In advance of the upcoming meeting of the G8 governments, a worldwide coalition of Internet organizations, including the Number Resource Organization, the Internet Society, the Internet Society France Chapter, ICANN, and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), today stated that they would welcome the opportunity to provide input to discussions on Internet-related issues. The perspectives of organizations at the heart of the development, management and operation of the global Internet are essential for informed policy making.
The same organizations currently provide valuable expertise, input and experience for other intergovernmental forums, including through the OECD’s Internet Technical Advisory Committee (ITAC). The organizations also recalled the commitment made by governments during the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) at the Heads of State level to engage in multistakeholder cooperation, and expressed their hope that future G8 meetings on the Internet will be prepared in the spirit of the WSIS Tunis Agenda—through an open and inclusive process, and with the participation of all stakeholders.
Raúl Echeberría, Chair of the Number Resource Organization (NRO) – comprised of the world’s five Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) – commented, “With the exhaustion of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority’s (IANA) pool of available IPv4 addresses in February 2011, it is now more vital than ever that the G8 governments and all other stakeholders prioritize the deployment of IPv6 to ensure the continued growth and development of the Internet. To increase industry awareness, governments should insist that all Internet-related products and services that they purchase, including hardware, software, connectivity, consulting and training services, are IPv6 ready.”
Lynn St.Amour, President and CEO of the Internet Society said, “Policies that support the continued development of an open Internet are best developed through open and inclusive processes. This has been crucial to the global Internet’s growth and evolution as a platform for economic development and innovation. With the aim of strengthening their policy discussions, we strongly encourage G8 governments to include input from all stakeholders.
“As they gather this week in France, we encourage the G8 governments to seek the widest possible application of the multistakeholder approach to their discussions, in accord with the commitments previously made by the governments during the WSIS,” Gérard Dantec, President of the Internet Society France Chapter. “Just as the Internet Society and Internet Society Chapters are strengthened by participation by civil society, the technical community and others, broad engagement improves discussions around, and approaches to addressing, Internet issues.”
“Nothing validates the multistakeholder model more than the on-going successful global expansion and vital importance of the Internet,” said Rod Beckstrom, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). “The model can best be summed up by one word – inclusion. Voices from every corner of the globe – from global governments to private sector interests to individual Internet users – must all be heard.”
“W3C’s collaborative and multi-stakeholder approach to creating an enhanced Open Web Platform is stimulating even more industries to choose the web as the platform of choice for the delivery of services and the development of rich applications – such as the mobile, television, publishing, and advertising industries.” said Dr. Jeff Jaffe, W3C CEO. “Web standards continue to ensure innovation and economic opportunities for businesses and consumers.”
You can read the entire announcement here .