Information and Communication Technologies for Development
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Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) deal with the application of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in development programmes in underdeveloped countries.
Its fields of action can be grouped in three big areas:
- infrastructure: setting up computer hardware and/on connectivity to the internet
- capacity building and training in ICT: installing, maintaining and developing hardware and software, etc.
- digital content and services: e-learning, e-health, e-business, etc.
What's crucial in making any ICT4D effort successful is effective partnership between 4 key stakeholders:
- Public sector (governments - from developed nations, developing nations, international bodies, and local governments)
- Private sector (multi-national organizations wishing to expand their markets to the 4 billion people under $2/day and who have a strong commitment to rethink, redesign, and build innovative solutions for this target audience)
- Informal sector (NGOs, advocacy groups, thinktanks)
- Representation from the target audience
In 2001 the United Nations Information and Communication Technologies Task Force was formed to address the a.m. topics. The Task Force holds semi-annual meetings. The 5th meeting took place in Geneva in September 2003. The 6th meeting was held in March 2004 at the UN headquarters in New York, NY, USA, with a Global Forum on Internet Governance. The 7th meeting took place November 18-20, 2004 in Berlin, Germany, with a Global Forum on an Enabling Environment. It's 8th meeting will be held April 13-15, 2005 in Dublin Ireland, with a Global Forum on Harnessing the Potential of ICTs in Education.
A major event for ICT4D is the twin World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). The first part of WSIS took place in Geneva in December 2003 with an exhibition for ICT4D. The second part of WSIS is scheduled to take place in Tunis, Tunisia, in November 2005.
Further reading:
- UNITeS (http://www.unites.org)
- The Development Gateway (http://www.developmentgateway.org)
- ICTlogy blog (http://www.ictlogy.net)
- United Nations Information and Communication Technologies Task Force (http://www.unicttaskforce.org)
- World Summit on the Information Society - WSIS (http://www.itu.int/wsis)