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  1. Commission on science and technology for development

Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation on Public Policy Issues Pertaining to the Internet (2016-2018)

In 2015, the General Assembly in its resolution 70/125 requested the Chair of the Commission for Science and Technology for Development, through the Economic and Social Council, to establish a working group to develop recommendations on how to further implement enhanced cooperation as envisioned in the Tunis Agenda, with the full involvement of all relevant stakeholders.

The CSTD Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation (WGEC) held five meetings between September 2016 and January 2018. The complexity and political sensitivity of the topic did not allow the working group to agree on a set of recommendations.

 

News

Q&A with Ambassador Benedicto Fonseca, Chair of the Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation of the United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development

30 Jan 2017
Who governs the Internet? To answer this contentious yet monumental question, member States of the United Nations have set in motion the Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation, whose deliberations are organized by UNCTAD. This anonymous-sounding body is listening to important voices from governments, international organizations, civil society, academia and the private sector, all of whom have stake in the future of the information age. Its chair, Ambassador Benedicto Fonseca, Director, Department of Scientific and Technological Themes, Ministry of External Relations of Brazil, spoke about the Working Group's most recent meeting which wrapped on 27 January in Geneva.
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UNCTAD to organize meeting of the Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation on Public Policy Issues Pertaining to the Internet (2016-2018)

20 Jan 2017
The second meeting of the Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development, will be held on 26 and 27 January 2017 in Room XVII of the Palais des Nations, in Geneva.
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Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation

7 Oct 2016
Benedicto Fonseca, Chair of the CSTD Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation invites all stakeholders to submit their contributions to the second meeting of the group, scheduled to take place on 26-27 January 2017.
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Note from Peter Major on the CSTD Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation

23 Sep 2016
A note from the Acting Chairman of the 20th UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD), Mr. Peter Major, on the CSTD Working Group of the Enhanced Cooperation.

 

Note on Membership
 

Pursuant to UN GA resolution 70/125 which requests the Chair of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development through the Economic and Social Council, to establish a working group to develop recommendations on how to further implement enhanced cooperation and on the basis of the notes dated the 26 January 2016 and 3 March 2016 and the consultations undertaken in this context, the Chair of the CSTD hereby decides that the Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation will be composed of:

 
Member States
 

African Regional Group

  • Central African Republic
  • Republic of Kenya
  • Republic of Liberia
  • Tunisia (host of the World Summit on Information Society)
  • Republic of Zambia

Asia-Pacific Regional Group

  • India
  • Iran (Islamic Republic of)
  • Japan
  • Pakistan

Eastern Europe Regional Group

  • Bulgaria
  • Hungary
  • Poland
  • Russian Federation

Latin America and Caribbean Regional Group

  • Brazil
  • Cuba
  • Mexico
  • Peru

Western Europe and Other States Regional Group

  • Canada
  • Switzerland (host of the World Summit on Information Society)
  • Turkey
  • United Kingdom and Northern Ireland
  • United States of America
 
Stakeholders
 

The Chair also invites the following stakeholders to interactively participate in the Working Group:

Representatives from the business community

  • Mr. Jimson Olufuye, Africa Information & Communication Technologies Alliance (AfICTA)
  • Mr. Lorenzo Sastre, Asociación Interamericana de Empresas de Telecomunicaciones (ASIET)
  • Ms. Timea Suto, ICC Business Action to Support the Information Society (ICC BASIS)
  • Mr. Makoto Yokozawa, Japan Information Technology Service Industry Association (JISA)
  • Ms. Marilyn Cade,CEO of mCADE

Representatives from civil society

  • Anriette Esterhuysen, Executive Director, Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
  • Parminder Singh, Executive Director, IT for Change
  • Lea Kaspar, Global Partners Digital
  • Carlos Afonso, Executive Director, NUPEF Institute
  • Richard Hill, Association for Proper Internet Governance (APIG)

Representatives from the technical community and academia

  • Mr. Nick ASHTON-HART, Consultant in international Internet related public policy and Associate Fellow, Geneva Centre for Security Policy
  • Ms Constance BOMMELAER, Senior Director, Global Internet Policy, the Internet Society
  • Mr. Nigel HICKSON, Vice-president, UN and NGO Engagement, ICANN
  • Mr. Janvier NOULAYE, ICT Teacher, IT Manager & Consultant, University of Yaoundé
  • Dr. Jovan Kurbalija, Director DiploFOundation

Representatives from the intergovernmental and international organizations

  • European Union
  • International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
  • United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA)
  • United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
  • United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UNHABITAT)

Geneva, 2 May 2016
Peter Major, Chair, CSTD