Role of UNESCAP on ICT for Development
Presented by:
Dr. Guennadi M. Fedorov
Chief, ICT Policy Section
Information, Communication and Space Technology Division
UNESCAP, Bangkok
E-mail: fedorov.unescap@un.org
Background
UNESCAP - set up a new Information, Communication and
Space Technology (ICST) Division in July 2002
- major focus on ICTs application for development and
poverty reduction
- New Division consists of 3 sections: ICT Policy, ICT
Applications and Space Technology Applications.
- Objective: to strengthen the capacity of UNESCAP member and
associate member countries to create an enabling environment
for the development, transfer and application of ICST.
ICST Strategy
Focus on the development of a legal and regulatory framework
and competition policies related to investment and provision of
ICST infrastructure
Support national efforts for the application of ICT in various
economic and social sectors
Promote satellite based ICT applications for remote and rural
areas, distance education and sustainable development
planning
Promote the use of ICST applications, by, among other things
facilitating adaptation to local conditions or transfer of best
practices.
What we are doing
organization of training/seminars/workshops,
advisory services;
and
provide
preparation of research studies;
Promotion of regional cooperation mechanism on knowledge
and technology transfer, replication of best practices and
work towards establishment of ICT working group/networks in
the region.
Some of the up-going ICST Activities
1. Regional Workshop on the Use of Space Technology for
Disaster Management for Asia and the Pacific
- co-organized by UNESCAP and United Nations Office for
Outer Space Affairs
- Venue and Date: UNCC, Bangkok; 11-15 November 2002
- Follow-up activity of regional workshop on cooperative
mechanism in space technology applications for natural
disaster management, which was held from 5-6 June 2002 in
Beijing, China
- Objective: to incorporate the use of space technologies in a
sustainable manner into operational disaster management
programmes in Asia-Pacific countries
- immediate objectives: to increase the awareness of the
potential benefits of using space-based technologies;
- to enable the consolidation of networking among national
and regional agencies and the definition of possible
partnerships
Target Group: space agencies, decision makers, researchers
and users that have already developed space technologybased solutions to disaster management and those
responsible for dealing with disaster management and space
technology in least developed and developing countries
2. Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on E-Commerce Strategies for
Development
- jointly by UNESCAP and UNCTAD in close cooperation with
Royal Thai Government, 20-22 Nov 2002 at UNCC, Bangkok
Goal: enhancement of local ICT capacities and e-commerce in the
countries of the region
Bring together government and business leaders from the field of the
field of ICT from all UNESCAP member and associate member
states
- who examine various policy options for the development of ecommerce in the region and based, on best practices, will identify
key elements of national and regional e-strategies.
Target Group: senior officials responsible for e-commerce policy
making at national level and by representatives from the private
sector, regional and international organizations, experts from civil
society (first 2 days)
- Ministers and CEOs of the leading business in the region
- Key note speeches – by the Prime Minister of Thailand, the
Secretary-General of UNCAD and the Executive Secretary of
UNESCAP
- Opening- followed by Round Table Debate on e-commerce and
development with ministers in charge of national e-commerce
policy-making
3.
Asia-Pacific Conference
Information Security
on
Cyber-crime
and
Organized by UNESCAP in collaboration with the Ministry of
Information and Communication, Republic of Korea, and
the Korea Information Security Agency (KISA) in Seoul
(11-13 Nov 2002)
Objective: to promote regional cooperation in combating
cyber-crime
Immediate Objectives
(1) To make contribution and prepare action plan on
reduction of cyber crime and enhancement of
information security for regional preparatory meeting for
WSIS.
(2) To promote international cooperation in protection of
cyber crime and information security in the region.
Target Group: 20 country delegations from the Asia-Pacific region,
along with the private sector, and regional and international
experts on cyber-crime and information security
- to participate in the formulation of an action plan to improve the
ability of the region to address cyber-crime and information
security issues.
- to contribute to the development of a regional position on cybercrime and information security at the World Summit on the
Information Society (WSIS), a global conference to be held in
2003
4. Ad hoc Expert Group Meeting on ICT for Poverty Alleviation:
Developing Nation ICT Strategies
- will be held on 28 and 29 January 2003 at UNCC, Bangkok
- overall objective: to bring the benefits of the ICT revolution to
the rural poor
- Specific objectives:
1. promote the formulation of consistent national policies on
ICT for
rural poverty reduction and sensitize the need for
government leadership in making ICT an effective tool for rural
poverty reduction;
(2) encourage collaboration among governments, development
organizations, NGOs and other stakeholders in finding solutions
to the common problem of reducing rural poverty through
application of appropriate ICT services in rural areas;
(3) Develop a framework of national ICT policies for rural poverty
reduction and recommendations for defining the role and
limitation of government and other parties in developing ICT
into an effective tool for rural poverty reduction, including
services expected to be rendered by international
organizations;
(4) Assist in defining UNESCAP’s role in promoting ICT policies
for rural poverty reduction. and facilitating access to information
on issues related to rural poverty reduction through the
identification, analysis and dissemination of best practices.
Target Group: selected number of experts on the application of
ICT in rural areas – from central and local government agencies,
community based rural organizations with practical experience
of ICT application and
the private sector with involvement in rural communication,
communications research and with experience in local content
development for effective programming of ICT uses in rural
income generation, and also
representatives from other organizations involved in ICT policy
development and application for poverty reduction in the region
Promotion of Regional Cooperation Mechanism
• UNESCAP - playing a key role in providing the equitable and
affordable access to ICT for all people of the region
• through the establishment of Regional Interagency Working
Group (IWG) on ICT in close cooperation with APT and ITU and
•
Organization of the first Preparatory meeting to establish UN ICT
Task Force Regional Network for Asia and the Pacific - in 4
February 2002 in UNCC, Bangkok.
jointly, organized by UNESCAP, APT and ITU.
The participants of this meeting were from:
UNESCAP, UNDP, and Asia-Pacific Development Information
Programme (APDIP)
UNESCO, World Bank, ITU, Intergovernmental organizations:
APT, ADB, SEAMEO, and
AIT, ITU Association of Japan, Inc.; Ministry of Communication
and Information Technology (India);
Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (Thailand);
Ministry of Transport and Communication (Thailand);
Telecommunication Association of Thailand.
The result of the first preparatory meeting - useful to the next
meeting held in Shanghai, China in March 2002
The participants of this meeting were from Bangladesh, China,
India, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and
Vietnam, and UNESCAP, UN ICT Task Force Secretariat, and
Arab Regional Network of UN ICT Task Force.
During the meeting, delegates reached a consensus that 3 subnetworks of Asia-Pacific Network of UN ICT Task Force should
be established: (i) inter-agency sub-network led by UNESCAP,
(ii) inter-governmental sub-network led by China, and (iii) private
sectors, NGOs/civil society sub-network led by India
The 2nd meeting of the Regional IWG on ICT:
(a) discussed establishment of the Regional Network of the UN
ICT Task Force in Asia and the Pacific and
(b) decided to become a part of the regional network of the UN
ICT Task Force
(c) discussed issues pertaining to the regional preparation for
the WSIS, and
(d) Web-site of the Interagency Working Group on ICT which
has been already established by APT.
UNESCAP – further interested/willing to extend its cooperation
with other international/regional/sub-regional organizations
- to provide digital opportunities to all people in the region and to
harness the potential of ICT for promoting the goals of the United
Nations Millennium Declaration.
- UNESCAP welcomes Regional Preparations for the WSIS by
the Japanese Government in Tokyo, 13-15 January 2003
- Recently, meeting between the Executive Secretary of
UNESCAP with the Japanese Vice-Minister for Policy
Coordination, Ministry of Public Management was held
Contribution by UNESCAP to the Regional Meeting
- Keynote address by the Executive Secretary
- Financial support for 14 countries (LDC and PIC) to participate
in the regional conference.
- Organization of regional meetings on ICT which report to the
Regional Conference:
·
- Regional Conference on Cyber-crime and Security (11-13
November 2002, Seoul)
· - Regional Conference on e-commerce (18-20 November 2002,
Bangkok)
· - ICT Accessibility Seminar for Disabled Persons (20-21 June
2002)
UNESCAP - very much interested/willing to extend its
cooperation further with other international/regional/sub-regional
organizations/institutions
in supporting national efforts of countries in the region to facilitate
the development and applications of ICT in all aspects of social
and economic development
including poverty eradication and mainstreaming the countries
lagging behind with a view to bridging the digital divide between
countries and within countries of the region
by providing digital opportunities to all and to harness the
potential of ICT for promoting the goals of the United Nations
Millennium Declaration.
Thank you very much for your attention