1. The São Paulo Declaration
Declaration of the 5th WITSA Global
Policy Action and Trade Summit

2. Preamble
• Representatives from 30 countries
• Objective:
– to consider effective public policies to deliver
the promises of the Digital Age
• Observed:
– significant progress made by governments in
developing and implementing digital agendas
– continuing economic, social and cultural
transformations through ICT

3. Preamble (2)
• Observed:
– Internet access must be developed through
open and transparent governance;
– investment in infrastructure and connectivity
must continue, encouraged by a competitive
and supportive business environment

4. Concerns
• Significant challenges to access.
– Disclosures about information protection are
encouraging governments to seek greater
control, both of governance arrangements,
and of information flowing across their
jurisdictions.
– Consequences:
• Risks of global fragmentation, and isolation
• Unilateral actions intended to “protect citizens”
may cause harm, impose costs, and reduce
technology access and choice

5. Concerns (2)
• A growing trend towards closed
preferential trade agreements, which are a
departure from multilateral trade
liberalization arrangements
• A tendency towards less transparency in
trade negotiations, with reduced
meaningful stakeholder engagement

6. Calls to Action
• All governments, stakeholder organizations
and business leaders must work
constructively to ensure ICTs, and the
benefits of their application, are available to
all, and to avoid unilateral protective
measures
• all nations to recommit to the WTO’s “most
favoured nation” and “national treatment”
principles, and to the rapid removal of trade
barriers

7. Declaration
• We declare to remove barriers to
trade and avoid any actions that may
limit access by all the world’s people
to the Internet, so that – respecting
privacy and security principles –
everyone can participate and receive
its benefits, and thus deliver the
promises of the Digital Age

9. See you at WCIT 2014

10. See you at WCIT 2014