ISOC’s written statement, UN ECOSOC High-Level Segment session in relation to “Science, technology and innovation, and the potential of culture, for promoting sustainable development and achieving the Millennium Development Goals/”, 25 March 2013
WRITTEN STATEMENT
In the late 1960s, a group of engineers and researchers built the foundations of a decentralized network that would foster, by its very own design, innovation, knowledge sharing and education. About 40 years since its creation, the Internet has evolved to become one of the main drivers of economic and social development, reaching more than 2 billions individuals worldwide.
The Internet enables limitless innovation: it is a general-purpose technology that empowers people with the ability to innovate without having to ask for permission to a central authority. It is a space that rewards creativity and groundbreaking ideas. One of the earliest examples of this model is the creation of the World Wide Web; built on top of the Internet layer, it has enabled millions of people to share content and create new services on a shared framework. There are countless examples of new business models and e-services emerging on the Internet, creating value for service providers, consumers and driving overall growth.
The Internet enables people to share and access knowledge in unexpected ways and scale: it is a decentralized and end-to-end architecture which empowers the edges rather than the center of the network; beyond a technical feature, it also means that it facilitates the ability for individuals to share, receive and impact information and ideas across frontiers. The open and global Internet provides virtually an unlimited source of knowledge and educational material.