By Suzanna Kerridge, 24 July 2000 16:02
NEWS As the Okinawa G8 meeting drew to a close the leaders of the leading economic nations pledged to fight cybercrime, improve technology skills and build stable economies to enable all sectors of society to take advantage of the internet. The leaders of the G8 have drawn up a global charter for IT to help governments promote the wide-spread use of technology. In a statement, the G8 leaders said: "It is important to build on the following key foundation - a sound macroeconomic management to help businesses and consumers plan confidently for the future and exploit the advantages of new information technologies." Co-operation between public and private sectors is also crucial to developing the net economy, but the leaders insist governments need to create "an IT-friendly environment by avoiding undue regulatory interventions that would hinder productive private-sector initiatives." They also acknowledged that current legislation moves too slowly to keep up with the pace of technology. The leaders said governments should "ensure that IT-related rules and practices are responsive to revolutionary changes in economic transactions, while taking into account the principles of effective public-private sector partnership, transparency and technological neutrality. The rules must be predictable and inspire business and consumer confidence." Closing the gap between the countries that 'have' technology and those that 'have not' was also noted as a priority. The leaders admitted that "one-size does not fit all" and that developing nations need help to provide the electricity, phone lines and backbone infrastructure required to link to the internet.
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