ICT Success Stories Portal:
showcasing ICTs power for
development
www.itu.int/ict_stories
Official launch of the Portal,
31 March 2006, ITU Headquarters, Geneva
Youlia Lozanova, Strategy & Policy Unit, ITU
Outline
1.
Goals
2.
The Portal & WSIS
3.
Leveraging the Portal
4.
Functionality
5.
Selected ICT Success Stories
6.
The Portal: Next steps
www.itu.int/ict_stories
Goals

showcase innovative projects and examples of the
multi-stakeholder approach

exchange fresh ideas and learning experiences about
creative uses of ICTs in different cultural contexts

raise awareness about the potential of ICTs for the
achievement of the MDGs and the WSIS goals
www.itu.int/ict_stories
Key Message

There is no “one size fits all” approach to using
new technologies to promote development
with a human face: rather, in the trial-anderror process of learning to use ICTs
effectively in the local context, the insights of
projects and development activities gained
from stakeholders’ experience can be
extremely valuable.
www.itu.int/ict_stories
ICT Success Stories Portal and WSIS
e) Develop and launch a website on best practices and
success stories, based on a compilation of
contributions from all stakeholders, in a concise,
accessible and compelling format, following the
internationally recognized web accessibility
standards. The website could be periodically updated
and turned into a permanent experience-sharing
exercise.
Geneva Plan of Action, Paragraph 28,
Geneva Phase of WSIS 2003
www.itu.int/ict_stories
Brief overview

Over 600 projects

Stories from 64 countries

Projects designed and implemented by all stakeholders

Concerted action at the local, national, regional and
international level

Cross-cutting issues are considered

Focus on developing countries
www.itu.int/ict_stories
Leveraging the Portal

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The ICT-related or driven initiatives in all aspects of
life
Projects by all stakeholders and for the benefit of all
Partnerships, cooperation strategies and unilateral
efforts at all levels
In the spirit of the WSIS and the MDGs, ICTs offer
unlimited opportunities for bridging the digital divide
New & promising solutions to developing countries’
challenges
www.itu.int/ict_stories
Criteria applied

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Based on or making use of ICTs
Focus on developing countries
Activities and goals emanating from the WSIS Plan of
Action
Activities and goals aimed at achieving the MDGs
Scale
Outcome of the project
Innovative & multi-sector approaches
Target at vulnerable groups
Partnerships, multi-stakeholder partnerships
www.itu.int/ict_stories
Functionality I
The website


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Projects by
categories
Brief thematic
highlights
Online
questionnaire
Feedback
www.itu.int/ict_stories
Themes
e-Education
Empowerment
Gender
e-Government
e-Inclusion
Youth
e-Health
Poverty Reduction
Indigenous people
Resource Mgmt
Community Dev.
Disabilities
Grassroots
Good Governance
www.itu.int/ict_stories
Functionality II
The search tool
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Theme
Key-word
Country of origin or
implementation
Technology
Stakeholder
Cross-cutting issue
www.itu.int/ict_stories
Mobile Internet on Boats - Bangladesh

Project designed & implemented by Shidhulai
Swanirvar Sangstha

The Mobile Internet Educational Units on Boats
program provides free public access to computers and
the Internet through the use of indigenous boats
converted into mobile libraries and schools

Target group: local remote communities, with a special
focus on women and children

More information on sss.interconnection.org

Other projects: Rickshaws Connect India's Poor
www.itu.int/ict_stories
e-Homemakers Network - Malaysia

Enabling marginalised Malaysian women to use ICTs
to generate income from home, supporting their
active participation in the information economy.

Designed to enable homeworkers to teletrade,
network, and support each other through creative
problem-solving and idea-sharing, an trilingual ecommunity offers services such as a platform to
enable online product marketing.

Implemented by the Government of Malaysia

More information on www.ehomemakers.net
www.itu.int/ict_stories
OSISA ICT Programme

communication project deployed in Angola,
Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia,
Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe

aiming to contribute towards creating an
atmosphere where there is free and equitable flow
of information, and at deploying appropriate
technologies, systems and knowledge

ICT networks are applied to enhance and deepen
citizen's rights, access, usage and participation
towards an open society through ICT

More information on www.osisa.org
www.itu.int/ict_stories
Connect the World - ITU

International commitment to promote development and
connectivity

ITU and over 40 other partners from all the main categories of
stakeholders (KADO, Microsoft, Child Helpline International
and UNESCO, among others)

Platform to encourage new partnerships to bridge the digital
divide and meet WSIS commitments by 2015

More information on
www.itu.int/partners/projects.html
www.itu.int/ict_stories
Trends
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Growing number of projects using ICTs
Multi-stakeholder Partnerships
Increased e-Inclusion
Pluri-disciplinary approach
Long-term commitment & action for sustainable
results
Explicit effort to harness a very extensive range of
people’s concerns & activities
Mainstreaming innovative solutions
www.itu.int/ict_stories
The Portal: Next Steps

Archive of more detailed case studies of successful
experiences

More interactive tools
Link to more resources on ICT4D

Regular up-date

Related events
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www.itu.int/ict_stories
Thank you!
Tell us about
ICT success stories you contribute to
at spu@itu.int
www.itu.int/ict_stories