The Internet is so much a part of our lives these days it can come as a surprise to learn how much Internet freedom is at threat around the world. Fortunately, Internet freedom received a major boost at UNESCO last week, thanks to the efforts of the United States and other likeminded participants at the first review meeting of the "World Summit on Information Society" (WSIS), called WSIS+10.
As U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO, I joined Assistant Secretary for International Organization Affairs Esther Brimmer to lead the U.S. delegation at UNESCO's WSIS+10. This review meeting brought together governments, private companies, civil society groups and individual experts to discuss a whole range of Internet-related issues, from cyber-security to e-learning, and press freedom to e-business. The United States was well-represented across all these categories, with participation by the U.S. government; companies such as Verizon, the Walt Disney Company, Google, and PayPal; non-governmental organizations such as the Center for Democracy and Technology; and academics from U.S. universities.
UNESCO's WSIS review meeting was successful for three reasons. First, it helped heal some of the divisions that crystallized during the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) last year. The same countries that diverged at WCIT were able to converge at UNESCO and agree by consensus to a Final Statement.
