- I speak here today with considerable pleasure because what we have established over the past day and a half are a number of very important points about e-commerce. Let us remind ourselves what the issues are:-
- It is a global issue
- It is happening
- It affects all parts of the economy - and society
- It affects the wealth and well-being of all our citizens
- What we?ve agreed is that this requires a new approach, from governments, from business, from consumers and other bodies and other bodies and from of course the international organisations.
- This means a new approach geographically, involving all the major economies, and, also a point which has been made over the past one and a half days, not just OECD members. We must look beyond ourselves to all major economies if we are truly to create a borderless world.
- It also means a new approach politically.
- We are all now agreed that we cannot approach this subject simply in terms of either Government or business leadership. Nor is it a case of either an economic or a social agenda: they are complementary aspects of the same thing.
- What we?ve actually been talking about in very many different ways is finding a new political approach - a "third way" - a partnership between all interests.
- Indeed, as an industry spokesman said yesterday the service providers themselves want a partnership between public and private sectors, and, absolutely vitally, a broader dialogue with consumers.
- As Mary O?Rourke, the Irish Minister, said so well yesterday, our job is to look at this with a political eye and to recognise that what we?ve all been discussing is not a technological issue, not about what is the latest bit of equipment, but is essentially a human issue.
- As Mary said, the crucial thing about electronic commerce is that it is a powerful, egalitarian, democratic tool. It really does have the capacity to revolutionise the relationship between business and consumers, and between business, consumers and governments, and we must look at it in this context.
- In order to have an egalitarian society you cannot have people who are excluded from the process because they cannot access the new technology. If we don?t make it inclusive, we won?t have an Information Society but a society of information haves and have-notes. I am absolutely determined not to let this happen.
- If you are a business, can you afford to have people who, because of their lack of access, are outlawed, either as consumers or as the skilled workforce of tomorrow? This is not just a consumer or government issue, but an issue for business as well.
- What does this political leadership involve for us as Governments?
- Let me give you some very practical examples:
- It means that we have to challenge our notions of the way business is done.
- There will, for example, be no such thing as the old divisions between small, medium and large companies. These distinctions will also disappear - this revolution will do me out of a job!
- There will only be a world in which companies will - or will not - have the products, the services and the skills needed to access worldwide markets.
- A company?s competence, not its location or its size, will be the crucial issue.
- That means we as governments, we have to avoid creating that divided society.
- This means that governments and business have a shared interest in ensuring that consumers are involved because, as was so rightly said yesterday, without satisfying the consumer you won?t have any business anyway.
- That means Governments themselves becoming model users, both purchasing, and offering their own services to the public, on-line
- Above all, this means continuing to talk to each other so that we learn from each other?s best practice
- Now what has been clear is that we do have slightly different views on how the public and private sectors should interact - and that?s OK! We ought to understand that
- We can be flexible about how we reach our shared goals. Differences in legal systems, institutions and cultural and political factors can all influence the best approach for each particular country.
- I have just published in the UK a document called "Net Benefit" setting out the action agenda for the UK. I hope it will be useful in all sorts of ways - not least as a mouse mat. Something practical to take away.
- Let me give some other practical examples of what we have achieved in the UK:
- We heard yesterday from David Kerr about the Internet Watch Foundation. As he said this is an informal partnership between Internet service providers, Government and Police to enhance public trust in the Net by dealing with illegal and offensive content. If we don?t deal with this we have not only let down consumers, let down parents and let down children but will have let down the good name of the Internet.
- And yesterday the UK Alliance for Electronic Business announced a business initiative to create a global trust services infrastructure for electronic commerce.
- Both need international partners to really succeed. The IWF is a founding member of the Internet Content Rating Alliance while the AEB has already found counterparts in Spain and Belgium.
- I hope that other countries will follow the lead of the IWF. It?s organisations like this, working internationally, which are truly creating that borderless, "interconnected" world.
- I would also briefly like to comment on the Action Plan for Business. I was really impressed by the wealth of different approaches and initiatives described in that document.
- It is a long document, and it will take some digesting. But I would urge colleagues to take this Action Plan away with them, to study it, to hold the private sector to their proposals - and also to urge them to come and knock on Government doors in pursuit of their plans.
- I can?t avoid mentioning here one very serious cloud on the horizon: the Millennium Bug, or Year Two Thousand problem.
- I simply want to add my voice as strongly as I can to that of Secretary Daley and others in stressing the seriousness and urgency of the problem.
- It is a truism to talk of globalisation and the networked world. But we are independent. We do have a collective interest in avoiding computer malfunctions on the first day of the next millennium.
- It may be in your neighbour?s apartment, but if his washing machine floods, your carpets will still get wet! We need to act, and need to act swiftly.
Conclusion
- The conference marks the end of an exploratory phase of discussion about approaches and general principles. In years to come we will look on this day and a half as a body of work well done.
- My, and our, thanks go to John Manley and all his team and to the OECD Secretariat for getting us there so efficiently and, may I say John, with such warm Canadian hospitality.
- We now have a large amount of shared territory mapped out now, territory shared not just among governments but with users and business.
- What comes next requires a change in gear, a move away from broad talk to detailed collaboration and work between all those with an interest in the future of e-commerce.
- Let?s be realistic about it - there are no quick, easy fixes.
- We are all going to have to work hard through a variety of channels to make this virtual world a reality.
- What we need is a leap of faith - not only from those who are represented here today but, more particularly, from all those millions of people out there who have never ever touched a computer keyboard.
- They
are the people who are absent from this conference, but they are crucial to making the reality of a truly borderless world come alive.
- I am speaking here today on behalf of my OECD ministerial colleagues. I want to leave you with one thought. There are lots of challenges for business and consumers. But the biggest challenge is for governments to transform themselves and that is the challenge I would like to leave with you.
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