LIAC POSITION STATEMENT ON THE
WORLD SUMMIT ON THE INFORMATION SOCIETY (WSIS)
Geneva Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action
The Geneva Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action are broadly endorsed by LIAC and are aligned with LIAC’s vision of “Aotearoa – New Zealand: a leading information democracy”.
LIAC highlights the following points of interest in the Declaration of Principles:
Our Common Vision of the Information Society
- … commitment to build a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented Information Society, where everyone can create, access, utilize and share information and knowledge [paragraph 1].
- Many of the building blocks of the Information Society are the result of scientific and technical advances made possible by the sharing of research results [paragraph 7].
- … ICTs should be regarded as tools and not as an end in themselves. [paragraph 9].
- … committed to turning this digital divide into a digital opportunity for all [paragraph 10].
An Information Society for All: Key Principles:
- …stakeholders should work together to: improve access to information and communication infrastructure and technologies as well as to information and knowledge [paragraph 19].
- Connectivity is a central enabling agent in building the Information Society [paragraph 21].
- … greater use of broadband and other innovative technologies where possible, can accelerate the social and economic progress of countries … [paragraph 22].
- … establishment of ICT public access points in places such as post offices, schools, libraries and archives [paragraph 23].
- Public institutions such as libraries and archives, museums, cultural collections and other community-based access points should be strengthened so as to promote the preservation of documentary records and free and equitable access to information [paragraph 26].
- Access to information and knowledge can be promoted by increasing awareness among all stakeholders of the possibilities offered by different software models, including proprietary, open-source and free software [paragraph 27].
- …open access initiatives for scientific publishing [paragraph 28].
- Each person should have the opportunity to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge in order to understand, participate actively in, and benefit fully from, the Information Society and the knowledge economy [paragraph 29].
- …national capability in ICT research and development should be enhanced [paragraph 33].
- …trust framework, including information security and network security, authentication, privacy and consumer protection, is a prerequisite for the development of the Information Society [paragraph 35] .
- Intellectual Property protection is important to encourage innovation and creativity in the Information Society; similarly, the wide dissemination, diffusion, and sharing of knowledge is important to encourage innovation and creativity. [paragraph 42].
- … open, interoperable, non-discriminatory and demand-driven standards … [paragraph 44] .
- … radio frequency spectrum should be managed in the public interest . [paragraph 45].
- … local authorities should play a major role in the provision of ICT services [paragraph 51].
- Cultural diversity is the common heritage of humankind [paragraph 52].
Towards an Information Society for All Based on Shared Knowledge
- … collectively entering a new era of enormous potential, that of the Information Society and expanded human communication. In this emerging society, information and knowledge can be produced, exchanged, shared and communicated through all the networks of the world
[paragraph 67].
LIAC highlights the following points of interest in the Geneva Plan of Action:
Introduction
- Governments have a leading role in developing…sustainable national e-strategies.
- Private sector is important in developing and diffusing information and communication technologies (ICTs), for infrastructure, content and applications.
- Civil society is …important in creating an equitable Information Society [paragraph A3].
Objectives, goals and targets - to be achieved by 2015, include [paragraph B6].
- …connect public libraries, cultural centres, museums, post offices and archives with ICTs.
The role of governments and all stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development
- Each country is encouraged to establish ..Public/Private Partnership (PPP) or Multi-Sector Partnership (MSP), by 2005 [paragraph C1 (8)].
Information and communication infrastructure
- …provide and improve ICT connectivity for all schools, universities, health institutions, libraries, post offices, community centres.
- Strengthen national, regional and international broadband network [paragraph C2 (9)].
Access to information and knowledge
- Develop policy guidelines for …public domain information.
- …establish sustainable multi-purpose community public access points, providing affordable or free-of-charge access for their citizens .
- Support ..digital public library and archive services...understanding the.. need for “hybrid libraries and fostering worldwide cooperation between libraries [paragraph C3 (10)].
Capacity building
- Promote e-literacy skills for all.
- Work on removing the gender barriers to ICT education.
- Training programmes in use of ICTs (for) information professionals [paragraph C4 (11)].
Enabling environment
- …internationalised domain names in order to overcome barriers to access.
- …framework for the secure storage and archival of documents [paragraph C6 (13)].
ICT applications: benefits in all aspects of life
- Support international cooperation initiatives in …e-government [paragraph C7 (15)].
Cultural diversity and identity, linguistic diversity and local content
- Ensure that libraries, archives, museums and other cultural institutions can play their full role of content—including traditional knowledge—providers in the Information Society…by providing continued access to recorded information
- Develop and use ICTs for the preservation of natural and, cultural heritage ..support archives, cultural collections and libraries as the memory of humankind.
- Support local content development, translation and adaptation, digital archives, and diverse forms of digital and traditional media by local authorities
- Enhance the capacity of indigenous peoples to develop content in their own languages
- Cooperate with indigenous peoples and traditional communities to enable them to more effectively use and benefit from the use of their traditional knowledge [paragraph C8 (23)]
Media
- Encourage the media—print and broadcast as well as new media—to continue to play an important role in the Information Society.
- Encourage the development of domestic legislation that guarantees the independence and plurality of the media.
- Promote balanced and diverse portrayals of women and men by the media.
- Encourage traditional media to bridge the knowledge divide and to facilitate the flow of cultural content, particularly in rural areas [paragraph C9 (24)].