PREFACE

In the context of a globalized world, the information and communications technology (ICT) has been playing a very important role which changes the human being way of living.

However, the situation of how ICT is developed around the globe is factually different in each country. Some countries, especially the developed countries, are taking more advantage of the technology in order to obtain sustainable development in different sectors. On the other hand, the developing countries are in different stages concerning the ICT development. The gap between developing countries and developed countries is popularly called the “digital divide”.

In this line, Non-Aligned Movement Centre for South-South Technical Cooperation (NAM CSSTC) is fully concerned on how to facilitate NAM member countries to bridging the digital divide and support a new meaning and a new tool to fight against poverty and a tool that will serve for sustainable development, to some extent, through the ICT.

In 2001, NAM CSSTC organized two expert group meetings related on how to address the digital divide in NAM member countries.

The first expert group meeting on the “Establishment of NAM CSSTC Networking System with NAM Member Countries” was held in Jakarta, Indonesia, in March 2001. The second expert group meeting on “Establishing Electronic Linkages within NAM Member Countries through NAM CSSTC” was also held in Jakarta, in August 2001. Both meetings recognized the importance of ICT and the need to address the digital divide in each developing country, especially in NAM member countries.

Among the recommendations were the establishment of NAM CSSTC Networking System and the establishment of electronic linkages through NAM CSSTC. The need to establish the E-Readiness level of each country in order to reduce the digital divide and in order to build an ICT development plan for each country was discussed. The efforts of integration as a region and the establishment of an expert database were also discussed.

The first product of the expert group meeting was the improvement of NAM CSSTC website (please visit www.nam-csstc.org) in different languages (English, Spanish and French to start). The second product was the making of the E-Readiness manuals on how to measure the E-Readiness levels of a country through a self-assessment with recommendations on what to do depending on the appropriate level.

As a follow up of the previous meeting in Jakarta and as a main recommendation, the need to have regional meetings concerning the ICT issues and the digital divide have been put as priority. Hence, NAM CSSTC held a regional meeting on “E-Readiness in Latin America and the Caribbean Region” on 26-27 September 2002, in Antigua, Guatemala.

The project implementation is officially assisted by the Government of the Republic of Guatemala, through its Planning and Programming Secretariat (SEGEPLAN, please visit www.segeplan.gob.gt) and its Science and Technology Secretariat (SENACYT, please visit www.concyt.gob.gt). This meeting, which is then called a regional workshop, is surely part of follow-up activities of the previous meetings which is specifically intended to involve all parties concerned in the region.

NAM CSSTC plans to use the workshop recommendations as a basis for its future work programmes in the years to come. It was clear from the workshop that there are a number of major issues, faced by Latin American and Caribbean NAM member countries, within the framework to properly address the digital divide in their respective countries. One of them is the lack of information related to ICT issues. It was so important to discuss about the E-Readiness manuals prepared by NAM CSSTC and the need of NAM member countries, especially in the region, to be able to assess their e-readiness level and to integrate their efforts as a region in order to achieve their goals.

These issues will be the focus of NAM CSSTC work in the next few years, with the objective of assisting interested NAM member countries, through concrete plan of actions, to integrate them into their networking system and establishing e-linkages with the NAM member countries and other regions of the world, to accomplish sustainable development by, among others, using ICT as a strategic tool.

In the future, NAM CSSTC will organize similar meetings in other regions to identify major issues faced by NAM member countries concerning ICT and the digital divide.