In a joint declaration, the ministers endorsed the APEC Privacy Framework and the Future Work Agenda on International Implementation of the APEC Privacy Framework. This was in recognition with the importance of the development of effective privacy protections that avoid barriers to information flows and to continue trade and economic growth in the APEC region.
The joint statement also revealed that the ministers' welcome the Telecommunications and Information Working Group's (TEL) work on "Progress Towards Adopting and Implementing the WTO Reference Paper on Basic Telecommunications" and "Best Practices for Implementing the WTO Reference Paper", and noted the value of this work in the context of WTO capacity building.
The ministers, in the joint statement, also restated their commitment to the Brunei Goals on tripling Internet access by the end of 2005.
This centred on the well-received report on the implementation of the e-APEC Strategy and instructed Senior Officials to study its findings and report back to the relevant APEC Ministerial meetings next year. Ministers further noted the significant improvements in c-infrastructure through the benefits of increased competition and market-oriented policies.
The ministers acknowledged that building skills and capacity in optimising information technology is the most pressing need for APEC economies to reduce the digital divide and to facilitate trade. In this context, they welcomed the progress that has been made by the APEC Digital Opportunity Centre (ADOC).
In the joint statement, ministers also welcomed the report of the 2nd APEC High-Level Symposium on e-Government held in Mexico in October 2004 and the convening of the APEC e-Commerce Fair and the First APEC e-Commerce Business Alliance Forum held in China in June 2004.
The ministers were said to have recognised the importance of the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), to be held in Tunisia in November 2005, for continuous development of the global information society, and instructed Senior Officials, through the TEL, to formulate APEC's input to the WSIS.
Autor: Maya Salleh
Quelle: Brunei Direct, 29.12.2004
