외교부

Seoul IT Declaration

We, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Heads of delegation of  the 30 Member countries of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), representing the Kingdom of Bahrain, the People's Republic of Bangladesh, the Kingdom of Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the People's Republic of China, the Republic of India, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Korea, the State of Kuwait, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Union of Myanmar, the Sultanate of Oman, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of the Philippines, the State of Qatar, the Russian Federation, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Singapore, the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, the Republic of Tajikistan, the Kingdom of Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam gathered here in Seoul, the Republic of Korea, on 4-5 June 2007, for the 6th ACD Ministerial Meeting.

Recalling that Asia is the cradle of the world's oldest civilizations and cultural heritages, in which we, as Asians, take great pride,

Renewing our commitment to restore the splendid glory of Asia's past history and to create the new age of Asian renaissance in the 21st century,

Expressing satisfaction that Asia continues to lead the world in economic growth and contributes to the development of the global economy,

Reaffirming our belief in Asia's collective wisdom and strength to overcome the obstacles on the road to prosperity and economic development in Asia,

Recognizing that the「Asia Cooperation Dialogue」serves as the crucial link to connect frameworks of regional cooperation in Asia and provides an informal and non-institutionalized forum for the Ministers of Asia to exchange views on matters of mutual interest,

Acknowledging the affirmative role of the ACD to promote multilateral cooperation in various fields and to strengthen mutual interaction among member countries in order to help improve the quality of life for the peoples of Asia,

Hoping that the ACD will develop into a more effective and relevant forum by implementing the constructive recommendations of the ACD「High-Level Study Group」, to be launched at the 6th Ministerial Meeting,

Noting that in the age of the ubiquitous information-communications technology, the majority of people in Asia still lack access to the basic benefits of IT, such as access to the Internet, thereby creating the 「Digital Divide」,

Recognizing the urgent need to bridge the「Digital Divide」, an impediment to IT development in the region, to allow all Member countries to gain benefit and progress from IT,

Recalling the intention to cooperate in the field of IT as expressed in previous ACD declarations including the 3rd ACD Ministerial Meeting in Qingdao, China in 2004; the 4th ACD Ministerial Meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan in 2005; and the 5th ACD Ministerial Meeting in Doha, Qatar in 2006,

Supporting the continuing efforts by ACD member countries to foster closer cooperation in the IT-related project areas in order to narrow the「Digital Divide」among ACD member countries,

Emphasizing the need for the ethical use of the Internet and other IT technologies, in accordance with the ethnic and traditional culture of Asian countries,

Recalling that information technologies and means can potentially be used for purposes that are inconsistent with the objectives of maintaining international stability and security and may adversely affect the integrity of the infrastructure of States to the detriment of their security in both civil and military fields as well as for criminal or terrorist purposes,

Recalling also the principles and approaches outlined in the final acts of the World Summit on the Information Society in particular the principle for building confidence and security in the use of information and communication technologies,

Do hereby declare that we will:

1.   Enhance and accelerate our efforts to help establish and improve the IT infrastructures in member countries, providing the necessary assistance to formulate IT-related strategies, policies, and systems towards a knowledge-based society.

2.  Promote the use of IT through education, training and human resource development, taking into account the specific needs of each country.

3.        Share knowledge and experiences in the process of IT development including policies and national strategies with member countries for sustainable growth and economic development.

4.   Support joint IT study and research projects among member countries while encouraging strong partnership in the IT field both at the government and private levels; In which the Asia e-University (AeU) platform could be effectively utilized to promote and facilitate such initiatives.

5.  Facilitate IT trade and investment in the region and strive to create an IT-friendly environment in the respective member countries;

6.   Encourage member countries to exchange views on IT cooperation and explore ways to bridge the「Digital Divide」in Asia;

7.   Strengthen collaboration among member countries in tackling the adverse effects of IT including but not limited to the use of the Internet for terrorist incitement and recruiting, cyber attacks, on-line piracy, and Internet addiction and other exercise of these effects to ensure security of individual, society and State.

8. Maximize the use of the ACD website, www.acddialogue.com, which has been renovated to serve as the key channel of communication and facilitate more interactive coordination among member countries in all cooperation areas under the ACD framework.

Adopted on 5 June 2007 in Seoul, the Republic of Korea.