The DOT Force has established a secretariat and has a defined membership. The duties of the secretariat are to prepare the substantive agenda and background materials for DOT Force meetings; prepare successive outlines and drafts of the DOT Force report; co-ordinate and synthesise inputs; co-ordinate the process of consultation with non-member stakeholders; and to organise outreach efforts. Membership of the DOT Force comprises of 43 teams, which unusually includes non-official G8 organisations: government representatives (G8 + European Commission, and developing countries), international and multilateral organisations, the representatives from the private sector and non-profit sector from each G8 country (see table below).

The DOT Force Report

One year later, at the G8 summit held in Genoa, the DOT Force presented its conclusions in a report entitled ‘Digital Opportunities for All: Meeting the Challenge’. This report fulfilled the Task Force’s mandate under section 19 of the Okinawa Charter, and proposed a nine-point action plan. This became known as the Genoa Plan of Action, and the report’s executive summary presents a theory of utilising information and communication technologies (ICTs) to trigger social and economic development.

The premise of the development theory is that ICTs create a ‘development dynamic’ (see Digital Opportunity Initiative Report). Powerful networks are created by increased communication and the exchange of information. ‘By enabling these new networks to collect and share local knowledge and information,’ the argument is made, ‘ICT can provide new and more efficient methods of production, bring previously unattainable markets within the reach of local producers, improve the delivery of government services, and increase access to basic social goods and services…ICT can thus help to ignite a virtuous circle of sustainable development.’

The report also recognises that the costs of inaction are great, because the ‘digital divide’ threatens to exacerbate the existing social and economic inequalities between countries and communities. The report recognises that ICT cannot act as a panacea for all development problems, and indeed if misapplied, ICTs can result in marginalisation of the poor and the unconnected.

Four priority actions were identified by the DOT Force in which must be taken in order to set the conditions for a development dynamic:

• Fostering Policy, Regulatory and Network Readiness


• Improving Connectivity Increasing Access and Lowering Costs


• Building Human Capacity


• Encouraging Participation in Global e-Commerce and other e-Networks

Genoa Plan of Action

The realisation of this theory, and implementation of this plan, is to be achieved through a Framework of Implementation. In turn, Implementation Teams have been established for each of the nine action points, each with distinct policy goals, key initiatives and 12-month deliverables. Progress is to be measured, and reported, against each of these action points.

The Genoa Plan of Action constitutes nine points of action:

• Action Point 1: Support development of national e-strategies.
  Implementation team: Chair – Canada, Italy; Core group – Accenture (UK), European Commission, Markle Foundation (USA), South Africa, Tanzania, UNDP, World Bank.
• Action Point 2: Improve connectivity, increase access, and lower costs.
  Implementation team: Chair: - France; Co-Chair – IDRC (Canada).
• Action Point 3: Enhance human capacity development, knowledge creation and sharing.
  Implementation team: Chair: - Siemens (Germany); Co-Chair – Germany.
• Action Point 4: Foster enterprise, jobs and entrepreneurship.
  Implementation team: Chair: - Accenture (UK), Hewlett Packard (USA), Telesystem (Canada).
• Action Point 5: Strengthen universal participation in global ICT governance.
  Implementation team: Chair: - GLOCOM (Japan), Markle Foundation (USA).
• Action Point 6: Establish a dedicated LDC [less developed country] initiative for ICT-inclusion.
  Implementation team: Chair: - South Africa; Co-Chair – IDRC (Canada).
• Action Point 7: ICT for health care and support against disease.
  Implementation team: Chair: - Canada; Co-Chair – UNDP.
• Action Point 8: Support local content and application development.
  Implementation team: Chair: - OneWorld International (UK); Co-Chair – UNDP, GLOCOM (Japan)
• Action Point 9: Prioritise the contribution of ICTs in Development Assistance Programmes.
  Implementation team: Chair: - G8 Presidency.

Resources:

The DOT Force secretariat has established a website as part of its outreach programme (http://www.dotforce.org).

The DOT Force report can be accessed from: http://www.dotforce.org/reports/DOT_Force_Report_V_5.0h.pdf