ICC BASIS remarks at the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD)

Madame Chair,

Considerable progress has been made since the WSIS, in large part because of the forward looking framework established by the WSIS principles and Action Lines.  This has been amply demonstrated in the WSIS+10 year review of progress report which was produced with inputs by all stakeholders. ICC BASES endorses this report and joins others in considering it to be comprehensive and balanced. We strongly support it being forwarded on to the General Assembly.

The commitment to inclusion, innovation and partnership has enabled all stakeholders to work together to advance the knowledge society. As others have noted this morning, our goal is to turn vision into reality. Our task now should be to understand where further advances can be achieved based on all that we have learned over the last ten years. ICC BASIS considers that a clear lesson from the last ten years is that the best formula for success is for all stakeholders to work  collaboratively toward common goals. The results of such collaboration produce more effective and sustainable outcomes. World business expects that this emphasis on joint input and action will continue.

One of clearest successes of the WSIS is the blossoming of the Internet Governance  Forum. Its value is evidenced by thousands of people each year who gather the time and financial resources to participate, the willingness of countries to host it, and the growing number of donors willing to offer financial support. Over the last ten years it  has grown into the premier forum for all stakeholders interested in the information  society to come together to learn, to find common ground, to understand differences  and build partnerships to address a whole range of issues. Each year, ICC BASIS members participate in the IGF and its preparations, demonstrating the value of the forum to the businesses community.

The IGF in Brazil preparations are off to a very good start and we look forward to an innovative programme with substantive discussions on a range of Internet governance issues. We appreciate the efforts of the Brazilian government and the multi-stakeholder advisory group and look forward to having strong business participation again this year at the IGF. There is a strong focus this year on  Intersessional Work and Best Practice Forums, which extend the value of discussion  and dialogue within the IGF Forum beyond the annual 4 day event. It engages communities on substantive issues throughout the year.

For 2015, ICC BASIS proposed a theme titled “Policy Menus for Bringing a Billion Online”. We believe this is an important theme, given the need to increase the digital spread across the world. We are pleased to report that the MAG accepted our proposal, and that work is underway on this theme.

We clearly appreciate the numerous endorsements for endorsements for the extension of the IGF mandate during this morning’s deliberation and strongly urge that this be included in the GA resolution being developed this week.

Thank you Madame Chair