OECD will lead work with developed and developing countries and international organisations to improve policies and to step up co-operation in the fight against cybercrime and to improve security.

Reflecting today’s more global OECD, member countries and the European Community were joined by ministers from Chile, Egypt, Estonia, India, Indonesia, Israel, Latvia, Senegal and Slovenia in affirming their commitment to working together to stimulate innovation, competition and investment in information and communications technology. They agreed on the need to work closely with business, civil society and technical experts on policies that empower and protect consumers, and expand Internet access and use worldwide.

“Given that this infrastructure has become critical to our economies and societies, we should all engage in developing better, more broad-based, governance arrangements and policies”, OECD Secretary- General Angel Gurría said in the closing session.

The meeting was hosted by the Korean government and took place 10 years after the first OECD Ministerial Meeting on E-Commerce held in Ottawa, Canada when breakthroughs on such questions as taxation were made. As Mr Gurría pointed out, “ten years…is an eternity in Internet time”, and he pledged to review progress on the OECD declaration within three years.

For full 10-page Chair’s summary and speeches, see www.oecd.org/futureinternet

See also www.oecdobserver.org/internetseoul2008

©OECD Observer No 269 October 2008

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