New US Ambassador Hamamoto Highlights Internet Governance, Ebola, IP

Newly arrived United States Ambassador to the UN in Geneva Pamela Hamamoto last week met with journalists for the first time by highlighting internet governance and Ebola, with a mention of intellectual property rights, among other issues.

Hamamoto, addressing a media luncheon at the US mission in Geneva on 5 September, said she just arrived back from the 2-5 September Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Istanbul (IPW, Information and Communications Technology, 8 September 2014).

Her remarks reflected the rising global attention to a multi-stakeholder approach to internet governance issues.

“The US is committed to defending an inclusive multi-stakeholder approach to the internet, one in which the voices of civil society, academia and business are all heard — not just governments,” she said. “There are some governments who don’t want those other voices to be heard so the results of this debate will have very serious consequences. They are also related to a whole nexus of other issues such as cyber security, freedom of expression, and privacy. We are engaged on all of these fronts.”

Hamamoto, who arrived over the summer, said she also attended last week’s launch of an internet governance initiative at the Geneva-based World Economic Forum that is seeking to take on board the NetMundial initiative undertaken earlier this year by Brazil and many others.

And among a list of the many of other activities the US mission follows in Geneva, she mentioned the World Intellectual Property Organization.

“We are actively engaged in protecting intellectual property rights at WIPO which encourages the development of innovations and new technologies in every field and reinforces the foundation for economic development in the developing world,” she said. “Again, touching the lives of ordinary people in so many ways.”