Mobile Commerce as Council
Recommendations, and that the OECD member countries implement these
recommendations. We support the OECD’s efforts to facilitate crossborder
enforcement of anti-spam laws and to develop effective online dispute
resolution mechanisms.<br><br>
* Employment, Decent Work and Skills. We recommend that OECD Member
countries promote learning and training pportunities for workers and
address the technological and organizationalchange in the workplace. We
further urge the OECD to lower the carbon footprint of the ICT industry
and to promote compliance with core labor standards and the OECD
Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.<br><br>
* Promotion of Access to Knowledge. We support open access to
government-funded scientific and scholarly works and endorse the OECD
Principles and Guidelines for Access to Research Data. We support the
OECD Recommendation for Enhanced Access and More Effective Use of Public
Information. OECD countries should oppose extensions of copyright terms
and private ownership of essential knowledge and cultural information
that can be made available on the Internet. We recommend that the OECD
undertake a study on the importance of copyright exceptions for
education, libraries and archives, the disability community, and new
innovative services.<br><br>
* Internet Governance. Internet governance structures should reflect
democratic values and be transparent and publicly accountable to
users. Global Internet policymaking should involve equal participation of
all people, countries, and stakeholders. We call upon the OECD member
states to support the Internet Governance Forum and to promote the
multi-stakeholder process of the World Summit on the Information
Society.<br><br>
* Promotion of Open Standards and Net Neutrality. Standards-making
processes should be open and should encourage competition. This promotes
innovation and development. We support the procurement policies that
promote open standards, open data formats, and free and open software. We
further recommend that the OECD Member Countries oppose discrimination by
network providers against particular applications, devices, or content
and preserve the Internet's role in fostering innovation, economic
growth, and democratic communication. <br><br>
* Balanced Intellectual Property Policies. We urge the OECD member
countries to maintain a balanced framework for intellectual property
protection that is least intrusive to personal privacy, least restrictive
for the development of new technologies, and that promotes creativity,
innovation, and learning. We support the OECD Policy Guidance for Digital
Content. OECD countries should oppose proposals that would deny
individuals access to all Internet services and opportunities based on
alleged copyright infringement. We are also concerned about the
secrecy of the "Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement" (ACTA)
treaty process and the possibility of policies that may limit legitimate
business activity, the participative web, and e-government service
delivery.<br><br>
* Support for Pluralistic Media. The Internet is a universal platform for
innovation, growth, and the ability of people to express and share their
views. New forms of media and new applications are emerging that
challenge old paradigms and enable broader public participation. At the
same June 2008 3 “The Civil Society-TUAC Seoul Declaration” time,
dominant Internet firms are moving to consolidate their control over the
Internet. It is vitally important for the OECD to develop a better
understanding of the challenge industry consolidations pose to the open
Internet. The OECD Policy Guidance on Convergence and Next Generation
Networks provides a basis this work.<br><br>
* Inclusive Digital Society. The Internet should be accessible to all.
OECD member countries should ensure that all residents have the means to
access the Internet and should provide public Internet access, training
and support. Particular attention should be paid to rural, remote and
aboriginal populations, as well as the disability community.<br><br>
* Cultural Diversity. We support the efforts of the OECD to promote
access to the full range of the world's cultures and to ensure that the
Internet economy reflects the true diversity of language, art, science,
and literature in our world. The deployment of International Domain Names
should be a priority.<br><br>
PARTICIPATION OF CIVIL SOCIETY AND LABOUR<br><br>
This participation of civil society and organized labor reaffirms the
role of all stakeholders in the Future of the Internet Economy. Now it is
time to formalize this process. In 1998 civil society and labor urged the
OECD Ministerial Conference in Ottawa to establish an Advisory Council,
similar to the Business Industry Advisory Committee (BIAC) for business
and the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) for labor. We said that
this new Advisory Council should include civil society groups in such
fields as human rights and democracy, privacy and data protection,
consumer protection, and access to information and knowledge.<br><br>
We urge the OECD to establish now the Civil Society Advisory Committee.
The creation of an OECD Civil Society Advisory Committee is necessary to
help realize the democratic goals of inclusion, participation,
transparency and accountability at the OECD. <br><br>
The OECD offers an important forum for the discussion of policies
concerning the future of the Internet. We welcome this dialogue and urge
the Ministers and members countries of the OECD to fully engage civil
society and labor organizations within their own countries. In all
decisions related to the Internet economy, we advise the OECD Ministers
and the members countries to give particular attention to those
indicators concerning literacy, education, and health. The success of the
Internet Economy should be measured by the well-being of citizens, and
not simply the extent of technology diffusion. </font></body>
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