India, New Zealand sign agreement for cooperation in IT

NEW DELHI: India and New Zealand have signed an agreement on

institutionalizing a framework for cooperation and bilateral collaboration in

the Information Technology sector. The agreement will focus primarily in

facilitating partnership in technology and services within the IT sector.






The agreement while recognizing the potential for extensive trade between the
two countries in the IT sector, underlines the need to tap opportunities in a

more focussed and comprehensive manner. The scope of cooperation between the two

countries will focus on e-commerce, consumer protection policies, Internet

applications, cross-border issues such as cyber-crimes, intellectual property

rights, privacy and security applications of e-commerce and information

industries.

The agreement was signed between Pramod Mahajan, Minister of Parliamentary

Affairs, Information Technology and Communications and Paul Swain, Minister of

Information Technology, Communications and Commerce, Government of New Zealand.

A key aspect of the agreement pertains to the identification of the channels

and forums through which the policy deliverables would be appropriately placed.

The agreement will facilitate trade in the information industry, goods and

services including standards and conformance issues and removal of trade

barriers.

The agreement would also explore the scope of development of joint programs

designed to facilitate investment, joint ventures and business network

activities in IT, telecommunications, e-commerce, education and other knowledge

based industries. The understanding also focuses on exchange of information in

areas such as intellectual property rights, digital signatures and public key

infrastructures.






In order to facilitate a long sustaining partnership, the broad understanding in
the Agreement would also encompass exchange of information on legal, regulatory

and policy approaches highlighting the needs of the IT industry.

The agreement is an important bilateral initiative to promote cooperation not

only between Government institutions but also through like minded knowledge

based industries, business interests and knowledge promoting educational

institutions. A key focus in this regard would be the stress on advance

communication technologies, software and multi-media content development and IT

enabled services.

The agreement specifically underlines the need to promote bilateral

understanding of regulatory approaches being pursued in both the countries. It

is believed that this understanding is necessary to promote trade and business

networks between the information industry companies of both the countries.

The agreement has been inked for a period of five years. It attempts also to

promote this initiative at regional and international levels for facilitating

further cooperation in critical sectors of Information Technology. The

Departments identified in the Agreement as the apex institutions for

facilitating the process are the Ministry of Information Technology, on behalf

of Government of India and the Ministry of Economic Development on behalf of the

Government of New Zealand.