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THE 2ⁿ REGIONAL INTERNET GOVERNANCE FORUM, THE REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN WWW.RIGF.AZ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report by the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Baku Secretariat is intended to help facilitate informed, strategic, long-term ICT development in Azerbaijan. We have undertaken this study because of our commitment to better understand how even in times of iscal constraint governments can improve their ability to deliver high-quality public services, and engage in government-citizen collaboration to stimulate innovation across all sectors of society. We would like to acknowledge the panelists, participants, experts, civil servants and practitioners who shared their insights and experiences during interviews and correspondence for this report. Special thanks go to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Country Ofice in Azerbaijan, in collaboration with Ministry of Communications and High Technologies (MoCHT) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), IGF Geneva Secretariat, Azerbaijan Internet Forum (AIF), as well as sponsor companies-SINAM, APRIL UV, NEURON Technologies and MyVideo.Az, in addition to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for their high interest in regular convening of the relevant event. All content and any remaining errors are the sole responsibility of the organizers. THE 2ⁿ REGIONAL INTERNET GOVERNANCE FORUM, THE REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN WWW.RIGF.AZ “The ICT sector in Azerbaijan has been on the cutting edge of economic innovation. These innovations have spread across nearly every industry, increasing eficiency and driving change in the way they operate, and the goods and services they produce.” Prof. Dr. Ali Abbasov, Minister of Communications and High Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan THE 2ⁿ REGIONAL INTERNET GOVERNANCE FORUM, THE REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN WWW.RIGF.AZ “We closely follow the socio-economic reforms carried out in the country and are pleased with the inclusion of information and communication technologies as one of the priorities in economic development of the country. We highly appreciate the work ongoing in the area of high technologies as one the important ways to diversify the economy of Azerbaijan.” H.E. Antonius Broek UN Resident Coordinator UNDP Resident Representative in Azerbaijan THE 2ⁿ REGIONAL INTERNET GOVERNANCE FORUM, THE REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN WWW.RIGF.AZ TABLE OF CONTENTS A Perspective on Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships 9 The Opening Ceremony 16 Session 1 - Trends in Open Government Data (OGD) 18 Session 2 - e-Participation in Post-Soviet Societies 26 Session 3 - Innovation in ICT 34 Session 4 - The Promise of e-Education 41 Session 5 - Applying ICT to Achieve Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection 48 Conclusion 53 THE 2ⁿ REGIONAL INTERNET GOVERNANCE FORUM, THE REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN WWW.RIGF.AZ Jānis Kārklin̦ š Ambassador of Latvia Chair of the IGF Multistakeholder Advisory Group I would like to welcome the participants of the Regional Internet Governance Forum of Azerbaijan and to thank the Ministry of Communications and High Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United Nations Development Programme Country Ofice in Azerbaijan for convening this event. Regrettably, I cannot be with you today, as this forum is taking place in parallel with the IGF Open Consultations that are deining the outline of the IGF 2015 meeting. After hosting the successful seventh meeting of the Internet Governance Forum in Baku, in November 2012, Azerbaijan is now receiving a regional Internet Governance Forum that aims at furthering a multistakeholder debate on the role of information and communications technologies, and, in particular, the Internet, in promoting freedom of expression and free low of information, economic growth and cultural diversity within the region. Countries and regions of the world face different challenges concerning Internet deployment and use. For some, bridging the digital divide is still the main concern, access is not ensured and knowledge on how the Internet should be run is incomplete. For others, the focus is on issues such as IDN deployment, network neutrality, big data or privacy and data protection. Open, inclusive and multistakeholder regional dialogue allows stakeholders to better understand complexities of such issues that are particularly relevant at a regional level. It can also inform the decision making processes within governments and regional organisations and lead to partnerships between different stakeholders. The Internet unites people and creates links where they couldn’t have otherwise existed. Some have described it as a public good, others have argued that Internet access should be considered a basic human need. We have all seen how the Internet can give voice to previously voiceless, help information low seamlessly over national borders, provide remote education and medical services in isolated areas, contribute to disaster prevention and promote freedom of expression. Evidently, Internet is a driver for economic, social and cultural development. If we want to maximize opportunities presented by the Internet, we need to make sure it is accessible and affordable. THE 2ⁿ REGIONAL INTERNET GOVERNANCE FORUM, THE REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN WWW.RIGF.AZ But we also need to understand the challenges and risks associated to its use. And we need to make sure that the views, needs and interests of all the existing and future Internet users are taken into account when decisions are made and policies are developed that frame the way in which the Internet is run and the direction it evolves. To sum up, there is an imperious need not only to build infrastructures, but also to develop local content and build capacities for the users of these infrastructures – the capacity to use the Internet in a safe and secure way and the capacity to actively participate in the governance of the Internet. The role regional IGF initiatives, such as the one hosted by Azerbaijan, can play in building such capacities should not been underestimated. These initiatives give participants the possibility to deepen their knowledge and understanding of Internet governance issues and to build the skills needed to facilitate their involvement in existing multistakeholder Internet governance processes. The IGF Multistakeholder Advisory Group and the IGF Secretariat are strong supporters of regional and national initiatives and we are continuously looking to strengthen the interaction between these fora and the global IGF. The IGF 2014 Chair’s Summary indicated that IGF initiatives could be used as channels for bringing forward inter-sessional work leading up to the IGF 2015 meeting. As we are now starting preparations for next year’s IGF, scheduled to take place on 10-13 November 2015 in João Pessoa, Brazil, I would like to invite you all, as a regional IGF initiative and as individual stakeholders, to contribute to this preparatory process and to, later on, participate in the meeting. I also encourage you to use the following four days of debates to build a message to be delivered at IGF 2015. And if you have further ideas and suggestions on how to strengthen our interactions, please share them with us. In closing, I would like to thank you all for being part of an IGF initiative and to wish you a fruitful meeting and an enjoyable time. I hope to see many of you at the next global IGF, in person or remotely. THE 2ⁿ REGIONAL INTERNET GOVERNANCE FORUM, THE REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN WWW.RIGF.AZ A PERSPECTIVE ON MULTI-STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIPS Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is a broad category that includes everything from computers to telephones, television to the Internet, satellite-based navigation and other innovative technologies. These technologies have become increasingly important in daily life and throughout business and education. Universal access to the latest ICT is essential for social and economic development. In the ICT sector it is especially important that products and services are mutually compatible and interoperable, so that information can be shared over the Internet, and people can communicate with each other using different devices. Telecommunications and software standards help ensure that products such as computer peripherals and other electronic gadgets made by different companies are able to work together seamlessly. Multi-stakeholder ICT partnerships: alliances between parties drawn from government, business and civil society that strategically aggregate the resources and competencies of each to resolve the key challenges of ICT as an enabler of sustainable development, and which are founded on principles of shared risk, cost and mutual beneit. Achieving greater ICT access in the developing world, and the harnessing of these technologies to reduce poverty and improve the lives of peoples presents many challenges. Ineffectiveness in the regulatory regime to attract new investment; public-private ICT transactions that fail to deliver affordable solutions; unproitable business models for rural ICT access; ICT strategies that fail to exploit the diversity of available technologies; and production of content that is irrelevant to the livelihood of poor communities – all are signiicant challenges. Multi-Stakeholder Platforms (MSPs) offer a means to achieve these objectives. They are about partnerships focused on creating lasting and meaningful impact of ICT at all levels of society.