EU Presidency Statement - Science and Technology for Development - ECOSOC

Summary: July 21, 2003: Statement by H.E. Mr. Paolo Bruni, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Italy, on behalf of the European Union. Item 13 (b) of the Agenda: Science and Technology for Development. Substantive Session of ECOSOC (GENEVA, 30 JUNE - 25 JULY 2003)

Mr Chairman,

I have the honour to take the floor on behalf of the European Union. The Acceding Countries Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia and the Associated Countries Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey have aligned themselves to this statement.

The European Union is glad to have the opportunity to discuss the issue of the World Summit on the Information Society on the occasion of this ECOSOC Substantive Session. Living up to General Assembly Resolution 56/183, we have very actively participated in the preparatory process of the World Summit on the Information Society since its early stage, both at regional and global levels.

The EU believes that a broad common understanding is emerging on the guiding principles of the information society. We therefore see this Summit as a great opportunity to strengthen co-operation amongst all stakeholders in the Information Society to tackle the issues that have arisen with the rapid technological evolution we have witnessed in the last years.

We consider that our main guiding principles should be:

the freedom to seek and receive information and knowledge and the need to promote universal access to basic services at affordable cost, which implies the need to build the appropriate infrastructure, to put in place an appropriate legal and regulatory framework for building and developing the information society; and promoting the creation of local contents. Moreover, there is a need to build confidence and security in networks and electronic transactions;
the development of human capacity through education and training taking into account the necessity for integration of disadvantaged groups and the need for life-long learning for all;
the promotion of linguistic and cultural diversity preserving the rich and diverse cultural heritage of the different regions and their future creative capacities.

Inclusion should aim at ensuring equal digital opportunities for all, thereby giving special attention to the specific problems of LDCs.

The potential of ICTs for the creation of economic wealth and social development is recognised by all. We now have to go into a phase of concrete actions with the involvement of different stakeholders, including civil society and the private sector, and that is what we should aim to achieve in the two phases of the Summit.

Mr Chairman,

We are confident that our efforts will produce concrete and tangible results. Right now a preparatory meeting is taking place in Paris; we have a third Preparatory Committee ahead of us in September and the first phase of the Summit in December in Geneva. We therefore welcome the initiative by Switzerland to table a resolution that focuses attention once again on the World Summit on the Information Society.

Ref: PRES03-222EN
EU source: EU Presidency
UN forum: ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council), (including functional Commissions)
Date: 21/7/2003

| Top |

< Back to previous page