page_title: Internet universality
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Internet universality / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Human rights, Openness, Accessibility, Multistakeholderism
context_page_description: Internet universality is a concept and framework adopted by UNESCO in 2015 to summarize their positions on the Internet. The concept recognizes that "the Internet is much more than infrastructure and applications, it is a network of economic and social interactions and relationships, which has the potential to enable human rights, empower individuals and communities, and facilitate sustainable development. The concept is based on four principles stressing the Internet should be Human rights-based, Open, Accessible, and based on Multistakeholder participation. These have been abbreviated as the R-O-A-M principles. Understanding the Internet in this way helps to draw together different facets of Internet development, concerned with technology and public policy, rights and development."
  Through the concept of internet universality, UNESCO highlights four separate but interdependent fields of Internet policy and practice that are considered "key" to assess a better Internet environment; access to information and knowledge, freedom of expression, privacy, and ethical norms and behavior online.
context_section_description: The term was agreed on by UNESCO's General Conference in 2015 as a means to integrate UNESCO's work, in the framework of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). It is part of UNESCO's project to fulfill the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. During the 37th session of the General Conference, UNESCO Member States affirmed the principle of applicability of human rights in cyberspace. The concept of Internet universality was then built upon the ‘CONNECTing the dots’ conference outcome document on 3–4 March 2015. UNESCO's Deputy Director General, Mr. Getachew Engida, in closing the ‘CONNECTing the dots’ conference, stated: "The Internet and all new information and communication must be at the heart of the post-2015 sustainable development agenda - as a transformational force and a foundation for building the knowledge societies we need."
caption: The principles of Internet Universality
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