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WITSA Global Policy Action MeetingMay 13, 2011, Montreal, Canada

May 13, 2011

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Public Policy Chairman’s Remarks

Mr. John Higgins

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Approve Minutes Oct. 30, 2010 Meeting

(Johannesburg, South Africa)

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Policy Mission, Values, Role, Focus, Work Plan and Deliverables of the Policy Action Committee 2011-2012

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WITSA’s Policy Mission• Advocating policies and actions that fulfill the promise of the

digital age, enabling sustainable economic growth and development.

• WITSA achieves this mission by:– Facilitating international trade and investment in IT products

and services, and other trade in goods and services enabled by ICT;

– Ensuring that ICT intellectual property, information and the information infrastructure is protected effectively and is an incentive to innovation, development and use;

– Advancing the growth and development of the ICT industries globally; and

– Strengthening national ICT industry associations through the sharing of knowledge, experience, and critical information

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WITSA’s Values

• ICT products and services are important tools for economic, social and cultural development;

• Liberalization of markets including ICT markets is central to sustained economic growth and development by helping economies expand existing activities and develop new export industries;

• Innovation in the ICT industry creates new value and enables innovation in other industries; and

• ICT infrastructure, intellectual property and information must be adequately protected.

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The Role of WITSA’s Policy Action Committee

• to identify issues requiring global ICT industry advocacy, develop and agree appropriate responses and communicate these to:– key stakeholders including policy decision-makers

within governments and inter-governmental forums;– key influencers, including WITSA’s constituent

members, like-minded national, regional and international business organisations and other NGOs;

– suppliers of ICT goods and services, who may be affected, directly or indirectly, by the issue; and

– leading industry analysts, commentators and media with an interest in the relevant subject matter.

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Focus of Policy Action - 2011-2012

• Objective:– Promote the relevance and importance of ICT in

achieving sustainable global economic growth and development by:

• Revealing the economic, social and cultural impact of ICT

• Documenting, advocating and demonstrating policies and initiatives for the development and use of ICT, which:

– Enable sustainable economic growth; – Deliver effective and efficient public services;– Build a thriving ICT sector; and– Protect infrastructure and information

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Proposed Work Plan & Deliverables

• Global ICT Impact Portal (pending finance)

• Publication: Policy Actions to Deliver the Promise of the Digital Age

• Successful GPPS 2011 – Attendance, speakers, output, Declaration

• Aligned program & content for WCIT 2012

• Aligned program & activity for G20-ICT Gp

• Ongoing participation, input and feedback:– UN (GAID & CSTD) WTO, OECD, ICANN, IGF

• Publication: Digital Planet 2012

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Policy Actions to Deliver the Promise of the Digital Age: Why

• A summary of WITSA’s key messages and priorities

• Target audience is global and national decision makers, to help them understand the importance of ICT; It will provide guidance on effective best practices, utilization of local industries

• Value to WITSA members: Tool for WITSA members to approach their own decision makers

• Provides guidance to GPPS program every two years

• It also establishes framework for G20 ICT Policy Network

• Will help establish WITSA as the voice of the global ICT industry

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Publication’s Key “Promises”

• Deliver sustainable economic growth. Research demonstrates that at a country and company level ICT is an essential part of productivity improvement, and is a vital enabler of innovation which in turn lead to improved competitiveness and economic growth. What’s more such growth can be sustainable – from both a carbon and natural resource use perspective. Good policy is needed nationally and globally to deliver this promise in areas such as broadband infrastructure, skills, taxation, IP and trade.

• Deliver good public services. There is tremendous know-how in the sector in how to get good ROI for governments wherever they are on the journey (early adopters or leading edge) to deliver public services making best use of ICT.

• Support a thriving ICT industry. Every economy wants to encourage sectors that pay well and provide good clean jobs. The ICT sector is a prime candidate. WITSA knows what works and what doesn’t when it comes to encourage us to thrive in your country.

• Cybersecurity: But as we rely more on networks and keep more of our information in cyber space we have to protect it. WITSA’s members are at the leading edge of how to do that.

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Publication’s Next Steps

• GPAC to establish a WITSA lead in each of the four key issue areas

• To establish a drafting group for each issue area to be lead by WITSA lead, with support of WITSA staff

• Drafting group to make final review of publication and help identify case studies for inclusion (3 to 6 weeks)

• Policy Actions publication to be finalized by early July; available as PDF and limited print

• Each WITSA lead will present the key WITSA messages from the publication at the GPPS 2011

• Will form the basis for the GPPS 2011 Declaration

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Global Public Policy Summit 2011

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GPPS 2011 will feature sessions that cover the four WITSA policy priority areas:

– Enable sustainable economic growth; – Deliver effective and efficient public services;– Build a thriving ICT sector; and– Protect infrastructure and information

Dr. Amado Espinosa and Dr. Jim Poisant

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Mr. Phil Bond

President & CEO, TechAmerica

G20i and Engagement with G20 ICT Project

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G-ICT Network Update • 14 IT Association members - Goal of 20

• Retention and Increased Involvement of Existing G20 Country WITSA Association Members• Recruitment of associations continues rest of year

• Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Turkey, Spain, Germany, Italy, China, European Union• May be unrealistic to recruit all 20 G20 Country associations until 2012

• Corporate Recruitment: • Focusing on upcoming May 17 Guadalarja Special Event to include short term Corporate target

recruits• Participation from additional corporates

• RIM • Telfonica • American Movil • …

Operations and Governance• Bylaws approved; operating with two co-chairs: Association: Phil Bond Corporate: Greg Farmer• Balance between association and corporate members ensured both in membership and leadership• Financial Status and Forecast: Operating in black but actions and growth constrained by revenue• Growth of corporates and associations both essential to support resources and activities

G20 ICT Policy Network (G-ICT) Update – WITSA

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G20 ICT Policy Network (G-ICT) Update

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G20 ICT Policy Network (G-ICT) Report

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G20 ICT Policy DevelopmentTimetable: Completed end SeptemberMethodology: Utilize global corporate policy expertise

Extend WITSA policy themesSupport/identify G20 priorities

WITSA Proclamation of Policy Principles

WITSA Themes G-ICT Themes G20 Policy Priorities

"The development of ICT infrastructures must be a top priority for developing and emerging economies."

Building a Thriving ICT Sector Broadband Deployment,

Adoption & Innovation

Working on behalf of development – 2011

"Governments should lead by example through the adoption and use of smart public services."

ICT for Effective & Efficient Public Services

"WITSA advocates free market principles, and open trade and investment regimes as central components of global growth, employment and poverty reduction."

Building a Thriving ICT Sector Global Flows of Data ICT

Products & Services,Investments & People

"Technology will be the central element of response strategies to climate change.”

ICT and Sustainable Economic Growth

(especially low carbon)Green Growth

Framework for Sustainable and Balanced Growth - 2009

"Protecting global cyber assets is the shared responsibility of the private and public sectors."

Protecting Infrastructureand Information (Cyber Security)

Trusted & Secure Networks & Services

International policy priority not currently addressed by G20

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• Questions and Discussion

G20 ICT Policy Network

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Progress & Next Steps

Mr. Tim Conway

WITSA Global Impact Study

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Report by

Mr. Nizar ZakkaCEO, IJMA3 & PCA

MENA 2011 Conference

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Report by

Dr. Jimson Olufuye and Mr. Anders Halvorsen

IGF, ICANN & the WTO

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Proposed IGF 2011 Workshop

• Follow-up to 2010 IGF workshop on cloud computing

• Entitled “A Practical & Pragmatic Look at Making Cloud Successful in Developing World”, the workshop would be co-organized with the Global Infrastructure Commission (GIIC)

• GIIC and WITSA will bring together a broad array of stakeholders to discuss these issues

• Workshop will feature users and providers of cloud services to highlight efforts in Africa to use cloud services to overcome developmental and economic barriers, and to discuss further steps to ensure that Africa not only catches up but use technologies to achieve growth and prosperity

• Dr. Jimson Olufuye, Waudo Siganga and Coura Fall are among proposed panelists

• Workshop proposal (#214) is posted at http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/w2011/proposals

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WTO ITA Product Coverage Expansion• High-tech sector has exploded with new and improved products in

recent years, yet product scope of the ITA has never been expanded (since inception in 1997)

• WITSA is committed to working with governments to move quickly to advance this initiative, which will expand trade, stimulate growth, increase jobs, spur innovation, and promote prosperity around the world.

• March 7, 2011 letter asking governments to expand the product coverage of the WTO Information Technology Agreement (ITA)

• WITSA and several member associations signed the letter (including: ATCI, CSK, TechAmerica, FKII, SOFEX, HKITF, INT@J, Intellect, MASIT, IKT Norge, ITAC, ITAN, ITAP, and JISA

• Other WITSA members are invited to sign on to the letter

• In the U.S. on May 6, a Federal Register Notice was published, soliciting public comment on whether USG would undertake negotiations to expand the ITA

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Other Business

Open Discussion

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THANK YOU!

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