UN launches new intiative to bridge digital divide

http://www.dmeurope.com/default.asp?ArticleID=2099

UN launches new intiative to bridge digital divide

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD), which aims at the development-friendly integration
of developing countries into the world economy, is launching
a new partnership on Information and Communication
Technologies for Development to build concrete strategies to
improve access to and use of ICT applications to enhance the
economic competitiveness of developing countries.

The partnership will focus on the following key areas: (a)
measuring the information society, (b) e-tourism, (c) ICT
policies in developing countries, (d) e-finance for small
and medium-size enterprises, and (e) free and open-source
software.

Led by UNCTAD, an effort is under way in the international
community to collaborate in helping developing countries
develop the ICT data and indicators necessary for monitoring
and benchmarking their information societies, and for
measuring the digital divide. This effort brings together
key stakeholders involved in the statistical measurement of
ICT, including the International Telecommunication Union
(ITU), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD), UNCTAD, the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United
Nations Regional Commissions (ECA, ECLAC, ESCAP, ESCWA), the
World Bank and the United Nations ICT Task Force.

The partners have agreed to work together to define and
collect a set of common ICT indicators and to assist
developing countries in producing information society
statistics. This will be key to measuring the socio-economic
impact of ICT and their potential contribution to the
implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).

"Our collective challenge", says Richard Simpson, Director
General, Industry Canada, on behalf of the UN ICT Task
Force, "is to clearly demonstrate the contribution ICT makes
to the global development agenda, notably to achieving the
eight goals set by world leaders in 2000."

UNCTAD will contribute by assisting developing countries in
their efforts to produce e-business statistics, and by
developing a database on e-business in developing countries
as an input to a global ICT database to be developed by
partners, and to UNCTAD´s annual E-Commerce and Development
Report.

To facilitate co-ordination regarding the introduction of OSS SW in Vietnam

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