Information and Communication Technologies for Development

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Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) is the general term related to the application of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in development programmes in countries facing problems like poverty, illiteracy and a general lack of development. It is also relevant to parts of the "developed" world which are otherwise excluded from the benefits of digital linkages and speedy online communications. It is often concerned with, but not restricted to, issues related to the so-called Digital Divide.

Since the late 'nineties and earlier this decade, a growing importance has been given to the potential role that ICTs can play in the field of development. While a growing amount of resources has ploughed into the ICT field, there has also been growing concern raised that some of it might have been directed in spheres which don't deserve it.

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[edit] Primary areas of action

Its fields of action can be grouped in four primary areas:

[edit] Critical factors in making ICT4D successful

What's crucial in making any ICT4D effort successful is effective partnership between four 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

[edit] Sustainability, scalability

A growing perspective in the field is also the need to build projects that are sustainable and scalable, rather than focussing on those which can be propped up only by huge amounts of external funding, but cannot survive for long without that.

Also, many so-called "developing" countries, such as India (or other South Asian countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh, as also nations like Malaysia, China, Indonesia, Brazil, South Africa and many others) have proven their skills in IT (information technology). In this context, unless these skills are tapped adequately to build on ICT4D projects, not only will a lot of potential be wasted, but a key indigenous partner in the growth of this sector would be lost.

Currently, the main two perspectives coming out of this sector either emphasis on the need for external aid to build infrastructure before projects can touch viability, or the need to develop and build on local talent. Both approaches are, of course, not mutually exclusive.

[edit] World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)

A major event for ICT4D was the twin World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). The first part of WSIS took place in Geneva, Switzerland in December 2003 (with a large ICT4D exhibition and an ICT4D symposium co-ordinated by infoDev). The second part of WSIS took place in Tunis, Tunisia, in November 2005. One of its chief aims of the WSIS process was to seek solutions to help bridge the so-called "digital divide" separating rich countries from poor countries by spreading access to the Internet in the developing world.

Perspectives on the WSIS are available elsewhere on the Wikipedia, and this covers links to civil society, Tunis 2005, US priorities at WSIS, media responses, Tunis conference developments, roles for business and government, digital divide issues, the digital divide and the digital dilemma, common ground, a civil society study on WSIS, and external links.

[edit] ICT4D and the United Nations

In 2001 the United Nations Information and Communication Technologies Task Force was formed to address a variety of ICT4D topics. The Task Force held semi-annual meetings focusing on specific themes, including a Global Forum on Internet Governance (UN headquarters in New York, March 2004); a Global Forum on an Enabling Environment (Berlin, November 2004); and a Global Forum on Harnessing the Potential of ICTs in Education (Dublinb, April 2005). The UN ICT Task Force's mandate ended on December 31, 2005. A new group, called the 'Global Alliance for ICT and Development', was created to continue much of the work of the UN ICTTF.

In November 2002, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan issued a Challenge to Silicon Valley to create the computers and communications systems that would enable villages to leapfrog several generations of technology and enter the Information Age directly. This would provide the technical basis for WSIS discussions.

[edit] GAID

In 2006, at the end of his tenure, outgoing UN Secretary General [Kofi Annan] launched the Global Alliance for ICT and Development.

It is described as a "multi-stakeholder forum" and a "cross-sectoral platform and forum that will bring together all stakeholders representing relevant constituencies". It includes a large number of persons from the fields of government, development cooperation, foreign policy, finance, the social sector (health, education), regulatory agencies, industry and workers' associations, producers and consumers of ICT, the media, non-governmental organisations, community social organisations, foundations, scientific, academic and ICT communities and "individuals providing advocacy and oversight on Information Society issues and implementing programs addressing [the United Nations'] MDGs [millennium development goals]."

GAID is lead by a steering committee (with Intel's Craig Barrett as its chairman and comprising of Walter Fust of Switzerland, Jamaludin Jarjis of Malaysia, Guy Sebban of the International Chamber of Commerce, Talal Abu-Ghazaleh of Jordan/Egypt, Titi Akinsanmi of the Global Teenager Project, Renate Bloem of the not-for-profit network CONGO, Yoshio Utsumi of the ITU, John Bernander of the Norwegian Broadcasting - European Broadcasting Union, Luis Alberto Moreno of the Inter-American Development Bank and José Antonio Ocampo/Sarbuland Khan).

It also has a Strategy Council, a set of high-level advisors, and a "champions' network". The Global Alliance for ICT and Development held its first meeting on June 19-20, 2006 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

[edit] APDIP, IOSN publications

United Nations -- though its various organisations such as the United Nations Development Programme's Asia Pacific Development Information Programme (APDIP) -- have been bring out a number of publications. Many are published with sharable content licenses. Specifically in the field of [Free/Libre and Open Source Software] (FLOSS), the International Open Source Network (IOSN) is an active player too.

UNDP-APDIP brings out two series of e-primers, namely the e-Primers for the Information Economy, Society and Polity and the e-Primers on Free/Open Source Software. The former series details the concepts, issues and trends surrounding the information economy, society and polity. It intends to raise awareness and help policy makers and planners understand the relevance of information and communications technology (ICT) for development, by explaining technical jargon in simple terms. The latter series serves as an introduction to various aspects and dimensions of [Free/Libre and Open Source Software] (FLOSS), with country case-studies. It aims to raise awareness on FOSS issues and support capacity building efforts.

Some UNDP-APDIP/IOSN e-primers and e-books available currently include:

Forthcoming e-primers expected to be released include titles on gender and ICT, FOSS and government policy, FOSS and licensing, FOSS and network infrastructure and security, FOSS and open content, FOSS and open access, and FOSS and e-governance.

[edit] Critique of ICT4D

Together with its growing influence, specially in the international development sector, ICT4D has also come to be increasingly critiqued. For instance, questions have been raised about whether projects funded at huge cost can actually be scalable, or make enough of an impact to produce change.

For instance, the Sri Lankan journalist Nalaka Gunawardene argues in an article titled Waiting for Pilots to Land in Tunis: "Thousands of ‘pilot projects’ have been seeded all over the developing world during the past few years to find out if information and communications technologies (ICTs) can foster development. Among these are attempts to put computers in underprivileged schools, provide internet access to the poor, or bring ‘community radio’ to villages.... But the enormous development challenges we face, captured in recent years by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), are not going to benefit from what I call ‘forever-pilots’: projects that remain externally supported for years or decades, and never seem to stand on their own."

[edit] Leading organizations in the ICT4D

  • The infoDev (Information for Development) program of the World Bank
  • The Development Gateway Foundation, an independant non-profit organization
  • Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
  • The International Institute for Communication and Development in the Netherlands
  • The telecentre.org project funded by the IDRC, SDC, and Microsoft's Unlimited Potential
  • BytesForAll: BytesForAll is an early initaitive, launched as a not-for-profit, volunteer-run organisation in July 1999 and still maintaining that status, that looks at ICT-for-development issues, with a particular focus on [South Asia]. It has its active mailing list which has almost 1500 members, and is considered a useful source of information from the countries of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and nearby areas. BytesForAll also has its community website, and has recently launched a [1] network to look at Free/Libre and Open Source Software, or FLOSS in the region.
  • i4donline.net: i4donline.net is a monthly, print-based magazine published from outside Delhi, in India, that focuses entirely on the issue of ICT-for-development (or ICT4D, as it is sometimes called) and is believed to be the first magazine of its kind slotted with this specialisation.
  • The International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy, via its Science Dissemination Unit and the Wireless Networking training activities.

[edit] Notable ICT4D initiatives

Some of the most prominent programs and initiatives in the ICT4D field include:

[edit] See also

[edit] Further reading

Wikibooks
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