2. Esteemed delegates, Excellencies,

 

3. Let me take this opportunity to thank our Co-facilitators for their unparalleled commitment to make WSIS+10 Review Process a success. I would also like to thank all stakeholders for arriving at the WSIS+10 Outcome Document, which does not only represent the aspirations of users but also appears to reflect the requirements of those, who will in future, have access to Information and Communication Technology.

 

 

4. We have made substantive progress on Internet Governance since 2005. As recognized by the Outcome Document, it is imperative that the priorities and concerns of the stakeholders from developing regions are substantively represented in all global internet governance processes. We, therefore, reiterate our commitment to a multistakeholder approach to Internet Governance and encourage it to embrace all geographies and societies. We should all agree and acknowledge that since a large proportion of the next billion internet users will come from developing nations, policies which enable access to the internet should be formulated with full involvement of all stakeholders from the developing world. This Review acknowledges the importance of bridging both the digital divides, between countries and between genders, in order to make ICT a powerful tool of development. We look forward to contributions by stakeholders, both in terms of knowledge, financial and technological resources, including by operationalizing the Digital Solidarity Fund to realize the WSIS objectives. We also support the renewal of the term of the Internet Governance Forum. 

 

 

5. We believe that there are close linkages between the WSIS process and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. India is fully committed towards realizing the Agenda through active deployment of ICT infrastructure and services. We believe that technology can change the world and transform lives of people. It informs and empowers and helps realize our Prime Minister Narendra Modi's concept of 'Sabka saath, sabka vikas' - development for all. 

 

6. Today, India has become one of the major players in the global information technology market and our business model includes provision of online services using the internet. The start-up sector in India has also witnessed incredible innovation and attracted large investments to make it the third largest start-up ecosystem in the world. Four new technology start-ups are coming up every day and because of their speed, agility and low costs, these are fast becoming preferred models of global research and development in ICT. 

 

7. The last decade since WSIS 2005, was for India a revolution in mobile connectivity. We leapfrogged many stages of development in access technology and this led to a huge increase in demand for digital services. In the year 2000, we had less than 30 million telephone users in a population of 1 billion. By the end of 2015, we would have crossed 1 billion connections in a population of 1.25 billion. In the next few years, with low entry barriers, we expect a similar explosion of data connectivity and broadband use. It took India 20 years to have the first 100 million internet users. The addition of the next 100 million took 3 years and the third 100 million less than 18 months. Further, of the next billion new global internet users, we believe about 500 million will be from India! In this period, we have also witnessed immense growth in ICT infrastructure. But what is even more remarkable is the huge digital opportunity that lies before us; from health and education to agriculture and disaster management, from human resource development to financial inclusion. 

 

 

8. While progress is visible, almost 900 million people in India still do not have access to the Internet. This leads to an asymmetry of information and knowledge, which, in turn, leads to an asymmetry of opportunity. Hence, it is important to bridge the digital divide. To this end, India has launched an ambitious programme, Digital India, which is being implemented in the mission mode to bridge the stark differences between digital 'haves' and digital 'have-nots'. 

 

9. As the world's largest democracy, we seek to empower citizens by giving them both a voice and a choice. Direct participation of citizens in public policy formation through social media platforms like mygov is making this happen. 

 

10. We remain committed to sharing our developmental experience in the use of ICTs with other developing country members of the United Nations family. In this context, India has implemented the ambitious Pan-African e-Network Project, to connect 53 member states of the African Union through a satellite and fiber-optic network to each other, and to India, providing e-education, telemedicine and other applications. More recently, India inaugurated the first telemedicine project between India and Central Asia on 12 July 2015. 

 

 

11. As we go digital, we are faced with challenges related to cyber security. Many of these challenges are not well understood, much less addressed. The multi-stakeholder approach acknowledges that there are various stakeholder groups which have different roles to play in global internet governance, with levels of responsibility that vary from role to role. In the context of security and allied public policy concerns, we believe that governments, which bear ultimate responsibility for essential services and for public safety, have a key role to play and be central to discussions regarding security of the internet. We should also aim to create a global convention to address issues of cyber security and cybercrime.

 

12. As India and the world deal with the changes in internet governance, it is important to keep in mind that this is not a zero-sum game. Rather, it can be a win-win for all! The internet is not a scarce resource, but a powerful, enabling, global platform that can be used for the benefit of all. In this context, we look forward to the implementation of the recommendations of the Review on enhanced cooperation as envisioned in the Tunis Agenda taking into consideration the work that has been done so far.  

 

13.   ICT has changed for the better the lives of those who have access to it. Further, it has great promise to do the same for those, who by not being connected, remain deprived of its benefits. To this end, we reaffirm our commitment to work with all the stakeholders, to strive, to seek, and to find for the entire global community and the developing world, the benefits of ICT.

 

14. Thank you, Mr. President.