Pakistan Ambassador Masood Khan told a UN subcommittee here on Saturday that expansion and diffusion of the Internet should be used to combat poverty and to enhance capacities of the developing countries to invest in education, health and jobs.
While presiding over a preparatory subcommittee on Internet Governance for the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) scheduled for mid-November at Tunis, Khan said the Internet is the new global unifier and a dynamic medium. "Let us use its potential fully and optimally", he urged.
The committee on Internet Governance was able to agree on reaffirmation of the Geneva principles;(a) the management of the Internet should be multilateral, transparent and democratic, with the full involvement of governments, the private sector, civil society and international organisations, (b) equitable distribution of resources, (c) facilitation of access for all, (d) ensuring a stable and secure functioning of the Internet, and (d) multilingualism.
The committee discussed the issues of lowering the interconnection costs for net users especially of the developing countries.
There was also a growing consensus on looking at ways and means to enhance the capacities of the developing countries in the areas of the Internet infrastructure as well as provision of cheaper computers and other user devices to the developing countries.
Ambassador Masood Khan said that this sharp focus on the development issues could act as a 'catalyst' to help the world achieve millennium development goals.
Delegates from 191 nations that included government officials as well as representatives of businesses, civil society and international organisations, discussed ways to fight cyber crime and spam, while trying to ensure respect for privacy and freedom of expression.
When asked about the outcome of the preparatory conference, as it related to Internet Governance, Ambassador Masood Khan said: "We have come a long way. We have made substantial progress.
We still have to resolve some difficult issues relating to the future arrangements and follow up on Internet Governance. We have to build upon existing realities to create an interface with possible future space for dialogue and co-ordination on a host of governance issues."
"We must remain optimistic and our efforts should be guided by realism and pragmatism in addressing the future of Internet governance, as we move towards the Tunis Summit". For this we need both political will and diplomatic skill, he said.
The committee also succeeded in hammering out common language on multi-linguilisation of the Internet. This would involve, if agreed at the summit level, local content development, translation and adaptation of the current Internet into other languages.
Delegates also stressed that a salutary national and international enabling environment was necessary for the growth on the Internet and the immense benefits associated with it.
"Delegates have sent up partly clean partly bracketed text. Once the text is completely agreed immediately before the summit, it would be submitted to world leaders for their endorsement", Masood Khan said.
Pakistan delegation actively participated in the 3rd WSIS Preparatory Conference. Pakistan was co-ordinator of the Asian Group. Ms Tehmina Janjua, Deputy Permanent Representative, represented the Asian Group in the PrepCom. Tariq Badshah, Member IT, negotiated on behalf of Pakistan. Rizwan Sheikh, First Secretary, liaised with other countries and groups.-PR
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