Commonwealth ICT Ministers have adopted a Commonwealth Cybergovernance Model to guide national policy development of their national cyberspace, the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) says.[blockquote right=”pull-right” cite=”CTO”]The agreed model is founded upon the values and aspirations contained in the Commonwealth Charter which include democracy, sustainable development, human rights and the rule of law. [/blockquote]
ICT ministers and their advisors from over 35 Commonwealth countries met in London recently at the first of what is expected to be a series of biennial ICT ministerial meetings.
The agreed model is founded upon the values and aspirations contained in the Commonwealth Charter which include democracy, sustainable development, human rights and the rule of law.
According to CTO, the guiding principles within the model are contribution to a safe and effective cyberspace support for a broader economic and social development, individual and collective action to tackle cybercrime and exercising rights and meeting responsibilities in cyberspace.
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The principles are expected “to guide Commonwealth members to plan and implement practical actions in policy development, regulation and legislation, cross-border collaboration, capacity building, technical measures and other operational activities,” as enunciated in the introduction of the model.
Ministers noted that while the principles are important, there is an urgent need to address how these principles will be implemented.
Tim Newman, Acting Director at the Commonwealth Secretariat says “The very rich discussion of some of the key issues facing Commonwealth members in the field of ICTs. We look forward to working collaboratively with the CTO in order to clearly define our areas of comparative advantage and to ensure that the needs of all our member countries are responded to in the most effective way.”
Tim Unwin, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) says “The CTO is deeply honoured to have been involved in helping to shape this very important framework. It was a remarkable achievement that working together we were able to reach agreement on these very important principles. Now we all need urgently to work together collaboratively and supportively to turn these principles into real practical actions.”
