With societies facing unprecedented economic challenges, the need for governments to invest in long-term growth to secure the future has never been greater. Information and communications technology (ICT) holds enormous potential to create jobs, increase productivity, and launch a new era of sustainable economic growth. ICT can also help governments become more open and responsive to citizens and provide better public services at lower cost. Microsoft welcomes the opportunity to work closely with governments and other organizations to help achieve important economic and social goals.
Address societal challenges
Societies today face a number of unprecedented challenges: Improving healthcare and education, retraining workers for the 21st-century economy, achieving energy independence, and addressing climate change. Innovations in ICT, including powerful software, intelligent devices, and Internet-based services, can help societies and governments meet these challenges while also making public services more accessible, transparent, and responsive to citizens’ needs.
Promote a healthy online ecosystem
It is increasingly clear that the Internet is an ecosystem. Like ecosystems in the natural world, the online ecosystem includes many participants - consumers, content creators, online publishers, advertisers, and network operators and service providers - whose activities and fortunes are deeply intertwined. Given the Internet’s important and growing role in all sectors of the economy and society, governments have a strong interest in ensuring that the online ecosystem evolves in ways that promote sustainable competition, innovation, and consumer choice. Governments can help:
Promote online competition
Empower users with choice and interoperability
Protect online privacy
Promote a trusted, safe, and secure Internet
Promote free expression
Increase access for people with disabilities
Promote innovative technology offerings
Ensure online intellectual property incentives
