[WSIS CS-Plenary] WSIS Papers Newsletter - August 2005 No. 10 - E-strategies: constructing the information society

[WSISPapers]

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WSIS Papers Newsletter - August 2005 No. 10
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In this issue: E-STRATEGIES: CONSTRUCTING THE INFORMATION SOCIETY

Content: 

- Global initiatives 
- Regional Action Plans - WSIS Tunis Phase 
- Regional programs 
- Some national experiences 
- Analysis and research 
- E-strategies in Latin America and the Caribbean 
- ICT policy and civil society 


Available online at:

      http://wsispapers.choike.org/

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The “information society” originally springs up as a conceptual model
that intends to account for the profound alterations  experienced by
industrial society in recent decades, mainly prompted by the
technological revolution. Thus, the new  informational model is usually
regarded as the desired target being unfailingly approached by
countries. However, the pace of  transition to the information society
depends to a large extent on the level of development and wealth of
countries, taking  into account the stock of knowledge, capacities and
infrastructure needed to successfully complete such transition.
Therefore, Southern countries fall once again behind the most developed
ones, which have begun this transition from a more  favourable starting
point. 

Within this context, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)
comes into existence as a global process that  includes the
participation of key actors in terms of information and communication
issues, such as governments, the private  sector and the academy. The
Action Plan approved at the first phase of the Geneva Summit has been
broadly criticized , mainly  by civil society organizations. Among the
items criticized there are organization topics (the multistakeholder
approach  proposed for the Summit’s organization was not taken into
account to draw up such Plan) as well as political and ideological
aspects. For example, the Geneva Action Plan is criticized for having a
way too technical approach, giving priority to issues  of access and
extension of infrastructure rather than to policies for capacity
building; it is also criticized for its lack  of applicability when
compared to the high diversity of situations registered worldwide.
Likewise, it has been analysed that  the type of public-private
partnerships stipulated in the plan run the risk of minimizing state
intervention and the set of  public policies needed, thus exclusively
promoting free-market based solutions which fail to ensure the
achievement of the  social development goals desired.

In spite of the above limitations with regards to specific results and
notwithstanding the lack of visibility of the Summit  if compared to
other global instances, it has managed to introduce the issue of
information society within national agendas.  In this way, national
strategies, cyber-strategies or e-strategies become action frameworks
that support the construction of  the information society in the
different regions and countries. At global level, international
institutions such as the  International Telecommunication Union (ITU),
the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN ICT Task
Force have  set precedents in terms of designing and promoting this type
of strategies.

One of the outstanding factors related to the success of these
strategies is the implementation of multistakeholder work  frameworks in
the design and application phases, so as to achieve wholesome
perspectives based on the comparative views of  all actors taking part
in the process (including civil society and the private sector). The
participation of the private  sector in these processes is considered
useful and necessary, provided it takes place under state supervision.
The “let the  private sector do it” policy usually and undesirably
results in the extension of infrastructure and connection only to those
market zones that are profitable. The information society action plans
also have to deal with the liberalization of the  telecommunication
sector, imposed by international financial institutions in a large
number of countries and regions, such as  Latin America. The direct
consequence of such reforms has been a decrease in regulations
concerning the private sector’s  actions, which results in the loss of
connection between ICTs policies and human rights policies and the
promotion of citizen  practices.

The fact that the governments of less developed countries usually
allocate very few resources for investment on this type of  plans should
be added to this complex situation. In view of reduced budgets, these
plans are placed second with regards to  priorities such as health and
education. Likewise, most of these countries lack government technical
teams trained in these  issues, which results in fragmentary and
short-rage policies and in the lack of participation in global
decision-making  instances, such as the WSIS. So, in terms of the design
of policies, there is urgent need to consult and include those civil
society organizations specialized in information and communication
issues, which from their experience are capable of making  valuable
contributions to the process.

Action plans aimed at approaching the information society should be
considered as state policies rather than as peripheral or  accessory
programmes. The current paradigm is aimed at wholesome programmes,
coordinated at a multi-sectoral level and  actively incorporated into
development agendas, as being the most effective in the transition
towards the information  society. Emphasis should also be placed on
joint regional efforts and regional strategies or plans.


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 Global initiatives
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* WSIS Geneva Plan of Action
Source: International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
The first phase of WSIS took place in Geneva hosted by the Government of
Switzerland from 10 to 12 December 2003, where 175  countries adopted a
Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action. The Geneva Plan of Action
was intended to translate the  guiding principles of the Declaration
into concrete action lines to advance the achievement of the
internationally-agreed  development goals by promoting the use of ICTs.
PDF format.
-->
http://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-s/md/03/wsis/doc/S03-WSIS-DOC-0005!!PDF-E
.pdf

* WSIS Stocktaking
Source: ITU
The WSIS Stocktaking is intended to fulfill the dual purpose of
providing an inventory of activities undertaken by  governments and all
stakeholders in implementing the Geneva decisions and taking stock of
the progress made in building the  Information Society. The stocktaking
was launched in October 2004 and continues to be updated as a dynamic
portal to this  rich source of information, open to all.
--> http://www.itu.int/wsis/stocktaking/.html

* E-Strategies - Empowering Development
Source: ITU
ITU's E-strategies main goal consists in assisting developing countries
in harnessing the potentials of ICT to contribute  towards reducing the
social divide, improving the quality life, promoting universal access
and facilitating entry into the  information society. In all actions,
take into account the needs of rural, isolated and poorly served areas
and people with  special needs.
--> http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/e-strategy/

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 Regional Action Plans - WSIS Tunis Phase
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* Latin America and Caribbean Regional Action Plan - eLAC 2007
Source: ECLAC (UN Economic and Social Commission for Latin America and
the Caribbean)
Approved in the Latin America and Caribbean Regional Conference, held in
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 8-10 June 2005, eLAC 2007 is  a regional Plan of
Action for public policy. It aims to provide some middle ground between
the ambitious aims of the global  community and the needs associated
with actual conditions in the Latin American and Caribbean countries.
The adoption of  concerted measures agreed upon at the regional level is
intended to strengthen national strategies and enable the digital
revolution to make a positive contribution to integration in the region.
PDF format.
-->
http://www.cepal.org/socinfo/noticias/documentosdetrabajo/5/21685/eLAC%2
02007%20English.pdf

* Regional Action Plan towards the Information Society for Asia and the
Pacific 
Source: UNESCAP
The High Level Asia-Pacific Conference for the World Summit on the
Information Society was held in Tehran from 31 May to 2  June 2005,
jointly organized by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran,
UNESCAP, UNDP-APDIP, ITU. The Conference  adopted the Tehran Declaration
and the Regional Action Plan towards the Information Society for Asia
and the Pacific and  discussed follow up and implementation
strategies/activities. PDF format.
-->  http://wsispapers.choike.org/action_plan_asia_pacific.pdf

*  African Commitments for WSIS Tunis 2005 
Source: African Regional Preparatory Conference for the WSIS
The African Regional Preparatory Conference for the WSIS was held from
2-4 February, in Accra, Ghana, with the theme "Access  - Africa’s key to
an inclusive Information Society". It aimed at preparing Africa for an
effective participation in the  second phase of the WSIS and ensuring a
strategic and interdependent digital partnership that would promote
economic growth  and human development of the continent. PDF format.
--> http://www.wsisaccra2005.gov.gh/updates/pdf/Accra_commitments.pdf

* Western Asia Regional Plan of Action
Source: United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia 
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
(ESCWA) organized the Second Western Asia Preparatory  Conference for
the WSIS to follow up on the first phase of WSIS held in Geneva (2003)
and to prepare for its second phase in  Tunis (2005). The Conference,
held in Damascus, Siria, from 22-24 November 2004 was held in
collaboration with international  and regional organizations and
prominent private sector institutions. It reviewed the latest actions
taken in member  countries to reduce the digital divide in light of the
WSIS-Phase 1 outcome and agreed on a regional plan of action with
specific projects, leading to strategic partnerships for their
implementation. PDF format.
--> http://www.escwa.org.lb/wsis/conference2/RPoA.pdf

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 Regional programs
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* Connectivity Agenda for the Americas
Source: Inter-American Telecommunication Commission
As part of the Summit of the Americas in Quebec City, Canada on April
20-22, 2001, the Heads of State issued a special  document focused on
Connectivity in the Americas. The Connectivity Agenda for the Americas
was created to facilitate the  beneficial integration of the hemisphere
into an increasingly knowledge-based society.
--> http://www.citel.oas.org/connecting.asp

* Observatory for the Information Society in Latin America and the
Caribbean
Source: ECLAC
OSILAC stands for the Observatory for the Information Society in Latin
America and the Caribbean. The main objective of  OSILAC is to
centralize and harmonize data that serve to monitor the status of what
is known as the "information society" in  the Latin American and
Caribbean region. The Observatory provides support for national
statistical institutes in compiling  indicators on information and
communication technologies (ICTs) in the region and in employing the
associated methodology
--> http://www.cepal.org/socinfo/osilac/default.asp?idioma=IN

* Africa Information Society Initiative 
Source: UN Economic and Social Commission for Africa (UNECA)
As a response to the information society, the Conference of African
Ministers meeting at the United Nations Economic  Commission for Africa
(ECA), in May 1995, adopted the Africa Information Society Initiative
(AISI). Driven by critical  development imperatives, AISI focuses on
priority strategies, programmes and projects, which can help in building
African  information societies. A key component of the AISI is the
development of national e-strategies,or the National Information  and
Communication Infrastructure policies.
--> http://www.uneca.org/aisi/policies.htm

* Collaboration for international ICT policy / East and Southern Africa
Source: CIPESA
Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa
(CIPESA) is one of two centres established under the  Catalysing Access
to Information and Communications Technologies in Africa (CATIA)
initiative. The overall goals for CIPESA  are to develop the capacity of
African stakeholders to  contribute effectively to international
decision-making on ICT and  ICT-related products and services, and on
the role of ICT in development; and to build multi-stakeholder
policy-making  capacity in African countries.
--> http://www.cipesa.org

* Asia-Pacific Developement Information Programme
Source: APDIP
APDIP is a UNDP initiative that seeks to promote and establish
information technology (IT) for social and economic  development
throughout Asia-Pacific. Launched in 1997 and based in Kuala Lumpur, the
Programme serves 42 countries in a vast  region, from Iran in the west,
north to Mongolia and south to the Pacific Islands of Fiji.
--> http://www.apdip.net/

* ICT Applications Section / Asia-Pacific
Source: UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP)
The ICT Applications Section of ESCAP's Information, Communication and
Space Technology Division (ICSTD) promotes the use of  ICT that
contributes to economic and social development. The Section's activities
focus on key applications identified in the  Plan of Action of the first
phase of WSIS and the Tokyo Declaration such as e-governance,
e-business, knowledge sharing,  rural ICT services, e-health, distance
education, and the section also supports the activities of the Asian and
Pacific  Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT).
--> http://www.unescap.org/icstd/APPLICATIONS/index.asp

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 Some national experiences
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* Azerbaijan: National Information Communication Technologies Strategy
Project (NICTS) 
Source: NICTS
To help Azerbaijan in harnessing the potential of information
communication technologies (ICT) for meeting the country's  development
goals primarily through assistance in preparation and initial
implementation of a national strategy aimed to  "Bridge the Digital
Divide" and through facilitating the development of the country's ICT
sector.
--> http://www.nicts.az:8101/index.html

* Brazil: Green Book
Source: Sociedade da Informação Brasil
The main purpose of the Brazilian Information Society Program is to
establish the foundations of a nationwide strategic  project to
integrate and coordinate the development and employment of advanced
computer, communication and information  technologies and their
applications in society. This endeavor will allow the government to
further research and education, as  well as assure that the Brazilian
economy is capable of competing on the world market. PDF format.
--> http://www.socinfo.org.br/livro_verde/ingles/download.htm

* Ghana: National ICT Policy and Plan Development Committee 
Source: Ministry of Communications Ghana
The National ICT Policy and Plan Development Committee set up by the
Ghana Government is tasked to develop an ICT-led  Socio-Economic
Development Policy and the corresponding Plan on the basis of an
extensive national consultative exercise.
--> http://www.ict.gov.gh/

* India: National Task Force on IT and Software Development
Source: National Task Force on IT and Software Development
India's National Task Force on IT and Software Development was set up by
the Prime Minister's Office on May 22, 1998, under  the Chairmanship of
the Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission. This taskforce had a mandate
to formulate the draft of a  National Informatics Policy. A special
website was designed to make the evolution of the Policy transparent.
The Task Force  has submitted its reports, including a IT Action Plan,
which can be found online at this website.
--> http://it-taskforce.nic.in/index.html

* India: Department of Information Technology
Source: Ministry of Communications and Information Technology
In 1999, the Ministry of Information Technology (MIT) was established in
India to facilitate all initiatives in the IT  sector. The Ministry was
then merged with the Communications Ministry to form the Ministry of
Communication and Information  Technology (MCIT). Currently the
Department of Information Technology (DIT), under the MCIT, works as the
nodal agency for  Information Technology. The Department of
Telecommunications and Department of Posts are the two other key
departments under  the MCIT. An "action taken" report and a Ministerial
"Ten Point Agenda", set up in May 2004, can be found here among other
important information about India's ICT policies and priorities.
--> http://www.mit.gov.in/

* Jamaica: A five-year Strategic Information Technology Plan
Source: Government of Jamaica
This document endeavors to provide a scheme for achieving social and
economic progress by utilizing Information and  Communications
Technology (ICT) as a developmental vehicle. It strives to include all
sectors of the economy in a skillfully  designed plan. PDF format.
-->
http://www.mct.gov.jm/GOJ%20IT%20Plan%20-%20Revised%20Version%20March%20
20021.pdf

* Philippines: Information Technology and Electronic Commerce Council
(ITECC)
Source: Information Technology and Electronic Commerce Council
In 1994, the National Information Technology Council (NITC) was created
and designated as the central policy body on IT  matters in the country.
Four years later in 1998, the Electronic Commerce Promotion Council
(ECPC) was created to be the  coordinating body of public-private
partnerships for the promotion and development of e-commerce. In July
2000, NITC and the  ECPC were merged, coinciding with the approval of
the Government Information Systems Plan (GISP). The merger resulted in
the  Information Technology and Electronic Commerce Council (ITECC).
--> http://www.itecc.gov.ph

* Philippines' IT Action Agenda for the 21st Century (IT21)
Source: National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)
IT21 documents our common vision and presents our nation’s broad
strategy to spur our country to global competitiveness  through
information technology. It sets down specific time frames for achieving
these goals
--> http://www.neda.gov.ph/ads/IT21/

* Rwanda: An Integrated ICT-led Socio-Economic Development Policy and
Plan
Source: UNECA
A policy document for the transformation of Rwanda into an
information-rich based society and economy within twenty years.
-->  http://www.uneca.org/aisi/nici/Documents/rwanpap2.htm

* South African Information Technology Industry Strategy (SAITIS)
Source: Department of Trade and Industry South Africa
SAITIS is a bilateral project between the South African government,
represented by the Department of Trade and Industry, and  the Canadian
Government represented by the Canadian International Development Agency
(CIDA). The purpose of this project is  to further the development of
the ICT Sector in South Africa.  The strategy is intended to be
complementary to and supportive  of broader socio-economic development
goals of the government of South Africa, particularly with regard to its
emphasis on  social upliftment and empowerment. 
--> http://www.thedti.gov.za/saitis/index.html

* South Africa's Department of Communications Strategic Plan 2005-2008
Source: Department of Communications
The outcome of the strategic planning exercise has been to define, in
even greater clarity, the role of the Department of  Communications
within the country's agenda to achieve economic and social
transformation through ICT's. The objective being  to attain a
non-racial and non-sexist society with justice and equality for all
where all the citizens participate in the  national processes that lead
towards total transformation. PDF format.
--> http://www.doc.gov.za/images/Strategic%20Plan%20-%20DoC.pdf

* Tanzania National ICT Policy 
Source: APC Africa ICT Policy Monitor
The Tanzania Development Vision 2025 envisages a nation imbued with five
main attributes: high quality livelihood; peace,  stability and unity;
good governance; a well educated and learning society; and a strong and
competitive economy capable of  producing sustainable growth and shared
benefits. On the other hand, this Policy has articulated ten main focus
areas in  harnessing ICT in Tanzania which include strategic ICT
leadership; ICT infrastructure; ICT Industry; Human Capital; Legal and
Regulatory Framework; Productive Sectors; Service Sectors; Public
Service; Local Content; and Universal Access. PDF format.
--> http://www.tzonline.org/pdf/ictpolicy2003.pdf

* Trinidad and Tobago's fastforward agenda 
Source: The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago's fastforward agenda is all about transforming the
country into a knowledge-based society by 2008.  Government working with
the public and private sectors, has produced an exciting roadmap that
charts a clear and determined  course to an online society and a
knowledge-based economy. fastforward provides farreaching strategies for
the development of  a connected country that will adapt, flourish and
prosper in the new global information society.
--> http://fastforward.tt/

* Uganda: National Information and Communication Technology Policy 
Source: LogosNet - International Labour Office (ILO)
In order for developments in the ICT sector to be addressed
systematically, the Uganda government has formulated an ICT  Policy
Framework. The scope of this Policy covers information as a resource for
development, mechanisms for accessing  information, and ICT as an
industry, including e-business, software development and manufacturing.
The policy looks at  various categories of information from different
sectors, essentially aimed at empowering people to improve their living
conditions.
--> http://www.logos-net.net/ilo/150_base/en/init/uga_1.htm

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 Analysis and research
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* The centrality of e-strategies in the WSIS Plan of Action 
Willie Currie
Source: APC
The term ‘e-strategies’ has gained widespread use over the last few
years in the debates on the role of information and  communications
technologies (ICTs) for development, following the UN Millennium
Declaration in 2000. This paper explores its  meaning in the framework
of the WSIS I outcomes. PDF format.
--> http://rights.apc.org/documents/estrategies.pdf

* National approaches to ICT
Source: Digital Opportunity Initiative (DOI)
This document forms part of the Digital Opportunity Initiative report
"Creating a Development Dynamic". It is focused on the  rol that ICTs
must play in national development strategies, and contains descriptions
of national ICT approaches on countries  such as Costa Rica, Estonia,
India, Malasia, South Africa and Tanzania. PDF format.
--> http://wsispapers.choike.org/national_approaches_ict.pdf

* Why national strategies are needed for ICT-enabled development 
Nagy K. Hana
Source: Development Gateway
This paper explores the need for national strategies for ICT-enabled
development. It aims to improve understanding of the  challenges and
opportunities of the ICT revolution, and their implications for
development policy and strategies. The paper  concludes by outlining the
rationale for designing national strategies for e-development and
options, objectives and major  thrust for such strategies in support of
economic growth, poverty reduction and the MDGs. PDF format.
--> http://wsispapers.choike.org/national_strategies.pdf

* A global overview of e-strategies 
Kate Wild
Source: UNICTTF (United Nations ICT Task Force)
A discussion paper for the 5th Session of the United Nations ICT Task
Force in Geneva, September 12 and 13, 2003. This paper  is about the
connection between strategies to reduce poverty and strategies to
maximize ICT benefit. It reviews the evolution  of ICT strategies region
by region and analyses the connection between e-strategies and poverty
reduction strategies.PDF  format.
--> http://wsispapers.choike.org/global_overview_strategies.pdf

* Developing National Information and Communications Infrastructure
(NICI) Policies, Plans and Strategies: The 'why' and  'how'
Source: UNECA
NICI plans and strategies need to reflect overall development
priorities, redefine sectoral policies and support the  introduction of
new regulatory framework so as to improve the efficiency and to mobilise
resources for building national  information and communication
infrastructure. Attempts are made in this paper to assess the ICT
situation in African  countries, to outline the pressing need to
build-up NICI plans and strategies and the various steps to be taken to
enable  countries to be part of the information society.
--> http://www.uneca.org/aisi/nici/Documents/NICI%20in%20Africa.htm

* E-Strategies National, Sectoral and Regional ICT Policies, Plans and
Strategies
Source: UNECA
This report assesses the state of national and regional ICT
policies,plans and strategies in Africa. It focuses on the role  of ECA
(Economic Comission for Africa) and summarizes major regional and global
initiatives being undertaken in or relevant  to Africa. It also
highlights new applications and initiatives in key sectors,and concludes
with lessons learned and the way  forward. PDF format.
--> http://www.uneca.org/aisi/nici/Documents/E-Strategies.pdf

* An Overview of ICT Policies and e-Strategies of Select Asian Economies

Emmanuel C. Lallana
Source: Asia-Pacific Development Programme
This publication provides a comparative study of ICT policies and
e-strategies of nine Asian countries - India, Japan,  Republic of Korea,
Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. It
identifies and analyzes the strengths,  weaknesses, similarities and
gaps in policy formulation in Asia. PDF format.
--> http://www.apdip.net/publications/ict4d/OverviewICTPolicies.pdf

*  ICT Policies and e-Strategies in the Asia Pacific: A Critical
Assessment of The Way Forward
Source: Asia-Pacific Development Programme
This book has three distinct areas of focus: an analytical overview of
the ICT policies and e-strategies in the region,  fundamentals of policy
formulation and the development process, and thematic priority areas to
be addressed in the  conceptualization and development of policies. PDF
format.
--> http://www.apdip.net/publications/ict4d/e-strategies.pdf

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 E-strategies in Latin America and the Caribbean
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* ECLAC: Policy formulation for the information society
Source: ECLAC
Set of documents focusing on the routes made by Latin America and the
Caribbean towards the information society. Alternatives  are proposed
for the design of national strategies to be adopted by the countries of
the region, in order to ensure the  success of this transition.
-->
http://www.cepal.org/cgi-bin/getProd.asp?xml=/socinfo/agrupadores_xml/ae
s401.xml&xsl=/socinfo/agrupadores_xml/agrupa_listado-
i.xsl&base=/socinfo/tpl-i/top-bottom.xsl

* Benchmarking the Plan of Action of the World Summit on the Information
Society (WSIS) in Latin America and the Caribbean
Martin Hilbert, Doris Olaya 
Source: UNPAN
This document is the third version of an ongoing exercise to benchmark
the Plan of Action of the World Summit on the  Information Society
(WSIS).  Graphs and tables are indicative and aim at demonstrating the
current situation of Latin America  and the Caribbean countries in
relation to achieving the actions proposed during the 2003 Geneva phase
of WSIS. Conslusions  are drawn from the presented evidence in every
field, which results in the particular challenges the region faces in
the  transition toward a Latin American and Caribbean Information
Society.PDF format.
-->
http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/UN/UNPAN020039.pdf

* Connecting to Public Policy. An exploration of ICTs and Public Policy
in Latin America and the Caribbean
Katherine Reilly, Ricardo Gómez
Source: Katherine Reilly Net
This report is the main output of the meeting "Public Policy and
Information and Communications Technologies for Social  Transformation
in Latin America and the Caribbean," held in San José, Costa Rica,
organised by the PAN Americas program of  the International Development
Research Centre (IDRC). The job of this report is to pull out some of
the main lessons learned  from the workshop, and areas  that were
identified for further exploration and research. PDF format.
--> http://www.katherine.reilly.net/docs/connecting.pdf

* Final Report ICT Policy and Strategic Plan
Source: Red Sobre el Impacto Social de las TIC (RedISTIC)
This is the final of three reports comprising the output of the
Consulting Services in Information & Communication Technology  project.
It presents the results of the regional and national  consultations and
lists a set of recommendations for the  proposed ICT Policy for the OECS
(Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States) region. PDF format.
-->
http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/CARICAD/UNPAN00851
0.pdf

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 ICT policy and civil society
---------------------------------------------------------

* Involving Civil Society in ICT Policy: the World Summit on the
Information Society 
Source: APC
Access to information and communications technologies (ICTs) is
expanding but the majority of people in developing countries  are still
excluded, says APC. APC and the CRIS Campaign have been following the
WSIS process and their publication "Involving  Civil Society in ICT
Policy: the World Summit on the Information Society" highlights some of
the main issues at stake. PDF  format.
--> http://www.apc.org/books/policy_wsis_EN.pdf

* ICT Policy for Civil Society: Training Curriculum 
Source: APC
The ICT Policy for Civil Society training course builds the capacity of
civil society organisations to understand policy and  regulation related
to information and communication technologies (ICT) so that they can
begin to engage and influence policy  processes affecting ICT adoption
and implementation at national, regional and global levels.
--> http://www.apc.org/english/capacity/policy/curriculum.shtml

* Civil Society and National ICT Programmes: matchmaking
Miguel Saravia
Source: ITDG
This text was written within the framework of the Project entitled
"Civilian Organisations in the face of National ICT  Projects: 4 case
studies" which ITDG carried out with the support of the IDRC. This
project was implemented between December  2002 and June 2004 and
included visits to 4 Latin American countries (Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela
and El Salvador), as well as  interviews with government representatives
and civilian organizations. Is it possible to refer to the information
society  without the participation of the civil society?  How can the
'information society' be understood within a poverty context?  What
approaches can be used to explain the role to be played by the civil
society with other stakeholders of the information  society?  Those
questions guided this research. PDF format.
--> http://www.itdg.org.pe/archivos/tic/Libro%20IDRC.pdf

* National ICT policies making in Africa: Implications for CSOs 
Lishan Adam
Source: Social Science Research Council
The gap between expectations and realization in e-strategies suggests
that civil society has a key role in stimulating  national ICT polices
in Africa, says the author of this article. PDF format.
-->
http://www.ssrc.org/programs/itic/publications/knowledge_report/memos/ad
ammemo4.pdf

* Building the Future: Civil Society's Contribution Towards the
Emergence of the Information Society in Cameroon
Source: APC Africa ICT Policy Monitor
This report describes a partnership building process between the
Cameroonian government, private sector and CSOs in an effort  to build
the ICT sector in response to government's perceived failure to do so.
It emphasizes the role of civil society in  the formulation of national
ICT policy and strategies and the creation of an enabling environment
for ICT sector growth. PDF  format.
--> http://africa.rights.apc.org/research_reports/cameroon.pdf

* Egypt ICT and Civil Society Country Report
Source: APC Africa ICT Policy Monitor
Egypt's CSO sector is active and far reaching, however despite the
increase in the number of users, and the fact that  Internet policy and
regulation is becoming an issue, although only a tiny minority of
activists work in this area. Recent  lobbying on the newest
communication bill is an encouraging sign that representatives of civil
society are waking up to the  fact that civil society much stake a claim
in ICT policy formulation processes. PDF format.
--> http://africa.rights.apc.org/research_reports/egypt.pdf

* Fostering the Capacities of the Ethiopia Civil Society to Influence
ICT Policies
Source: APC Africa ICT Policy Monitor
This paper presents the case of civil society organizations in Ethiopia
and discusses how their involvement in ICT policy  process can be
improved. Although recent initiatives by the Federal Government in
modernizing its ICT policies and the  opening up the telecommunication
sector present windows of opportunities for the civil society to
participate in the policy  process, the inherent weakness of the civil
society due to the spread of its efforts along dozens priorities aimed
at  responding to the on-going social and economic crisis in the country
makes the participation in ICT policy process rather  difficult. PDF
format. 
-->
http://africa.rights.apc.org/research_reports/ethiopia%20civil%20society
.pdf


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 Related Choike's in-depth reports
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* World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)
--> http://www.choike.org/nuevo_eng/informes/703.html

* ICTD within the framework of the MDGs
--> http://www.choike.org/nuevo_eng/informes/3010.html

* Telecentres: a model for social appropriation of ICTs
--> http://www.choike.org/nuevo_eng/informes/3084.html

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- "WSIS Papers" and "Choike" are projects of the
Instituto del Tercer Mundo (ITeM) -  Third World Institute

- "WSIS Papers" is supported by the
International Development Research Centre (IDRC) / PanAmericas
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