This year is crucial in determining the direction of further development of the Internet and the information society. Now, the whole world under UN auspices sums up the first decade that has passed since the World Summit on the Information Society (
WSIS+10 Review). Currently, the issue of removing the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) from U.S. government oversight is actively discussed.
Some countries (Russia, China) insist on maintaining state control over the Internet. Other states (the EU, the USA, Canada) believe that Internet governance should be based on the principle of multistakeholderism, requiring joint management of Internet resources by governments, business, and the civil society.
UNDP Ukraine stands for making information open and accessible for Internet users. In particular, the
Open Data Law was developed and adopted with UNDP support. Currently, UNDP expert along with the State Agency of e-Governance helps with the adoption of the Government Resolution to implement the law fully.
Diana Zubko, UNDP Good Governance and Civil Society Expert, emphasized that the issue of generally accepted rules and norms of Internet governance is an important topic of the political agenda and should be based on the principle of multistakeholderism and balance of key players.
"In the area of Internet governance, as in the classical model of state, there should be a proper system of checks and balances to help ensure that no one side became too powerful. In the state, such system involves three branches of government, the media, NGOs and other associations, the private sector, and research institutions. Information is a very dynamic category, and its effective circulation over the Internet requires the principle of multistakeholderism," she underlined.
Over the past year, a lot of reforms were implemented in the sphere of internet issues in Ukraine. Among them are on-line services to control the local budgets and public finances, including tender purchases, the opportunity to search the State Register of rights to immovable property by a person's name. Many of these reforms have taken place at the initiative of NGOs, but in close cooperation with authorities as well as independent experts from the fields of business, technology, and education.