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U.S.
Highlights Importance of Multi-stakeholder Model for Internet Governance
Geneva, May 20 -- Ambassador Betty E. King, the Permanent Representative
to the United Nations in Geneva, hosted a conference on “Internet
Governance and Internet Innovation and Economic Competitiveness” at the
U.S. Mission.
Highlighting the importance of this issue, Ambassador King stressed that
“the United States wants to preserve and enhance the multi-stakeholder
model which has played a major role in the design and operation of the
Internet and is directly responsible for its success. We believe that
maintaining and extending the multi-stakeholder model is important for ensuring
the Internet remains a fertile field for innovation and an engine for much
needed economic growth.”
She added that this event represents a continuation of U.S. Mission
Geneva’s efforts to demonstrate the importance of a free and
multi-stakeholder Internet for democratic societies and vibrant market
economies. Building on Secretary Clinton’s Internet Freedom speech in
February, the U.S. Mission hosted a side event on Internet Freedom at the
Human Rights Council in March and June 9-10 will feature grass roots
activists from around the world, known as “Internet Freedom Fellows,” who
use the Internet to promote democracy and freedom of expression in their
countries.
Friday’s conference included panels focused on two critical areas – “Internet Governance and the Open
Internet,” which highlighted the utility of the
multi-stakeholder system that governs the internet today, and the “Link between Internet Innovation
and Economic Competitiveness,” which underlined how all
stakeholders must work collectively to support the free flow of
information, goods and services.
The event featured speakers from government, industry and civil society,
including Internet pioneer Vint Cerf of Google, and representatives from
eBay, CISCO, the Nairobi Internet Governance Forum, the World Economic
Forum, the Diplo Foundation, and the Internet Governance Forum, a true
reflection of the multi-stakeholder system that governs the Internet.
Ambassador King’s remarks at the conference, as prepared for delivery, can
be found below:
Internet
Governance Conference
Opening Remarks
Ambassador Betty
King
Friday, May 20,
2011
Welcome to the U.S. Mission Geneva. I am very pleased all of you have
taken time to join us for this conference.
A priority for President Obama from day one and it continues to be a
hallmark of this administration, is our outreach and engagement, not just
with other countries, but with non-government actors.
In the 21st century we recognize that governments alone cannot solve all
our problems. We must work broadly, with the business community, with civil
society, and with the technical and academic communities and others across
the globe on challenging transnational issues.
In two major policy speeches in January 2010 and February 2011,
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promoted the U.S. push for global
Internet freedom and "reaffirmed U.S. support for a free and open
Internet and greater access for people everywhere. The Internet has become
the public space of the 21st century – the world’s town square, classroom,
marketplace, coffeehouse, and nightclub. We all shape and are shaped by
what happens there, all 2 billion of us and counting. And that
presents a challenge. To maintain an Internet that delivers the
greatest possible benefits to the world, we need to have a serious
conversation about the principles that will guide us, what rules exist and
should not exist and why, what behaviors should be encouraged or
discouraged and how.”
The United Nations in Geneva provides a crucial venue for the United
States to explain its positions on key Internet issues to the international
community.
This is the second conference the US Mission has organized this year to
discuss important Internet issues:
On March 4, 2011, in conjunction with the 16th session of UN Human
Rights Council, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council Eileen
Donahoe organized a panel discussion on Internet Freedoms and Human Rights.
And in early June, the U.S. Mission will host the Internet Freedom
Fellows, grassroots activists from around the world who use the internet
and new media platforms to promote human rights, democracy and freedom of
expression.
Today, we have organized panel discussions on Internet Governance and
Internet Innovation and Economic Development and how they relate to the overall
agenda of an open Internet governed by all stakeholders.
A key principle that the United States wants to preserve and enhance is the
multi-stakeholder model for dealing with these issues. Multi-stakeholder
organizations have played a major role in the design and operation of the
Internet and are directly responsible for its success.
We believe that maintaining and extending the multi-stakeholder model is
important for ensuring the Internet remains a fertile field for innovation
and an engine for much needed economic growth.
One forum where all stakeholders are able to participate collectively is
the Internet Governance Forum. The IGF is the very embodiment of the
multi-stakeholder Internet governance model. We are pleased that the United
Nations has renewed the mandate for an additional five years. This year’s
IGF will be held in Nairobi, Kenya and we have Alice Wanjira-Munyua, Chair
of the Organizing Committee, 2011 Nairobi Internet
Governance Forum with us today.
Other stakeholders from the around the world, including some of you in
this room, are making important contributions everyday to the operation,
management and increased use of the Internet.
Promoting greater Internet freedom also makes good economic sense,
especially for the developing world. The very open nature of the
Internet fuels the freedom of innovation that enables economic growth.
Reduced costs of communication and information allow local entrepreneurs to
innovate locally and reach global markets.
I hope that I have successfully set the scene for our panels. I look
forward to hearing from our panelists and having a further exchange of
ideas.
Before we get to our panels, we have taped
remarks from Vint Cerf, Global Internet Evangelist from Google.
(end text)
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