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                                       **Document WSIS03/PCIP/DT/4-E**

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  **(WSIS/PCIP/DT-1 refined through the intersessional mechanism and\
  incorporating government contributions received before established
  deadline)**

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*\[NOTE: the whole text of this Draft Declaration is in square
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**Section I**

Summary of general comments:

*-- The documents (Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action) should
be clear, concise, focused, logical, convincing and forceful.*

*-- They should be expressed in a language accessible to the public at
large, which can be approved by Governments leaders and have a lasting
value.*

*-- They should reflect the consensus of the international community.*

-- *One may consider merging the two documents in a single one.*

# *A. Building the Information Society: a new global challenge in the new Millennium*

1\. **We the representatives of the peoples of the world**, assembled at
Geneva from 10‑12 December 2003 for the first phase of the World Summit
on the Information Society, declare our common desire and commitment to
build a new kind of society, the Information Society, [in the process of
transition toward the knowledge societies]{.underline} premised on the
principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations [UNESCO\'s
Constitution]{.underline} and the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights*,* [as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights, and characterized by universal access to and use of high‑quality
information for the creation, accumulation and dissemination of
knowledge.]{.underline} \[In this society/and in which~~\]~~ new
technologies, in particular information and communications technologies
(ICTs) become an essential tool, accessible to all, [for the enhancement
of the services provided by governments, enterprises and the
organizations of civil society,]{.underline} for the attainment of a
more peaceful, prosperous and just world based upon our common humanity
in all its diversity and [to promote dialogue among cultures and
civilizations.]{.underline}[^4]

**1A.** We recognize the right to communicate and the right to access
information and knowledge as fundamental human rights. Everyone,
everywhere should have the opportunity to participate in the information
society and no one should be excluded from the benefits it offers. In a
world based on knowledge and information, the right to communicate and
the right to access information and knowledge are essential requirements
to the attainment of others internationally recognized human rights,
including the right to freedom of expression, universal access to the
information and communications infrastructure and to the Internet is
essential to the information society.[^5]

**1B.** We recognize that, in addition to our separate responsibilities
to our individual societies, we have a collective responsibility to
uphold the principles of human dignity, equality and equity at the
global level. As leaders we have a duty therefore to all the world\'s
people, especially the most vulnerable and, in particular, the children
of the world, to whom the future belongs.[^6]

**1C.** We reaffirm our commitment to the purposes and principles of the
Charter of the United Nations, which have proved timeless and universal.
Indeed, their relevance and capacity to inspire have increased, as
nations and peoples have become increasingly interconnected and
interdependent.[^7]

**1D.** We are determined to establish a just and lasting peace all over
the world in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter.
We rededicate ourselves to support all efforts to uphold the sovereign
equality of all States, respect for their territorial integrity and
political independence, resolution of disputes by peaceful means and in
conformity with the principles of justice and international law, the
right to self-determination of peoples which remain under colonial
domination and foreign occupation, non-interference in the internal
affairs of States, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms,
respect for the equal rights of all without distinction as to race, sex,
language or religion and international cooperation in solving
international problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian
character.[^8]

**1E.** **We reaffirm** the indivisibility and interdependence of all
human rights - civil, political, economic, social and cultural - and
their ties to the principles of a democratic society, the rule of law
and sustainable development. In the hopes and perils of the
transformation to the information society, we are determined to maintain
and strengthen all these values.

Information and communication technologies (ICT) provide unprecedented
opportunities for realizing all human rights.[^9]

2\. We recognize that knowledge, information and communication are at
the core of human progress, endeavour, and well-being and that, although
the dramatic increase in the volume, speed and ubiquity of information
~~flows~~, which has been made possible through new information and
communication technologies, have already brought about profound changes
in peoples lives, and are creating enormous new opportunities, they have
yet to benefit the vast majority of the peoples of the world. We also
recognize that writing and printing has already left similar impact on
growth of knowledge in the history of mankind.

3\. **We recall** our common resolve as reflected in the Millennium
Declaration to promote democracy, good governance, the rule of law and
respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the
right to development as an integral part of human rights. We are fully
aware that certain basic human right needs and internationally agreed
principles such as education and basic health care for all remain to be
addressed within the information society. We reiterate our commitment to
Millennium Development Goals, sustainable development and recognize the
development challenges posed by the digital divide.

**3A.** **We are committed** to a more open and equitable global economy
and truly shared global Information Society, to the benefit of all,
especially people in less favoured parts of the world. To this end we
will promote relentlessly the dialogue among civilizations and
contribute to strengthening global governance and expanding the reach of
international law.[^10]

4\. **We are convinced** that the information and communication
revolution is still in its infancy, and the untapped potential of ICTs
to develop and promote dialogue within and between nations, and to
improve standards of living, quality of life, productivity are serious
challenge for all of us, particularly for the majority of the peoples of
the world who live in developing countries and countries with economies
in transition who risk being left behind and further marginalized.

**4A.** ICTs can be a powerful instrument of change in the emerging
knowledge-based international economy. They promote new forms of
organization and production and the technological infrastructure for
globalization. Access to ICTs and the regulation of the digital
revolution will tend to redefine the way in which countries position
themselves within the world economic and political system as well as the
interaction among individuals, cultures, citizenship and the exercise of
power by States and corporations. Knowledge will be an increasingly
important determinant of competitiveness in the global economy. Access
to it should be open in the general interest of the public, particularly
in developing countries, as a means towards bridging the digital
divide.[^11]

**4B.** We acknowledge the need to tackle the ever-increasing digital
divide between developed and developing countries, which feeds on a
pre-existing historical divide of a social and economic nature. If left
to their own course strictly under the influence of market forces, ICTs
may actually deepen social inequalities within countries, and widen the
gap between developed and developing nations.[^12]

**4C.** We express our concern with the situation of developing
countries. During the past decade many developing countries have made
significant progress in curbing fiscal imbalances, reducing inflation,
increasing the pace of export growth, pursuing regional integration
processes, attracting foreign direct investment and resuming economic
growth. These efforts, however, have been insufficient to overcome
poverty and exclusion. Most developing economies continue to face
pressing problems related to low savings and investment rates, sluggish
job creation, external vulnerability and fragility in their financial
systems. They are still faced with decreasing participation in
international trade as a whole, especially in the more dynamic
technology intensive segments, as the international economy moves from
its reliance on the traditional factors of production to a knowledge
based and ICT intensive paradigm. This situation requires close
analysis, new thinking, and new forms of international action with a
view to redressing these basic asymmetries that prevent developing
countries from reaping the benefits of globalization under the
multilateral rules-based trading system.[^13]

5\. **We are fully aware** that our individual and collective ability to
create and share knowledge, [through intensive use of ICTs and
mechanisms of digital participation]{.underline} \[~~has
become~~/[is]{.underline}\]a driving force in shaping our future, and
[declare]{.underline} that concrete action and global commitment are now
required; to ensure that these \[~~new~~/[rapidly
developing]{.underline}\] technologies accelerate the attainment of the
Millennium Development Goals ~~that we set for ourselves at the
Millennium Summit~~.

6\. **Faced** with complex and ever-evolving challenges, all of us -
governments, [parliaments,]{.underline} the private sector and civil
society - \[~~commit ourselves~~/[will need]{.underline}\] to develop
new forms of solidarity and cooperation and [face]{.underline} to take
upon-new or increased roles and responsibilities.[^14]

*Alternate paragraph 6*

6\. **Faced** with complex and ever-evolving challenges, all of us -
governments, the private sector and civil society [-- must assume new
roles and responsibilities that will require]{.underline} new forms of
solidarity and cooperation, [including the Action Plan, in order to
realize the principles formulated]{.underline}.

# *B. Our Common Vision of the Information Society*[^15]

7\. The Information Society that we seek to build is one which is
inclusive, where all persons, without distinction of any kind, \[have
the right\] to create, seek, receive, share and utilize information,
ideas and knowledge, in any media and regardless of frontiers, where
privacy is respected,/and subject to restrictions provided in/Article 29
of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as in/point 3,
Article 19/and Article 20/of Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights,/namely for respect of the rights or reputations of others, for
the protection of national security or of public order, or of public
health or morals.

*Alternate paragraphs 7 and 8:* The Information Society that we seek to
build is one which is inclusive, where all persons, without distinction
of any kind, exercise their right to freedom of expression and access to
and use of high‑quality information, in order to create, receive,
accumulate, disseminate, share and utilize information and knowledge, in
any media and regardless of frontiers, through intensive use of ICTs and
in accordance with the legal system of each country at the service of
humankind, in order to contribute to its economic, social, cultural and
political development.[^16]

**7A.** Information society is more than just technology, and must be
understood as a development oriented concept based on the idea of using
ICTs as tools for the social and economic progress of countries, under
new and enhanced forms of international cooperation and through
innovative partnerships involving governments, the private sector,
international organizations and civil society.[^17]

**7B.** The information society should be based on ethics and moral
values and should be an environment where dignity of humankind is
comprehensively respected and fostered. The information society creates
an environment where all national sovereignties and interests without
any discrimination are respected and protected.[^18]

8\. The Information Society should be people-centered, with citizens and
communities at its core, and be at the service of all humans. It should
be a society where information and knowledge are disseminated and
utilized without any discrimination, by all \[ people to achieve their
full potential\]. It should work to promote sustainable economic and
social development, improve quality of life, alleviate poverty and
hunger and protect the environment.[^19]

9\. The Information Society \[proposes a new\] form of social
organization, where highly-developed ICT networks, open and free to
those who cannot afford it, access to information and where, equitable
and ubiquitous access to information, appropriate content in accessible
formats and effective communication, with accessible information and
communication equipment and services, \[will/should\] enable
\[/individuals and communities\] to achieve their full potential,
promote sustainable economic and social development, improve quality of
life and alleviate poverty, hunger and social exclusion.[^20]

*Alternate paragraph 9:* The Information Society is a new and higher
form of social organization, where highly-developed ICT networks,
equitable and ubiquitous access to information, appropriate content in
accessible formats and effective communication must enable and
facilitate the exchange of best practices through digital participation
by all people in order to promote sustainable economic and social
development, improve quality of life and alleviate poverty and
hunger.[^21]

10\. An equitable Information Society should:[^22]

*Alternate paragraph 10:* There is a need to build the global
Information Society under a human rights perspective, meaning a global
Information Society that would develop while respecting, preserving and
enforcing fundamental human rights. This would only be possible when all
the stakeholders (governments, business entities, international
organizations and entities of civil society), as well as individuals,
are committed to promoting the development and use of ICTs and services.
The basic requirements are:[^23]

-- The respect for the rights to communicate and to access information
and knowledge and for human rights and fundamental freedoms including
the right to freedom of opinion and expression, \[and the freedom\] to
hold opinions without interference and seek to, receive and impart
information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers in
accordance with article 19 and 29 of the UN Universal Declaration of
Human Rights as well as articles 19 and 20 of the International Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights and to unhindered access by individuals to
communication media and information sources. New ICTs represent new
channels for the free flow of information and should contribute to
pluralism, economic and social development, democracy and peace. The
access to and the use of these new media should be afforded the same
freedom of expression protections as traditional media.[^24]

*Alternate bullet point:* The respect for all internationally recognized
human rights and fundamental freedoms. Notably the right to freedom of
opinion and expression, in accordance with the legal system of each
country and with article 19 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human
Rights.

-- \[Commit\] to the rule of law, democracy and good governance, both at
national and international levels, as well as the existence, \[in
accordance with the legal system of each country\], of independent,
pluralistic and free mass and other communication media in their various
forms, as an important means of fostering public information, societal
development and social cohesion.

-- The existence of independent and free communication media, in
accordance with the legal system of each country, is an essential
requirement for freedom of expression and a guarantee of the plurality
of information. Unhindered access by individuals and communication media
to information sources shall be ensured and strengthened in order to
promote the existence of vigorous public opinion as a pillar of civil
responsibility in accordance with article 19 of the United Nations
Declaration of human rights and other international and regional
instruments dealing with human rights.

-- The adherence to international undertakings with respect to peace and
security, national sovereignty of all States, equality, solidarity,
tolerance, human dignity, and the protection of the environment and
building of new values, trust and norms with respect to the use of
ICTs.[^25]

-- The building of an environment that inspires confidence and trust in
using ICTs, and ensures security of networks and information, \[/while
at the same time providing for\] the protection of privacy. This is a
joint responsibility that must be shared with all the interested
parties. This condition is especially crucial for all matters relating
to electronic commerce.[^26]

-- Ensuring the adequate development of \[the\] capacity in order to be
able to fully exploit the benefits that ICTs and building public
awareness of the capabilities of ICTs to improve the lives of people by
circumventing traditional obstacles like distance and time.[^27]

-- \[Promote[\]]{.underline} cultural \[and[\]]{.underline} linguistic
diversity, \[/and create\] favourable conditions for the production,
~~processing,~~ dissemination and protection of local content.

*Alternate bullet point:* The nurturing of creativity and support for
the flourishing of free flow of a multiplicity of ideas from a diversity
of sources, recognizing cultural identity in all its variety, linguistic
diversity, and multilingualism as well as the creation of favourable
conditions for the production, processing, dissemination, protection and
creation of digital cultural assets of local content.

-- The responsibility for managing global threats and challenges, must
be shared among the nations of the world and should be exercised
multilaterally, taking fully into account the special difficulties faced
by developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

-- The building of an environment that inspires respect for fundamental
values of all cultures.

-- All the social partners - public authorities, civil society and the
private sector - have a stake in the development of communications and
should be fully involved in decisions relating to the building of the
Information Society.

-- The pooling of the resources available at the global and/or regional
level is a vital necessity in order to extend the benefits of the NICTs
to all the people of the world.

-- To ensure that persons with impaired vision have access to ICTs using
the senses of touch and hearing, given that these technologies are
designed basically only for the sighted.

\- Ensuring the conditions for the all-round education of the population
and for scientific development.

**11.** The Information Society should respond to the additional
development challenges posed by the digital divide and help to achieve
the Millennium Development Goals of \[/ eradicating extreme poverty and
hunger; achieving universal primary education; promoting gender equality
and empowering women; reducing child mortality; improving maternal
health; combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensuring
environmental sustainability and developing a global partnership for
development\]

**11A.** A focus on the gender dimensions of ICTs is essential not only
for preventing an adverse impact of the digital revolution on gender
equality or the perpetuation of existing inequalities and
discrimination, but also for enhancing women\'s equitable access to the
benefits of ICTs and to ensure that they can become a central tool for
the empowerment of women and the promotion of gender equality. Policies,
programmes and projects need to ensure that gender differences and
inequalities in the access to and use of ICT are identified and fully
addressed so that such technologies actively promote gender equality and
ensure that gender-based disadvantages are not created or
perpetuated.[^28]

**11B.** Health should not be seen as a narrowly-defined ICT
application, but as a part of a health system. In the same way that
education is understood as fundamental to development, health also plays
a crucial role in development, since health-related investment can spur
economic development, as highlighted in the 2001 report released by the
Commission on Macroeconomics and Health, which specifically mentions
ICTs.[^29]

# *C. An information Society for all: key principles*[^30]

12\. The Information Society \[/should[\]]{.underline} serve the
interests of all nations, in a manner that secures the fair, balanced
and harmonious development of all the people of the world. \[/It must be
oriented towards eliminating existing socio-economic differences in our
societies, averting the emergence of new forms of exclusion, while
taking fully into account, for example the Least Developed Countries
(LDCs) and the Small Islands Developing States (SIDS), as well as the
countries, regions and groups with special needs, and mainstreaming a
gender perspective at all levels of actions.\] ICTs should empower
developing countries in their national efforts to reduce and overcome
poverty, while modernizing the economy on an inclusive and competitive
basis.[^31]

*Alternate paragraph 12:* The Information Society must serve the
interests of all nations and all the people of the world, in a manner
that secures their fair, balanced and harmonious development. Most
particularly, the interests of the developing and least developed
countries (LDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS), economies in
transition and post-conflict countries, should be addressed, taking into
account the unique geographic features and demographic diversity of
nations and regions.[^32]

**12A. ICTs as a tool for development:** Being a horizontal platform for
economic development and a tool for social integration, information and
communication infrastructures and services must be, without delay,
extensively deployed and used in all developing countries in order to
achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in particular to help
in promoting a sustainable development and in eradicating poverty.[^33]

**12B.** The traditional media of radio and television will long remain
the major providers of information to the large majority of the world\'s
population, particularly in the developing world. As such, they must be
developed and exploited to the full as basic foundations of the
information society and as providers of content to newer media made
possible by ICTs.[^34]

**12C. Special circumstances of landlocked countries with extremely
difficult topography:** This small group of countries characterized by
extremely difficult land access, scattered settlements and unique
problem of providing its citizenry with basic services, peoples
livelihoods depending on subsistence economy, high costs of equipment,
connectivity and communications charges will require special attention
and tailored solution to meet their needs.[^35]

**12D.** **Vulnerable groups:** Unequal and often inhuman treatment
meted out to vulnerable groups in the society such as downtrodden,
landless, indigenous and tribal, by those in power or in position of
privilege on account of caste, creed and religion or simply because of
their preferred way of living, have made theses groups vulnerable to
exploitation and denial of their fair share of benefits from the
socio-economic advancements in the country. Special attention needs to
be given to such groups to increase their access to ICTs to enable them
to participate in development mainstream.[^36]

**12E. Special circumstances of regional small island developing
States**: These countries, vulnerable to environmental hazards, and
characterized by small, homogenous markets, high costs of access and
equipment, human resource constraints exacerbated by the problem of the
\"brain drain\", limited access to networks and remote locations, will
require particular attention and tailored solutions to meet their
needs.[^37]

13\. The Information Society \[~~must~~/[shall/should]{.underline}\] be
oriented towards eliminating ~~existing~~ socio-economic differences
~~in our societies~~, averting the emergence of new forms of exclusion
and becoming a positive force for all of the world\'s people by helping
to reduce the disparities between and within countries.[^38]

14\. Empowerment and inclusion are fundamental characteristics and
objectives of the Information Society. Accordingly, special attention
\[/should[\]]{.underline} be paid to the marginalized and vulnerable,
and also to:

-- migrants and refugees, unemployed, underprivileged and
disenfranchized people;

-- children, youth and the elderly, the disabled, and those with special
needs;

-- Indigenous peoples, minorities, women and other communities.[^39]

*Alternate paragraph 14:* Full participation and inclusion are
fundamental characteristics and objectives of the Information Society.
Accordingly, particular attention must be paid to: the marginalized,
including migrants, refugees, the unemployed, the vulnerable, including
children, the elderly, the disabled, and indigenous peoples and
communities.[^40]

15\. Unequal power relations and other social and cultural aspects have
contributed to differential access, participation and status for women
and men. More attention should be given to overcoming these constraints
and ensuring that men and women can equally benefit from the increased
use of ICTs for empowering themselves by full participation in shaping
political, economic, social and cultural development and improving their
lives. [^41]

*Alternate paragraph 15:* More attention must be given to overcoming the
constraints that have contributed to differential access and
participation for men and women. The Information Society must ensure
that women benefit equally from the increased use of ICTs so as to fully
participate in the political, economic and social development of their
countries.[^42]

16\. Young people constitute \[/a significant proportion of the world
population\], and are leading creators and users of ICTs. Yet too many
of them, especially those in developing countries, remain disadvantaged
and \[/ without access to infocommunications\], due to lack of financial
and material means. Special attention should be given to young people as
citizens with special needs as learners and as members of the future
workforce, especially in developing countries. [^43]

*Alternate 1 paragraph 16:* Young people constitute the majority of the
population, and are the future workforce and leading creators and
adopters of ICTs. They must therefore be empowered as learners,
especially those in developing countries.[^44]

*Alternate 2 paragraph 16: Amend the wording of paragraph 16 to read as
follows:*

Young people constitute a significant proportion of the world's
population, and are leading creators and adopters of ICTs. Yet too many
of them, especially those in developing countries, remain disadvantaged
and without access to infocommunications. More and special attention
must be given to empower young people as learners, the future workforce,
and citizens with special needs.

# 1) Information and communication technologies infrastructure 

17\. Universal, ubiquitous and affordable access to ICTs
\[must/[should]{.underline}\] be \[[guaranteed without limitation
nor]{.underline} [restriction]{.underline}/an objective of all
stakeholders involved in building the Information Society\][, in
conformity with domestic legislation of each country and relevant
international instruments, and in order to bridge the digital divide
mainly caused by regional circumstances or lack of educational
opportunity, utilization of Internet access and broadband networks will
be necessary]{.underline}[^45]^,^ [^46].

18\. **Building the infrastructure**: A well-developed and
easily-accessed and affordable information and communication network
infrastructure is essential for the social and economic progress of
countries, and the well-being of \[all citizens and communities/[all
social segments and communities]{.underline}\]. \[The improvement of
connectivity/[the provision of connectivity and digital
participation\]]{.underline}*,*[with adaptation for
disabled]{.underline}, is of special importance in this respect[^47].
[Some information and application requires high-capacity transmission
channels in order to be effective and efficient. Therefore, we shall
provide high-capacity transmission channels in order to enable
accessibility to all types of information and applications.]{.underline}

*17 and 18 alternate text*: Connectivity is a central enabling agent in
building the information society. Universal, ubiquitous and affordable
access to ICTs infrastructure and services constitutes one of the
primary challenges of the information society and must be an objective
of all stakeholders involved in building the Information Society. A
well-developed, adapted to local conditions, and easily-accessed and
affordable information and communication network infrastructure is
essential for the social and economic progress of countries, and the
well-being of all citizens and communities. Building of universally
accessible ICT infrastructure should be a central element in any
national strategy to develop the information society. [^48]

19\. **Community access points**: Public community access points[^49]
such as post offices, libraries, ~~and~~ schools, [and information
kiosks (that can provide wireless connection]{.underline} provides an
effective [and efficient]{.underline} means for promoting universal
access [and]{.underline} in particular in rural, remote and poor urban
areas.[^50]

**19A.** **Sustainable telecom public service and Universal Access
finance mechanisms**: Democratization of a community\'s access to
content cannot take place without ensuring Universal Access. However,
deployment of access is not always economically viable, particularly in
markets which are too small to attract foreign direct investment (fdi).
Consequently, there is a need for pro-active government policies to
ensure Universal Access. The extent of a national telecom public service
including a Universal Access roll-out should be defined by every country
taking into account the specific needs of its population. These policies
need to be defined and implemented in a transparent manner and in
cooperation with private sector and civil society.

They could take the form of a mechanism based on national funds to
finance Universal Access, financed according to the principle of
solidarity, i.e. on the basis of levied fees or taxes. The funds can be
used for the development of isolated or disadvantaged regions whenever
the universal access obligation appears to be unprofitable. Any such
policy should not infringe on the principle of awarding licences to
private operators, of free competition and of non-discrimination.[^51]

20\. **Measuring and mapping the Information Society:** Indicators,
[including sex-disaggregated data, and particularly data on community
connectivity,]{.underline} are essential to measure the evolution of the
Information Society, ~~more particularly~~ notably the needs and
performance of developing countries and countries whose economy is in
transition and their particular conditions. Targets should also be set
to benchmark the penetration of ICTs services within communities in
urban and rural areas.[^52]

**20A***.* Appropriate indicators and benchmarking should clarify the
magnitude of the digital divide, and keep it under regular assessment,
with the purpose of measuring the effectiveness of international
cooperation and transfer of technology mechanisms. New
indicators/methodologies should be studied and researched with a view to
improving assessment of ITC impact, with particular attention to their
applicability in regards to the different levels of social and economic
development and national contexts. Methods for quantifying the digital
divide, therefore, cannot be based solely on ICT density, infrastructure
or consumption, but must track global progress in the use of ICTs to
achieve millennium social and development goals.[^53]

# 2) Access to information [technologies]{.underline} and knowledge

21\. \[The right to \[communicate/of expression\] and the right for
citizens to access information, and knowledge that is clear and
truthful, are/ The right of everyone to freedom of expression, including
the freedom to seek, receive and impart information is\] fundamental to
the Information Society. [^54], [^55]

**21A.** In the Information Society, free access to information sources
by individuals and consequently by communication media must be
guaranteed and strengthened, as the underpinning for the vigorous
exercise of public opinion sustained by civic duty.[^56]

22\. **Access to knowledge**: All individuals [communities]{.underline}
and organisations should benefit from [affordable]{.underline},
unhindered access to information, knowledge and ideas. \[The sharing and
strengthening of global knowledge for development can be enhanced by
ensuring equitable access to information for educational, scientific,
economic, social, political, environmental and cultural activities that
is open and free for those who cannot afford it/The sharing of knowledge
and strengthening of equitable access to information are necessary for
that purpose.[^57]

*21 and 22 alternate text:* Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion
and expression including the freedom to seek, receive and impart
information and ideas. The sharing and strengthening of global knowledge
for development can be enhanced by removing barriers to equitable access
to information for educational, scientific, economic, social, political
and cultural activities and by easing access to public domain
information and promoting the use of open standards and open source
software.[^58]

**22A***.* Affordable Access to knowledge by all people**:** Where
market forces cannot deliver universal access to basic information and
communication services at affordable rates, government, and/or
regulatory intervention is necessary. Through the establishment of
competitively neutral subsidy schemes, service can be delivered to high
cost areas at below-cost prices, without distorting competition.
Low-income consumers can be offered service at discount rates. As well,
donors and/or governments should directly fund the establishment of
public access sites in communities, for use by those who cannot afford
access in their homes. Such intervention is likely to be needed even in
the most competitive markets, given the inherent limitations of market
forces.[^59]

23\. **Access to public domain information**: \[A vibrant and rich
public domain is an essential element for the growth of the Information
Society. Information in the public domain \[must/should\] be easily
accessible./Information in the public domain must be easily accessible
and transparent to promote the Information Society./ Information in the
public domain must be easily accessible and affordable for everybody.
Public institutions such as libraries and archives function as
trustworthy information brokers to guarantee free access.[^60]

**23A***.* **Libraries**: Libraries, information centres and librarians
offer relevant and safe access to information and knowledge for economic
and cultural advance. They encourage social inclusion by striving to
serve all those in their user communities regardless of age, gender,
economic or employment status, literacy or technical skills, cultural or
ethnic origin, religious or political beliefs, sexual orientation, and
physical or mental ability. Libraries in developing countries have an
important role to play in the development and maintenance of a
democratic society.[^61]

**23B***.* **Archives**: Archives and records play an essential role in
the management and development of a global information society and the
preservation of its history. Records and archives are the direct and
authentic product of human activities and constitute evidence
documenting the development of humankind and the environment. They are
fundamental to the historical and cultural identities of individuals and
peoples as well as to understanding diverse cultures, both between and
within countries, and they are essential for effective governance and
are a prerequisite for accountability. Archives are the most extensive
existing sources of publicly available information and provide free and
unlimited use of public domain information by citizens.[^62]

24\. **Open international** **standards**: International standards open
on a non-discriminatory basis to the relevant bodies of all countries,
at policy level and at any stage of standards development are \[are
basic elements in the development of a more affordable access to ICTs
and full participation in the information society/basic elements in the
development of more advantageous access to ICTs.\] [^63], [^64]

**24A***.* **Open source software**: The open source model for
implementation of technical standards and dissemination of software is a
valuable model to enable and support more affordable access to ICTs.
Increased use of open source software can contribute greatly to
increasing access and to enhancing the diversity of choice of software
for consumers.[^65]

**24B.** United Nations international organizations, with ITU in the
forefront, are called upon to step up their work on open standards for
ICTs and on the coordination of research and development activities in
that regard.

25\. **Barriers**: Barriers to equitable access result from a wide range
of factors, including differences, *inter alia*, in education literacy,
levels, gender, age, lack of user training, linguistic constraints and
economic income, as well as conditions of access to the technology,
including inaccessible technologies for disabled persons and including
those resulting from the external debt burden of developing counties.
ICTs can be used to overcome these and other barriers in society.[^66],
[^67]

26\. **Information flows**: A better balance of the information flows
should be sought in building the Information Society without impairing
or impeding freedom of expression.[^68], [^69]

**26A***.* **Threats:** Increase the awareness of decision makers,
users, and the general population, especially those in developing
countries, of the threats of ICT, especially pornography, scams and
money laundering. The impact of these threats may create an increase in
cyber crime and a dysfunctional information society.[^70]

**26B***.* **Interoperability**: Working towards open and flexible
interoperability standards is an important issue for all countries. This
is an essential element in promoting widespread online trade by reducing
technology lock-in and by better integrating emerging and established
technologies. The net effect is to reduce the cost and complexity of
e-commerce to SMEs.[^71]

**27C.** **Volunteers**: Volunteers can be seen as the human and dynamic
\"last-miles\" of connectivity and access, often as part of civil
society organizations. They extend the products and benefits of access
to many more people who do not have the means for direct access - most
of whom are \"information poor\". In this regard, these \"last-mile\"
volunteers can be effective in the advancement towards the ultimate goal
of \"information and communication services for all\".[^72]

# 3) The role of governments, United Nations international organizations, the business sector and civil society in the promotion of ICTs for development[^73]

27\. All \[stakeholders/partners\] - public, private sector and civil
society organizations as well as international organizations - have \[an
important role/stake\] in the development of \[the Information
Society/information and communications\] and should be fully involved
and engaged in decision making at the local, national, regional and
international levels on its development. Building a people centred
Information Society is a joint effort of all stakeholders and requires
cooperation and partnership between all parties. In so doing, a gender
perspective should be taken into account. The Public Sector, including
Governments, \[should/shall[\]]{.underline} work in close coordination
with private enterprise, academia and civil society to create a
favourable environment for investment and for the development of new
network services. Multi-stakeholder approaches and the creation of
public-private partnerships should be fostered. United Nations
international organizations, with ITU in the forefront, are called upon
to step up their work on open standards for ICTs and on the coordination
of research and development activities in that regard.[^74]

**27A***.* Governments must have a central role in promoting social
inclusion through ICTs for development. The private sector and NGOs
could act as partners in this endeavour, through clearly defined social
responsibilities and cost sharing in the development of infrastructure,
relevant content and ICT mainstreaming.[^75]

**27B.** Strengthening relations with citizens is a sound investment in
better policy-making and a core element of good governance. It allows
government to tap new sources of policy relevant-ideas, information and
resources when making decisions. Equally important, it contributes to
building public trust in government, raising the quality of democracy
and strengthening civic capacity\".[^76]

28\. **ICTs manufacturing capabilities**: As most developing countries
are lagging behind in this respect, it is essential for governments,
private sector and civil society organizations to encourage technology
transfer and investment, including venture capital, in the creation of
national and regional ICT production facilities, research and
development (R&D), incubation schemes and small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs).[^77]

**28A**. **ICTs for poverty alleviation through wealth creation:** ICTs
make it possible for businesses in all countries to compete on a more
equal basis using e-business principles and mechanisms. The success of
indigenous businesses in developing countries is an essential ingredient
in combating poverty through local wealth creation. Governments and
corporations should facilitate the success of local e‑business in both
domestic and international markets through good policy choices as well
as direct involvement in e‑business processes. In addition, e-business
capabilities should be used to stimulate international trade, a creator
of wealth.[^78]

29\. **Demand-driven applications**: Growth in the demand for
applications (such as e‑government, e‑learning, e-health, e-business and
e-agriculture) will create a favourable environment for the private
sector to invest in the development of new goods and services.[^79]

**29A.** **The Impact of ICT on the Environment**: To promote the
enhancement of eco‑efficiency and transparency through public access to
environmental information and encouragement of cleaner production and
sustainable consumption patterns. Major positive and negative impact of
ICT on the environment must be observed and expected. While ICT reduces
energy consumptions, they are likely to be harmful to the environment if
global policies are not developed to address the issue of ICT
disposal.[^80]

# 4) Capacity building

30\. \[All people must/[Everyone should\]]{.underline} be offered the
opportunity to acquire the necessary skills in order to understand,
participate actively in, and benefit fully from \[the possibilities of
the/the economic benefits of the\], the Information Society and the
knowledge economy. In front of the wide range of ICT specialists
required at all levels, building the institutional capacities to
collect, organize, store and share information and knowledge and
appropriate training trainers, including instructors of ICT deserves
special attention. In doing that, such education principles as
information literacy and life-long learning should be considered. The
Governments should develop comprehensive and forward looking strategies
to respond to the new human capacity needs and to utilize the immense
opportunities that ICTs offer in human resource development. Special
attention must be paid to building institutional capacities to collect,
organize, store and share information and knowledge.[^81]

**30A.** The shared aspirations of developing countries to become
full-fledged members of the information society on an efficient and
sustainable basis, within the framework of the global knowledge-based
economy, must be taken into account.[^82]

**30B.** The needs and interests of women and girls should be taken into
account and support provided through training programmes and mentoring
systems. [^83]

31\. **ICTs for education**: The use of ICTs for education and human
resource development, including ICT literacy, should be promoted, with
special reference to the requirements of \[people with
disabilities/disadvantaged groups\], and to the specific needs of girls
and women.[^84]

32\. **Enabling people to benefit from ICTs:** Individuals should be
engaged in defining their own needs and in developing programmes to meet
those needs. Technological change requires life-long learning and
continuous training by all. Public policy should take into account
inequalities in access to quality education and training, particularly
in the case of vulnerable groups[,]{.underline} persons with
disabilities, women and underserved or remote areas.[^85]

**32A. Human resources development.** Developing countries cannot enter
the Global Information Society without strengthening their human,
institutional and organizational capacities and without increasing
awareness for production of local ICT contents and use of local
languages for ICT through:

-- capacity-building and training programmes,

-- knowledge and expertise transfer [^86]

33\. **Training ICT specialists**: The increasing demand for a wide
range of ICTs specialists at all levels must be addressed with targeted
support for the participation of women as engineers, technicians and ICT
specialists.[^87]

**33A.** **Globalization and developing countries:** The positive
integration of developing countries into the knowledge-economy depends
largely on capacity building in the areas of education, technology,
know-how and information. These are quickly becoming major factors in
determining development, competitiveness, and the flow of trade,
services and investments. Developing countries must be given greater
access to these resources, including financial support from multilateral
agencies.[^88]

# 5) Building confidence, trust and security in the use of ICTs

34\. \[An adequately developed/A robust and secure\] infrastructure and
a set of ethical guidelines is a precondition for secure and reliable
access to information by all stakeholders, and for the upgrading of
relevant services. Information security and protection of privacy are
essential in building trust in ICTs and thereby promoting their
use.[^89]

*Alternate paragraph 34:* The benefits of the Information Society can
only be fully harnessed if there is confidence that the new information
and communication technology is reliable and secure. An adequately
developed infrastructure is a precondition for secure and reliable
access to and communication of information by all stakeholders, and for
the upgrading of relevant services. Ultimately, a global culture of
cybersecurity needs to be developed in cooperation with all the
stakeholders and these efforts should be supported by increased
international cooperation. Therefore governments should work in close
coordination with private enterprise, civil society and with
international expert bodies in the field of network and information
security. Within this global culture of cybersecurity it is important to
strike a balance between, on the one hand, measures to enhance security
and, on the other hand, the need to ensure the protection of data and
privacy, as well as to avoid the creation of new barriers to trade.[^90]

**34A.** Government should develop strategies and incentives to keep
their own IC human resources from moving to developed countries in
search of better pay and better working environment. At the same time,
government should emphasize that ICT experts taking part in ICT4D
projects, especially in developing countries, should make sure that
disseminating skills and knowledge is a key requirement of all terms of
references.[^91]

35\. **Secure and reliable infrastructure**: \[To realize the full
benefits of ICTs, networks and information systems must be sufficiently
robust to prevent, detect and to respond appropriately to security
incidents/Confidence, trust and robust technical reliability are
essential to the full functioning of the Information Society, and should
underpin measures taken to protect users of media, communication and
information networks against any misuse (ethical, terrorist and
criminal) and the violation of privacy and confidentiality.\] In
addition to government action and law enforcement, a global culture of
cyber-security needs to be developed \[on a multilateral, democratic and
transparent basis, with due respect to human rights and fundamental
freedoms, especially the right to privacy and freedom of
expression/while enacting suitable statutes at national and
international level, wherever necessary, on priority\] or effective
security of information systems (UNGA Resolution 57/295, of 20 December
2002). Efforts to achieve secure networks and information systems must
ensure that human rights and civil liberties, such as privacy and legal
protection are appropriately and adequately guaranteed.[^92]

*Alternate paragraph 35:* Confidence in the full benefits of ICTs,
networks and information systems must be sufficiently robust to provide
for, detect and respond appropriately to security incidents. Effective
security of information systems is not merely a matter for governments.
It requires law enforcement and technology. Hence, a global culture of
cyber-security needs to be developed (UNGA Resolution 57/295, of 20
December 2002). Building this culture requires the accountability of all
participants.[^93]

**35A.** The responsibility for securing the cyberspace shall be shared
by all countries, according to their level of social and economic
development, and taking into account that developing countries have
limited financial resources to invest in ICT social applications, such
as telemedicine, e-education and job training.[^94]

**35B.** **Trust:** Strengthening the trust framework (security,
authentication, privacy, consumer protection) is a prerequisite for the
maturation of the Information Society and for inspiring confidence among
all users of the Internet. It requires the involvement of all
participants.[^95]

**35C.** **Ensuring international information security in an
increasingly ICT-oriented world**

As is noted in a number of United Nations General Assembly resolutions
(resolutions 53/70, of 4 December 1998, 54/49 of 1 December 1999, 55/28
of 20 November 2000, 56/19 of 29 November 2001 and 57/53 of 22 November
2002), information technologies and facilities can potentially be used
for purposes that are incompatible with the efforts being made to ensure
international stability and security that could have a negative impact
on the integrity of State infrastructures by infringing their security
in both the civil and military spheres.

It is therefore necessary to become aware of and to examine on a
multileral basis, taking into account the measures already undertaken by
the United Nations in that regard, existing and potential threats in the
area of information security and possible measures to be taken in order
to limit such threats. It is also necessary to prevent the use of
information resources and technologies for criminal and terrorist
ends.[^96]^5bis^

**35D.** **Ensuring national sovereignty in regard to the use of ICTs**

Issues pertaining to the use of ICTs which have a bearing on national
sovereignty and which are not governed by existing international law
should be resolved by means of negotiation between the representatives
of all interested States.95bis

36\. **Role of stakeholders**: Governments \[must/ should\] promote
awareness in their societies of cyber security risks and strengthen
cooperation with the private sector and civil society to prevent the use
of information resources or technologies for unethical, criminal or
terrorist purposes, so as to build confidence and trust by protecting
their privacy and confidentiality in the use of ICTs and the Information
Society. The community, the family, and the individual levels, also have
a special role to play in this regard.[^97]

*Alternate paragraph 36:* In order to build confidence and trust in the
use of ICTs and the Information Society, governments in cooperation with
the private sector and civil society must promote awareness in their
societies of trust enhancing measures and cyber security risks.
Governments must seek to strengthen cooperation with the private sector
and civil society to prevent the use of information resources or
technologies for criminal or terrorist purposes.[^98]

37\. **International cooperation**: International, regional and national
efforts to improve ICT [confidence and]{.underline} security, in both
\[civil and military fields/ [private and public sector
activities]{.underline}\], \[must/[should]{.underline}\] be coordinated,
taking into consideration the importance of secure infrastructure and
data flow, in concordance with international standards and
guidelines.[^99]

**37A.** Information security is a relevant and sensitive issue to be
considered under the appropriate context, taking into account existing
as well as evolving national policies, laws and regulations. Concerns
with broader international security issues should not override the
development-oriented focus of the information society.[^100]

**37B.** Recognizing that confidence, trust and security are essential
to the full functioning of the information Society, guarantees should be
provided to users of media, communication and information networks
against Cybercrime, racial and any other form of discrimination, as well
as child pornography, bearing in mind the need to protect privacy and
confidentiality.[^101]

# 6) Enabling environment[^102]

38\. The existence of a \[supportive/supportive\] and predictable
policy, legal and regulatory framework, developed through participation
and input from all organizational and individual levels of society and
that transcends geographic and political borders, is an important
prerequisite for enhancing trust in the development of the Information
Society.[^103]

*Alternate text from paragraph 40 modified:* To maximize the economic
and social benefits of the Information Society, governments need to
create a trustworthy, predictable, transparent, inclusive and
non-discriminatory legal, regulatory and policy environment, capable of
promoting technological innovation and competition, thus favouring
investment in the deployment of infrastructures, transfer of technology,
research and development and development of new services. The existence
of a supportive, transparent, pro-competitive and predictable policy,
legal and regulatory framework is an important prerequisite for
enhancing trust in the development of the Information Society. The
independence of a regulator is also an important requirement.[^104]

**38A***.* **Rule of law**: The rule of law is essential for the
information society to become a sphere of confidence, trust and
security, where the rights of individuals - and especially children -
are protected, users are empowered to avoid harmful content, and
governance, administration and justice become more open and efficient.
The rule of law will be a reality when state regulation, co-regulation
and self-regulation work together to build a clear regulatory framework
in the full respect of human rights.[^105]

39\. **Good governance:** \[The Information Society \[must/ should\]
support and enhance participative democracy, transparency, and
accountability, at all times upholding the principle of legality/\].
Information is the basis of a well-functioning and transparent
decision-making process \[for global society and local communities/at
all levels of government\] and support participatory democracy
transparency and accountability. ICTs \[can be/ should be used as\] an
important and very effective tool \[for both good governance and more
accessible government services/for good governance, including for making
governments and parliaments more accessible and accountable/for making
government services more accessible\].[^106]

*Alternate paragraph 39:* **Good governance:** The Information Society
must support participative democracy, long-term transparency, efficiency
and accountability, at all times upholding the principle of legality.
Properly organized and accessible information and records are the basis
of a well-functioning and transparent decision-making process for
private and public actors at all levels. ICTs can be an important and
very effective tool for good governance and more accessible government.
Inclusion of the citizen is the aim. That means: In spite of the
distance to the offices of the authorities the citizen can interact with
its authorities.[^107]

**39A*.*** **Information and records management**: Information and
records management is a necessary condition for good governance. To
guarantee long-term transparency and access to public information and
records, governments must ensure proper organization, appropriate
classification and financially assured archiving of their own
documents.[^108]

**39B*.*** **Public statistics and monitoring the Information Society**:
Statistical indicators and analysis on social and economic developments
constitute the basic conditions for a fair, democratic debate and the
evidence-based shaping of collective affairs. Public statistics also
constitute an indispensable basis for continual monitoring of the
Information Society. They provide core information for measuring
progress towards the implementation of national ICT strategies as well
as for assessing the economic competitiveness of a country and the
problems of digital divide.[^109]

40\. **Market environment**: \[To maximize the economic and social
benefits of the Information Society/to ensure maximum utilization of the
full economic and social potential of the Information Society\],
governments need to create and foster a trustworthy, transparent, and
non-discriminatory legal, regulatory and policy environment, capable of
promoting technological innovation and competition and at the same time
protecting intellectual property, supporting consumer confidence and
protection of privacy, thus favouring investment in the deployment of
infrastructures and development of new services that will supply chains
more efficient, especially in relation to marginal areas.[^110]

**40A*.*** **E-commerce and SMEs**: electronic commerce offers large
opportunities to micro-enterprises and small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs). Governments, in close coordination with the private
sector and civil society, must create an adequate environment and
provide financial support to the development of SMEs through electronic
commerce. SMEs have a huge, and still unexplored, potential of job
creation, especially in developing countries.[^111]

**40B*.*** To promote economic and social benefits, special attention
should be paid to all commercial activities conducted through the
electronic media. Consumers and suppliers will share joint
responsibilities in building a trustworthy commercial environment.[^112]

41\. **\[Policy-making and national strategies/National strategies for
decision-making\]:** Strengthening the policy-making capacity in the
area of ICTs to enhance national and regional ICT policy-making
processes and institutions, including parliaments is of utmost
importance. ICTs will advance development if related efforts and
programmes are integrated in national development strategies in
consultation with stakeholder groups.

*Alternate paragraph 41*: The Information Society can best advance
economic and social development when ICT related efforts and programmes
are fully integrated in national and regional development
strategies.[^113]

**41A*.*** **Poverty reduction:** In order to give poor people the
possibility of benefiting from the advantages of the Information
Society, governments need to ensure that they create general and
ICT-specific environments that respond to the needs of people in poverty
and empower them in overcoming it.[^114]

**41B.** **Social cohesion:** Governments need to look for ways of
overcoming the obstacles that prevent people from effectively claiming
their rights and for improving the quality of life of vulnerable people
such as the elderly, the chronically ill, people with disabilities and
all who are at risk of social marginalization. Governments need to
recognize that new technologies can also create new obstacles and new
forms of exclusion, especially for the deaf, the hearing impaired and
the blind. Within a broad effort to make public services more
accessible, transparent and effective, governments need to seek ways of
interlinking social and other public services and of improving user
participation in their reshaping.[^115]

**41C***.* **Economic growth**: ICTs are an important enabler of growth
through efficiency gains and increased productivity. The development of
the Information Society is therefore important for broadly-based
economic growth in both developed and developing countries. Global
policy frameworks should foster ICT-driven productivity gains and
applied innovations across economic sectors. Distribution of the
benefits is the foundation for poverty reduction and social development.
Policies that foster productive investment and enable firms to make the
changes needed to seize the benefits from ICTs are likely to be the most
beneficial.[^116]

**41D***.* **International trade:** Liberalization of trade in ICT and
related services, together with domestic regulatory reform, promotes
investment and innovation and makes technology more readily available
for use in the economy by governments, organizations, and individual
users. All countries should join the international trade policy
mechanisms developed to implement and facilitate liberalization and
regulatory reform as ICT is both an important component of trade and a
means by which trade in other goods and services can be expanded or
facilitated. Improving the preconditions for successful entry into
international trade fosters e-business and economic growth both
internationally and domestically. Consequently, governments should
promote an open trade regime in the ICT sector and strive towards
improving market access. ICTs play a key role in trade facilitation,
with automation, e-customs and e-government tools reducing the costs and
time associated with moving goods across borders, and enhancing the
efficiency and integrity of customs operations.[^117]

42\. **Standardization**: Standardization is one of the essential
building blocks of the Information Society. International policy
dialogue at global, regional and subregional levels should promote the
identification and application of interoperable standards, in accordance
with the technological reality of each country, the transfer of know-how
and the provision of technical assistance. The development and use of
open standards are particularly important for developing countries. In
this regard the increased use of open-source software can contribute
greatly raising the educational level of concerned population groups,
increasing access levels and expanding the diversity of choice of
software for consumers.[^118]

**42A**. The State should promote this approach together with
technological neutrality: it should refrain from imposing any particular
technological platform, but monitor the conditions of connectivity,
compatibility and interoperability.

Given the magnitude of the costs and risks of innovation, companies
should cooperate to share the costs of creating and marketing innovative
products and services and to reduce uncertainty.[^119]^.^

43\. **Spectrum management**: The radio frequency spectrum \[must/
should[\]]{.underline} be managed in the public and general interest and
in accordance with the principle of legality, with full observance of
national laws and regulation as well as relevant international
agreements.[^120]

44\. **Management of Internet domain** **names and addresses:** Internet
governance must be multilateral, intergovernmental, democratic and
transparent, supporting private sector-led industry self-regulation,
taking into account the needs of the public and private sectors as well
as those of the civil society, and respecting multilingualism. The
coordination responsibility at the global level for root servers, domain
names, and Internet Protocol (IP) address assignment should rest with
\[a suitable international, \[inter-governmental/\] organization/ a
suitable international organization which represents and is accountable
to all stakeholders, and which has clear mechanisms for governmental
input on issues of public policy[\]]{.underline}. While the policy
authority for country code top-level-domain names (ccTLDs) should be the
sovereign right of countries. There should be appropriate coordination
in an international forum on common ccTLD issues so as to ensure the
stability of the domain name system. Internet naming and addressing is
public issues. [^121]

*Alternate text 1 for paragraph 44:* Internet governance should be
multilateral, \[democratic\] and transparent, taking into account the
needs of the public and private sectors as well as those of the civil
society, and respecting multilingualism.[^122]

*Alternate text 2 for paragraph 44:* The international management of the
Internet should be democratic, multilateral and transparent. It should
secure a fair distribution of resources, facilitate access for all and
ensure a stable and secure functioning of the Internet. It should
respect geographical diversity and ensure representativeness through the
participation of all interested States, including public authorities
with competence in this field, of civil society and the private sector,
with due respect to their legitimate interests.[^123]

**44A*.*** **Consumer protection**: A vital aspect of securing consumer
confidence in electronic commerce is to ensure that consumer
transactions occur within a sound legal framework. To this end,
consumers using electronic commerce should be provided with protection
that is at least equivalent to that provided to consumers using other
forms of commerce.[^124]

**44B.** Spam is a significant and growing problem - not just for
individuals but for networks and the Internet as a whole. Spam refers to
an electronic mail message that is transmitted to a large number of
recipients and most or all of the recipients have not requested those
messages.

Spam raises key issues that need to be addressed and these include
privacy, illicit content, misleading and deceptive trade practices and
network issues.

• Privacy: issues surrounding the manner with which personal information
such as e‑mail addresses is collected and handled - address collectors
harvest e‑mail addresses off the Internet or even buy and sell them in
bulk without the consent of the owner.

• Illicit content: most promotes scams, pornography, illegal online
gambling services, medical cures, get rich quick schemes or misleading
and deceptive trade practices.

• Network issues: The cost of spam is borne by the recipient in the form
of higher cost Internet subscriptions due to larger downloads. The
increased volume of e‑mail can significantly slow Internet speeds and
could threaten the viability of the entire network. In addition, there
is some evidence that spam is being used deliberately in Denial of
Service (DoS) attacks.[^125]

**44C.** The international telecommunication union, as a specialized
agency of the united nation system, shall play a leading role in the
emergent information society and in the regulation of the global
information and communications infrastructure.[^126]

**44D***.* Internet has evolved into a global public good and its
governance should constitute a core issue of the information society
agenda. Developing countries should have full access to and take part in
all decision-making bodies and processes concerning the structure and
functioning of the cyberspace, within which public, private and
non-governmental agents will increasingly conduct their social and
economic activities.[^127]

45\. Access to information and communication technologies shall be
secured in accordance with international law, bearing in mind that some
countries are affected by unilateral measures which are not compatible
with it and which create obstacles for international trade[^128].[^129]

# 7) ICT-Applications

46\. The usage and deployment of ICTs create benefits in all aspects of
our daily life including work, government, health care, education,
environment, crop and animal production, and business. ICTs must serve
sustainable development, improve resource efficiency and reduce negative
environmental impacts. Governments should enact suitable laws to
facilitate e-commerce within the respective country and across the
borders.[^130]

*Alternate paragraph 46*: The usage and deployment of ICTs should seek
to create benefits in all aspects of our daily life including
government, health care, education, employment, management of natural
resources, business and culture. ICTs should also contribute to
sustainable consumption and production patterns, through improved
efficiency and sustainability in the use of resources and production
processes.[^131]

**46A.** Applications and content should be user-friendly, accessible to
all, affordable, suited to local needs and culture and support
socio-economic development of the local community.[^132]

47\. \[**Appropriate applications**: Cooperation and collaboration are
enhanced through the development of applications and content suited to
local needs will encourage social and economic development, particularly
in serving rural and remote areas, and supporting projects ensuring the
sharing of information.[^133]

**47A.** ICT mainstreaming into public policies and digital inclusion
programmes may be a window of opportunity in the promotion of
development leapfrogging for countries of the south. Such are the
magnitude of international expectations. Progress, however, must be
benchmarked and measured against concrete economic and social goals in
such areas as education, health, employment, job training, poverty
reduction, citizenship, government transparency and efficiency and the
creation of stronger and fairer democratic societies. ICT density
indicators are not as efficient or as meaningful in measuring a
country\'s progress towards the information society.[^134]

**47B.** **E-Government**: Government use of ICT can act as a catalyst
for improving government services. ICTs can serve to improve the
efficiency and effectiveness of government processes, the delivery of
services, and the connection to citizens. Therefore government should
have a clearly defined strategy for developing and implementing
e-government.[^135]

# 8) Cultural identity and linguistic diversity, local content and media development

48\. The Information Society is founded on respect for, and \[enjoyment
of/ possibilities to enjoy\], cultural expression. The possibility of
having one\'s voice heard and hearing the voices of others guarantees
peaceful coexistence and at the same time constitutes an inexhaustible
resource for social development. ICTs \[should/must\] be used to
stimulate cultural diversity and multilingualism and governments
\[should develop active policies/must design or reinforce policies\] to
that end. The Information Society would be able to serve the public
interest best and reach different sections of population in a country if
the local content is also developed in as many local languages of that
country as possible to avoid heavy reliance on information in other
languages.[^136]

49\. **Cultural and linguistic diversity**: Cultural
\[/and[\]]{.underline} linguistic diversity, multilingualism and local
languages are driving forces for the process of developing content for
local and international use (UNESCO, Universal Declaration on Cultural
Diversity, 2001). Therefore, and taking into consideration the following
Article 50, we believe that the creation of local content must be
accorded high priority, as a basic condition to prevent future
conflict.\" In terms of this cultural diversity, there is not just one
but several information societies; at the local, national, regional and
global level. These different information societies exist in parallel,
overlap and communicate with each other.\"[^137]

*Alternate paragraph 39*: Cultural and linguistic diversity, should be
reflected in the content developed for both local and international use.
[^138]

**49A.** **Content:** Creativity and the creation, processing,
dissemination and conservation of local content within the information
society must be accorded high priority. A diverse and widely
disseminated range of cultural, educational and other products and
information services can stimulate creativity and deepen access to the
benefits of the information society.[^139]

**49B.** **Cultural heritage:** Cultural heritage is the bridge between
our past and our future. The preservation of cultural heritage is a
crucial component of identity and self-understanding that links a
community to its past. The information society should harness and
integrate cultural heritage for the future by digitalization of the
cultural inventories in archives and libraries. The shared heritage
includes the public domain of cultural information, especially of
writings, speech, images and music.[^140]

50\. **Content**:\[The creation of local content must be
\[~~accorded/~~[considered~~\]~~]{.underline} high priority/~~The
creation of local content must be accorded high priority.\]~~ Creativity
as well as the creation, processing, dissemination and conservation of
local content \[can best be/[should be strongly\]]{.underline}
stimulated \[~~through an adequate balance between intellectual property
rights and the needs of the users of information~~/[in conformity with
legal requirements applicable in each country\].]{.underline}[^141]

51\. **Media**: Traditional media such as broadcasting and print, which
will continue to have an important role in providing content and
disseminating information to the Information Society. National and
Global media must play its activities ensuring transparency and
accountability, bearing in mind the political, social and cultural
impact of its work. Media have an essential part to play in the
education of children and young people in a spirit of peace, justice,
freedom, solidarity and economic and social development. Democratic,
responsible, accountable and participatory media play a central role in
building democracy both at national and international levels. Undue
concentration of private ownership and control of media undermine the
required diversity in the sources of information./Governments should
safeguard against the concentration of control over media by only a few
entities in this process./Furthermore, to correct the inequalities in
the flow of information to and from developing countries, it is
essential that their media should have conditions and resources enabling
them to gain strength and expand./Digital broadcasting, with its
interactive enhancements, will be an essential tool for making the
services of the information society widely available, thus contributing
to bridging the digital divide. Transition to digital therefore needs to
be actively promoted.

*Alternate paragraph 51:* ICTs strengthen the role of traditional media
such as broadcasting and print, which have a fundamental role in the
Information Society.

-- The freedom of expression and information, as enshrined in Article 19
of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is a keystone of our
commitments.

-- New electronic media and traditional media, including community
media, should be developed, protected and respected on an equal footing.

-- Public service broadcasting, in view of its cultural, social and
democratic functions which it discharges for the common good, has a
vital significance for ensuring democracy, pluralism, social cohesion,
cultural and linguistic diversity.

-- The plurality of opinion should not be hindered by media
concentration. Specific legislation should limit the concentration of
ownership in the media and guarantee the diversity among the media
(private, public and community) and the types of media.

-- The self regulation of the journalists plays an important role in
order to insure their independence.

-- Workers in the information society enjoy conditions of work that are
in line with international labour standards, including recognition of
rights to freedom of association, equality of opportunity and decent
standards of work.

-- Authors have a right to protection of the moral and material
interests of their works, according to article 27 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights.

-- Media should commit themselves to act in solidarity to improve the
professional training and skills of their profession, the independence
of the journalists and the pluralism. [^142]

# 9) Ethical dimensions of the Information Society

52\. \[Cyberspace/The Information Society[\]]{.underline}
\[must/should\] be subject to universally held cultural and ethical
values such as truth, justice, solidarity, tolerance, human dignity,
\[shared responsibility/shared obligation and responsibility\],
transparency and accountability. All actors in the Information Society
\[must/should\] seek to promote the common good, protect privacy, and to
prevent abusive uses of ICTs. The freedom of the use of ICTs should not
undermine the human dignity, human rights and fundamental freedoms of
others. These values are particularly relevant when commercial
activities are conducted through networks.[^143]

**52A.** **Protecting countries from bad affects of misuse of ICT:**
Policies regarding use of ICT must respect the laws, interest and
readiness of other members and no entity should be allowed to reach into
any contract with an illegal entity or with a legal entity on a matter
for which it is not allowed.[^144]

**52B.** Based on Article 34 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the
child, and referring to the Declaration of the UNESCO expert\'s meeting
on the sexual abuse of children held in Paris, 18-19 January 1999:

• As Internet use grows, so do the risks of children being exposed to
inappropriate material, in particular, criminal activity by paedophiles
and child pornographers. While the benefits of the Internet far outweigh
its potential drawbacks, these dangers cannot be ignored. If left
unanswered they pose a threat to children and will become the object of
resistance to future Internet use.

• The fight against paedophilia and pornography on the Internet requires
a coalition of forces, involving children, industry, policy makers,
educator and parents to ensure that users are aware of potential dangers
and have available to them the necessary means to combat these
threats.[^145]

**52C***.* An inclusive and sustainable Information Society can only
develop when knowledge is clearly considered a common good and when the
principle of access to and the free flow of information can come to
reality.[^146]

**52D***.* Given the heterogeneity of the interests of the different
parties involved in the development of the Information Society and given
the cultural background and underlying values, it is almost unavoidable
that conflicts, even clashes will permanently occur. Information
societies will have to live with it. These conflicts should not be
solved on the basis of political power or economic dominance but
solutions to these conflicts need to rely and should be based on an
ethical-based discourse. Any ethical discourse must respect
heterogeneous interests and cultures and must build reliable partnership
between governments, private sector and civil society.[^147]

**52E***.* The highest ethical standards must apply to the utilization
of health and medical information, which can be used either to preserve
life or to take it away.[^148]

**52F.** Ethical dimensions of ICTs include the need to guarantee the
respect of personal privacy and of human dignity, particularly in the
context of growing invasive information technologies, surveillance
systems and \"information awareness\".[^149]

# 10) International and regional cooperation

53\. Due to the intrinsically global nature of the Information Society,
international cooperation and policy dialogue \[must take place/should
be promoted\] at global, regional and subregional levels, in accordance
with domestic legal provisions, in order to facilitate or provide:

-- Technical and financial assistance, without any discrimination;

-- National and regional capacity-building for the maintenance and
reinforcement of regional and international cooperation;

-- Technology transfer;

-- The sharing of experiences;

-- The sharing of knowledge; and

-- The development of compatible regulations and standards that respect
national characteristics and concerns, including spectrum
management.[^150]

**53A*.*** The private sector and many NGOs seem to be more familiar
with the issue of ICTs and have a better grasp of the extent to which
this new world of networking and technological convergence will impact
on political and economic international relations. Developing
countries\' governments are the ones most in need of enhancing their
knowledge and understanding about advances in the digital revolution and
their implications for public policies, risks and opportunities for
development, and possible new solutions to such challenges as social
inclusion and poverty reduction.[^151]

**53B*.*** Innovative cooperation mechanisms, better suited to the
north-south and south-south transfer of applied ICTs are urgently
needed. Traditional schemes of cooperation are not always adequate for
financing digital opportunity projects and programmes. Traditional
cooperation, in some instances, may actually lead to reverse forms of
technology transfers, by way of a south-north brain drain and the
commercial development and application in the north of basic science
produced at high costs in developing countries.[^152]

**53C.** We commit ourselves to strengthen cooperation to seek common
responses to the challenges of the Information Society and to the
implementation of the Plan of Action which will realize the vision and
the key principles incorporated in this Declaration.[^153]

\]

\[

**Section II**[^154]

Observers\' contributions to the Declaration of Principles[^155]

**A. Preamble**

**\[2\]** The media are central to any conception of an Information
Society. For the political and cultural potential of the Information
Society to be realized, citizens require access to full information for
democratic participation at all levels, including unbiased information
and a plurality of opinions, as well as access to a wide range of
content, including material reflecting national and regional cultures
and content relevant to local communities

**\[4\]** By harnessing and developing the potential of information and
communication technologies, including the traditional mass media of
radio and television, we can now provide new and better responses to
vital and longstanding issues in all areas of human life, including
poverty reduction and wealth creation, as well as equity and social
justice.

**B. Common Vision of the Information Society**

**\[7\]** The global Information Society represents the social and human
construction which is progressively built by all the vital forces of the
world since they have started few decades ago. Looking at the fantastic,
quick and continuous progresses made by the ICT industry and
understanding the enormous possibilities that these progresses would
allow in terms of networking infrastructures and services, it is
necessary to consider and deal with ICTs not only as a particular
economic activity among others but mainly as an economic and
technological platform to be used for all human activities, involving
stakeholders as well as individuals.

**\[8\]** By nature, the global Information Society is the society where
all peoples of the world shall appear as representing together a unique
community and where each individual shall be able, looking beyond their
particular identity, to feel that they are part of this unique
community. Building the global Information Society represents the first
opportunity given to the international community to imagine and prepare
as a whole its own future, which should help at least to narrow those
imperfections, contradictions, and divides.

**\[9\]** ICTs should therefore be regarded as a tool and not as an end
in themselves. They are useful only to the extent that they enrich and
empower individuals through the information and capabilities they offer.

**\[10\]** The essential requirements for an equitable development of
the Information Society include:

-- A secure infrastructure.

-- A sound and equitable education and health care system.

-- A recognition of the benefits of ICT applications, such as
e-learning, e-health and e‑government.

-- Adoption of national legal frameworks and regulatory policies that
should be pro‑competitive with the aim to attract investments in all the
various segments that comprise the Information Society and
identification and elimination of all obstacles that delay or halt
economic growth.

-- Adoption of good-governance procedures at all levels which supposes
transparency, accountability, sustainability, predictability and
generalization of administrative reforms aiming to bring governments
being e-Model Users.

-- Adoption of national ICT strategies involving at all levels the
development partners, in particular business entities.

-- Recognition of the multi-stakeholders partnerships framework as being
the key-framework for the launching of ICT-development programmes and
recognition of the leading role of the business sector, in particular
local SMEs with respect to the management of these programmes.

**\[10\]** There is a need to build the global Information Society under
a Human Rights perspective, meaning a global Information Society that
would develop while respecting, preserving and enforcing fundamental
human rights. This would be possible only when all the stakeholders
(governments, business entities, international organizations and
entities of civil society), as well as the individuals, shall be
committed to promoting the development and use of ICTs and services:

-- In a manner that secures the fair, balanced and harmonious
development of all the peoples of the world with particular attention to
the needs and expectations of the developing countries and in each
country, to those of the most disadvantaged communities such as: women,
youth, inhabitants of remote, rural or desert areas, disabled,
indigenous peoples.

-- While respecting, preserving and enforcing by all possible legal,
technical and regulatory means the religious, cultural and linguistic
identities and patrimonies of the various peoples of the world,
accepting their diversity with a spirit of tolerance.

-- While adopting at the national level, laws, rules and regulation that
enforce the individual freedom and that punish all kinds of action,
activity or behaviour that would represent an attempt to this individual
freedom.

-- While adopting a framework for international cooperation based on a
spirit of real and sincere solidarity aiming to enable developing
countries to benefit from adequate means to achieve an harmonious social
integration and economic development noting that such a result is the
most important factor that could ensure to all peoples of the world
security, peace and stability.

-- Safe and healthy, secure and fair working conditions.

-- Human dignity, human rights and world peace.

-- Global solidarity to redress social and geographic inequities.

-- Transparent and accountable government structures at local, national
and international levels.

-- Respect for and enforcement of universal human rights standards.

-- Preserve and actively foster cultural development, linguistic
diversity, cultural identity and local content.

-- The supply of a diversity of creative works and content is an
essential engine for social, cultural, political and economic
development. Creators, publishers and producers of content thus play a
crucial role in promoting knowledge, creativity and science. As such,
they are fully involved in the Information Society, which offers
enhanced means of communication, dissemination and transmission of
knowledge.

-- The right to participate in the communication and information process
in conformity with article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights and without any obstacle to freedom of expression, and press
freedom, as well as the right to access, create and disseminate
information, without any kind of censorship, should be considered basic
human right.

**\[11\]** Health should not be seen as a narrowly-defined ICT
application, but as a part of a comprehensive health system. In the same
way that education is understood as fundamental to development, health
also plays a crucial role in development. Further, health-related
investment can spur economic development, as highlighted in the 2001
report released by the Commission on Macroeconomics and Health, which
specifically mentions ICTs.

**\[11A\]** One of the priorities of the Information Society must be to
drastically diminish information poverty, drawing from all available
resources (including from volunteer resources). Volunteers, by actively
helping people to combat this dimension of poverty, are already playing
an important role in the creation and evolution of a fair and equitable
Information Society. As the Information Society spreads, their
participation as information agents and enablers will extend
proportionately. Volunteers are instrumental in creating and energizing
community and citizen networks.

**C. Key Principles**

**\[12\]** **ICT as a tool for Development:** Being a horizontal
platform for economic development and a tool for social integration,
information and communication infrastructures and services must be,
without delay, extensively deployed and used in all developing countries
in order to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in
particular to help in promoting a sustainable development and in
eradicating poverty.

**\[12A\]** Knowledge is the heritage of all humanity.

**\[12B\]** In a democratic society, information and communications are
the foundation for transparency, debate and decision-making and for
informed choice of an active citizenry.

**\[12C\]** The traditional media of radio and television will long
remain the major providers of information to the large majority of the
world\'s population, particularly in the developing world. As such, they
must be developed and exploited to the full as basic foundations of the
information society and as providers of content to newer media made
possible by ICTs.

**\[13\]** The Information Society shall be oriented towards eliminating
existing socio-economic differences in our societies, promoting job
creation, averting the emergence of new forms of exclusion and becoming
a positive force for all of the world\'s people by helping to reduce the
disparity between developed and developing countries, as well as within
countries.

**\[14\]** The Information Society is one where every citizen has the
opportunity not only to access information but also to produce it and
exercise their creativity.

**\[14\]** The knowledge and experience of citizens should be harnessed
as the driving force behind the Information Society.

**\[15\]** Women\'s empowerment and their full participation on the
basis or equality in all spheres of society, including participation in
the decision-making process and access to power, are fundamental for the
achievement of equality, development and peace (art. 13, Beijing
Declaration).

**\[15\]** **Gender Perspective:** Building the Global Information
Society shall not be possible if all stakeholders (governments, business
entities, NGOs and Civil Society, international organizations) fail in
incorporating a gender perspective at all levels of actions they have
the responsibility to undertake and manage.

**\[17\]** Universal access to information and communication
technologies, including radio and television, shall be an objective of
all the stakeholders involved in building the information society, in
accordance with the legal framework in force in each country.

# 1) Information and communication infrastructure

# 2) Access to information and knowledge

**\[20\]** The availability of power sources is a prerequisite in
bridging the digital divide. It is therefore essential to elaborate an
active policy in terms of renewable energy resources; this policy
defined by public authorities is to be secured by all partners involved
in ICT deployment, to warrant an adequate quality and a permanent
availability for all users, particularly those in rural and isolated
areas.

**\[21A\]** **Right to Information and Right to Communicate:** The right
to information and knowledge as well as the right to communicate are
recognized as being fundamental human rights and should be so added to
the list of Fundamental Human Rights (UN Charter-Human Rights Charter).
There is no global Information Society unless everyone, everywhere is
granted the opportunity and the capacity to access an information or a
communication network. This is what is meant by universal access.

**\[22A\]** Access to information is a fundamental human right. The
media - both new and traditional - have a major role to play in bringing
about an Information Society in which all citizens are included and can
participate.

-- For this purpose, the media need to be accessible and affordable for
all citizens. Free-to-air broadcasting, and especially broadcasting with
universal coverage, is an important means of achieving this objective;
universal coverage needs to be improved, particularly in developing
countries. The new opportunities offered by the information age should
also be at the service of the whole range of communities.

-- To fulfill their role, the media must have unhindered access to
events of interest to the public, including the right to make recordings
and to establish contribution links without any interference by the
public authorities.

**\[23\]** Global knowledge commons and the public domain of information
constitute resources that are cornerstones of a global public interest.
They should be protected, expanded and promoted, in particular, via
open-source and free software.

**\[26A\]** Volunteers can be seen as the human and dynamic
\"last-miles\" of connectivity and access, often as part of civil
society organizations. They extend the products and benefits of access
to many more people who do not have the means for direct access - most
of whom are \"information poor\". In this regard, these \"last-mile\"
volunteers can be effective in the advancement towards the ultimate goal
of \"information and communication services for all\".

# 3) The role of governments, the business sector and civil society in the promotion of ICTs for development

**\[27\]** Need to develop public-private partnerships to promote
capacity building and human resource development.

# 4) Capacity building

**\[32\]** Human Resources Development: Developing countries cannot
enter the Global Information Society without strengthening their human,
institutional and organizational capacities and without increasing
awareness for production of local ICT contents and use of local
languages for ICT through:

-- Capacity-building and training programmes;

-- Knowledge and expertise transfer.

**\[32\]** Meaningful access to information via ICT channels requires
the capacity to use those technology tools. Volunteers have a natural
niche in helping people and institutions acquire the skills and capacity
to make good use of these technologies, as evidenced by initiatives like
UNITeS, NetCorps Canada, Volunteers in Technical Assistance, and many
others.

# 5) Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs

**\[35\]** Confidence, trust and robust technical reliability are
essential to the full functioning of the Information Society, and should
underpin measures taken to protect users of media, communication and
information networks against any misuse and the violation of privacy and
confidentiality.

**\[35\]** Efforts to achieve secure networks and information systems
must ensure that human rights and civil liberties such as privacy and
legal protection are guaranteed.

**\[36\]** Governments should promote awareness in their societies of
cyber security risks and seek to strengthen international cooperation,
including with the private sector and civil society so as to build
confidence and trust in the Information Society, by respecting privacy
and the free flow of information.

# 6) Enabling environment

**\[39\]** Adoption of pro-competitive, transparent and predictable
policies that promote investment in ICT infrastructure and applications.

**\[39\]** Policy action should aim at establishing a transparent and
enabling regulatory framework.

**\[40\]** Development of national ICT strategies that create an
opportunity for measurable targets to assess progress toward their
implementation.

**\[40\]** Commitment to an open policy-making process where all
stakeholders can contribute equally, recognizing their unique
contribution to policy dialogues.

**\[45A\] Transfer of ICTs**: Building the global Information Society
shall not be possible while unilateral regulatory decisions, based on
political considerations and aiming to prevent countries from access to
ICT technologies, would prevail.

# 7) ICT-Applications

**\[46\]** Life-long learning.

**\[47\]** Enhanced possibilities for more community-level participation
in governance issues.

**\[47\]** The vision for the Information Society is for open, equitable
and unrestricted access to reliable (or evidence based) information for
health, a global public good, by making full use of ICT in health system
development.

**\[47A\]** Volunteers can participate in the development and spread of
ICTs application, and contribute to raising awareness among
decision-makers as well as the population in general on the
opportunities that ICT brings to development.

# 8) Cultural and linguistic diversity, local content and media development

**\[49\]** Work on a global convention on cultural diversity.

**\[51\]** In this regard, mass media, independent and pluralistic - in
their various forms - are recognized as important means of fostering
public information, societal development and social cohesion.

-- Limit, through legislation, excessive media concentration that
undermines pluralism and free expression and sees information only as a
commodity.

-- Commit \[all participants, especially national delegations\] to a
tripartite effort to support media both of developing countries and
media serving vulnerable sectors in every country. Such efforts require
professional training, respect for professional independence, security
and protection of journalists, support to local content and community
media, durability of materials and software, easier access to now
technologies.

-- National and global media concentration is contrary to diversity of
information.

-- To ensure diversity and pluralism in the Information society,
monopolies and excessive concentration in the media, including those in
new communication and information technologies should be subject to
general anti-monopoly laws. Such general laws should be enacted where
they do not already exist and strengthened where necessary.

-- The existence of independent and free communication media, including
community media.

-- All forms of media and new ICTs should stimulate cultural diversity
and multilingualism.

**\[51\]** ICTs can strengthen traditional media such as broadcasting
and print, which will continue to have an important role in
disseminating content in the Information Society. Digital broadcasting,
with its interactive enhancements, will be an essential tool for making
the services of the information society widely available, thus
contributing to bridging the digital divide. Transition to digital
therefore needs to be actively promoted.

# 9) Ethical dimensions of the Information Society

**\[52\]** An inclusive and sustainable society can only develop when
knowledge is clearly considered a common good and when the principle of
access *to* and the free flow *of* information can come to reality.

**\[52A\]** Due to the heterogeneity of the interests of the different
parties involved in the development of the Information Society and due
to the diversity of the underlying cultures and values it is almost
unavoidable that conflicts, even clashes will permanently occur.
Information societies will have to live with it. These conflicts should
not be solved on the basis of political power or economic dominance but
solutions to these conflicts need to rely and should be based on an
ethical-based discourse. Any ethical discourse must respect
heterogeneous interests and cultures and must build reliable partnership
between governments, private sector, and civil society.

**\[52B\]** Uses of health and medical information, which can preserve
as well as take away life, require application of the highest ethical
standards.

**\[52C\]** Ethical dimensions of ICTs include the need to guarantee the
respect of personal privacy and of human dignity, particularly in the
context of growing invasive information technologies, surveillance
systems and \"information awareness\".

# 10) International and regional cooperation

\]

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

[^1]: Proposed by XXX.

[^2]: Proposed by YYY.

[^3]: Proposed by ZZZ.

[^4]: See comment from Czech Republic.

[^5]: Proposed by Brazil.

[^6]: Proposed by Iran (Islamic Rep. of) on behalf of Asian Countries.

[^7]: Proposed by Iran (Islamic Rep. of) on behalf of Asian Countries.

[^8]: Proposed by Iran (Islamic Rep. of) on behalf of Asian Countries.

[^9]: Proposed by Switzerland.

[^10]: Proposed by European Union.

[^11]: Proposed by Brazil.

[^12]: Proposed by Brazil.

[^13]: Proposed by Brazil.

[^14]: See comment from Tunisia.

[^15]: See comment from Tunisia.

[^16]: Proposed by Mexico.

[^17]: Proposed by Brazil.

[^18]: Proposed by Iran (Islamic Rep. of).

[^19]: Mexico proposes to merge paragraphs 7 and 8.

[^20]: European Union and Russian Federation suggest to delete this
    paragraph.

[^21]: Proposed by Mexico.

[^22]: See comments from Australia and Mexico.

[^23]: Proposed by Mexico.

[^24]: See comment from Czech Republic.

[^25]: See comment from Czech Republic. European Union suggests to
    delete this bullet point.

[^26]: European Union suggests to delete this bullet point.

[^27]: European Union suggests to delete this bullet point.

[^28]: Proposed by Canada.

[^29]: Proposed by Mexico.

[^30]: See comment from Tunisia.

[^31]: See comment from New Zealand.

[^32]: Proposed by Mexico.

[^33]: Proposed by Mexico-observers.

[^34]: Proposed by Mexico-observers.

[^35]: Proposed by Nepal.

[^36]: Proposed by Nepal.

[^37]: Proposed by Samoa.

[^38]: European Union suggests to delete this paragraph.

[^39]: European Union suggests to delete this paragraph.

[^40]: Proposed by Mexico.

[^41]: European Union suggests to delete this paragraph.

[^42]: Proposed by Mexico.

[^43]: European Union suggests to delete this paragraph.

[^44]: Proposed by Mexico.

[^45]: See comments from New Zealand and USA.

[^46]: EU: new paragraph merging former 17 and 18.

[^47]: See comments from Ethiopia.

[^48]: Proposed by European Union.

[^49]: Mexico: in Spanish version \... centros comunitarios digitales,
    oficinas.

[^50]: EU: this paragraph should be moved to the Action Plan.

[^51]: Proposed by Switzerland.

[^52]: See comments from Australia, EU: this paragraph should be moved
    to the Action Plan.

[^53]: Proposed by Brazil.

[^54]: EU: new paragraph merging former 21 and 22.

[^55]: See comments from USA.

[^56]: Proposed by El Salvador.

[^57]: See comments from Sri Lanka.

[^58]: Proposed by European Union.

[^59]: Proposed by Samoa.

[^60]: EU: this paragraph should be moved to the Action Plan.

[^61]: Proposed by Switzerland.

[^62]: Proposed by Switzerland.

[^63]: EU: this paragraph should be moved to the Action Plan.

[^64]: See comments from USA.

[^65]: Proposed by Switzerland.

[^66]: EU: this paragraph should be deleted.

[^67]: See comments from Samoa.

[^68]: See comments from Australia, Canada.

[^69]: EU: this paragraph should be deleted.

[^70]: Proposed by Samoa.

[^71]: Proposed by Australia.

[^72]: Australia supports the inclusion of contribution 26A from Section
    II of the Civil Society observers\' contribution to the Declaration
    of Principles.

[^73]: Tunisia.

[^74]: See comments from Ethiopia, Tanzania, US.

[^75]: Proposed by Brazil.

[^76]: Proposed by Switzerland.

[^77]: See comments from Argentina. Australia suggests that this
    paragraph be excluded from the declaration. European Union: This
    paragraph should be moved to the Action Plan.

[^78]: Proposed by Switzerland.

[^79]: European Union: This paragraph should be moved to the Action
    Plan.

[^80]: Proposed by Samoa.

[^81]: See comments from Ethiopia and USA.

[^82]: Proposed by Brazil.

[^83]: Proposed by Canada.

[^84]: European Union: this paragraph should be moved to the action
    plan.

[^85]: See comments from European Union and Tunisia.

[^86]: Proposed by Israel.

[^87]: European Union: this paragraph should be moved to the Action
    Plan.\
    Comment from Mexico: this paragraph should be merged with paragraph
    30.

[^88]: Proposed by Brazil.

[^89]: See Ethiopia and US. Mexico for Spanish translation.

[^90]: EU.

[^91]: Proposed by Samoa.

[^92]: See comments from Japan. European Union: This paragraph should be
    moved to the Action Plan.

[^93]: Proposed by Mexico.

[^94]: Proposed by Brazil.

[^95]: Proposed by Switzerland.

[^96]: ^9\ 5bis^ Proposed by the Russian Federation

[^97]: European Union: This paragraph should be moved to the Action
    Plan. See Mexico for Spanish translation.

[^98]: Proposed by Australia.

[^99]: European Union: This paragraph should be moved to the Action
    Plan. See Mexico for Spanish translation.

[^100]: Proposed by Brazil.

[^101]: Proposed by Cuba.

[^102]: See comments from EU and Tunisia.

[^103]: See comments from Argentina, Ethiopia and USA.

[^104]: EU: replace 38 by 40 as modified.

[^105]: Proposed by Switzerland.

[^106]: See comments from Japan.

[^107]: Proposed by Switzerland.

[^108]: Proposed by Switzerland.

[^109]: Proposed by Switzerland

[^110]: EU: Paragraph moved as paragraph 38 as modified.

[^111]: Proposed by Brazil.

[^112]: Proposed by Mexico.

[^113]: Proposed by European Union.

[^114]: Proposed by Switzerland.

[^115]: Proposed by Switzerland.

[^116]: Proposed by Switzerland.

[^117]: Proposed by Switzerland.

[^118]: EU: this paragraph should be moved to the Action Plan.

[^119]: Proposed by Argentina.

[^120]: EU: this paragraph should be moved to the Action Plan. See
    comments from Japan.

[^121]: See comments from Australia.

[^122]: Proposed by Canada.

[^123]: Proposed by EU, to be moved to the Action Plan as modified.

[^124]: Proposed by Australia.

[^125]: Proposed by Australia.

[^126]: Proposed by Brazil.

[^127]: Proposed by Brazil.

[^128]: ^^ Reservations have been made to this paragraph: Statement of
    the United States: \"The United States of America reserves on this
    paragraph and submits its objection to the language, which is
    inappropriate and is inconsistent with the purpose of the
    Conference.\"

    Statement of Canada: \"Canada appreciates the efforts of the Host
    Government and other Governments to achieve a consensus text for
    this paragraph. Unfortunately, despite these efforts, Canada cannot
    associate itself with the final text of that paragraph.\"

[^129]: Canada: delete paragraph.

[^130]: See comments from Ethiopia, Mexico, US.

[^131]: Proposed by European Union.

[^132]: New paragraph proposed by the EU.

[^133]: European Union suggests to delete this paragraph. See comments
    from Mexico.

[^134]: Proposed by Brazil.

[^135]: Proposed by Switzerland.

[^136]: See also comments from Ethiopia and USA.

[^137]: See also comment from Tunisia.

[^138]: Proposed by Canada.

[^139]: Proposed by Switzerland.

[^140]: Proposed by Switzerland.

[^141]: See also comment from Tunisia.

[^142]: Proposed by Switzerland.

[^143]: See comments from Canada, Israel, USA and Tunisia.

[^144]: Proposed by Bangladesh.

[^145]: Proposed by Iran (Islamic Rep. of).

[^146]: Proposed by Mexico.

[^147]: Proposed by Mexico.

[^148]: Proposed by Mexico.

[^149]: Proposed by Mexico.

[^150]: See comments from USA.

[^151]: Proposed by Brazil.

[^152]: Proposed by Brazil.

[^153]: Proposed by EU.

[^154]: Section not refined by the intersessional mechanism.

[^155]: Paragraph numbers correspond to those of the first section of
    this document. Where new issues are raised by observers\' comments
    these are added with a number associated to a letter (e.g. 12A, B,
    etc.).