GIPI AROUND THE WORLD Azerbaijan Serbia + Montenegro 6 Efendiyev Str. +(99)412-49-72-102 Masarikova 5/VII +381(11)306-1531 Baku www.internews.az Suite #712 Slobodan Markovic Azerbaijan Yashar Hajiyev Belgrade Country Coordinator Country Coordinator Republic of Serbia [email protected] Bulgaria Tajikistan PO Box 71 +359(2)980-2334 AP. 20, 11 +992.372.232951 31 Tsar Ivan Shishman St www.internews.bg Rustavelli St. www.cipi.tj 1164 Sofia Veni Markovski Dushanbe 734003 Parvina Ibodova Bulgaria Country Coordinator Tajikistan Lawyer [email protected] [email protected] India Ukraine 63, B.D. Estate +91-11-30957966 15 Rizhskaya Street +380(44)458-4440 Mall Road www.gipi.org.in PO Box 57 gipi.internews.ua New Delhi - 110054 Rishi Chawla Kyiv Maria Shkarlat India Country Coordinator Ukraine Country Coordinator [email protected] [email protected] Kazakstan Uzbekistan 58 Nauryzbai Batyr Street +7(3272)50-89-50 1st Fl. www.internews.kz 31 Kamol Jalilov Street +998(71)120-7909 Almaty, 480091 Sofia Issenova Tashkent www.gipi.uz Kazakhstan Country Coordinator Uzbekistan 700070 www.ictcouncil.gov.uz [email protected] Farid Abdrshin Kyrgyzstan Country Coordinator [email protected] 720011 Bishkek + (312) 68-2030 Frunze 340 www.internetpolicy.kg Vietnam Osh Ulanbek Mateev Kurmanjan Datka 271 Technical Director Room 411 +84(4)9360728 [email protected] Press Club www.gipi-vietnam.org Russia 59A, Ly Thai To Nguyen Thu Hue Hanoi Country Coordinator 8a Nikitsky Bulvar +7(095)956-2248 Vietnam [email protected] Tsentralnyi dom www.internews.ru zhurnalista Alexandra Belyaeva 119019 Moscow Country Coordinator Russian Federation [email protected] GIPI Annual Report 2004 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents ...........................................................................................................................ii Introduction................................................................................................................................ii Tallinn Declaration .....................................................................................................................iv Azerbaijan ..................................................................................................................................1 Bulgaria ......................................................................................................................................2 India...........................................................................................................................................3 Kazakhstan .................................................................................................................................6 Kyrgyzstan..................................................................................................................................9 Russia.......................................................................................................................................10 Serbia + Montenegro.................................................................................................................12 Tajikistan..................................................................................................................................13 Uzbekistan................................................................................................................................20 Vietnam ....................................................................................................................................24 Glossary....................................................................................................................................28 i GIPI Annual Report 2004 INTRODUCTION 2004 continued the hard work and self-promotion of GIPI project to make a dramatic impact in many countries. • In India, as a result of relying in part on the analysis provided by the project, India has loosened restrictions on Internet Telephony and wireless technologies, both of which hold huge potential for bridging the digital divide. • In Tajikistan, the government withdrew two bills after GIPI’s analysis showed how those bills would be inconsistent with other laws and would unduly increase government control over information systems. • In Indonesia, working with the World Bank’s ICT project, GIPI is advising the government in drafting laws on e-commerce and cyber crime. • In Georgia, GIPI’s work may lead to an elimination of the licensing requirements of ISPs, removing a major barrier to development. GIPI’s success is due to its focus on work at the local level, country-by-country. Our approach is to work from the top down and the bottom up – to develop and advocate Internet policy reform based on rule of law, transparency, democratic principles and market-based solutions. In each country, GIPI sets up a local office with a full-time policy coordinator in each country. While the specific goal vary in response to local conditions, we usually aim to create a roundtable or dialogue involving all stakeholders - ISPs, content providers, telecommunications and wireless service providers, NGOs, universities, government officials, and foreign investors. The Internet does not grow by accident. It is dependent on national legal and regulatory frameworks. Consequently, nations around the world are revising legal systems in order to participate in the global information economy. However, misunderstandings abound. In many countries, the Internet is subject to tight controls and arbitrary regulation. In others, governments are moving from a posture of "benign neglect" to one of intervention and control. There is a critical need for a project to assist government officials, emerging Internet companies, and NGOs to craft policy frameworks and strategies for creating environments conducive to Internet development. Partnerships & Funding In 2001, GIPI entered into a global Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to cooperate locally on policy and regulatory reform, design and implementation of ICT strategies, capacity development, entrepreneurship support and awareness building. GIPI was launched at the beginning of in 2001 with generous grants from the AOL Time-Warner Foundation, the Markle Foundation, George Soros’ Open Society Institute (and its affiliated national foundations), and the US Department of State. Further support has been provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the GE Foundation, Microsoft Corporation, RealNetworks Foundation, VeriSign Inc., the Swedish International Development Agency, the Armenia Chapter of the Internet Society, and the World Bank. GIPI has also received financial support for work in Indonesia and Vietnam from the European Union. Looking Ahead GIPI’s newest project takes on the Internet in Algeria. This twelve month project aims at increasing the number of Algerians using the Internet by developing a National Internet Policy Framework that encourages competition, transparency, and entrepreneurship in the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) sector. Policies to be fostered will support the accessibility of affordable ICTs and encourage free and open information exchange over the Internet. A national Internet strategy will be developed as a result of these consultations. The Algerian Government will be assisted in using this strategy as part of its presentation at the World Symposium for the Information Society (WSIS 2) in November 2005. ii GIPI Annual Report 2004 The project is made possible through a partnership with the Middle East Partnership (MEPI) Initiative of the U.S. Department of State. The project is implemented through the USAID-funded dot-GOV program carried out by Internews Network, Inc. This process of consultation and dialogue with both civil society and government will: • Directly focus on Internet governance and its implications for a better understanding of the crucial role of Internet governance issues at the national level, and for international discussion at WSIS 2. • Assess ISP licensing requirements as well as other regulatory burdens that specifically impede appropriate Internet development, affordability, access, and use. • Increase the skills of an Algerian GIPI Coordinator - a local professional with credible knowledge of the technology and policy environment and the ability to build coalitions. GIPI is moving developing countries into the 21st century. By engaging and encouraging local stakeholders to take ownership in their national Internet, GIPI is helping countries, enterprises, and local communities to discover the potentials of an interconnected society. GIPI redefines itself: the GIPI Network Finally, a major change is happening with GIPI. In December 2004, GIPI reinvented itself. From having been born a creature of the Center for Democracy and Technology and Internews, GIPI has redefined itself as a network of organizations and projects sharing a commitment to common goals and common principals. The decision was taken in December 2004, where a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by a variety of participants at the iLaw — Eurasia Conference at the Tallinn e-Governance Academy in Estonia. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed in Tallinn by, inter alia, the Eurasia I-Policy Network, the Center for Democracy and Technology, Citizen Lab, the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, the Cambridge Security Program, the Open Society Institute, Internews Network, and by representatives of existing