The cities belonging to the Global Cities Dialogue network engage themselves to the fundamental ideas that:
- cities are extremely important in the process of developing a fair Information Society as they are the geographical, political, socio-economic and cultural entities where millions live, work and directly exercise their rights as citizens and consumers;
- the actual establishment and application of Information Society Technologies in our diverse societies have the potential to improve:
- the quality of life and work of individuals;
- the employment opportunities;
- the quality and cost-effectiveness of processes and services;
- the practice of government and democracy at all levels;
- the prospects of the social economy and sustainable development.
- there is a need for conscious steps in order to improve social cohesion and help to avoid the division between information-rich and information-poor citizens and communities both inside and between societies;
- the convergence and gradual globalisation of Information Society Technologies and Services need new forms of governance and co-operation;
- the early phases of development of the Information Society imply a learning process in which sharing experiences, results and know-how among cities will be most beneficial;
- the Global Cities Dialogue constitutes a most valuable initiative to expand the Information Society across the world, helping to reduce the existing gap;
- the Global Cities Dialogue provides an innovative mechanism for an informed interaction between cities and the private sector at local and global levels.
Relating to these principles, the GCD cities commit themselves to collaborating so as to:
- guarantee the implementation of the Information Society Technologies;
- nurture trust and confidence in the development of the Information Society, respecting the laws, traditions, languages and cultures of cities and countries, while fostering democratic participation, freedom of speech and privacy in the practice of electronic government;
- confrunt the low technological literacy, poor public access and shortage of skilled people that in many cities and countries represent a major obstacle to an equal-opportunity Information Society;
- encourage the sharing of know-how, results and experiences among cities in order to facilitate a local and global process of Information-Society learning and development;
- create and apply a programme of action that will further develop the Global Cities Dialogue network into an exciting and fruitful initiative for the Information Society;
- collaborate with similar initiatives so as to identify and exploit synergies for the benefit of citizens, communities, cities and the private sector locally and globally.
