[governance] G77 + China Statement at UN General Assembly

[Pranesh Prakash]

Dear all,
This other statement would also be of interest to those on this list.

It is informative to look at the similarities and differences between
this, the earlier 'voluntary code of conduct' statement, and the Indian
statement.

Main highlights:

> It also highlighted that the Internet governance-related outcomes of the Summit (WSIS), namely the process towards enhanced cooperation and the convening of the Internet Governance Forum, are to be pursued by the Secretary-General through two distinct processes, which may be complementary.

and

> 9. We would like to remind that policy authority for Internet-related public policy issues is the sovereign right of States. In this regard, on the process of "enhanced cooperation", the G77 and China takes note of the consultations convened by the Secretary-General, including the meeting held in New York in December 2010 and invites the Secretary-General to hold further open and inclusive consultations involving all Member States, especially developing countries, and other stakeholders in their respective roles and responsibilities, as stated in paragraph 35 of the Tunis Agenda with a view to assisting the process towards enhanced cooperation in order to enable Governments on an equal footing to carry out their roles and responsibilities in respect of international public policy issues pertaining to the Internet.

and perhaps also:

> In this regard, the Group attaches great importance to the Internet Governance Forum, which through its multi-stakeholder nature, has proven to be very useful in providing a framework for an open dialogue on public policy issues related to the Internet among all concerned parties.

Regards,
Pranesh



STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA BY NATALIA
HANDRUJOVICZ, THIRD SECRETARY, PERMANENT MISSION OF ARGENTINA TO THE
UNITED NATIONS, ON AGENDA ITEM 16: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGIES FOR DEVELOPMENT, AT THE SECOND COMMITTEE OF THE 66TH
SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

(New York, 26 October 2011)

Mr. Chairman,

1. I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of
77 and China on agenda item 16 entitled "Information and communication
technologies for development".

2. In the world of today, information and communication technologies are
vital to developing countries' full participation in the global economy
and to harness the benefits of globalization. They hold tremendous
potential not only for eradication of poverty and promotion of
socio-economic development, but also for bridging the technological gap
between developing and developed countries. ICTs have a prominent role
in promoting inclusive growth and development.

3. Although significant advances and explosive growth in new
technologies have been made in recent years, for the majority of the
poor the developmental promise of science and technology, including
information and communication technologies, remains unfulfilled.
Creating links between knowledge generation and development is one of
the greatest challenges facing the developing countries.

4. Furthermore, the G77 and China expresses concern about the growing
gap in broadband provision between developed and developing countries,
as well as about the new dimensions that the digital divide has taken
on, with respect to the quality of available access, and what it can
offer to users. In this regard, we believe that more efforts need to be
exerted towards bridging the gap between developed and developing
countries in Internet access and broadband connectivity.

Mr. Chairman,

5. The World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) was held to address
the challenge of the digital divide facing developing countries. The G77
and China remains hopeful that the full and effective implementation of
both the Geneva and Tunis phases of the Summit will deliver the desired
results to developing countries from ICTs, in support of the MDGs.

6. The Summit (WSIS) recognized, in paragraph 68 of the Tunis Agenda,
that "all governments should have an equal role and responsibility for
international Internet governance and for ensuring the stability,
security and continuity of the Internet". It also highlighted that the
Internet governance-related outcomes of the Summit (WSIS), namely the
process towards enhanced cooperation and the convening of the Internet
Governance Forum, are to be pursued by the Secretary-General through two
distinct processes, which may be complementary.

7. In this regard, the Group attaches great importance to the Internet
Governance Forum, which through its multi-stakeholder nature, has proven
to be very useful in providing a framework for an open dialogue on
public policy issues related to the Internet among all concerned
parties. The G77 and China also underlines the importance of the need to
improve the Forum in accordance with General Assembly resolution 65/141.
We also support the Secretary-General to continue to play facilitating
role to promote consultations among Governments and all stakeholders in
Internet-related public policy matters.

8. In this context, the Group notes the report of the Chair of the
Working Group on Improvements to the Internet Governance Forum.
Moreover, we would like to stress the decision of the ECOSOC, in
paragraph 28 of its resolution 2011/6, to extend the mandate of the
Working Group until the fifteenth session of the Commission on Science
and Technology for Development in order to complete its task in
accordance with its mandate, and urges the Working Group to submit its
recommendations to the Commission at its fifteenth session, which shall
constitute an input from the Commission to the General Assembly, through
the ECOSOC.

9. We would like to remind that policy authority for Internet-related
public policy issues is the sovereign right of States. In this regard,
on the process of "enhanced cooperation", the G77 and China takes note
of the consultations convened by the Secretary-General, including the
meeting held in New York in December 2010 and invites the
Secretary-General to hold further open and inclusive consultations
involving all Member States, especially developing countries, and other
stakeholders in their respective roles and responsibilities, as stated
in paragraph 35 of the Tunis Agenda with a view to assisting the process
towards enhanced cooperation in order to enable Governments on an equal
footing to carry out their roles and responsibilities in respect of
international public policy issues pertaining to the Internet.

Mr. Chairman,

10. We acknowledge that ICTs are a powerful tool for socio-economic
development. It can offer many opportunities to the disadvantaged
sectors of society, by enabling them to enjoy the benefit of economic
growth and development through enhanced connectivity. Moreover, proper
use of ICTs can help in the achieving of the internationally agreed
development goals, including the MDGs. Greater emphasis is therefore
needed on transfer of such technologies to developing countries, as well
as the development and dissemination of such technologies within
developing countries. We welcome the ongoing work by ITU, UNIDO, UNESCO,
UNCTAD and other UN agencies and regional commissions in bridging the
digital divide, and promote the use of ICTs as means to enhance
productivity and improve the quality of life. We also urge the UN System
to focus on monitoring progress and follow-up in transfer of technology
to facilitate a development-oriented information society.

11. In conclusion, we are convinced that the large gaps that remain in
access to and affordability of ICTs must be closed. There is a need to
upgrade the quality and quantity of existing telecommunication
infrastructure in developing countries. It is the view of the Group that
for developing countries to be able to benefit from information and
communication technologies a greater emphasis should be placed on
reducing the cost of such technologies, including the cost of broadband
connections, and on capacity-building for greater use and application in
the developing world.

I thank you Mr. Chairman.

-- 
Pranesh Prakash
Programme Manager
Centre for Internet and Society
W: http://cis-india.org | T: +91 80 40926283

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