EC - ITU Partnership on ICTs projects for building Information Society in ACP countries

1. EC - ITU Partnership on ICTs projects for building Information Society in ACP countries Pape Gorgui Touré, BDT Chief, Policies, Strategies and Financing Department

2. EC-ITU: the new link • The European Commission and the ITU/BDT share a common vision of ICT for Development; • The Agreement already signed is being implemented appropriately by the ITU, and the present meeting is an important step for Western Africa countries; • Nevertheless, it is urgent to look at bigger impacts for ACP countries; • This new EC-ITU initiative aims at a join support to ACP countries towards building an Information Society.

3. Objectives • To identify and implement projects on Information and Communication Technologies to benefit African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States EC requirements • ICTs projects • Targeted regions: ACP countries • Regional/sub-regional approach • Respect of Agreements signed between EU and ACP countries • WSIS Action Plan

4. Process • Identification of beneficiary regions/countries • Identification of regions/countries’ priorities • Identification of projects (Sub regional initiatives are given priority) • Selection of projects • Advance Projects documents • Submission of projects to EC • Review by EC • Approval of projects by EC • EC-ITU/IS4ACP Agreement • Implementation of approved projects in ACP countries

5. Africa: 48 • o/w 48 ITU Members • 34 LDCs • Caribbean: 13 • o/w 12 ITU Members • 1 LDC • Pacific: 18 • o/w 14 ITU Members • 5 LDCs • Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Rep., Chad, Comoros, Congo, Congo Dem. Rep., Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tomé y Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe • Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Rep., Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago • Belize, Cook Islands, East Timor, Fiji, Guyana, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Suriname, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Western Samoa Beneficiary countries: ACP region 79 countries o/w 74 ITU Members 40 LDCs

6. Regional/sub-regional approach • Reflect demand from countries/regions • Regional/sub-regional Economic Associations to work/collaborate with • Africa: ECOWAS, UEMOA, ECCAS, SADC, COMESA, CAEMC, WAEMU, etc. • Caribbean: CARICOM, OECS, etc. • Pacific: PIF, SPC, etc. • Other classifications: LDCs, LLDCs, SIDS Significant impact on population

7. EU-ACP Treaties and Agreements • Georgetown Agreement • Lomé Conventions IV and IVbis • Cotonou Agreement • Art. 43: Information and Communication Technologies, and Information Society: • « The Parties recognise the important role of information and communication technologies, as well as the active participation in the Information Society, as a pre-requisite for the successful integration of the ACP countries into the world economy. • … • The Parties will therefore take measures that will enable inhabitants of ACP countries easy access to information and communication technologies, …»

8. WSIS Action Lines C1: The role of governments and all stakeholders in the promotion of ICT for development C2: Information and communciation infrastructure: an essential foundation for the Information Society C3: Access to information and knowledge C4: Capacity building C5: Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs C6: Enabling environment C7: ICT applications: benefits in all aspects of life C8: Cultural diversity and identity, linguistic diversity and local content C9: Media C10: Ethical dimensions of the Information Society C11: International and regional cooperation

9. Action lines for possible projects • Define a national ICT development strategy • Support ACP efforts to identify their own requirements • Enhance ACP States’capacity to build their own experience • Support, improve the economic and institutional reforms and policies • Implement sector reform policies at national/regional level • Improve capacity to analyze, plan and implement policies • Develop legal and regulatory capabilities • Create/maintain a favorable environment for private investment and the development of a competitive private sector • Create ad maintain a predictable and secure investment climate • Implement measures to encourage participation of private sector • Promote public-private sector dialogue and cooperation • Favor the transfer of know-how and increase national and regional capabilities • Develop knowledge of national/regional manpower potential • Development of entrepreneurial skills and business culture • Build technical capacity and skills – training systems C1 C1 - C6 C1 - C6 C1 - C4 - C6

10. Action lines for potential projects (2) • Improve the coverage, quality and access to basic social infrastructure and services • Support policies conducive to technological innovation and research • Building technical capacities and skills • Improve health systems, education and training • Take into account local needs and sepcial demands • Realize the potential of youth with the establishment of a coherent and comprehensive policy • Develop cooperation programs to facilitate the access to students to education • Promote the skills, energy, innovation and potential of youth • Promote youth contractors • Improve/ensure equal participation of men and women • Improve cooperation in the field of standardization C1 - C2 - C4 - C7 C1 - C4 C4 – C6 C4

11. Possible two phase approach • Phase I: A Preliminary assistance aiming at identifying initiatives and building ownership; • Phase two: Select , fine tune, organise and implement initiatives

12. Conclusions • Countries are invited to make themselves ready to contribute in sub regional efforts to identify common grounds for creating initiatives to include ICT in sustainable development frameworks; • All initiatives must be backed by strong countries requests and commitments • EUROAID, via the BDT will support ACP countries at all steps of the process.