SECOND COMMITTEE DELEGATES STRESS KEY ROLE OF GOVERNMENTS, OTHER SECTORS IN HELPING POOR COUNTRIES GAIN ACCESS TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Sixty-first General Assembly

Second Committee

12^th Meeting (AM)

SECOND COMMITTEE DELEGATES STRESS KEY ROLE OF GOVERNMENTS, OTHER SECTORS

IN HELPING POOR COUNTRIES GAIN ACCESS TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Governments must play a crucial role in working with the private sector, social activists and hi-tech experts to help the world’s poorest countries tap into increasingly sophisticated information and communication technology, delegates said in today’s meeting of the Second Committee (Economic and Financial).

As the Committee considered the question of information and communication technology and development, several speakers said that bridging the digital divide, which had left only a small percentage of poor people with access, was crucial if the international community was to build a truly global information society.  Yet it was important to apply that technology to practical purposes that would help large segments of society across the developing world.

The representative of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said the agency was trying to use the latest technology on a regular basis as countries needed it to manage coherent disaster preparedness or response programmes and improve disaster management.  Such “e-preparedness” involved human and physical aspects that incorporated the needs of local communities.

Citing the example of the Cameroon Red Cross, she said it had used computer technology to build its own long-term strategic plan and national policies, linking local town and village branches with headquarters.  Its computer network had a working relationship with the African Computer Institute, which had agreed to extend training to Cameroonian volunteers and staff.  Such policies presented good prospects for strong and sustainable resource flows to support vulnerable people in remote areas.  Meanwhile, the Namibia Red Cross had developed a partnership with a national organization that enabled the distribution of radio, television, print media messages, resulting in the production of 5 million copies of an information booklet in five languages.  The IFRC was committed to using information and communication technology to bring community views into the design of development programmes.

Indonesia’s representative, speaking on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said regional cooperation was vital in fostering the exchange of information and technology, adding that the region was striving to build a connected community by promoting universal access to information and communication technology infrastructure and services.  The ASEAN Specialized Meteorological Centre in Singapore allowed member countries to receive daily satellite images of weather patterns, and its Earthquake Information Centre delivered information through the Internet to help with disaster preparedness.  An Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre in Bangkok linked national tsunami early warning centres.  ASEAN also supported the Tunis Commitment to people-centred information and communication technology and wished to see the United Nations continue to help developing countries in that area, especially in facilitating a disaster response.

Anwarul K. Chowdhury, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, pointed out that high poverty levels and the lack of basic infrastructure like electricity had contributed to the digital gap between rich and poor nations.  Initiatives such as the $100 laptop, launched by the Secretary-General at the Tunis World Summit on the Information Society, were very promising because they considered the financial constraints facing the least developed countries.  Bridging the digital gap required greater investment in similar initiatives as well as public-private partnerships to make technology work for the poor.

Tunisia’s representative said the international community should establish a global digital partnership to address the growing information divide, noting that the World Summit on the Information Society had been held in just such a spirit of co-development.  Unless information and communication technology was used strategically to stimulate development, it risked turning into another socio-economic barrier separating the poorest people from all others.  Information and communication technology policy could not replace a “true” development policy.

Venezuela’s delegate said that while information and communication technology had given birth to a knowledge society, it had also contributed to an increase in disparity between the developed and developing worlds by separating the haves from the have-nots.  Access to new information and communication technology tools should be seen as a tool instrument to fight poverty and social development, otherwise when it was protected by a stringent intellectual property rights system, knowledge ceased to be a common good.

Also speaking today were the representatives of Iraq, Republic of Korea, Belarus and Nepal.

The Committee also heard from a representative of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

Introducing the reports under consideration today were the Senior Adviser on information management and policy coordination to the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination and the Senior Public Information and Liaison Officer at the New York Office of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

In other business earlier, the Committee heard the representative of South Africa, on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, introduce two draft resolutions, titled, respectively, “International financial system and development” (document A/C.2/61/L.3) and “International Year of Natural Fibres” (A/C.2/61/L.2).  The representative of Argentina introduced a draft resolution on “Participation of volunteers, ‘White Helmets,’ in the activities of the United Nations in the field of humanitarian relief, rehabilitation and technical cooperation for development” (document A/C.2/61/L.4).

The Second Committee will meet again on Tuesday, 17 October.

Background

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met this morning to take up information and communication technology for development.  It was also expected to hear the introduction of two draft resolutions relating to macroeconomic policy questions and one on the participation of volunteers -- “White Helmets” -- in United Nations activities in the fields of humanitarian relief, rehabilitation and technical cooperation for development.

Before the Committee was a note by the Secretary-General transmitting a report on Policies of United Nations system organizations towards the use of open source software for development (documents A/61/94 and A/61/91/Add.1).  Prepared by the Joint Inspection Unit, it is the second of a two-part review of United Nations system policies surrounding the use of open source software, a term frequently equated with “free software”.  The first report, produced last year, tried to expand awareness of its potential benefits by examining software policies in the Secretariat as many member States promoted the use of open source software in their own public administrations.  The second report is meant to examine the extent to which open source software, in the wider framework of using information and communication technology for development purposes, can help meet the Millennium Development Goals and the Plan of Action adopted by the World Summit on the Information Society in 2003.

In its first recommendation, the Joint Inspection Unit urges the General Assembly to ask member States to emphasize the role of technology in meeting the Millennium Development Goals and wrap within their related strategies the ways in which open source software can foster competition, expand choices and cut expenses.  The second recommendation encourages member States to adopt policies that foster the digital inclusion of poor countries.  These policies would promote access to low-cost hardware and software, including those based on open source software; expand awareness among decision-makers of its potential and availability; and provide incentives for ongoing local development and support of open source software.

The Unit also urges the Secretary-General and other executive heads of the United Nations system to increase the awareness of open source software by developing software applications under licence whenever possible and making the applications readily available online to various stakeholders.  Another measure is providing support so that member States can set pro-poor policies that make low-cost computers and refurbished computers running on open source software applications available to stakeholders.  And in relation to Goal 8 of the Millennium Development Goals, the General Assembly should call on the donor community to maintain adequate funding for poverty-reduction projects based on open source software in its official development assistance programmes.  Another point of this final recommendation would be to ask the Secretary-General, as Chairman of the United Nations Chief Executives Board for Coordination, to consider all appropriate steps that its members could take to let United Nations system entities serve as catalysts for multi-stakeholder partnerships involving various open source software role players.

Also before the Committee was another note by the Secretary-General transmitting the Report of the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (document A/61/165), which presents the results of the ninth Inter-Agency Round Table on Communication for Development organized by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) from 6 to 9 September 2004.

According to the report, the Round Table focused on three areas:  communication for natural resources management; communication for isolated and marginalized groups; and communication in research, extension and education.  The Round Table participants agreed that communication for sustainable development is about people, who are the drivers of their own development.  Communication for development is a two-way process that is about people coming together to identify problems, agree on visions for desirable futures and empower the poorest.  It is about co-creation and the sharing of knowledge and respect for local values and culture.

The report states that among the recommendations of the Ninth Round Table are that communications be recognized as a central component in all development initiatives; that donors and development agencies set up well-resourced communications for development units to implement and promote initiatives; and that Governments, donors and development agencies weave communication needs assessment into any development initiatives.  Other recommendations include ensuring that the United Nations analyzes communication experiences, suggests improvements and develops a common approach to communication development; and that training initiatives are promoted in developing countries.

Finally, the Committee had before it the Secretary-General’s report on Information and communication technology for development: progress in the implementation of General Assembly resolution 57/295 (document A/61/254), which outlines progress achieved in elaborating an information and communications technology strategy at the United Nations.

The report says that in 2004, the Information and Communication Technology Network, an entity of the United Nations Chief Executives Board, produced a strategy on the use of information and communication technology, to be carried out by a task force under the Chief Executives Board High-level Committee on Programmes.  A separate Information and Communication Technology Task Force, established in 2001, contributed to the preparation of the World Summit on the Information Society ( Geneva, 2003 and Tunis, 2005) and proposed the creation of the post of Chief Information Technology Officer, which came under the General Assembly’s consideration recently.

According to the report, the Secretary-General launched a Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technology and Development, an initiative for promoting multi-stakeholder dialogue in the international arena.  Its inaugural meeting took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in June and part of its mandate is to advise the United Nations on how to enhance the effectiveness of the Organization’s activities through the use of information and communication technology.

Introduction of Reports

KENNETH HERMAN, Senior Adviser on information management and policy coordination to the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination, introduced the Secretary-General’s report on information and communication technology for development (document A/61/254) and the Joint Inspection Unit’s report on open source software (document A/61/94) and Add.1.

He said that, in 2004, United Nations system entities had delivered the Information and Communication Technology Strategic Framework, which described the principles for moving towards a unified technology environment, and identified specific initiatives that provided substance to the framework.  Eight of those initiatives were identified as priorities, including a single global network capability.  Progress had been made, but the system faced obstacles, like dwindling budgets and reduced resources, as well as the diverse nature of the system.  The report showed that United Nations entities remained committed to using information and communication technology as an effective and important tool to foster system-wide coherence.

Mr. HERMAN also delivered written comments on behalf of the Joint Inspection Unit, saying that the comprehensive nature of the study, on which its report was based, demonstrated the beginning of the movement to challenge old models of software use.  Most organizations tended not to recognize that software selection for institutional use should be a dynamic process and that they needed to apply a range of criteria to assist them during the selection process, including the cost of support, training and implementation, and the applicability of the software.

He said free and open source models presented a different scenario to the usual proprietary model of software distribution, whereby money was paid for a piece of software, leaving little recourse when the product failed to serve the client.  Open source software allowed users to “look into their insides”, decide for themselves what might be wrong, and fix it.  It was that flexibility that enabled the free and open source movement so much power.

Since the software could often be freely distributed, acquisition costs could be low, but using it to full advantage did contain considerable hidden costs that were incurred in learning how to use the tool, he said.  That implied an education system at the governmental and civil society levels, rather than just the technical.  While the report did not fully explore all the issues surrounding open source software, it was nevertheless a useful guideline that member States and the United Nations could follow.

SUZANNE BILELLO, Senior Public Information and Liaison Officer, New York Office, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), introduced the report of that agency’s Director-General (document A/61/165), saying it provided a review of system-wide activities for the period 2005-2006.

She said the Millennium Development Goals could not be achieved without good communication and new strategies must be developed for that purpose.  Fostering a free and independent media was a cornerstone for building inclusive knowledge societies and for the promotion of international communication technology.  Communication for development was an essential part of UNESCO’s work in communications and information.

Statements

JALEL SNOUSSI ( Tunisia) began by asking whether information and communication technology contributed to deepening disparity in the world, or helped to integrate nations into the global economy.  In order for information and communication technology to stimulate development, it must be used strategically, or turn into another socio-economic barrier separating the poorest people from all others.  Information and communication technology policy could not replace a “true” development policy.  On the other hand, the progress of the least developed countries in the field of technology, so far, should not be overlooked, as 25 out of 50 of them had achieved their telecommunications goals.

He said the international community should establish a global digital partnership to address the growing information divide.  It was in that spirit of co-development that the World Summit on Information Society had been held and an Internet governance forum, to be held on 30 October in Athens, would be a welcome follow-up.  There was a need to develop mechanisms to integrate information and communication technology into development strategies, and the study group on information and communication technology, which had played a big role in helping prepare for the World Summit, had done a good job in leading the way.

RAGHAD ALI HASAN (Iraq), calling for an international coalition of stakeholders in information and communication technology, stressed that the Millennium Development Goals could not be achieved without placing it at the service of human-resources management.

She asked the international community to help her country develop more effective information and communication technology policies for the benefit of more marginalized communities, and to meet the needs of local industry.  Information and communication technology was needed in training programmes for women and girls, especially in rural areas.  Cooperation with the private sector was necessary to ensure that everybody enjoyed the advantages of information and communication technology.

REZLAN ISHAR JENIE (Indonesia), speaking on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said the region was striving to build a connected community by promoting universal access to information and communication technology infrastructure and services.  The Brunei Plan of Action had been adopted to deepen engagement with China, the European Commission, India, Japan and the Republic of Korea in developing broadband technology, content development, standards and Internet exchanges.  Focus would also be given to emerging technologies, telecommunication network security and information and communication technology infrastructure, as well as to the exchange of best practices.  Relationships with key international organizations, like the International Telecommunications Union and the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity would also be strengthened.

He said that a proposed information and communication technology fund was expected to reach $5 million in five years.  It would be used as a source of seed funding or financial assistance for private sector-initiated projects.  Already, much was being done to facilitate information exchanges among countries of the region.  The ASEAN Specialized Meteorological Centre in Singapore allowed member countries to receive daily satellite images of weather patterns, and an Earthquake Information Centre delivered information through the Internet to help with disaster preparedness.  An Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre in Bangkok linked national tsunami early warning centres.  ASEAN supported the Tunis Commitment to people-centred information and communication technology and would like to see the United Nations continue to help developing countries in that area, especially in facilitating a disaster response.

ANWARUL K. CHOWDHURY, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, said the three reports before the Committee provided a good analysis of the hurdles in the way information and communication technology could be used for sustainable development.  They had done well to highlight the need to scale up successful initiatives to help the poorest.  The international community was to be commended for reaffirming its commitment to the special needs of the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States, at the second World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis.  A notable development was the Digital Solidarity Fund, which had committed 60 per cent of its resources to the least developed world.

He said that while access to mobile telephony had grown dramatically in the least developed countries over the last five years -- from 1 of every 100 people to 5 of every 100 -- it remained far below the levels achieved by others, whereby nearly 80 people out of 100 had a mobile phone.  The reason for such a big digital gap was the high levels of poverty in those countries and the lack of supporting infrastructure such as electricity.  To achieve the desired result, support to the least developed countries in the application of information and communication technology must go beyond the provision of information technology itself to include broader efforts to address underlying constraints.  Meanwhile, initiatives such as the $100 laptop, launched by the Secretary-General at the Tunis Summit, offered great promise to the least developed countries because it took financial constraints into consideration.  Greater investment in research and development, as well as public-private partnerships to make information and communication technology work for the poor, were important.  Such initiatives could also play a greater role in reducing costs by offering the least developed countries more favourable terms in licensing agreements for communication tools and proprietary software.

He said trade in information and communication technology, and related goods and services, was an area of great potential to the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States.  A major development challenge that cut across all the three groups of most vulnerable countries was remoteness from international markets, and information and communication technology provided an opportunity to develop e-exports that did not require physical movement, in addition to reducing the export costs of traditional goods and services.  In fact, those vulnerable countries could be even more competitive in delivering such goods and services because of their relatively low labour costs.  Such ideas should be given greater attention as part of the implementation of the Brussels Programme of Action, the Almaty Programme, the Barbados Programme and the Mauritius Strategy.

KIM EUN-JEONG ( Republic of Korea) said Governments had a crucial role to play in setting principles, norms and rules that were shared among all stakeholders, and would shape the evolution and use of the Internet.  The first step towards sound Internet governance was the introduction of clear and enforceable legal frameworks that respected freedom of expression, diversity and the free flow of information.  Other crucial factors in fully harnessing the power of information and communication technology for development were regional cooperation and resources, and the role of women as agents of development.  The United Nations should be a model for successful e-government and lead the integration of new information and communication technology in its work.

ULADZIMIR A. GERUS ( Belarus) stressed the importance of using information and communication technology in practical applications that brought real economic achievements and helped achieve sustainable growth.  The exchange of cutting-edge technology and programmes were effective ways to achieve a fair technology system.  Alongside the specialized agencies, developed countries played an important role in sharing technology.  The importance of South-South cooperation could not be underestimated.  Belarus was committed to achieving a just global information society and the well-being of people across the globe.

RAM NATH ADHIKARI ( Nepal) noted that although information and communication technology was a major engine of growth in the world economy, less than 1 per cent of people in developing countries had access to it.  Instead of contributing to the development of poor countries, information and communication technology had marginalized them further from integrating into the world economy.  The dream of a global information society would remain unfulfilled, unless the international community provided access to the vast majority of rural poor.  All stakeholders, including civil society, the business community, Governments and the international community, were needed to produce a good information society.

ALICE ARMANNI SEQUI, Operations Liaison of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said it was not possible for countries to manage a coherent disaster preparedness or response programme without the use of information and communication technology.  Experience had shown that disaster management could be significantly improved through better communication and early warning, and the IFRC was seeking to use information and communication technology regularly to develop its own familiarity with those tools.  Such “e-preparedness” involved human and material dimensions, and must be developed with a good understanding of the needs of a particular community, as well as the involvement of youth and educational institutions.

For example, she said, the Cameroon Red Cross Society had used computer technology to build its own long-term strategic plan and national policies, linking its local branches in towns and villages with headquarters.  It had a computer network which maintained its own hardware and had a working relationship with the African Computer Institute, which had agreed to extend training to Cameroon Red Cross Society volunteers and staff.  Those policies presented good prospects for strong and sustainable resource flows to support vulnerable people in remote areas.

She said the Namibia Red Cross, meanwhile, had developed a partnership with “ Soul City”, a national organization that enabled the distribution of messages through radio, television, print media and other means, resulting in 5 million copies of an information booklet to be produced in five languages.  A children’s television and radio drama for adults had also been aired.  The IFRC was, therefore, committed to the use of information and communication technology as a vehicle to bring community views into designing development programmes.

ALESSANDRO MOTTER, Inter-Parliamentary Union, said nearly every parliament in the world used information and communication technology, and by 2006, more than 90 per cent of parliaments had published a website on the Internet.  Parliaments were using it for two primary reasons:  to be more transparent and accessible to the public; and to increase the effectiveness of their parliamentary processes.  Yet, the digital divide affected parliaments as much as societies, and there was a huge variety in the resources devoted to information and communication technology among different parliaments.  To address that inequality, the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs and the Inter-Parliamentary Union had created the Global Centre for Information and Communications Technology in Parliament.  Launched in 2005, it acted as a catalyst and clearinghouse for information, research, innovation and technology, as well as a hub for technical assistance.

JORGE ARTURO REYES, Chief, Division of Finance, Oil and Industry, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela, said information and communication technology had changed the way in which world actors related to one another and given birth to a knowledge society.  The Internet, for example, had become a resource for developed and developing countries alike, and a “passport” to equitable participation in socio-economic development.  Paradoxically, it had also contributed to an increase in disparity between the developed and developing worlds by separating the haves from the have-nots.

Access to new information and communication technology tools should not be seen as an end in itself, but as a tool to fight poverty and social development, which still remained the prime goal in development, he said.  As a safeguard against inequality, the world should adopt a spirit of equality and solidarity when pursuing such technology.  When information and communication technology was protected by a stringent intellectual property rights system, knowledge ceased to be a common good.  The promotion of access to information and communication technology and knowledge required the establishment of mechanisms to transfer the technology to where it was needed.  For its part, Venezuela had succeeded in lifting half a million people out of illiteracy by linking universal education with greater access to information and communication technology.

* *** *

For information media • not an official record