APDIP e-Note 1 on Internet Governance
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Internet governance was one of the two issues on which governments were unable to reach agreement during the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in December 2003.
As the Summit plans for its second meeting in November 2005 to make decisions on appropriate actions for Internet governance, it is timely to look at the perspectives and priorities of stakeholders in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Open Regional Dialogue on Internet Governance (ORDIG) was initiated in October 2004 by APDIP in collaboration with other organizations to ensure that the voices from Asia-Pacific are heard in these discussions. The initiative focused on raising awareness, building capacity, facilitating participation and promoting the representation of Asia-Pacific countries in the Internet governance debate. This note presents Asia-Pacific perspectives and priorities on Internet governance.
ORDIG offers six working principles to set the stage for Internet governance discussions in the Asia-Pacific region. These principles extend beyond the technical aspects of Internet protocol (IP) numbering and domain name registration, and recognize the need for a broad, holistic and human development approach that balances global solutions with diverse local interests.
Based on these principles, ORDIG conducted a series of research involving multiple and wide-ranging stakeholders, to produce six key recommendations and priorities for Internet governance in the Asia-Pacific region. They include the need for: subsidiarity; governments to have a role; multi-stakeholder participation; preserving cultural diversity; capacity building; and supplementing law with other tools.
Other emerging priorities and concerns consist of: access costs; voice over Internet protocol; wireless networks; root servers; country-code top-level domains; internationalized domain names; IP address management; technical standards; content pollution (e.g. spam, spyware, viruses); and the related issue of cybercrime (e.g. online fraud, pornography, terrorism).
APDIP e-Notes are brief snapshots that present analyses of specific issues related to information and communication technologies (ICTs) for sustainable human development in the Asia-Pacific region. This online series introduces readers to the who, what, where, why and how of a wide range of current issues related to ICTs such as Internet governance, ICTs and poverty alleviation, e-governance, free and open source software, and many others.
Related Links
APDIP e-Note 1 - Voices from Asia-Pacific: Internet governance for sustainable human development [PDF, 233kB]
Internet Governance: Asia-Pacific Perspectives
Asia-Pacific Internet Governance Portal
Country Reports on Internet Governance (China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Thailand)
ORDIG Input Paper and Policy Brief to WGIG and WSIS
Last modified 2007-08-25 08:57 AM
