Today it has been my great pleasure be here in Mexico City at LACIGF8. This event, one of many important meetings happening around the world in preparation for the global Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Brazil in November, has been remarkable so far. Yesterday there were standing room only sessions about human rights, surveillance and privacy in the region. There was a strong discussion about network neutrality, the role of local content and the need to develop applications from within the LAC region. And there was a good discussion about how we connect the next billion people. Today, the discussion continues on regional opportunities for connectivity, capacity building and innovation on the Internet.
These are critical discussions for stakeholders around the world. The Internet Society’s post-2015 vision is one of an “Internet of opportunity” that is accessible to all people around the world and trusted as a means of communication, connection, collaboration and commerce.
This vision is only possible if we can work together –everywhere–in an inclusive, bottom-up approach that involves all the sectors of our society. Government alone cannot make decisions about the future of the Internet. Nor can businesses, nor the technical community, nor universities or civil society. It will take all of us, working in a spirit of collaborative governance to bring about the Internet we seek – and to bring the opportunities the Internet makes possible to all of those yet to be connected.
I thank the LAC IGF organizers for all they have done to create an event that reflects the foundational principle of openness. I look forward to listening to more people from around the region today and working with our LAC staff and Chapters and all of you reading this – to continue our work to bring about this open, global Internet of opportunity.
EDITORIAL NOTE: You can watch the LACIGF sessions ( see agenda) streamed live today at http://www.lacigf.org/en/lacigf8/index.html . The closing ceremony in which Kathy Brown will be speaking is scheduled at 15:30 CDT (UTC-5).