WSIS Declaration of Principles, Paragraph 44:
Standardization is one of the essential building blocks of the Information Society. There should be particular emphasis on the development and adoption of international standards. The development and use of open, interoperable, non-discriminatory and demand-driven standards that take into account needs of users and consumers is a basic element for the development and greater diffusion of ICTs and more affordable access to them, particularly in developing countries. International standards aim to create an environment where consumers can access services worldwide regardless of underlying technology.
Documents

DCOS Publications 

Workshop submission for IGF 2008: Knowledge as a Global Public Good: How Fair Use, Open Source and ICT Standards Can Expand Digital Inclusion  

Workshop submission for IGF 2008:  Reforming the International ICT Standardization System

IGF 2007 Reporting Back summary of DCOS activities at IGF 2007Draft Open Standard PrinciplesDCOS General Statement published at IGF Athens, October 2006.DCOS Government Policy and Procurement Statement best practices for government policies and procurement to support broader information access, published at IGF Athens, October 2006.DCOS May 2007 Contribution to Open Consultations, May 2007. Other PublicationsOpen Documents and Democracy: A Political Basis for Open Document Standards by Laura DeNardis and Eric Tam from the Yale Information Society Project. This paper employs democratic theory as a method of political and ethical inquiry into the implications of openness in information and communication standards, with a particular emphasis on the importance of open electronic government documents.Submission for IGF 2007 Open Workshop A .pdf version can be found hereSubmission for IGF Synthesis PaperA Positive Role for Government Procurement in Promoting Open IT Standards, the Network Effect and the Information Society. A .pdf version can be found here. This paper was contributed for discussion to the inaugural Internet Governance Forum in August, 2006.Report written by National Assembly Deputy Bernard Carayon and commissioned by French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, On Equal Terms. Report is on value of IT standards in economic development and a call for the French government to standardize on the Open Document Format.Report written by Ramboll Management on behalf of Foreningen for Open Source Leverandorer i Danmark (The association for open source suppliers in Danmark) on estimated cost savings of the Danish central government from implementing Open Document Format.Estimates of the Costs of Implementing Office Open XML and Open Document Format in the Central GovernmentProfessor Rishab Ghosh, University of Maastricht, An Economic Analysis of Open StandardsU.S. Committee for Economic Development, Open Standards, Open Source, and Open Innovation: Harnessing the Beneifts of Openness