Expert Group Meeting on Regional Cooperation on Follow-up to WSIS and ICT4D 30 November

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Expert Group Meeting on Regional Cooperationon
Follow-up to WSIS and ICT4D30 November 1
December 2006BangkokThe role of regional
cooperation in theachievement of WSIS targets
Presentation by Mr. Guennadi M. FedorovChief,
ICT Policy SectionInformation, Communication
andSpace Technology DivisionUNESCAP
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• CONTENTS
• WSIS and Regional Cooperation
• WSIS Targets
• Achievement of WSIS Targets
• Regional Diversity and Complementarity
• Regional Partnership of Agencies
• Subregional Initiatives
• Regional Action Plan
• Suggestions for Regional Cooperation

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WSIS Process

• 1. Geneva Phase 2003
• Declaration of Principles, Plan of Action
• Tokyo Declaration AP Perspective on WSIS,
  January 2003. 47 Governments, 55 private sector,
  116 NGOs
• 2. Tunis Phase 2005
• Commitment, Agenda for IS
• Tehran Declaration on Building IS, May-June 2005
• Regional Action Plan towards IS
• 3. Open Regional Dialogue on IG
• (questionnaires in 12 languages, online
  discussion, regional conferences)

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WSIS on Regional Cooperation

• Geneva Declaration of Principles
• We agree that all stakeholders should work to
  encourage international and regional cooperation
  (para 19)
• Regional integration contributes to the
  development of the global IS and make strong
  cooperation within and among regions
  indispensable (para 62)

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Geneva Plan of Action ? Develop and
strengthen regional broadband infrastructure
(para 9.d)? Promote regional cooperation in
capacity building (para 11.m)? Cultural
diversity and identity base on regional and
international cooperation (para 23)? Regions
should develop tools for statistical information
on IS (para 28.f)? Invite international and
regional organizations to assist all levels of
developing countries taking into account the
importance of regional initiatives (para 26.c)

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Tunis Commitment

• Reaffirms the commitment to leveraging ICT
  capabilities and potential through fostering and
  strengthening cooperation at the regional level
  (para 30)

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Tunis Agenda for IS
Regional cooperation in infrastructure (para
27), disaster reduction (para 51), cyber security
(para 39), multi-stakeholder participation
(para 97)Support regional efforts aimed at
building IS and cooperation within and among
regions. Regional cooperation should contribute
to national capacity building and to the
development of regional implementation strategies
(para 86)

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Tunis Agenda for IS
(continued)Affirm the exchange of views and
sharing of effective practices and resources is
essential at the regional level (para 87)

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Tunis Agenda for IS
(continued)At regional level (para
101)(a) Regional inter-governmental
organizations carry out WSIS implementation
activities, exchanging information and best
practices, facilitate policy debate(b) UN
Regional Commissions may organize regional WSIS
follow-up activities, assist in the development
of regional strategies and the implementation
of the outcomes of regional conferences.

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WSIS Targets

• 1. To be achieved by 2005
• National e-strategies
• 2. To be achieved by 2015
• Connect (a) villages (b) universities and
  schools
• (c) S R centres (d) libraries (e) health
  centres
• (f) local and central government departments
• Adapt (g) primary school curricula
• Encourage (h) development of content
• Ensure (i) all access to radio and TV (j) half
  the world access to ICT

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WSIS Targets

• Action Line
• C.1 The role of public governance authorities
  and
• all stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for
• development
• C.2 Information and communication infrastructure
• C.3. Access to information and knowledge
• C.4 Capacity building
• C.5 Building confidence and security in the use
  of
• ICTs
• C.6 Enabling environment

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WSIS Targets

• Action Line (continued)
• C.7 ICT Applications
• ? E-government
• ? E-business
• ? E-learning
• ? E-health
• ? E-employment
• ? E-environment
• ? E-agriculture
• ? E-science

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WSIS Targets

• Action Line (continued)
• C.8 Cultural diversity and identity, linguistic
• diversity and local content
• C.9 Media
• C.10 Ethical dimensions of the Information
• Society
• C.11 International and regional cooperation

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Achievement of WSIS Targets

• National Strategies
• 1. Almost all have national strategies
• 2. Lack of updated national policy and
• regulatory framework
• 3. Lack of implementation mechanism and
• coordination at regional level
• 4. Lack of financial and human resources

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Achievement of WSIS Targets National ICT plans,
2006
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Achievement of WSIS Targets

• 1. Surveys during conferences in Suva, Bali,
• and Kathmandu
• 2. Questionnaires (i) already achieved
• (ii) easy to achieve (iii) may be achieved
• with extensive efforts (iv) impossible
• to achieve
• 3. Pacific (i) relative easy to achieve
• connectivity to villages, educational
  institutions,
• S T, cultural, health centers and
  governmental
• departments (ii) unlikely have access to radio
  and TV
• (iii) difficulty in local content.

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Achievement of WSIS Targets

• 1. South-East and East Asia
• (i) easy connectivity to villages,
  educational,
• S R, cultural, health centers,
• governmental departments
• (ii) others difficulty or required extensive
• efforts
• 2. South and South-West Asia
• (i) difficult to access all villages and
• schools

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Achievement of WSIS Targets

• 1. Common problems
• ? Lack of resources financial and
• human
• ? Geographical conditions energy supply
• ? Illiteracy and local languages
• 2. The analyses of the survey was incorporated
• in the Regional Action Plan

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Regional Diversity and Complementarity

• Regional unique features (Tokyo Declaration)
• A. Geographic and demographic diversity
• B. Cultural and linguistic diversity
• C. Economic disparities
• D. Institutional stability
• E. Productive workforce
• F. Gender issues
• G. Disability issues
• H. Youth issues

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Regional Diversity and Complementarity

• Regional unique features (Tokyo Declaration)
• (continued)
• I. Imbalance of information flows
• J. Pioneering role in selected ICT areas
• K. Special circumstances of regional small
  islands
• developing countries
• L. Negotiating power of least developed,
  land-locked
• developing and small island developing
  countries
• M. Natural disasters.

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Regional Diversity and Complementarity

• Digital divide
• Among countries
• Within countries
• Among social groups
• Reflects social and economic disparities
• Create digital opportunities Asia and Pacific
  Training Center (Incheon)

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Regional Diversity and Complementarity Connectivit
y in Asia and the Pacific
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Regional Diversity and Complementarity

1. ICT allows fragmentation of production and
   service process
2. Flow of FDI related to ICT productionBring
   capital, technology, access to markets
3. ICT industries created in many countries with FDI

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Regional Diversity and Complementarity

1. Complementarity in ICT outsourcing
2. Complementarity between software and hardware
   producers
3. Complementarity in consultancy services
4. Complementarity in HRD (brain drain and return of
   experts)

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Regional Partnership of Agencies

• Regional Interagency Working Group
• on ICT
• Established in 2001
• Coordination at the regional level
• Ensuring synergy in achieving MDGs
• Regional preparation and follow-up to WSIS
• Participated in development of Regional Action
  Plan

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Regional Partnership of Agencies

• Partners
• ITU Regional Office
• APT created in 1979 (around 35 members and
  associate) Bangkok Agenda (2004)
• UNESCAP
• UNESCO Bangkok (ICT Education)
• ADB (66 members)

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Subregional Initiatives

• 1. Association of Southeast Asia
  nations? established in 1967, 500 million
  people? inter-operability and
  inter-connectivity of national
  telecommunication equipment (ASEAN
  Telecommunications Regulators
• Council)
• South Asia Association for Regional
  Cooperation? established in 1985? SAARC Plan
  of Action on Telecommunication

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Subregional Initiatives (continued)

• 3. Economic Cooperation Organization? establishe
  d in 1985, 10 countries? Directorate of
  Transport and Communication
• 4. South Pacific Forum? established in
  1972? Forum Communication Action
  Plan? Pacific Telecommunication Council

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Subregional Initiatives

• 1. GMS Subregional Telecommunication Forum? GMS
  Information Superhighway Network
  (ISN)? Implementation Group of ISN (2005)
• Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation? Business
  facilitation? APEC (begins as informal
  Ministerial level dialogue (22 members)
• CIS Regional Commonwealth in the Field
• of Communication? After the disintegration of
  USSR

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Regional Action Plan

• Translate WSIS outcomes into regional dimensions
• Top-down approach along action lines of WSIS,
  MDGs
• Bottom-up approach, regional and subregional
  conferences, working groups
• 600 individuals, 50 governments, NGOs and private
  sector

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Regional Action Plan

• C.11 International and Regional
• Cooperation
• Objective (a) Strengthen cooperation for
  bridging the digital divide
• Expected output Increase investment in ICT
  infrastructure, capacity-building, policy
  framework, local content and applications
• Action Networking of R D, centers of
  excellences

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Regional Action Plan

• C.11 International and Regional
• Cooperation (continued)
• Objective (b) Promote public/private
  partnership
• Expected output Increase partnership among
  governments, NGOs, the private sector and
  international organizations. Partnership in
  cross-sectoral ICT projects
• Action Promotion partnerships by citing best
  practices case studies

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Regional Action Plan

• C.11 International and Regional
• Cooperation (continued)
• Objective (c) International and Regional
  organizations mainstream ICTs in the work
• Expected output Greater role of International
  and Regional institutions, including funds, in
  integrating ICT in development
• Action ICT projects prioritized and financial
  assistance to ICT infrastructure requested

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Suggestions for Regional Cooperation

• Sharing Experiences and Best
• Practices
• Use of ICT for achieving MDGs. (community
  e-centers, e-commerce, e-government, e-health,
  e-education)
• Creation of enabling and integrated policy
  framework (national coordination, convergence,
  public policy issues of Internet)
• Financing ICT (universal access obligation funds)

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Suggestions for Regional Cooperation

• Infrastructure
• Regional Broadband Initiatives (Bangkok Agenda,
  2004)
• Subregional Initiatives (GMS)
• Space technology for Pacific islands
• Trans-Asia Railway and Highway Networks

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Suggestions for Regional Cooperation

• Policy Cooperation
• Harmonization of e-commerce policies
  (e-contract, e-signature, conflict resolution)
• Cooperation in information security and combating
  cyber crime
• Measuring ICT for development
• ICT investment promotion policies

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Suggestions for Regional Cooperation

• Content Cooperation
• Databases for Local Content (Agriculture,
  education, training and health)
• Multi-lingualism (Common or similar languages)

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Suggestions for Regional Cooperation

• Capacity building and partnership
• APCICT
• ITU Subregional Centers of Excellency
• Interagency Working Group
• Regional Network of Global Alliance for ICT for
  Development

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Suggestions for Regional Cooperation

• Complementarity
• FDI in ICT
• Complementarity in software and hardware
• Consultancy services
• Capacity building in ICT (AIT)

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• Thank you