[WSIS CS-Plenary] By end June 17th: Endorsement: OECD Civil Society Declaration

[karen banks]

hi everyone

*** Organisations are invited to endorse the OECD CS Declaration (see 
below) - some of you would have been involved in the drafting on the 
publically accessible Public Voice Coalition list..

if any would like to endorse, please let me know by the end of the 
day (offlist) . I am sorry for the short notice but the declaration 
was only finalised yesterday. ***

====

the statement is in pdf format here: 
http://thepublicvoice.org/events/seoul08/seoul-declaration.pdf

and in text below..

thanks a lot

karen
====

June 2008 1 "The Civil Society-TUAC Seoul Declaration"

CIVIL SOCIETY - TUAC

"THE SEOUL DECLARATION" TO THE OECD MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON THE 
FUTURE OF THE INTERNET ECONOMY

Seoul, Korea

16 June 2008

This gathering of civil society organizations and organized labor at 
the OECD Ministerial Conference on the Future of the Internet Economy 
provides a unique opportunity to bring to the attention of the OECD 
Ministers assembled and the OECD member countries the concerns and 
aspirations of people around the globe, those who are on the Internet 
and those who are not. We thank the OECD and the Government of Korea 
for the opportunity to organize a civil society and labor event and 
to participate in the OECD Ministerial Conference. Civil society and 
labor together prepared a paper for the OECD and organized a 
conference "Making the future of the Internet work for citizens, 
consumers and workers." A wide range of organizations participated in 
this effort, and this Declaration builds on its results.

A BROAD FRAMEWORK FOR THE FUTURE OF THE INTERNET ECONOMY

The policy goals for the Future Internet Economy should be considered 
within the broader framework of protection of human rights, the 
promotion of democratic institutions, access to information, and the 
provision of affordable and non-discriminatory access to advanced 
communication networks and services. Compliance with international 
human rights standards and respect for the rule of law, as well as 
effective human rights protection, must be the baseline for assessing 
global information society policies. Economic growth should be for 
the many and not the few. The Internet should be available to all. We 
therefore call attention of the OECD to Ministers to the following 
issues and we make the following recommendations:

* Freedom of expression. Freedom of expression is being violated 
around the globe by state censorship and by more subtle measures such 
as content filtering, privatized censorship and restrictions on 
so-called "harmful content." We urge the OECD to defend freedom of 
expression and to oppose mandated filtering, censorship of Internet 
content, and criminalization of content
that is protected under international freedom of expression standards.

* Protection of Privacy and Transparency, We reaffirm our support for 
the OECD Privacy Guidelines as a fundamental policy instrument 
setting out minimal requirements for the transborder flow of personal 
data. We recommend adoption of the recent policy guidance on RFID and 
Online Identity Theft as Council Recommendations. We call on OECD 
countries to adopt and enforce data protection laws covering all 
sectors, both online and offline, and to establish international data 
protection standards that are legally enforceable. We further urge 
member states to ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability 
for all data processing for border security, identification, and 
decision-making concerning individuals.

* Consumer Protection. Trust and confidence are critical to the 
success of the Internet economy. The OECD should ensure that consumer 
protection laws are properly enforced and cover digital products to 
the same extent that other consumer goods and services are covered. 
We recommend that the OECD adopt the policy proposals on Empowering 
Consumers in  communications Services and in Mobile Commerce as 
Council Recommendations, and that the OECD member countries implement 
these recommendations. We support the OECD's efforts to facilitate 
crossborder enforcement of anti-spam laws and to develop effective 
online dispute resolution mechanisms.

* Employment, Decent Work and Skills. We recommend that OECD Member 
countries promote learning and training pportunities for workers and 
address the technological and organizationalchange in the workplace. 
We further urge the OECD to lower the carbon footprint of the ICT 
industry and to promote compliance with core labor standards and the 
OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.

* Promotion of Access to Knowledge. We support open access to 
government-funded scientific and scholarly works and endorse the OECD 
Principles and Guidelines for Access to Research Data. We support the 
OECD Recommendation for Enhanced Access and More Effective Use of 
Public Information. OECD countries should oppose extensions of 
copyright terms and private ownership of essential knowledge and 
cultural information that can be made available on the Internet. We 
recommend that the OECD undertake a study on the importance of 
copyright exceptions for education, libraries and archives, the 
disability community, and new innovative services.

* Internet Governance. Internet governance structures should reflect 
democratic values and be transparent and publicly  accountable to 
users. Global Internet policymaking should involve equal 
participation of all people, countries, and stakeholders. We call 
upon the OECD member states to support the Internet Governance Forum 
and to promote the multi-stakeholder process of the World Summit on 
the Information Society.

* Promotion of Open Standards and Net Neutrality. Standards-making 
processes should be open and should encourage competition. This 
promotes innovation and development. We support the procurement 
policies that promote open standards, open data formats, and free and 
open software. We further recommend that the OECD Member Countries 
oppose discrimination by network providers against particular 
applications, devices, or content and preserve the Internet's role in 
fostering innovation, economic growth, and democratic communication.

* Balanced Intellectual Property Policies. We urge the OECD member 
countries to maintain a balanced framework for intellectual property 
protection that is least intrusive to personal privacy, least 
restrictive for the development of new technologies, and that 
promotes creativity, innovation, and learning. We support the OECD 
Policy Guidance for Digital Content. OECD countries should oppose 
proposals that would deny individuals access to all Internet services 
and opportunities based on alleged copyright  infringement. We are 
also concerned about the secrecy of the "Anti-Counterfeiting Trade 
Agreement" (ACTA) treaty process and the possibility of policies that 
may limit legitimate business activity, the participative web, and 
e-government service delivery.

* Support for Pluralistic Media. The Internet is a universal platform 
for innovation, growth, and the ability of people to express and 
share their views. New forms of media and new applications are 
emerging that challenge old paradigms and enable broader public 
participation. At the same June 2008 3 "The Civil Society-TUAC Seoul 
Declaration" time, dominant Internet firms are moving to consolidate 
their control over the Internet. It is vitally important for the OECD 
to develop a better understanding of the challenge industry 
consolidations pose to the open Internet. The OECD Policy Guidance on 
Convergence and Next Generation Networks provides a basis this work.

* Inclusive Digital Society. The Internet should be accessible to 
all. OECD member countries should ensure that all residents have the 
means to access the Internet and should provide public Internet 
access, training and support. Particular attention should be paid to 
rural, remote and aboriginal populations, as well as the disability community.

* Cultural Diversity. We support the efforts of the OECD to promote 
access to the full range of the world's cultures and to ensure that 
the Internet economy reflects the true diversity of language, art, 
science, and literature in our world. The deployment of International 
Domain Names should be a priority.

PARTICIPATION OF CIVIL SOCIETY AND LABOUR

This participation of civil society and organized labor reaffirms the 
role of all stakeholders in the Future of the Internet Economy. Now 
it is time to formalize this process. In 1998 civil society and labor 
urged the OECD Ministerial Conference in Ottawa to establish an 
Advisory Council, similar to the Business Industry Advisory Committee 
(BIAC) for business and the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) for 
labor. We said that this new Advisory Council should include civil 
society groups in such fields as human rights and democracy, privacy 
and data protection, consumer protection, and access to information 
and knowledge.

We urge the OECD to establish now the Civil Society Advisory 
Committee. The creation of an OECD Civil Society Advisory Committee 
is necessary to help realize the democratic goals of inclusion, 
participation, transparency and accountability at the OECD.

The OECD offers an important forum for the discussion of policies 
concerning the future of the Internet. We welcome this dialogue and 
urge the Ministers and members countries of the OECD to fully engage 
civil society and labor organizations within their own countries. In 
all decisions related to the Internet economy, we advise the OECD 
Ministers and the members countries to give particular attention to 
those indicators concerning literacy, education, and health. The 
success of the Internet Economy should be measured by the well-being 
of citizens, and not simply the extent of technology diffusion.  
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