Information and Communications Technologies ICT and Developing Countries Towards a Knowledgebased Ec

1
Information and Communications Technologies (ICT)
and Developing Countries - Towards a
Knowledge-based Economy

• Presentation at
• International Symposium on
• Information Technology and Development
  Cooperation
• by
• Hans dOrville
• Director, IT for Development Programme/UNDP
• Tokyo, 3 July 2000

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The global context the emerging new economy

• - A new economy takes hold in industrialised
  countries information and knowledge are
  replacing capital and energy as primary
  wealth-creating assets
• - it is embedded in globalisation which is driven
  by pervasive ICT and internet use, deregulation
  and an opening of markets as well as global trade
  expansion
• -

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New economy - contd

• new economy enjoys simultaneously low inflation
  and low unemployment (unfathomable in orthodox
  economics), rising wages, disappearing budget
  deficits
• - results in higher productivity and growth,
  increasingly attributable to IT sector

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New economy- characteristics

• a) Networked economy
• b) technological convergence
• c) realisation of leapfrog potential
• d) high quality of education
• e) Moores Law computer power doubles every 18
  months - i.e. between 1946 and 2002 a 1,000,000
  times increase
• f) everything that can be digitised will be
  digitised

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Flashpoint shape of thenew economy

• - enormous potential by 2004, global e-commerce
  will be worth US 6.9 trillion - with almost 90
  per cent of all online transactions made in only
  12 countries.
• - Asia and Pacific will be second most profitable
  market with value of US 1.6 trillion, of which
  US 1.5 trillion attributable to B2B (business to
  business)

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Dual aspects of the role of ICTs in economic
development

• The transformation of (both industrialised and
  developing) countries into knowledge-based
  economies and societies involves two distinct
  aspects
• 1. The transformation of a national economy so
  that ICTs is widely used in all production,
  delivery and management processes as well as
  services and a reshaping of the industrial
  (sectoral) structure to include IT-sector
  companies

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Dual role - contd

• 2. Use of ICTs as a tool for delivery of various
  services and applications, including distance
  learning, telehealth, e-commerce, e-governance
  and government-on-line etc.

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ICTs and national economies

• The integration of ICTs and their innovative
  power will
• determine the competitiveness of economies and
  corporations
• spawn new products and services, jobs and
  livelihoods
• affect the international division of labour
• generate new types of interaction (e.g.
  e-commerce) and new growth patterns.

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Overall objective building a knowledge-based
society

• The ultimate objective is
• To build a knowledge-based society and economy,
  i.e. a society/economy endowed with the ability
  and capacity to generate and capture new
  knowledge and to access, absorb, share and use
  efficiently information, knowledge, data,
  communications and best practises.
• Knowledge and information are viewed as a global
• public goods.

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The digital divide

• The term digital divide denotes enormous
• disparities in the ICT endowment/
• infrastructure, the capacity to use ICTs,
• affordable and equitable access to knowledge
• and information and suitable digital content.
• The divide leads to information poverty -
• between rich and poor, urban and rural
• people, men and women, young and old.

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ICTs and development

• 1. New dimension for international
• development cooperation helping
• developing countries to bridge the gap and
• to integrate ICTs effectively.
• 2. Realise the potential of ICTs as a cost-
• effective development tool and in the fight
• against poverty.

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• 3. empower all development partners and
  stakeholders through new participatory approaches
  and access to knowledge and information
• 3. strengthen outreach and advocacy to support
  for development and development assistance (e.g.
  NetAid).

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Comparative advantages of ICTs

• Compared to traditional technical
• assistance, ICTs
• - can reach more people simultaneously
• - allow deeper geographical penetration,
  especially to rural areas
• - deliver services faster and with higher
  quality
• - offer more diversified and adapted content,
  scope and scale

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UNDPs involvement in IT for development
programmes (IT4D)

• UNDP has been active at three distinct levels
• 1. Global IT programmes
• a) IT for Development Programme (US 2.524
  million for 1997-2000)
• b) Sustainable Development Network Programme
  (SDNP) (US 4 million for 1997-2000 US 4.7
  million for 1992-96) covering 42 countries
  complemented by US 6 million from other sources.

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Global programmes (contd)

• c) Small Island Developing States Network
  (SIDSNet) (US 1 million for period 1997-2000,
  including bilateral contributions) covering
  another 42 countries (AOSIS)
• d) TCDC - WIDE initiatives
• e) UN Volunteers (e-volunteers).

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Regional programmes

• Regional programmes
• 1. Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme
  (APDIP) - RBAP US 3.5 for 1997-2000 plus US
  5 million Y2K initiative funded by Japan in 1999
• 2. Internet Initiative for Africa - RBA US 4
  million for 1997-2000 (not including equivalent
  amount of government counterpart contributions)
  for 8 countries

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Regional programmes (contd)

• 3. Y2K project - RBA US 500,000 in 1999
• 4. RBA Internet workshops US 1 million in
  1996-1997
• 5. RBAS - preparatory workshop for a regional
  programme (1999 - US 300,000) the launch of
  regional IT initiative under preparation

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Regional programmes (contd)

• 6. RBLAC preparatory assistance for network for
  stable development of the Americas - 1998/1999
  US 700,000
• 7. RBEC plans for creation of IT resource centre
  in Bratislava

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Country programmes

• As the present ACC project classification
• system does not provide for IT projects it is
• virtually impossible to capture the range and
• volume of country-level IT projects and
• interventions.

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Country programmes (contd)

• Some notable projects have been reported for
• Mali, Estonia, Ukraine, India, Viet Nam,
• Philippines, South Africa, Malaysia, Brazil,
• Costa Rica, Jamaica, Mozambique, Benin.
• The total funds committed at the country level
• are substantial, yet hard to estimate (based
• on the info available, UNDP may well have
• commit in excess of US 15 million)

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• Detailed information on these programmes can be
  found at
• UNDPs INFO21 site at
• http//www.undp.org/info21
• UNDPs knowledgebroker site and development
  portal

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UNDPs strategy and approach

• UNDP past interventions in the ICT area
• correspond to an umbrella strategic
• approach, that can be expressed in a brief
• formula A 6 Cs
• Not every project has incorporated all areas and
  dimensions, but each
• activity described above fits into one of these
  elements.

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A Awareness, Advocacy, Vision-building and
Policy Strategic Advice

• raise awareness among decision-makers at all
  levels about the implications of the information
  and knowledge revolution and possible responses
• assist in formulating visions and strategies,
  including the adoption of effective policies,
  legal frameworks and action plans at local,
  national, regional and global levels

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CConnectivity and Access

• Affordable and equitable access to
  telecommunications infrastructure and services
  and to ICT hardware, software and networking
  facilities

An Atlas of Cyberspace from CyberAtlas
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CCapacity and Institution-building

• The introduction and effective use of ICTs
  requires institutional and human capacities
• Institutionally a sound framework with
  regulatory institutions to ensure equitable and
  nationwide access

Trainers at the Technologies Access Community
Centre (TACC) in Egypt
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CHuman Capacity-building

• to impart basic computer literacy
• to acquire web-browsing skills
• to learn desktop publishing and e-mail
  communications
• to operate servers
• to learn HTML/website creation skills
• to select and interpret information
• to perform dynamic digital management

• Computer Training Sessions
• at a telecentre in Ukraine
• to build technical
• servicing skills

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CContent Development and Cultural Diversity

• English dominates not only the Internet but also
  the CD-ROM and video markets
• considerable assistance must be extended to help
  create digital and other content with the
  necessary linguistic and cultural diversity and
  respect
• the provision of knowledge broker and solutions
  websites can offer one-stop shops for development
  partners to access information and knowledge

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CCreativity

• creativity and innovation is badly needed to
  connect the unconnected in terms of technical
  engineering and social engineering
• industry to be more responsive to needs and
  circumstances of developing countries (e.g.
  absence of electricity grid illiteracy)
• promote knowledge mining or harvesting
  techniques to capture indigenous knowledge
• social innovations, i.e. using digital community
  (tele)centres as hubs for IT access and
  applications

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CCommunications and Networking

• strengthen abilities to partake in activities and
  decision-making of a networked global economy
• impart select communications techniques that
  foster social empowerment, knowledge-sharing and
  networking, good governance, transparency and
  accountability

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CCash, Resources and Partnerships

• immense resources and required to enable
  developing countries to partake in the
  information revolution and to become a
  level-playing field actor in the global knowledge
  society
• magnitude of the challenge is such that no single
  organisation, government or corporation alone can
  cope
• hence, need for various partnerships, alliances
  and consortia (public-private, multi-bi
  partnerships, industry groups etc.)

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UNDP experience with IT partnerships

• UNDP programmes have entered into various
• types of partnerships with the private (IT)
• sector, both at the international and national
• levels.
• - Hewlett-Packard (SDNP-provision of servers for
  Mexico, China etc.)
• - Linux (provision of free software packages for
  SDNP focal points)

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UNDP IT partnerships (contd)

• - CISCO - networking academies
• - Corel software (for SDNP nodal points)
• - orientation.com - for creation of national
  content portals (SDNP)
• - national chambers of commerce (in Egypt and
  Ukraine for community telecentres)
• - Industry Canada for multimedia access center

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Other partnerships

• Other type of partnerships are being pursued
• a) on a UN interagency-basis, e.g. with UNESCO,
  ITU, UNCTAD (e-commerce), infoDevWBI/World Bank,
  UNRISD
• b) with national organisations such as the
  Insitute for International Communications and
  Development (IICD), MIMOS of Malaysia, USAID,
  Swiss Development Cooperation

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Other partnerships (contd)

• With organisations like World Times, Boston in
  the conduct of policy workshops
• through the Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP),
  bringing together some 60 multilateral,
  bilateral, private sector and civil society
  organisations
• with NGOs/Civil Society Organisations, like ASAFE
  (womens entrepreneur network in Africa)

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UNDPs pilot projects with multimedia community
(tele)centres

• The creation of telecentres/multimedia access
  points
• and their use as a hub for community access,
• capacity-building and content development
• (especially in rural areas) represents a major
• paradigm shift away from individual connectivity
  to
• community connectivity.
• Telecentres must be community-based, community
• run and community-owned
• Successful UNDP pilots have been conducted in
• Egypt, Ukraine, Burkina Faso, South Africa,
• Honduras, Jamaica, Mozambique

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UNDPs future orientation upstream policy advice

• UNDP as an upstream, policy-focused
• organisation that seeks to help developing
• countries build capacity to meet the needs of
• the poor will henceforth
• 1. Articulate ADVOCACY and sound ADVICE combined
  with carefully selected PILOT PROGRAMMES
  underpinned by a range of strategic PARTNERSHIPS

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• 2. Focus on CONNECTIVITY and COMPETITION combined
  with EDUCATION and ENTREPRENEURSHIP

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Upstream policy advice

• upstream, high-level policy advice at the country
  level will be aimed at creating an enabling
  policy environment for building a viable national
  information infrastructure, stimulating
  investment and entrepreneurship and securing
  affordable and equitable access

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E-readiness

• national e-readiness reviews and assessments
• to determine level of IT endowment,
• connectivity, institutional and human
• capacities and skills as well as digital content
• availability

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Thinking Big

• Mainstreaming and scaling of pilots, in
• particular telecentres (viz. also Millennium
• Report by UN Secretary-General suggesting
• United Nations Technology Corps/UNITeS,
• spearheaded by UN Volunteer Programme, a
• Health Internetwork lead by WHO and
• WebMD Foundation, and an emergency/
• disaster network, led by UN/OCHA and
• Ericsson

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E-governance

• Enhancing the delivery of government
• services and info through ICTsstrengthening
• accountability and transparency of
• government actions launching of new
• participatory mechanisms strengthening city
• governance fostering decentralisation
• processes strengthening countries capacity
• to participate in international internet
• governance and IPR regimes

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Other initiatives

• intensification of networking and
  knowledge-sharing among communities and within
  countries
• e-commerce
• IT-based advocacy (e.g. Netaid)
• forging of public-private partnership

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Building international consensus and action the
accelerating international ICT agenda

• Global Knowledge for Development Conference II,
  Kuala Lumpur (March 2000)
• European Summit - eEurope, Lisbon Feira,
  Portugal (23-24 March May 2000)
• UN Secretary-Generals Millennium Report (27
  March 2000 - UN doc A/54/2000)
• PALM-Pacific Island Summit - Miyazaki, Japan (24
  April 2000)

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International Agenda - contd

• UN-GA High-level Panel of Experts on ICT - New
  York (17-20 April 2000)
• South Summit of Group of 77 - Havana (May 2000)
• ECOSOC - High-level Segment (67 July 2000 - UN
  doc E/2000/52)
• G8 Summit - Kyushu-Okinawa, Japan (21-23 July
  2000)

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• Millennium Summit of UN General Assembly - early
  September 2000