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.