'No country's an island' opens OECD Forum

In the opening speech of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) conference, Peter Costello, Australian Treasurer and chair of the OECD ministerial council meeting, said countries could no longer quarantine themselves against international development.

The 29 member countries of the OECD began a three-day meeting in Paris today to discuss the effect of the Internet on the global economy.

Issues under discussion include consumer privacy and protection on the internet, establishing secure networks and building international systems for authentication and certification.

Speakers include Bill Joy, CEO at Sun Microsystems, and Bernard Vegnes, chairman of Microsoft EMEA.