Thank you Mr. Chair –
We would like to congratulate again the ITU, UNESCO, UNDP and UNCTAD for organizing a very successful WSIS Review event in February. The Internet Society was involved in all phases of the WSIS and had the privilege to participate to all WSIS follow-up discussions as well as the 2013 WSIS Forum Visioning Tracks for post-2015.
We were pleased to see that the essential ingredients for a successful WSIS Review process were present for the first phase of the WSIS Review process:
- A multistakeholder preparatory process, which included governments, inter-governmental organizations, Civil Society and the Business and the Technical Communities. In the spirit of the Tunis Agenda every step of the process has made room for those various communities to work together – on an equal footing – towards the adoption of a Joint High-Level Statement on the Post 2015 Agenda;
- And, a shared vision for a forward-looking exercise, laying the foundations of a constructive dialogue, and recognizing the fundamental principle of an Open Internet – based on open development processes and empowering Internet citizens for the enjoyment of Human Rights. We see the WSIS+10 Review process as an extraordinary opportunity for our communities to build on this shared vision.
The discussions of the WSIS+10 Visioning tracks that took place during the WSIS Forum two weeks ago emphasized again the importance of multistakeholder discussions for all WSIS stakeholders.
Looking ahead and as we prepare for the second phase of the WSIS Review process (leading to the April 2014 event), we suggest building on ITU Secretary-General Dr. Touré’s promise at the end of the WTPF and request that the ITU Council opens its Council Working Group on Internet Policy; we further suggest doing the same with regards to the Council Working Group on WSIS and ask Member States to open up the participation of all stakeholders. Experience has clearly shown that multistakeholder participation is beneficial to all parties. We would like to thank again the ITU for the important progress it has made to date regarding the WSIS Review process. The Internet Society is confident that the WSIS community will continue to work on this constructive path, and we very much look forward to working with all of you.