SECOND GLOBAL MEETING Y2K COORDINATORS CONCLUDES AT HEADQUARTERS; WORKING GROUP ON INFORMATICS ELECTS NEW CHAIRMAN

22 June 1999

Press Release
PI/1149

SECOND GLOBAL MEETING Y2K COORDINATORS CONCLUDES AT HEADQUARTERS; WORKING GROUP ON INFORMATICS ELECTS NEW CHAIRMAN

19990622 Deputy Secretary-General Stresses Need To Build Public Confidence about Actions Taken to Deal with Y2K Issue

The "millennium bug" cast a shadow even over issues of peace and security, Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette said this afternoon at the closing of the Second Meeting of National Y2K Coordinators, organized by the United Nations Open-Ended Working Group on Informatics in collaboration with the International Y2K Cooperation Center.

Speaking as the Working Group on Informatics continued considering the Year 2000 Issue related to the "millennium bug", which can afflict computer systems whose software is non-compliant to the centennial date change, she said that fear of Y2K was also a problem. Public awareness was not enough. There was a need to build public confidence about actions that had been taken to ward off the bug, which would be a guide through the millennial fever.

Summarizing the meeting, Ahmad Kamal (Pakistan), Chairman of the Working Group, said there had been general agreement that achieving full Y2K compliance may not be possible by 31 December. Member States should therefore establish contingency plans for all systems and activities of national importance to handle potential Y2K related disruptions. There had also been general agreement on a number of next steps, including the sharing of experiences with other countries and supporting the use of standardized and coordinated public status reports.

Two panels were held during the afternoon segment of the all-day meeting whose focus was on regional coordination, contingency and community planning, and responding to Y2K failures.

Panellists for the first session on "public information and public confidence" concentrated on the issues of public perceptions and the role of the media. Several speakers agreed that an informed public was a less scared public and that open discussion of the problem would be very useful.

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Panellists for the second session on "disaster preparedness and event management" stressed the importance of disclosing information on preparedness and the credibility of governmental plans for handling possible emergencies arising from the millennium bug.

Also this afternoon, the Working Group elected a new Chairman, Percy Mangoaela (Lesotho), who then closed the session.

Speaking as outgoing Chairman, Mr. Kamal said perhaps the most important achievement of the Working Group lay in creating a general awareness throughout the United Nations system of the "informatics revolution", of the need to understand its importance and harness its potential. He added that it was necessary to build on that foundation. The United Nations system must accord a far higher priority to informatics and information technology. Training of officials and staff members at all levels was even more important than the purchase of hardware and software.

Statements of congratulations to the outgoing Chairman and welcome for the incoming were made by the representatives of: Guyana, speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China; Germany, speaking on behalf of the European Union and associated States; Jamaica; Sri Lanka, speaking on behalf of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN); Samoa, speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS); Azerbaijan, speaking on behalf of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS); Russian Federation; and the United States, on behalf of the Steering Committee of the International Y2K Coordinating Committee.

Global Meeting of Y2K Coordinators

The Second Global Meeting of National Y2K Coordinators met this afternoon to hold panel discussions on the themes "Public information and public confidence", and "Disaster preparedness and event management".

Statements on Public Information and Public Confidence

DAVID BOHRMAN, Executive Vice-President of CNN, said that no matter how certain people were that problems relating to the preparations for the Y2K date changeover were solved, there was no way of knowing what actually would happen. There were secondary effects of the uncertainty over what would happen at midnight on 31 December. Fear that money would run out would cause a run on money. There were "snake oil" phenomena and Y2K emergency remedies, such as a Y2K-ready drinking fountain seen somewhere. As the cross-over neared, CNN would look at events that really were happening versus those that had been expected but were not real phenomena, both at the moment of coverage and as projected into the cross-over.

ERIC AUCHARD, Technology Reporter for Reuters, said the year 2000 issue should be viewed not as a single calendar date and time spot but rather as a series of phenomena. December 31 was not some magic, all-important date but rather symbolic of effects that would go before and after it. Problems of compliance were being taken care of already and problems would crop up for many months even where there was compliance. Also, some events that were feared would never occur.

People were still waiting for evidence of an expected widespread computer failure, which had not occurred, he said. Some computer companies were beginning to be optimistic about the Y2K event and some were making a lot of money from devising ways of "fixing" problems related to the issue. Some were referring to a "Y2K boomlet" in the economy as a result of the Y2K fear. Hopefully, fear factors would be greater than technical failures.

ROGER FERGUSON, Governor of the United States Federal Reserve Board, said the Y2K question was actually a business problem, a management problem, and a problem of public confidence. No one knew what would happen on that day and some people would respond calmly, others emotionally. Contingency planning would be critical. In the business context, for example, business continuity plans were being delivered and readiness was being evaluated because inadequate detail in business could have detrimental effect. In business, a better informed public was a calmer public, yet some were reluctant to share readiness information. Public perceptions would vary from one time to the next during the period left before 31 December. Information should not wait.

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Regulators and those in the financial market had been looking at the problem for a long time, he continued. A guidance paper had been issued on the conclusion that the focus should be on information sharing. A Global 2000 Coordinating Group had been established and in the United States disclosure about Y2K planning was mandated in all public offering cases. Honest disclosure of plans and progress toward the plans was important for financial markets. Business people should encourage honest disclosure from government entities, both regarding plans and preparedness. Media had a responsibility to balance the available information for factuality and the public had a responsibility to listen to the most factually accurate voices.

HIROHARU KOIKE, Y2K Coordinator for Japan, spoke about his country's experience in dealing with the Y2K problem and promoting public awareness in that respect. Contingency plans were being set. Every Government had to choose the most appropriate policy for its country. However, the questions of transparency and sharing information were universal. Suppliers and vendors also should participate in the information disclosure in the spirit of transparency. Life and property issues, essential infrastructure and business continuity represented different aspects of the problem.

Response to social uneasiness about the Y2K problem was also very important, he continued. The question was who should take the responsibility. Exchanging information, the solution to the problem could be found. Open discussion of the problem would be very useful. To avoid over-reaction, accurate information was a must. Timely preparation and response to inquiries were necessary. In case of emergency, public announcements would be important, as well as appropriate guidance to individuals. Increasing credibility of the Government was indispensable. As a recent earthquake in Japan had demonstrated, communications difficulty and chaos could ensue in case of disruptions, as well as an increase in crimes. Countermeasures against such events should be worked out at the end of this year. The spread of rumours should also be avoided.

DAVID HENRY, Y2K Coordinator for New Zealand, said that "be Y2K wise" was a slogan used in his country. When considering the impact of the Y2K bug, it was necessary to evaluate risks and the level of readiness, to conduct surveys of public opinion, to forecast the citizens' possible behaviour, to determine the responsibility and the financing. The basic principle was to support the public right to information. There would be many messages to citizens within the public information programme.

There was a possibility of interruption in supply in some services, which could emerge after 31 December, he continued. It would be wise to prepare on the assumption that interruptions could continue for three days. A "be-ready" checklist would be distributed among the population in September. The message to the citizens would be that it was simple to prepare -- all it took was a little bit of planning and forethought.

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Question-and-Answer Session

The representative of Iceland asked how CNN was going to present the Y2K problem in its broadcasting. Also, reliable information was needed -- was it possible to build formal cooperation between CNN and the Cooperation Center in that regard?

Mr. BOHRMAN said that all vacations had been cancelled at CNN for the weeks before and after 31 December. It was planned to provide 30 hours of live continuous coverage at the time of transition to the year 2000. On 1 January 1999, regular news reports about issues connected with Y2K had been introduced. The Web sites for CNN were all in the process of figuring out how to stay operational, and compliance checks for hardware were being implemented. As for a formal relationship with the Cooperation Center, it seemed intriguing and valuable. After the session, he would like to follow up on the matter.

In response to a comment from the representative of Ghana that irresponsible advertising of Y2K-compliant computers should be controlled, Mr. BOHRMAN said that much of that advertising did not originate with CNN. The contents of advertising should be responsible, as well as the editorial content.

The representative of Mexico asked about the results of the public opinion polls. The perception of the problem was as important as the problem itself.

Mr. HENRY said that the polls showed that about 50 per cent of the population was concerned about the problem. However, the public perception was not always adequate. In relation to banking, the relative confidence level was lower than in some other areas. Some people were far too pessimistic, and others were unaware of the problem.

Mr. FERGUSON said that a Gallup poll of American citizens had been undertaken, mostly in connection with the banking system. About 51 per cent had said that they were very concerned. Providing information could be a useful way to put the inflammatory coverage into context. According to the polls, some people thought that the damage would be easily reparable. Less than one fifth agreed with the statement that the banking system would be seriously damaged. Informed citizens were calmer.

The representative of South Africa said that accurate information disclosure was important, but there were also legal problems. He asked how one could navigate around possible legal implications when conducting a public information campaign.

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Mr. HENRY said the legal issues were often used as an excuse not to disclose information. Good samaritan legislation, which had been introduced in New Zealand in May, made disclosure less dangerous to the person making it. People who provided essential services should be giving accurate statements.

Mr. KOIKE said litigation was possible and ensuring accurate information was not easy. Actually, the liability could be an effective way to ensure accurate information. Before resorting to litigation, it was necessary to make the best effort to provide accurate information. Listing the names of the companies unwilling to provide information could turn out to be useful. The trust and credibility were essential, otherwise the whole problem would be buried in litigation.

Statements on Disaster Preparedness and Event Management

JAMES LEE WITT, of the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), said his agency was responsible for coordinating activities in the wake of any Y2K emergency that would occur. Based on experience in preventing and managing emergencies, human-made or otherwise, it could be said that most emergencies were natural ones. While natural disasters could not be averted, damage from them could to a large extent be foreshortened. It was a matter of devising and implementing common sense solutions.

The Agency had become compliant nine months ahead of time, he said. Problems associated with Y2K phenomena could not be avoided, but disaster could be averted everywhere in the world. The keys were anticipation, preparation, prevention of panic and responsiveness to problems, the same as in dealing with natural disasters. For any Y2K emergency, FEMA was advising the same steps of preparedness as for a natural emergency, so that every link of emergency preparedness was in place. FEMA, for example, was recommending installation of generators in instances where power outages could occur.

If the Y2K event became a crisis rather than a disaster, it would not be as a result of an accident, he said. It would be because a potential disaster had been anticipated and treated as a preventable disaster.

DON PALLANDINO, Executive Vice-President of Save the Children, said there were two aspects in considering how much assistance non-governmental organizations (NGOs) could deliver in the event of an Y2K emergency: internal compliance and external assistance. Internally, his organization had taken steps that most major international NGOs were taking to become compliant. With regard to external assistance, many arenas of an NGO's work were not highly electrified or computer-dependent. In the case of disasters, NGOs mostly carried out such efforts as relief activity until governments could take over again in opening roads and rebuilding infrastructures.

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With regard to the Y2K emergency, he said, NGOs could survey the areas in which they worked to see how people would be affected. For example, would an area be affected in such a way that payment could not be made to labourers? How could that be managed? There could be interruptions in service and some of those interruptions could be delayed. NGOs could be involved in technical assistance, information sharing, development of back-up systems and the conduct of joint planning with government partners. Was the Y2K problem causing problems for NGOs? Yes. Could those problems be prepared for? Yes. NGOs should have broader roles.

DAVID SPINKS, Business Manager of AEA Technologies, which specialized in disaster recovery activities for such businesses as the nuclear and transport industries and the media, described "business continuity planning" as a built- in structure for responding to emergencies through a series of actions such as disaster anticipation. With regard to Y2K, emergency-related events were already happening. Companies were, in fact, already stockpiling goods. In the United Kingdom, there was growing confidence in Y2K management of utilities, but there was failing confidence in supplies.

The biggest influence would come from the media, he said, because they would determine public perception and response to Y2K events. Y2K was not a technical issue but a senior management issue. Management of Y2K would rely on risk management methodologies and on learning from others, especially from competitors, rather than on reinventing wheels. Above all, it would be a matter of setting priorities. As an old Finnish motto summed it up, "we will have succeeded if afterwards they blame us for making too much of a fuss about it".

AMABLE AGUILUZ, Y2K Coordinator for the Philippines, said that the Y2K problem resolution was within the power of man, but predicting the Y2K-related failures was impossible. The problem would not be contained to a single country or sector, which made it more difficult to manage and predict. For that reason, the Philippines Commission treated the Y2K problem as a disaster and was working at developing strategies of dealing with it. His country was vulnerable to natural disasters, and for that reason his Government emphasized preparedness and management.

Planning steps were being formulated to counter the problem at all levels, he continued. Intelligence, disaster analysis and evaluation of disaster situation were some of the steps to be taken. Auxiliary services should be provided for. Drafting of contingency plans was necessary. Public information, raising awareness level and preventing panic among the population were particularly important. Training workshops on emergency preparedness and planning were being held in the country. September through December would be devoted to simulations of possible events in connection with the Y2K problem.

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LANCE CLARKE, representative of the United Nations Emergency Response Coordinator, said that the problems in the field were being looked at, as well as those at the Headquarters level. It was necessary to ensure smooth operation of the missions in the field and provision of humanitarian assistance. For example, problems related to collapse of water-treatment facilities and transportation systems were likely to arise. Risk assessment, contingency planning and creating a flexible response were the steps to be taken. Work with the agencies would ensure a broad basis for the measures to be undertaken. Assessment of the situation was being conducted, and sector areas and locations in need of assistance would be identified. Contingency plans were to be presented by the end of September.

Assessment of the supplies available to the humanitarian missions would also be conducted, he continued, but because of transportation and other difficulties, there was a question, whether it would be possible to move those supplies to the locations before the end of the year. In some cases, it was necessary first to convince countries that the problem existed in order to provide assistance. Country-level discussions were important in that respect. United Nations agencies did not have any "fix-it" teams, which would be able to come on 1 January to deal with the problems that were likely to develop. He hoped that some of the donor Governments would be working to assemble such teams to dispatch them to where they were needed.

Summation of Meeting and Election of New Chairman

Summing up the proceedings, AHMAD KAMAL (Pakistan), Chairman of the Working Group, said that the meeting had been fruitful. Delegates from over 170 countries had participated in the meeting. The participants had expressed their satisfaction at the work being done by the International Y2K Cooperation Center and its Steering Committee in coordinating the work in the field. They also expressed appreciation for the support provided by the World Bank's InfoDev programme. The delegates agreed that addressing the problem of Y2K should be accorded high priority by their national governments for the remaining part of 1999. They also recognized the importance of regional cooperation in meeting Y2K challenges. The need for increased bilateral and multilateral support for national, regional and global efforts was strongly underscored.

The participants had agreed that it might not be possible to fully achieve the goal of Y2K compliance by the target date of 31 December 1999, he continued. They urged the establishment of contingency plans for all systems and activities of national importance to handle potential Y2K-related disruptions. It had been generally agreed that further steps should be taken to encourage Member States to share their experience with other countries in their respective regions; encourage national Governments to widely share detailed Y2K readiness information with the public; support the use of standardized and coordinated public status reports; facilitate cooperation

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between the private sectors of developed and developing countries, as well as countries with economies in transition; and promote the active participation of relevant international organizations in national efforts for dealing with emergency situations.

Saying that he now wanted to make a broader statement, the Chairman then said that over the last four years, the Working Group in Informatics had achieved notable success in a number of areas of direct and abiding interest to Member States. In particular, it had provided free e-mail connectivity and unlimited access to the Internet to all the Permanent Missions and placed dozens of computers throughout the public areas of the United Nations building. It had closely monitored developments in the Secretariat in the field of information and had focused on the Y2K problem. It was remarkable that the Working Group had achieved all that within existing resources. Perhaps the most important achievement of the Working Group lay in creating a general awareness throughout the United Nations system of the "informatics revolution", of the need to understand its importance and harness its potential.

Now it was necessary to build on that foundation, and there were many ways in which it could be done, he continued. The United Nations system must accord a far higher priority to informatics and information technology. Training of officials and staff members at all levels was even more important than the purchase of hardware and software.

It was also necessary to fully incorporate informatics into diplomacy and to use the technology to engage the general public in the work of the United Nations, he said. Live interactive telecasts of the "open meetings" would enable the public to become "virtual participants" in the work of the United Nations. The need for enlarging support for the work of the United Nations had never been more urgent than now, and it was necessary, therefore, to seriously formalize such an undertaking during the Millennium Assembly next year. The Working Group should also launch new initiatives to build stronger bridges with the private sector. In short, the United Nations must seek and maintain leadership in addressing the challenges of the informatics revolution.

It had been an honour and a pleasure for him to have been part of those efforts, he said. He would be terminating his assignment as Permanent Representative of Pakistan at the end of this month. The baton had to be passed on, and it gave him the greatest of pleasure to propose that the Working Group on Informatics consider electing Permanent Representative of Lesotho Percy Mangoaela as its new Chairman.

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Statement by Deputy Secretary-General

Deputy Secretary-General LOUISE FRECHETTE said the millennium bug cast a shadow even over issues of peace and security. Fear of Y2K was also a problem. Public awareness was not enough. There was a need to build public confidence about actions that had been taken to ward off the bug, which would be a guide through the millennial fever.

The Working Group, along with the International Y2K Cooperation Center, created with remarkable speed following the first meeting, had made many strides, she continued. There were now national Y2K plans and coordinators. There were new coalitions forged among business, industry, governments and international organizations. Developed and developing countries had found their concerns striking a common chord. Such solidarity and problem-solving showed the United Nations in action.

The Working Group on Informatics had facilitated making the United Nations family into an electronic organization, she continued. Listing the outgoing Chairman's contributions to the transition, she said "the tide of technological change met the tidal force that is Ambassador Kamal" and the net result was a range of improvements in how the United Nations carried out its essential tasks of serving the world's people.

As the Ambassador had pointed out, the communications revolution would continue to bring challenges, fast and furious, she concluded. All had to take advantage of what the new technologies offered for diplomacy and development, for advocacy and education, in a vision of a new century in which all people were empowered, in which there were no information technology "haves" and "have-nots".

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