The Representatives of the telecommunication administrations of the Organization of American States (OAS), at the Fifth Regular Meeting of the Assembly of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL), held in Mexico, D.F., Mexico, from March 8 to 11, 2010,

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT:

That the Heads of State and Government, at the Fifth Summit of the Americas, decided to reaffirm the values of the Charter of the United Nations, the Charter of the Organization of American States, the Inter-American Democratic Charter, the Monterrey Consensus on Financing for Development, and the Millennium Declaration, in order to intensify the fight in the region against poverty, hunger, social exclusion, discrimination and inequality, and to promote inclusion and social cohesion to improve the living conditions of our people and achieve development and social justice;

That the 2009 Report of the Millennium Development Goals Gap Task Force, established by the United Nations Secretary-General to improve tracking of the Millennium Development Goals, notes that the digital divide, in the form of differences in access and affordability, is still very wide between developing and developed countries, as well as within countries;

That the Agenda for Connectivity in the Americas recognizes the profound impact of telecommunications/information and communication technologies (ICTs) on our lives, as well as their social and economic consequences, including the disparity in the capacity to access information and the need (i) to transform such information into knowledge for the benefit of all citizens of the Americas, and (ii) for active participation by civil society, including the private sector, in implementing the Agenda for Connectivity; and

That resolution AG/RES. 2440 (XXXIX-O/09), “Telecommunications Development in the Region to Reduce the Digital Divide,” adopted by the OAS General Assembly, reiterates and strengthens the priority mandate of CITEL, inter alia to address the ongoing evolution of telecommunication/ICTs and to reduce the divide separating countries in the area of telecommunications/ICTs,

RECOGNIZING:

That confidence and security in the use of telecommunications/ICTs are highly important pillars in creating the Information and Knowledge-based Society, as a result of which the countries of the region, especially the developing countries, require an ongoing exchange of experiences and best practices for the formulation of national, regional, and international policies;

That telecommunications/ICTs have the potential to provide solutions to development problems, promoting economic growth, competitiveness, and access to knowledge through information, contributing to the eradication of poverty and the integration of all countries of the Americas;

That Mexico will host the Sixteenth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to be held from November 29 to December 10, 2010, considering that telecommunications/ICTs play a very important part in international, regional, and national efforts to mitigate climate change, prevent natural disasters, and provide emergency relief;

That governments are formulating policies designed to meet national development needs, these being a significant factor in promoting participation by many interested parties to contribute to these efforts and ensure that measures adopted are supported by information exchange and regional and international collaboration;

That progress has been achieved in terms of the level of connectivity, driven especially by the growth of mobile wireless access. However, substantial disparities remain in the region in terms of the penetration and affordability of telecommunication services. Therefore, connectivity promotion activities will constitute a tool to generate the integral development of the region;

That developing countries require support to profit further from technological convergence and the new technologies, to which end, more telecommunication infrastructure should be created to reduce the existing digital divide;

That governments, academic institutions, and university-associated research centers have a strategic part to play in building the Information and Knowledge-based Society; and

That diverse initiatives worldwide incorporate, as a societal goal, the facilitation of access to telecommunications/ICTs, based on an inclusive, universal, and supportive approach,

DECLARE:

That to continue to move forward in building the Information and Knowledge-based Society in the Americas, it is advisable to reaffirm our commitment to promoting the growth of telecommunication/ICT infrastructure through public and private investment, and to establish mechanisms for infrastructure-sharing at affordable costs, benefiting the end user, mainly the most disadvantaged sector of the populace;

That broadband access by the majority of the population of the Americas is one of the main challenges faced by governments; hence CITEL, as the region’s leading telecommunications/ICTs, entity, must constitute a strategic pillar for the establishment of public policy designed to promote better development and regional integration; and

That the advantages afforded by broadband are of great support in the development and implementation of public and social services, such as health, education, and culture, and for different areas of economic activity and government,

AGREE:

To promote, in the framework of CITEL, the generation and recommendation of guidelines supporting the Administrations in the establishment of policies and standards that promote: technological innovation, the transfer of knowledge, service development, market development, expansion of telecommunication/ICT infrastructure, promotion and development of medium and long-term sustainable applications, e-commerce, the security of networks, and the provision of government services applications, and, especially, to point to practical applications and provide mechanisms designed to achieve optimal use of telecommunications/ICTs;

To promote convergence and increased competition as forces driving the provision of telecommunication services at affordable tariffs for the population as a whole, especially the most disadvantaged, while fostering effective public policies to facilitate universal access;

To promote the dissemination of information enabling the populace to learn about the characteristics of the service, and its tariffs and security, available on the market;

To strengthen CITEL so that it can remain the leading regional telecommunication/ICT reference point, proposing initiatives, developing programs, and executing projects aimed at fostering the sector’s optimal development with a view to achieving the Millennium Development Goals;

To collaborate internally with the OAS to formulate joint projects, among others, related to health and education, climate change, combating security concerns, gender equity, and the rights of indigenous peoples and persons with disabilities;

To establish closer ties with other regional and international organizations, promoting information exchange, technical assistance, and mutual support in analyzing specific matters, which will enable, among other things, awareness to be gained of international telecommunication trends;

To strengthen the development of activities and the review of best practices focusing on the use of telecommunications and ICTs to counteract the impacts of climate change;

To promote the coordination of efforts by public and private entities aimed at the appropriate handling of electronic waste and the use of reusable, recyclable and biodegradable equipment and materials, as well as products manufactured with recycled material in processes that do not damage the environment;

To promote the creation of local content enabling greater advantage to be taken of broadband access, taking the due precautions with respect to intellectual property rights in order to combat piracy and forgery;

To promote information exchange among interested parties regarding online security measures to protect children and young people from potential attacks and harmful content via the Internet.

To promote information exchange regarding the protection of confidential data of users who conduct various activities over the Internet and to afford interested parties greater certainty regarding the security of their transactions;

To propose and develop strategies that enable telecommunication infrastructure to be recognized as a decisive factor in natural disaster prevention, mitigation, aid, relief, and reconstruction actions;

To promote access by all citizens to the Information and Knowledge-based Society; to promote online network communities in education, research, health, business, and government; and to promote job creation and economic development, especially by small and medium-sized enterprises, trade and services, tourism, the agricultural and export sectors, culture, and recreation;

To continue fulfilling the telecommunication-related commitments assumed at the Summits of the Americas, and to promote and disseminate the implementation of the recommendations and guidelines of CITEL;

To encourage, on a voluntary basis, the implementation of Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs), such as that of CITEL, which can serve as instruments to facilitate efficient trade of telecommunication equipment in the region, to promote an effective regulatory cooperation, as well as to collaborate in the establishment of consistent procedures of market surveillance and exchange of information for the purpose of protecting the integrity of the telecommunication market in the region;

To build up CITEL’s telecommunication training program, in coordination with CITEL’s Regional Training Centers, the International Telecommunication Union’s Center of Excellence for the Americas Region, the private sector, and regional and subregional organizations, through the use of advanced education and research networks, and the establishment of Caribbean networks, as well as other civil society entities; and

To present this declaration to other regional and international forums for their information.

In witness whereof, the delegates of the member states participating in the Fifth Regular Meeting of the Assembly of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission hereby adopt this Declaration in Mexico City, Mexico, on March 11, 2010.

CHAIR OF THE ASSEMBLY

Argentina

Bolivia

Brazil

Canada

Chile

Colombia

Costa Rica

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

El Salvador

Guatemala

Haiti

Mexico

Panama

Paraguay

Peru

United States of America

Uruguay

Venezuela