India to host UN meet on Internet governance

New Delhi, Aug 14 (UNI) India will host the third United Nation's meet on Internet governance in Hyderabad from December 3 to 6.

With one billion people in the world already connected with the Internet, the agenda of meet include 'reaching the next billion', Ministry of Information Technology and Communication said today.

The theme also underlines the need to include world's 650 million people with disabilities in the target of giving Internet access to the next billion people, it added.

The meeting of Geneva-based Internet Governance Forum (IGF) of the United Nations is being held in Asia for the first time. Earlier meetings were were held in Athens in 2006 and in Rio-de-Janeiro in 2007.

On choice of India as the venue of the meet, the UN noted tremendous economic growth achieved by the country through harnessing Internet tools. The world body said, ''India's development through the application of information and communication technology has been truly astounding''.

The IGF provides a space for multi-stakeholder debate on cross cutting themes like critical Internet resources, access, diversity, openness and security. It facilitates a dialogue between organisations in charge of complementary aspects of Internet governance, identifies emerging issues and brings them to the attention of the public.

The Forum's role is to shape governance of Internet with a view to building of a people-centered, development-oriented and inclusive information society. It complements the theme of 'connecting people with disabilities' enshrined in the 2008 World Telecommunications and Information Society Day.

The meet also aims at promoting cyber-security and trust, managing critical Internet resources, and the Internet of tomorrow.

The Rio de Janeiro had taken up issues of protection of children and fight against child pornography.

About 1,400 delegates from governments, academia, industry and civil society, information technology companies, Internet service providers and information security professionals are expected to participate in the global event on 'Internet for All,' the Ministry added.

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