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Statement by the Permanent Mission of Japan
At the General Discussion of the Second Committee of the General Assembly
On Item 16: Information and communications technologies for development
13 October 2014
Mr. Chair,
It is indisputable that the recent development of ICTs has impacted every aspect of our lives. As the Report of the Secretary-General A/69/65 states, the importance and potential of ICTs for socio-economic development are increasingly recognized by governments. ICTs are not only a driver for the achievement of the MDGs, but will also be an essential enabler for the Post-2015 Development Agenda, and our high expectation is reflected in the outcome document of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals, which repeatedly mentions ICTs.
Mr. Chair,
The 10-year review of progress made in the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society will be conducted next year. We would like to thank all the organizations who are involved in the preparation of the review, including ITU, UNCTAD and UNESCO, as well as the Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD). Japan is very much pleased that a resolution on the modalities of the review was adopted at the 68th session of the General Assembly, and we would like to reiterate our sincere thanks to the co-facilitators who managed to bridge the gaps between different groups of Member States and led us to a consensus. Japan is fully committed to actively engaging in the preparation and the implementation of the review.
In implementing the review, Japan welcomes the work of the CSTD as the focal point of the system-wide follow-up of the outcomes of the WSIS, and looks forward to its final report, which will be submitted in June next year. The findings of the report should be fully taken into account when conducting the review.
In addition, I would like to reiterate that, based on the nature of ICTs, we should make sure that the review takes a multi-stakeholder approach. In this regard, we look forward to the informal interactive consultations with all relevant stakeholders of the WSIS, which will be organized by the President of the General Assembly during the preparatory process. We would also like to encourage all relevant stakeholders to be present at the high-level meeting in order to make inputs.
We believe that our work, including the overall review of the outcomes of WSIS, will contribute to promotion of ICTs as well as the bridging of the digital divide, thereby contributing to the economic development of all Member States.
I thank you, Mr. Chair.
