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Program :: Brigita Schmognerova /Opening Ceremony Address by Ms. Brigita Schmögnerová to the Telecommunication for Development Conference 28-29 October 2002, Belgrade.
New developments in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have had a profound impact on the whole of our society and can serve as an engine for economic growth. I believe that the benefits of these new technologies should be available to all so as should be the benefits of globalization, which partly results from these innovations, contributing significantly to the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development goals. In particular, the application of these technologies in the region is fundamental to reduce the development gap between countries and provides the prerequisites for integration into the European economy. The new technologies and resulting changes form the basis for the very important initiatives - the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) which will take place in Geneva in 2003 and in Tunis in 2005. World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) The decision on the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) was adopted at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Minneapolis in 1998. The Summit will bring together Heads of States, Executive Heads of UN Agencies, industry leaders and NGOs in two high-level meetings to develop a better understanding of the ICT revolution and its impact on the international community. The Summit meetings will be held from 10 to 12 December 2003 in Geneva and in 2005 in Tunis. In January 2002, the UN General Assembly endorsed the WSIS and called upon governments and the UN organizations to actively participate at the highest possible level in this event and to link the process to the activities of the UN ICT for Development Task Force. The ITU, with assistance from the Swiss Government, has set up a WSIS Executive Secretariat. The intergovernmental preparatory process for the WSIS will involve both global and regional expert meetings. The first Global Preliminary Preparatory Conference meeting was organized by ITU in Geneva from 1 to 5 July 2002. The WSIS European Regional Preparatory Meeting will be hosted by the Government of Romania on 7-9 November 2002 in Bucharest in cooperation with UNECE. The role of the UNECE The Pan-European Regional Conference, organized by the Government of Romania in cooperation with the WSIS Executive Secretariat and the UNECE, will comprise a wide range of meetings, plenary sessions, seminars, round tables and presentations that will focus on issues of relevance for the region. Prior to the European Regional Preparatory meeting in Bucharest, some subregional initiatives facilitated the preparatory process - like the Bishkek Conference on the Information Society in September 2002 and the follow-up in Moscow in October 2002 for the CIS subregion. Albeit from the fact that the present Conference on Policy and Cooperation in Telecommunication is organized in the framework of the Stability Pact - eSEE initiative, I strongly believe that it will be a contribution to the achievement of the same targets on building the information society. The Bucharest conference is supposed to discuss the fundamental principles on the information society. This text is now being discussed at intergovernmental level and will form the basis for a political declaration which we hope will be adopted. Further, the UNECE has also developed the integrated action framework which will be further discussed and put into motion by the conference. Principles which form the information society The beginning of the 21st century has been marked by the perception
that all stakeholders should be involved in an inclusive strategy
to pursue the Millennium Development goals. The information society
which can play a critical role in that context has to be moved to
the centre of the international development agenda. To be truly
inclusive, it is necessary that a consensus be achieved on the importance
of the information society. In that context the governments should
agree on some principles which should form the basis of future policies
in this area and should be part of the political declaration adopted
in Bucharest. They include rights to information, development of
appropriate legal regulatory and policy environment, adequately
developed infrastructure, access to education, training and skills,
affordability of access to basic information, development of e-government,
promotion of e-business, development of e-society in local communities,
development of e-strategies and promotion of the international dimension
of information society. Development of legal, regulatory and policy environment - To maximise the economic and social benefits of the "Information Society", societies through their Governments need to create a trustworthy, transparent, and non-discriminatory legal, regulatory and policy environment. An adequate development of infrastructure - An adequately developed infrastructure is the precondition for secure, reliable and affordable access to information by all stakeholders, and for the development of an array of on-line services that are relevant to them. Access to education, training and skills - People must be enabled to acquire the necessary skills and tools in order to actively participate in the "Information Society" and fully benefit from the possibilities it offers. Public policy should redress inequalities in access to quality education and training, affecting vulnerable groups and marginal areas. Affordability of access to basic information - All social groups must be able to afford access to basic information. In order to increase affordability, policy action should be taken aimed at liberalisation, the enforcement of an open and fair competition environment, and targeted public interventions. Development of e-government - Public administration should make use of ICT tools to enhance transparency, efficiency in the use of public funds, and effectiveness in the delivery of services to citizens. ICT tools should be applied to make policies more accountable and enable better monitoring, evaluation and control. Promotion of e-business - Enterprises should use ICT to foster innovation, reduce transaction costs and benefit from network externalities and thereby increasing productivity, incomes and jobs. Development of e-society in local communities - Governments should promote the development of high-quality applications that help improve the quality of life of individuals in diverse ways, including particularly health. Public policy should also foster the creation of varied information content, which helps to preserve and disseminate local culture, language and heritage. Development of national e-Strategy - Governments should promote comprehensive and forward looking national strategies for the development of the "Information Society", involving business, civil society and NGOs in an open and inclusive consultation process. The UNECE, in cooperation with other relevant players, should provide a regional forum for the exchange of experience on national e-strategies, so that best practices can be identified, and countries can learn from one another through peer dialogue. Promotion of the international dimension of the Information Society - International policy dialogue on "Information Society" at the regional/ sub-regional and global levels should promote the exchange of experience, the identification and implementation of norms and standards, the transfer of know-how and the provision of technical assistance for bridging capacity gaps. The United Nations, in cooperation with the European Union, other international organizations, business organizations, social partners and NGOs, should provide mechanisms and tools for international policy dialogue and the exploration of appropriate regional and global responses in the development of the global "Information Society". The UNECE will use the Bucharest Conference as a first opportunity to inform the governments about the findings of the ambitious project of country readiness assessment report - Towards the knowledge-based economy, in which transition countries will be included. So far the reports on Yugoslavia and Bulgaria from this subregion are ready. The major goal of this initiative is to stimulate the exchange of experiences, best practices and promotion of region-wide cooperation in ICT. Summary It is essential to recognise that the availability of the technology does not automatically imply that all countries and regions value it in the same way and can actually implement it and benefit from it. Regional actions, discussion, exchange of expertise, information and consultations, cooperation between neighbouring countries are an essential ingredient in this regard. An open regional policy forum such as we experience today can provide practical, advice with regard to standards setting, policy coordination, and internationally binding regulations or related development assistance. Regional negotiations and the resulting actions can initiate a longer-term learning process in a climate of trust through transparent and equitable procedures. Thus, I would like to congratulate you on the foresight and initiative
to organize this "Telecommunications for Development"
and in particular to the development of the eSEEurope Agenda for
the development of the Information Society supported by the Stability
Pact. The implementation of this agenda will be a very important
link leading into the European and World markets as well as providing
substantive contributions to World Summit on the Information Society. |