[WSIS CS-Plenary] [WSIS THETHA] [DG ICT for Development] Special Feature on the World Summit on the Information Society and the Role of ICT in Achieving the Millennium Development Goals

Wed Jan 7 09:45:32 GMT 2004

Dear Members of the ICT for Development community on the Gateway!

The first meeting of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) took
place in Geneva on December 10-12, 2003, and discussed mechanisms for
harnessing the potential of Information and Communications Technology (ICT)
to promote the development goals of the Millennium Declaration, through
cooperative efforts among the donor community, the private sector and
government. It also sought to chart a path towards the Summit?s second
phase, scheduled for 2005 in Tunis, as outlined in its draft plan of action.
The Summit is an important event, symbolizing the recognition by the global
community of the role ICT can play in social and economic development and
the reduction of poverty. The Millennium Development Goals, sanctioned at
the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000 and ratified by countries around
the world, set ambitious targets for improving people?s lives in the
developing world, and policy makers are increasingly realizing the potential
of ICT in furthering their progress towards these targets.

+ See the Declaration of Principles from WSIS:
http://www.itu.int/wsis/documents/doc_single-en-1161.asp

+ Review the Plan of Action from the WSIS:
http://www.itu.int/wsis/documents/doc_single-en-1160.asp

DG ICT4D editorial team has produced a comprehensive special feature on ICT
and the Millennium Development Goals in support of WSIS, and of the message
it seeks to deliver to the world.

+ See all the materials here: http://www.developmentgateway.org/ICT or
directly at:
http://www.developmentgateway.org/node/133831/sdm/docview?docid=815843

The Development Gateway in partnership with Computer Professionals for
Social Responsibility organized a videoconference on December 11, on the
topic ?Geneva and Beyond: Operationalizing Recommendations of the World
Summit on the Information Society to help achieve the Millennium Development
Goals?. The videoconference connected  16 sites in 8 countries from 7
regions, over 250  participants, and spanned 14 time zones from Sri Lanka to
Silicon Valley, and allowed civil society representatives from developing
and transition countries to connect with Summit attendees in Geneva.  The
participating sites were from India, Lebanon, Mexico (8 sites), Romania,
Russia, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, and in the USA - Santa Clara, and Washington,
D.C. The videoconference began with the introduction of participating sites
and Mohamed Muhsin's (World Bank Vice-President and CIO) welcoming remarks.
It was followed by several brief presentations delivered by Carlos Braga,
Senior Adviser, International Trade Department, World Bank; Nagy Hanna,
Senior Advisor, ISG, World Bank; Manju Haththotuwa, CEO, Sri Lanka ICT
Agency; Tatiana Ershova, Exeutive Director, Institute for Information
Society Development - Russia; and Ernest Wilson, Professor, University of
Maryland and others. The discussions focused on the role of the donor
community, how to operationalize the e-development agenda, the role of
multi-stakeholder partnerships, e-leadership in operationalizing WSIS, and
Sri Lanka's comprehensive approach to e-development. The meeting was also
broadcast live through the Development Gateway website and an online
discussion component allowed webcast viewers from around the world to engage
in the discussion by posting questions for speakers in Geneva.   Look out
for our special feature on the videoconference (including video clips,
photos and summary of discussion) as part of WSIS follow-up highlight in the
upcoming weeks.

+ You can learn more about it at:
http://www.developmentgateway.org/download/221947/WSIS-Invitation.doc

John Daly, one of our editors, has produced a series of essays over the last
several months on the role of ICT in meeting each of the Goals. These are
compiled in our first feature into a monograph-length presentation titled
?Information and Communications Technology Applied to the Millennium
Development Goals.?

+ Read John's essay at:
http://www.developmentgateway.org/node/133831/sdm/docview?docid=840982

The World Bank is currently testing an e-Development framework which moves
beyond the incorporation of ICT segments in sector specific projects,
towards e-development projects that achieve synergies by coordinated ICT
investments in a number of sectors. Nagy Hanna, Senior Advisor of
e-Development at the World Bank, in an interview with our editors, describes
the e-Development approach and relates it to WSIS and MDGs.

+ Read it at:
http://www.developmentgateway.org/node/133831/sdm/docview?docid=840917

+ Review our collection of WSIS, ICT and MDG Links:
http://www.developmentgateway.org/download/222180/MDG_Links_revised.htm

+ See DG Knowledge Base on WSIS:
http://www.developmentgateway.com/ict/browser/?keyword_list=481411

+  Link to DG WSIS cross-topic special:
http://www.developmentgateway.com/node/130685/special/wsis

+ Upcoming special features: ICT in Korea, ICT in Sri Lanka, WSIS Follow-up.
Feel free to contribute!

+ Note from our advisor Mr. Ichiro Tambo:

"The OECD has produced an updated version of the "Donor Information and
Communication Technology Strategies Matrix"  this is a follow up to the
February 2001 and February 2003 versions. The Matrix presents the latest
information on how bilateral and multilateral donors have mainstreamed ICTs
in their development assistance programmes in order to more effectively and
efficiently achieve development goals, particularly the Millennium
Development Goals(MDGs). This updated version was contributed to the World
Summit on Information Society (WSIS) process as a collaborative input from
the development community. A CD-ROM containing this Matrix and other related
documents was distributed during the WSIS and Summit events. This CD-ROM
will also be available free of charge through our website
www.oecd.org/dac/ict. We believe that this Matrix contains invaluable
information on donor programmes  and it needs to be shared with a wider
audience. With best wishes, Ichiro. Advisor on Science & Technology,
Development Co-operation Directorate, OECD. Email  ichiro.tambo at oecd.org"

+ See the Matrix at:
http://www.developmentgateway.org/download/220519/Fullmatrix.pdf

+  ICT for Health : A Survey of Activities and Opportunities in Eurasia
In his feature article contributed to the ICT for Development community on
the Gateway, one of our advisors, Mark Storey, a Program Officer at the
American International Health Alliance (AIHA), argues that "over the past
decade information and communication technology (ICT), in particular the
advent of the Internet, has presented new opportunities and models for
health professionals to access the most current information and update their
skills?especially in countries where economic and financial conditions have
prevented medical libraries from maintaining subscriptions to journals. This
article will survey many of the ways that ICT can potentially impact health,
drawing upon several specific examples from the Eurasia (here, referring to
the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union)."
Date: Dec. 2003.
http://www.developmentgateway.org/ict/dg-contribute/item-detail?item_id=3727
83&version_id=225719

+  CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: PETERSBERG PRIZE FOR ICT AND DEVELOPMENT -
Nominate the individual or organization that has had the greatest impact in
the field of ICT for development for the 100,000 Euro Petersberg Prize.
Nominations are due by February 1 for the Prize, announced earlier this year
at the Development Gateway's inaugural Forum in Petersberg/Bonn, Germany.
The Prize will be awarded at the second annual Development Gateway Forum, in
2004. For full information, rules, and nomination forms, please visit
www.dgfoundation.org/prize

Our Editorial Team would like to wish our members

A Very Happy New Year!!!

Sincerely,

Oleg Petrov, Nadia Afrin, John Daly and Rafael Hernandez

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