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C. PRESENTATION SESSIONS Session 1: Presentation by the Indonesian Expert
Paper 1: - Self Assessment and Manuals for
Improving E-Readiness. - E-Readiness Self-Assessment: The importance of the evaluation of the E-Readiness process of each country to exploit ICT and its competitive and participation in a globalized world. It is important to define the E-Readiness level of each country (basic, development or advanced). - In general, E-Readiness is based in the following aspects to be evaluated: o Telecommunications Infrastructure. o Information Technologies Infrastructure. o Government leadership (E-Leadership). - Importance of ICT: o Indispensable tools to fight poverty. o Unprecedented opportunity to meet development goals. o Powerful overall enabler of development. - Unique characteristics of ICT: o Pervasive and cross cutting. o Key enabler in creation of network. o Foster dissemination of information and knowledge. o Efficiency gain. o Zero or declining marginal costs, reduce transaction cost. o Innovative business models and whole new industries. o Facilitate disintermediation. o Global; transcend geopolitical, culture and with no boundaries. - ICT elements: o Telecommunication infrastructure. o IT infrastructure. o Internet. o Human Resource. o Policies and regulations. - ICT in NAM countries: o Existing problem (or opportunities): Disparity of ICT, also known as digital divide. o Solution: Develop strong improvement plan for ICT. o Constraint: Each country is unique and at different levels of e-readiness. - Why self assessment? o Need to determine what level of e-readiness to find accurate and comprehensive ways of ICT development plan. o Each country is different and unique. - E-Readiness methodology and analytical mapping based on Peter Wolcott, Seymour Goodman and Grey Burkhart from the University of Nebraska and Arizona (quantitative and qualitative approaches). - Categories of review: o Proximity to technological frontier. o Depth of development. o Sophistication of use. o Penetration. o Indigenization. - Focus: o Welfare. o Connectivity. o Competition. o Education. - Major Challenges: o Strong and advance infrastructure. o Government endorsement. o Competitive price. o Legal system. o Efficient custom, taxation and natural resources usage fee. o Simple and transparent administration procedure. o Security. o Content. o Equal treatment of investment regulation. - Key factors: o Infrastructure and connectivity. o Funding and or private sector participation. o Regulation and protection law. o Human resource, education program and public awareness. - Prerequisites: o Electricity. o Computer. o Software. o Internet connection. o Human resources. - Strategies for building up the ICT infrastructure: o Deploying ICT infrastructure. o Ubiquity of access. o Strategically – focused capacity. o Addressed to enhance the achievement of development goals and national long term targets. - E-Readiness manuals in different levels were explained (basic, development and advanced levels) depending upon the self assessment study results. - The E-Readiness manuals in Spanish were also presented to the participants and they are available for any Spanish speaking country that wishes to use them. NAM CSSTC can help these countries in order to make an E-Readiness study.
Session 2: Presentations by Nicaragua and Trinidad and Tobago.
Paper 2: - The concept of E-Readiness and its
application in developing countries. Methodological problems and results
from the E-Readiness of Nicaragua. Issues: - How convenient are the OECD countries methodologies in bridging the digital divide in developing countries. - E-Readiness concept and the Harvard University methodology (used by the World Bank). - General information about Nicaragua. - E-Readiness first steps in Nicaragua. - ICT infrastructure. o Privatization processes are frozen. o Internet availability and affordability in the country. o Internet is out of reach to the majority of the population. o Tele-centers: Even subsidized, they are for people with money and not for the poor people. o Education: Illiteracy rate is over 50%. Schools access to ICT was explained. It is important to train teachers in ICT issues. - Nicaraguan society. o Community centers. o The need to bridge the internal literacy divides with Intermediates (legal advisers or advocates). o Two generations must pass to obtain a good literacy level (Literate society). - Local contents. o Local Websites. o Number of domains in Nicaragua. o Press and news (70% of local content). - Economy. o ICT in relation to incomes and salaries is very expensive and counter productive. o Time and not money ICT usage. o E-Commerce: B2C, B2B and SME in Nicaragua. Conclusions: - Harvard criteria do not fit because o Internal heterogeneity and internal divides. o Demographic, geographic, socio-economic differences. o Different structure of costs of opportunity. - Promoting E-Readiness of Nicaragua needs. o Consensus of a National ICT policy. § Reduction of external connection costs. § Expansion of conventional and unconventional coverage. § Multi-purpose usage of connections and access points. § Spread coverage of true potential. o Bridging internal divides by means of intermediates. o Internal society re-engineering.
Paper 3: - Trinidad and Tobago E-Readiness
Country Report. E-Readiness CARICOM. Issues: - General information of Trinidad and Tobago. - ICT figures. o Telephones. o Internet connectivity. o Portals: http://www.gov.tt and http://ecommerce.gov.tt. - Regulations and policies. o Telecommunications Act 2001. o Cyber-Crime Act 2000. o Electronics transactions bill. o Draft National policy on broadcast and the broadcast industry. o Report of the National E-Commerce policy committee. o National E-Commerce Action Plan: Communications, participation (SMEs, education and training), market rules, confidence building and sector mechanisms. o Internet access centers (community and home based). o Affordable ICT prices. o Intellectual Property o Tax administration, conflict resolutions and illegal contents. o Consumer protection. o Certification authorities. o Cyber crime units and encryption technologies awareness. - E-Economy. o E-Payment systems. o E-Money products. o Sectors initiatives. o E-Government. Issues and Challenges: - Awareness. - Funding. - Cooperation. - Key elements of required investment: o Community access projects. o Legal drafter. o E-Commerce awareness campaign. o Market access. CARICOM issues: - CARICOM information. - CARICOM is integrated by 15 countries; almost most of them English speaking countries. - 9 are NAM member countries. - Regional figures. - Challenges: o Lack of financial resources. o Weak and costly infrastructure. o Cumbersome bureaucratic procedures. - Strengths: o Political and relative macro-economic stability. o Good labor relations and trainable work force. o Attractive investment location. o Strong Caribbean brand. - An E-Readiness profile of each CARICOM country was presented.
Strategic framework for E-Readiness CARICOM: - Leadership. - Regulatory and public policy. - Economic competitiveness. - User friendly efficient and effective public services. - E-Business capacity development. - Regional negotiation. - FTAA. - CARICARD. - Caribbean Assessment Report. - NAM CSSTC assistance.
Session 3: Presentations by Cuba and Venezuela.
Paper 4: - Cuba E-Readiness. Issues: - General Information about Cuba. o Economic blocking. o Communist Party. - All public policies are guided by the Government and the official party. - 1997: o ICT modernization process. o ICT to the service for all persons. - 2000: The ICT Ministry was created. - Cuban Society information process objectives: o ICT. o Knowledge, Information and Data. o Massive use if ICT. o Experience and Efficiency. o Spheres (political, social, economic). o Processes (production, services and activities). o Welfare and quality of life improvement. - Cuban main ICT programs: o Infrastructure. o Digital culture. o Strengthen of the young. o Integrated services for the citizens. o Government, administration and economy. o Geographic Information (GIS). o Industrial development through ICT. o Research and Development (R&D). - ICT figures: o Internet connection (satellite). o 5 ISP. - E-Commerce Committee. - Portals: There are 8 major Internet portals in different topics. - Digital culture: o 50 universities. o Technical universities and institutions. o Tele-education. o Online information on Cuban society. o All elementary schools have computers. o Training teachers is a priority. o All universities have Internet access. - JOVEN-Club (Younger-Club). o Content generation. - Integrated services for the citizen: o E-Mail, fax and document digitalization services. o Legal documents o E-Commerce - E-Government: o IT strategy. o Government Intranet. o E-Commerce development. o Massive IT training. o Content development. o IT security. o Funding. - Software development. - Research and Development (R&D): o Internet2. o Artificial Intelligence. o Bio-technology. o Biometry systems. o Medical services. - Regional Integration: o Cuban ICT teachers in Latin American countries. o Network participation with other countries. o Bilateral programs (Venezuela). Conclusions: - Cuba has a very strong ICT program including all sectors. - In the middle of many problems, including economic blocking, Cuba has some progress but not as expected. - An important key issue for the country is the human resources development and ICT is a powerful tool to achieve that. - No more an agricultural country. - Creation on the Electronic Transactions Commission in Cuba. - Biotechnology, Bioinformatics and medical development advances through ICT. Also artificial intelligence (patterns recognition). Paper 5: - The ICT as tools for sustainable development? The Venezuela’s Case: Some data and considerations for discussion. Issues: - Poverty levels in Venezuela. - General Information of Venezuela. - Country Development Gateway. - ICT figures. - Government network: More than 200 municipalities. - CANTV investment in Tele-centers (franchises). - CCC: Community Centers for Communication (administered by the community). - Internet is only used by 6% of the population. - Content development is responsibility of each person, institution or company that wishes to publish information. - ICT and education figures. - Internet connectivity figures. - Almost all public schools have Internet access with good equipment. - Online medical services are a successful story in Venezuela. - The Country Development Gateway Venezuela made the E-Readiness study in the Country. Conclusions: - In the region, the first thing we have to agree on in the language, especially on ICT issues. - We live in an information and knowledge era. - Internet is the hope of developing countries. - Venezuela has a big gap between poverty levels and ICT. - There is nothing useful for the poor people in the Internet. - Education must be the major concern in the developing world. - To promote Country Development Gateways initiatives in developing countries with multi financial agencies. - Regional integration for ICT and E-Government projects. - To make Internet useful for the people. - To encourage SME and ICT development. - To promote E-Readiness studies among the region and in developing countries. - To enhance E-Readiness levels of a country is one way to change the country’s development level.
Session 4: Presentations by Peru and Chile.
Paper 6: - Country Report: Peru. Issues: - General information about Peru. - Poverty levels of the country. - ICT figures. - Telecommunication regulations: o Customer protection. o Free market. o FITEL (Telecommunication fund) to invest in rural areas: It is 1% of net income of telecommunication companies. o Privatization process results. - Internet access is almost impossible for the population for many reasons. - Public booths types: o Commercial. o Government. o Education. - It is not the digital divide problem, but the social exclusion. - ICT plan e-Peru (2001): o Infrastructure. o Online Government. o E-Commerce. o Education and training. o Organization and management. - Regulations: o Digital signature and digital certificates Act (UNCITRAL model). o Digital crime law. o E-mail notification law. - Rural ICT strategies. - ICT projects: o Connectivity projects. o Portals: www.Peru.com; ICT portal. o E-Commerce. Conclusions: - Proactive Government is necessary for ICT development. - Private sector investment growth. - Good government and private sector relations towards ICT development. - Added value in good content and information schemes. - SME support and E-Commerce awareness. - E-Government and public policies. - Local sectors must be involved to promote ICT in their regions. - To find useful ways to obtain benefits from the Internet.
Paper 7: - Chile: Our way towards the
Information Society. Issues: - Centralized objectives to reduce the digital divide. - The country should use the ICT as a modernization element. - ICT must be accessible for all the population. - There is a Congress library and website. - Connectivity for all public schools to Internet (since 1992). - Tele-centers (subsidized) for all municipalities. - General information about Chile. - Research and Development (R&D) figures. - ICT figures. - Government focus and efforts are to close the digital divide internally. - Legislation: o E-Commerce law. o Digital signature law (2 certifying authorities in the country). - E-Services: E-Banking, E-Government and E-Commerce (especially the mining sector). - Content development: a major concern in universities. Conclusions: - The National Center fro Computer Systems is being established. - More education programs in ICT issues (Masters and Ph. D. degrees). - To focus public investment to maximize the use of ICT in the country. - The E-Readiness current state is the basis to work beyond that level and really use ICT for sustainable development. - To transform information into real benefits for the population: Content generation. - Improve communication mechanisms among the countries of our region.
Session 5: Presentation by Guatemala.
Paper 8: - National Development Portal:
E-Readiness Guatemala. Issues: - E-Readiness study is being made by a private company through the Guatemalan Chamber of Commerce and the World Bank. - The Harvard methodology is being used with the following key issues: o ICT infrastructure. o ICT usage. o ICT and education. o ICT for the economy. o ICT public policies and legislation. - A questionnaire was elaborated and distributed to the appropriate organizations to obtain the information for the E-Readiness study. - E-Readiness figures in Guatemala. o 1998: Privatization process in the telecommunication sector. o Education: 1 computer for every 3,620 students (public schools). o Government services: Tax payment using the Internet. o E-Banking is developing very strong. o Legislation: § General Law of Telecommunications. § Draft of E-Commerce Law and Digital Signatures.
Conclusions: - E-Readiness: First study of this type in Guatemala. - A lot of experiences learned during the E-Readiness study preparation. - There are not updated figures and lack of information in the Country. - The need to update the E-Readiness study in a regular basis. - Education systems do not take into consideration ICT issues in developing countries. - Internet penetration is very low because of the lack of infrastructure and due to education levels in developing countries.
Session 6: Presentation by the World Bank.
Presentation: Country Development Gateways.
World Bank. Issues: - Role of the World Bank in E-Readiness and ICT issues. - Development Gateway (World Bank initiative): Creation of the Development Gateway Foundation. - Development Gateway Foundation major activities: o Development Gateways: Portals. o Country Development Forums. o Research and training centers (Korea, India and Brazil). o ICT investment funds. - Development Gateway goal: Help the communities, organizations and persons to build alliances, share ideas and work together to reduce poverty using ICT as a tool. - Objectives: o Poverty reduction for sustainable development. o Support community efforts. o Improve access to funding sources. o Open source technologies. o Country Internet Portals. - Development Gateway structure (www.developmentgateway.com): o Ideas and knowledge. o Development projects. o Digital-market. o Country gateways: Internet Portals (42 countries, 12 Latin American countries) in different levels of development. - Can be implemented by any sector, but with support of all their sectors. It must be auto-sustainable. - Planning process for the Country Gateways: E-Needs, E-Readiness and a Business Plan. Conclusions: - Importance of E-Readiness. o Helps the country to focus on what to do next. o Helps to formulate ICT projects for sustainable development. - Latin America and the Caribbean efforts and plans: o Regional integration in different sectors. o Help the poor and give them new tools. o Communities’ involvement in ICT projects. o To integrate efforts with other organizations that are promoting and working in the same kind of activities. o Person to person networking. o To share and learn from experiences among other countries, especially in the region.
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