The draft plan of action to be presented to heads of state at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) sets ambitious targets for nations in order to promote the spread and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs).
Once the action plan is adopted by the summit, it will enjoin states to promote the use, availability and affordability of ICTs among sections of society that currently do not use them. A mechanism to measure the performance of states is being proposed to ensure the plan is implemented.
The draft plan, the latest version of which was released on December 6, specifically asks governments to enable disadvantaged sections of society to use the internet and related technologies.
It says ICT equipment and services should be designed and produced ‘so that everyone has easy and affordable access to them, including old people, persons with disabilities, children — especially marginalised children — and other disadvantaged and vulnerable groups”.
The stated objectives of the plan are to build an inclusive information society, put the potential of knowledge and ICTs at the service of development, and promote the use of information and knowledge to achieve of internationally agreed development goals. Ultimately, the plan seeks to bridge the digital divide.
Among the targets states have to achieve by 2015 are to connect villages with ICTs and establish community access points; and to connect universities, colleges, secondary and primary schools, scientific and research centres. Public libraries, cultural centres, museums, health centres and hospitals should also be connected. In addition, all local and central government departments should have websites and e-mail addresses.
It asks states, the private sector and donors to take actions that enable ICT applications to support sustainable development in the fields of public administration, business, education and training, health, employment, environment, agriculture and science.
Government are then tasked with implementing e-government strategies focusing on applications aimed at innovating and promoting transparency in public administration and democratic processes, improving efficiency and strengthening relations with citizens.
They are also required to develop national e-government initiatives and services at all levels, which adapted to the needs of citizens and business, to achieve a more efficient allocation of resources and public goods.
The action plan also wants states to ensure that everybody has access to television and radio services; and to ensure that more than half the world’s inhabitants have access to ICTs.
To achieve these targets, governments will have to develop strategies for increasing affordable global connectivity, thereby facilitating improved access.
By 2005, says the plan, relevant international organisations and financial institutions should develop their own strategies for the use of ICTs for sustainable development, including sustainable production and consumption patterns and as an effective instrument to help achieve the goals expressed in the UN Millennium Declaration.
Separately, the UN Secretary General is asked to set up a working group on internet governance, ‘in an open and inclusive process” that ensures a mechanism for the full and active participation of governments, the private sector and civil society from both developing and dev eloped countries. The group should include relevant intergovernmental and international organisations and forums, to investigate and make proposals for action on the governance of internet by 2005.
The group should develop a working definition of internet governance, identify the public policy issues that are relevant to internet governance, and develop a common understanding of the respective roles and responsibilities of governments. It should present a report for the second phase of WSIS in Tunis in 2005.
The plan also calls for cultural and linguistic diversity in the information society, and urges states to create policies that support the respect, preservation, promotion and enhancement of cultural and linguistic diversity and cultural heritage. Government should also develop national policies and laws to ensure that libraries, archives, museums and other cultural institutions can play their full role of content providers — including traditional knowledge — in the information society, particularly by providing continued access to recorded information.
The plan urges development and implementation of policies that preserve, respect and promote diversity of cultural expression and indigenous knowledge and traditions through the creation of varied information content and the use of different methods, including the digitisation of the educational, scientific and cultural heritage.
In addition, states will have to support local content development, translation and adaptation, digital archives, and diverse forms of digital and traditional media by local authorities.
Governments are also asked to encourage the media to continue to play an important role in the information society; and to encourage the development of domestic legislation that guarantees the independence and plurality of the media. However, the plan wants states to take appropriate measures that are ‘consistent with freedom of expression” to combat illegal and harmful content in media content.
Another aspect of the plan is the digital solidarity agenda which aims at ‘putting in place the conditions for mobilising human, financial and technological resources for inclusion of all men and women in the emerging information society”.
It says to overcome the digital divide, ‘we need to use more efficiently existing approaches and mechanisms and fully explore new ones, in order to provide financing for the development of infrastructure, equipment, capacity building and content, which are essential for participation in the information society”.
Another concern for the plan is building confidence and security in the use of ICTs. It asks states and the private sector to prevent, detect and respond to cyber crime and misuse of ICTs by developing guidelines that take into account ongoing efforts in these areas; considering legislation that allows for effective investigation and prosecution of misuse; and encouraging education and raising awareness. — Hana