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STATEMENT BY Richard D. McCormick
International Chamber of Commerce
18 November 2005
Mr Chairman, Excellencies, Ladies and
Gentlemen,
The private sector has been represented
in this Summit process by CCBI – the Coordinating Committee
of Business Interlocutors – chaired by ICC, the
International Chamber of Commerce.
We are companies and business
associations – representing hundreds of thousands of
enterprises, large and small, from all sectors and all
corners of the world.
We have worked tirelessly throughout the
Summit because we believe the decisions here – and hereafter
– will have a profoundly positive effect on people’s lives.
And yet, as this Summit draws to a close,
we believe it is timely to invoke the sentiments of Winston
Churchill, who said: "This is not the end. It is not the
beginning of the end. It is only the end of the beginning."
Yes, the Summit has ended – and now the
real work begins. It is time to turn the words into action.
And action is something that business is good at.
Yesterday, we discussed a number of
projects involving the contributions of business,
governments, the scientific and technical communities and
other interest groups:
The Digitial Inclusion Initiative
to improve employment and education – 100 countries
and 250 million people.
The Jordan Education Initiative –
if you want to see a model of capacity building and
a good environment created by government - talk to
Jordan.
The WIMAX, VOIP and RFID projects
in Singapore.
The Network Academy Project –
involving 10,000 institutions, 160 countries and
450,000 students designing internet protocol
networks.
The mobile communications
industry developing ultra-low cost handsets.
The mobile trial in Brazil using
low-frequency bands for unwired rural areas.
And, of course, the $100 laptop
for children in developing countries, unveiled here
yesterday.
The list goes on and on.
What business brings to the table is
invaluable market experience and the wherewithal to put that
experience into practice. In short, we know what works and
what doesn’t.
As we go forward, we ask governments for
four things:
A technology neutral,
competitive marketplace.
A strong system of
intellectual property protection.
Governments which are
transparent and operate under the rule of law.
A government commitment to
education and training for all, utilizing
information and communication technologies
wherever possible.
These elements together establish the
policy, legal and regulatory environments that promote
innovation, foster entrepreneurship and attract investment.
This is not a new list. Some governments
have acted, some have promised it but haven’t delivered, and
others have yet to commit.
In the latter groups, opportunities are
passing you by.
Innovators, entrepreneurs, businesses and
jobs will go where the environment is right.
Finally, the private sector commends the
decision to continue the administration and technical
management of the Internet under its current de-centralized
governance structure.
At the same time, we look forward to
working with you on the formulation and eventual work of the
international multi-stakeholder forum to make the Internet
even better for the future.
We were asked in the business event
yesterday who were the winners and losers from the Summit
outcomes.
After giving this much thought, we
believe freedom and opportunity are the winners.
Now it’s up to governments, business,
interest groups and the scientific and technical communities
to take this freedom and opportunity to improve the lives of
every person on this planet.
If we do that, there will be no losers-
everybody wins. |
