Formation of ITAC Set To Safeguard Internet Development and Innovation Through Multi-stakeholder Internet Governance OECD Recognition for Open Industry Dialogue as a Driver for Safe and Effective Internet Development.
Paris, France – 23 March 2009 – The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has welcomed representatives from the pre-eminent Internet technical organisations as partners in its work on communications policy issues – a step seen as highlighting the vital need for multistakeholder inputs into Internet-related discussions and the continued evolution of enhanced cooperation among stakeholders.
Referred to as the Internet Technical Advisory Committee (ITAC) to the OECD’s Information, Computer and Communications Policy Committee (ICCP), the group comprises a broad range of stakeholders from the Internet community (listed below). Through its commitment to the Internet's ethos of community, collaboration, and industry self-regulation, ITAC will provide counsel and the expertise of technically focused organisations to aid the OECD in its work on the Internet economy. ITAC's contribution will be delivered in a decentralised, networked approach to policy formulation for the Internet economy.
"By formally recognising ITAC, the OECD clearly values diverse opinions and open dialogue as vital components for effective development of the Internet," said Bill Graham, responsible for Strategic Global Engagement at the Internet Society (one of the founding members of ITAC and currently the facilitator of ITAC activities).
"The groundwork for ITAC was laid during the preparations for the OECD’s Ministerial Meeting on the Future of the Internet Economy, held in Seoul, South Korea in 2008," explained Graham.
For the Ministerial Meeting, the OECD called on various stakeholder groups to provide informed inputs for the ministers' work. The organisations now comprising ITAC worked together to create the Technical Stakeholder Forum, which stressed the role of the open, collaborative, inclusive "Internet Model" of development, and called upon the ministers to preserve and promote the conditions that enable innovation and positive development on the Internet.
These contributions were acknowledged in the "OECD Seoul Declaration for the Future of the Internet Economy”, which also called for reinforced "co-operative relationships and mutually beneficial collaboration with the Internet technical community."
Axel Pawlik, Managing Director of the RIPE NCC commented: “The recognition by the OECD of ITAC formalises the role that the technical community will play in helping to shape the policies and practices through a shared vision that will be developed as the Internet grows and continues to act as a catalyst for economic and social development all over the world."
On 15 January 2009, the OECD Council formally recognised the participation of ITAC and, at the OECD’s ICCP Committee meeting in Paris this month, the Member Countries welcomed ITAC as an Internet community partner.
The founding members of ITAC are:
3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)
3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2)
European Committee for Standardization (CEN)
European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
Internet Architecture Board (IAB)
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
Internet Society (ISOC)
Internet2 (Internet2)
Number Resource Organization (NRO) (comprising ARIN, APNIC, AfriNIC, LACNIC, and RIPE NCC)
Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA)
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
Details of ITAC’s members, mission, and inputs are available on its website www.internetac.org
Notes to Editors
About the Internet Technical Advisory Committee members
The organisations participating in the Internet Technical Advisory Committee come from a wide range of functions from around the world. They work with governments, national and international organisations, civil society, and the private sector to pursue their objectives in a collaborative and inclusive manner. While each has its own mission and its own role to play, these organisations are motivated by a common vision of an open and accessible Internet, bringing shared economic and social benefits to all the world’s citizens.
Contact
For more information, contact Bill Graham ([email protected]) or Constance Bommelaer ([email protected])