Comment Neelie (Kroes)

This could be an historic gathering.

So ask yourself: are we here to make a change, and live up to the call made by President Rousseff in New York, or are we here to waste time?sentence permalink

The Internet is more disruptive than the printing press, electrification and industrialisation combined.sentence permalink

The Internet is the quickest, biggest revolution in history.sentence permalink

The Internet is now a global, common, public resource and its governance must be truly global, transparent and accountable.sentence permalink

That means we all have to change. No existing organisation or nation is exempt.sentence permalink

This puts a huge responsibility on us in this room.sentence permalink

This week we must move forward.

If we simply do more talking, use more nice words, we will have wasted the opportunity and failed the global community.sentence permalink

What should we do?

First: we can only create positive change based on what we agree on, not what divides us.sentence permalink

Let’s admit our recent work has produced a large degree of consensus. We can get excited about a word here or there, but let us not lose sight of the bigger picture.sentence permalink

In most cases we want the same things. We agree on:sentence permalink

(1) An improved multi-stakeholder model: transparent, democratic, based on human rights; and a roadmap to get there;sentence permalink

(2) A process for the transition of the IANA functions involving all the stakeholder community;sentence permalink

(3) Strengthening the Internet Governance Forum;sentence permalink

(4) Capacity building through information sharing and Internet observatories;sentence permalink

(5) We must address jurisdictional issues on the Internet with transparent systems.sentence permalink

In summary: we agree on more than we disagree on.sentence permalink

While I do not want to trivialise the challenges, I believe we can meet them.sentence permalink

***

We need to decide where we want to be, by the end of 2014.sentence permalink

During these next two days I will be breathing down everybody's neck until we have a discussion on concrete actions.sentence permalink

So two days of dialogue please, not a string of monologues.sentence permalink

This is what open and democratic debate should be: we listen, we discuss, and then we reach real decisions.sentence permalink

I'm looking forward to that.

Thank you.