Summary of Informal Panel Discussion

Panel held 18 June 2002 at the Meeting of the General Assembly devoted to information and communication technologies for development

“H.E. Mr. Jean-David Levitte, Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations and Vice-President of the General Assembly chaired this panel, and the Moderator was H.E. Mr. Anwarul Chaudhury, High Representative of the Secretary-General for Least Developed Countries.

Issues

Presenters and participants in this panel engaged in a wide-ranging discussion aimed at better understanding the situation and opportunities and constraints in Africa and the further steps that the United Nations system could undertake. Speakers focused on the value the UN could add to the equation. They noted that, taking into account the multi-faceted involvement of the UN, it becomes important to think how best to use its the equitable rules of the organisation.

During the discussions a convergence of interests became evident, among speakers representing major corporations, foundations, governments, entrepreneurships, and other institutions. The common interest is to engage and invest where productive outcomes are possible, and it was evident that despite difficulties for ICT in Africa, numerous opportunities could be identified, particularly in Africa. It was recognized that international donor assistance would be a supplement, helping to shape capacities and policies, but that the driving force for ICT expansion would necessarily be derived from the realities of commerce, investment, and business and government requirements. Speakers declared that it is possible to see in Africa a sense of emerging accomplishment and to say that in a sense Africa is at the cutting edge of the challenges for leveraging development through ICT.

Opportunities

Despite the many indicators showing Africa at a disadvantage, speakers pointed out the economic opportunities already being grasped and the potential for further growth as the advantages of ICT become more widespread. The role of government was seen as best focusing on four elements: working with investors for connectivity; helping to make the population digitally competent; supporting local content development; and convincing people that internet and ICT can change lives and leading in this by example.

Speakers thought that the opportunities for the UN system might best be identified as

• helping to shape global policy making;


• promoting dialogue and commitment in such settings as the ICT Task Force, the World Economic Forum Task Force, the CEO Charter, etc.;


• supporting capacity building in country settings to enable greater competence in performance and in negotiation with investors and vendors; and


• encouraging a greater sense of partnership among government, private sector, and civil society actors to work together for mutual advantage. Ambassador Chaudhury reminded participants of the experience of the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, showing that ICT can be relevant and profitable to even the poorest of the poor. The UN can help African and the Least Developed Countries to put technology at the service of development by building capacity, fostering innovation, building partnerships, and coordinating funding. NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa’s Development) initiative is an example of how this can be done.

Constraints and Challenges

Speakers recognized the tremendous constraints and challenges facing Africa in ICT. These included sometimes almost overwhelming infrastructure and institutional needs and high costs of telephone and internet connections, service, and maintenance. Some speakers felt that government-owned telecommunications monopolies should be deregulated, as they felt that market forces would stimulate innovation and a reduction of costs. Another problem was the very size of the economy and the market in many African countries, which gave difficulties owing to small scale in relation to costs. Another challenge was the stimulation of ICT-related local industries including through public/private and private/private partnerships. This required additional work for a conducive policy and regulation environment and encouragement of an optimistic outlook

Conclusions

Speakers recognized that ICT can be used for various purposes, including human development (in health and education), promotion of good governance and human rights. But these goals need to be articulated by appropriate strategies and policies for poverty eradication and development. The UN role in this respect is to help developing countries to develop policies and strategies for the creation of an enabling environment, capable of taking full advantage of ICT potentials.

Inclusion and partnership have both been identified as two very important aspects of the ICT process. Genuine and sustainable partnerships are based on vision and goals shared by all stakeholders. Their involvement is thus essential to ensure the integration of a variety of dimensions related to ICT introduction and expansion, in particular education, entrepreneurship and policy. The UN can play an important role in bridging and coordinating and integrating initiatives taking place at various levels involving all these dimensions.”

Resources:

This article is republished with the kind permission of the UN ICT Task Force.

• UN ICT Task Force http://www.unicttaskforce.org


• UN http://www.un.org