ANNEX
G7 Opportunities for Collaboration
To strengthen international cooperation and collaboration and to achieve the actions in the G7
ICT Ministers’ Joint Declaration, G7 members seek to share information on the following
opportunities for collaboration where greater international cooperation could be an asset, and
encourage all G7 members to consider expanding collaboration on the following initiatives:
Promoting access to ICT
The United States welcomes collaboration on the Global Connect Initiative (GCI), a
multistakeholder effort with the goal of bringing an additional 1.5 billion people online
by 2020. The Global Connect Initiative promotes the notion that Internet infrastructure is
critical to economic development. Through it, stakeholders from governments,
international financial institutions, businesses, and civil society organizations work
together to encourage countries to integrate Internet connectivity in national development
strategies and to create policy environments that enable broadband deployment; to ensure
that international development institutions prioritize digital access; and to catalyze and
support innovative industry-driven solutions to extend connectivity. At the April 14
Global Connect Initiative High Level Event cohosted by the U.S. Department of State
and the World Bank, participants announced more than 65 new and ongoing initiatives
supporting connectivity with investment valued at over $20 billion. More information is
available here: https://share.america.gov/globalconnect/.
Japan welcomes collaboration on initiatives to promote quality ICT infrastructure and
share information on its development and deployment in accordance with Japan’s
Partnership for Quality Infrastructure (PQI). Specifically, Japan welcomes collaboration
on an international symposium to share knowledge and expertise about the development
of quality broadband infrastructure, taking into account the outcomes of the Global
Connect Initiative and discussion at the G7 ICT Minister’s Meeting in Takamatsu,
Kagawa, Japan.
Japan, Italy and Canada welcome collaboration on initiatives to improve ICT literacy
amongst children, which aims to promote safe and secure use of Internet by them.
Italy welcomes collaboration on initiatives that promote a fully usable and accessible
digitalization of cultural heritage to all. We encourage the G7 to promote capillary
digitalization of artifacts and sites. G7 members can work together with all the
stakeholder interested to be part of a common world digital platform accessible to all the
humanity. Furthermore, Italy strongly support the UNESCO recently approved initiative
on the United Nations' Blue Helmets protecting heritage sites around the world at
important sites at risk from terrorist attacks, or in war zones, or zones hit by natural
disasters.
Canada too welcomes collaboration that promotes the digitalization of history, such as
oral interviews, digitized artefacts, and memorabilia related to various global conflicts.
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