Recognizing WSIS Impacts

Unless it acknowledges key characteristics of the Internet, the World Summit on the Information Society will easily undermine it

WTDC Resolution 20


WTDC RESOLUTION 20 (Rev. Hyderabad, 2010)

Non-discriminatory access to modern telecommunication and information technology facilities, services and related applications

The World Telecommunication Development Conference (Hyderabad, 2010),

  • recalling
    • Resolution 20 (Rev. Doha, 2006) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference,
  • recalling also
    • a)Resolution 64 (Rev. Antalya, 2006) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, and the importance of telecommunications/information and communication technologies (ICTs) for political, economic, social and cultural progress;
    • b)the decisions of the two phases of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) concerning non-discriminatory access, in particular §§ 15, 18 and 19 of the Tunis Commitment and §§ 90 and 107 of the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society,
  • taking into account
    • a)that ITU plays an important role in the promotion of global telecommunication standardization and development;
    • b)that, to this end, the Union coordinates efforts aimed at securing harmonious development of telecommunication facilitiesin all its Member States,
  • taking into account further
    • that this conference, like its predecessors, is required to formulate a viewpoint and draw up proposals on issues determining a worldwide strategy for the development of ICTs, services and applications, and facilitate mobilization of the necessary resources to that end,
  • noting
    • a)that modern ICT facilities, services and applications are established, in the main, on the basis of ITU-R and ITU-T Recommendations;
    • b)that ITU-R and ITU-T Recommendations are the result of the collective efforts of all those taking part in the standardization process within ITU and are adopted by consensus by the members of the Union;
    • c)that limitations on the access to telecommunication and information technology facilities, services and applications on which national telecommunication development depends and which are established on the basis of ITU-R and ITU-T Recommendations constitute an obstacle to the harmonious development and compatibility of telecommunications / ICTs worldwide,
  • recognizing
    • that full harmonization of telecommunication/ICT networks is impossible unless all countries participating in the work of the Union without exception enjoy non-discriminatory access to new telecommunication and information technologies and modern telecommunication/ICT facilities and services, without prejudice to national regulations and international commitments within the competence of other international organizations,
  • resolves
    • that there should be non-discriminatory access totelecommunication and information technologies, facilities, services and applications established on the basis of ITU-R and ITU-T Recommendations,
  • encourages the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau
    • to engage in partnerships orstrategic cooperation with parties which respect access to telecommunication/ICT facilities, services and applications without discrimination,
  • requests the Secretary-General
    • to transmit this resolution to the forthcoming Plenipotentiary Conference (Guadalajara, 2010) for consideration,
  • invites the Plenipotentiary Conference
    • to consider this resolution with a view to taking measures to foster global access to modern telecommunication and information technologies, facilities, servicesand applications,
  • invites administrations
    • to help telecommunication equipment manufacturers and service providers in ensuring that telecommunication and information technologies, facilities, services and applications established on the basis of ITU-R and ITU-T Recommendations are made available to the use of the public without any discrimination, in accordance with the decisionsof the two phases of WSIS in this regard.

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