CONNECTING THE AMERICAS
We, the democratically elected Heads of State and Government
of the Americas, meeting in Quebec City, recognize that a
technological revolution is unfolding and that our region is
entering a new economy, one defined by a vastly enhanced
capacity to access knowledge and to improve flows of
information. We are convinced that the promotion of a
Connectivity Agenda for the Americas will facilitate the
beneficial integration of the hemisphere into an increasingly
knowledge-based society. We share the goal of providing all
citizens of the Americas with the opportunity to develop the
tools to access and share knowledge that will allow them to
fully seize opportunities to strengthen democracy, create
prosperity and realize their human potential. Connectivity
will open new opportunities to our society in all areas, for
which equal access and appropriate training are necessary.
Connectivity Agenda for the Americas
We are conscious of the disparities in cost
and access to technology within and between our countries.
Therefore, we agree that we must individually and collectively
move toward expanding access to global knowledge and full
integration into the knowledge society, particularly in
developing countries, smaller economies, and among rural and
disadvantaged groups. Our efforts at promoting connectivity
will be directed toward our common commitment to sustainable
economic growth and social development, particularly the
overarching objective of poverty reduction. Recognizing that
respect for cultural and linguistic diversity contributes to
social and economic dynamism, we are also committed to using
the tools of the new economy to enable all individuals to
participate in inter-cultural dialogue for the promotion and
protection of their cultures.
We are committed to promoting the
development of the telecommunications infrastructure needed to
support and enhance all sectors of society and the economy and
will seek to provide affordable universal access. We agree to
promote the modernization of the telecommunications sector,
noting the leading role of the private sector in deploying
infrastructure and services, and bearing in mind the legal
framework of each country and the social, political, economic
and cultural needs of our populations, particularly those of
developing countries and remote regions. We will devote
special attention to capacity-building in areas of human
resource development, particularly health, education, the
environment, and to strengthening the democratic process.
We recognize that our action and initiative
are necessary to provide an appropriate enabling policy and
regulatory environment to foster greater public and private
investment in Connectivity. We agree to establish conditions,
taking into account national legal frameworks, that promote
and strengthen free and fair competition in all
telecommunications services. We will support cooperation among
our countries and joint initiatives with the private sector.
We will coordinate our hemispheric initiatives with those at
the global level to ensure that our region benefits from and
contributes to our increasingly connected world.
We are also committed to mobilizing and
sharing human resources to strengthen our capacities for
applying information and communications technologies to human
development. Recognizing the importance of providing all our
citizens, and especially our children and youth, with the
opportunity to participate in the knowledge society, we agree
to use new technologies to address the needs of our national
education and health systems. We agree to seek out innovative
ways of facilitating access to and the use of computers and
software in our learning environments.
We recognize the progress achieved by
cooperative training programs and we are committed to
broadening access to technical expertise through the continued
use and expansion of national and regional information and
communications technologies training programs, including
internships, volunteer programs and training of educators.
Coordinated training programs will provide additional impetus
and support to a Connectivity agenda while creating valuable
shared and collective work experience for all. This can be
achieved by drawing upon the comparative strengths of our
partners in academic institutes and the private sector.
Our governments will cooperate with each
other and promote cooperation with subregional, regional and
multilateral organizations, civil society, and the private
sector to achieve the objectives of this statement and to
encourage horizontal cooperation and share best practices to
take full advantage of the benefits of the new economy.
Our governments will strive to encourage
the growth of e-commerce and to promote Connectivity by
providing government services and information on-line, to the
extent possible.
To meet the new challenges of the
transition towards the knowledge-based society, we have
proposed measures in our Action Plan to enable all those in
our societies to use information and communications
technologies to build networks, share ideas, and establish
more effective partnerships with government and the private
sector that will enable them to participate more fully in the
political, social and economic development of their respective
societies.
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