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Key documents

 

E-voting

. Recommendation Rec (2004)11 on legal,

  operational and technical standards for

  e-voting

. E-voting handbook - implementation of

  e-enabled elections

. Guidelines on certification of e-voting

  systems

. Guidelines on transparency of e-enabled

  elections

. Reports of biennial Reviews 2008 and

  2010

. Council of Europe studies on e-voting

. National developments on e-voting

 

E-democracy

. Recommendation (2009)1 on

  e-democracy and Explanatory

  memorandum

  (PdF version   -  Word version)

. Practical tools to Rec(2009)1

. Glossary of technical terms in the field

  of electronic democracy

 

Internet governance

. Recommendation (2004)15 and

  explanatory memorandum

 

UN WSIS/ IGF

Texts submitted by the Council of Europe

for:

. IGF 2010

. IGF 2009

. IGF 2008

. WSIS 2005

. WSIS 2003

 

Internet literacy

Internet literacy handbook

 

 

 

Publications

 

 

 

Useful external links

 

. E-voting

. E-democracy

. Internet governance

. Internet literacy

. Media & elections

 


World Summit on the Information Society
Tunis, 16-18 November 2005

Speech by Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, Deputy Secretary General
of the Council of Europe

Delivered at the Seventh Plenary Session of the WSIS

Chairman,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

The technologies which drive the Information Society are not fundamentally good or bad – they are what we make of them. They can help us learn, create and heal, but they can also hurt and destroy our dignity and our freedom. The Internet can be a powerful vehicle of democracy in countries where, regrettably, censorship remains a rule enforced, if necessary by street thugs.

You, the leaders of the world are gathered today to pledge making digital technologies a positive force for the future. On behalf of the Council of Europe, the pan-European human rights and democracy Organisation representing 46 states and 800 million people, I invite you to go beyond the words and establish policies and instruments for an Information Society based on Human Rights, democracy, rule of law, social cohesion, cultural diversity and trust between individuals and between peoples.

Two years ago, the First Phase of this World Summit in Geneva made an important step in recalling the primacy of Human Rights in the Information Society. But Human Rights and freedoms are much more than declaratory statements. In Europe, the state is accountable for its actions and omissions which breach its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights. This instrument, enforceable in 46 states, remains fully valid in the information age.

Europe offers a cutting edge instrument to combat crime committed on, through or against computer systems – the Council of Europe Cybercrime Convention. The Convention is open to all countries in the world - in fact, many regional meetings preceding this Summit encouraged states join the Convention and adopt laws which follow its standards. I call upon you to confirm this appeal in the Tunis Commitment. The Cybercrime convention is a unique international binding instrument for the security of the Information Society. It is a resource which becomes more valuable the wider it is shared. Let’s not lose precious time - we all need to act under a single treaty to combat borderless cybercrime!

The Information Society is clearly in need of a global governance mechanism. The Council of Europe, with its unchallenged Human Rights expertise, political consultation structures, and solid relationship with civil society, must be party to discussions undertaken at every step of the way concerning Internet Governance and Human Rights.

But amidst important discussions regarding structures, processes and mechanisms, let us not forget that the Information Society is ultimately driven by people. People are the backbone of the Information Society: by empowering and educating them – not only in e-literacy but also in democracy literacy and human rights literacy – we will be making the most crucial investment we can make to the world we live in to be passed on to future generations.