Empowering Civil Society for ICT Policy Development

1. ICT Policyسياسات تكنولوجيا المعلومات والاتصالات Lecture (4) Dr.Samah Mohammed

2. Civil society organisations (CSOs) • The public needs to be empowered through strong civil society organisations to articulate its views. • the CSOs themselves need to master lobbying techniques and learn how to connect with government. • for example:- • by creating coalitions of civil society organisations concerned with ICT issues. • by strengthening civil society voices within existing computer and communications forums.

3. The experience in Africa • The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) commissioned a series of studies on the involvement of civil society in the development of ICT policy in Africa. • The studies cover Benin, Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya and Senegal. • They provide a good starting point for understanding the role that civil society organisations can play in shaping ICT policy.

4. Senegal as Example • Senegalese civil society has very little involvement in the formulation and application of ICT policies, for the following reasons: • Owing to its lack of internal organization, civil society is not recognized as a representative participant by the authorities responsible for defining ICT policies. • The organization of civil society on an institutionally representative basis could be difficult, moreover, because of the wide range of interests it covers.

5. Senegal as Example Cont… 4) There is still only a limited number of civil society organisations (CSOs) with direct involvement in ICT issues. 5) CSOs that could be more immediately involved in the area of ICT policies mainly comprise persons who are professionally involved in ICT, and come from the social sectors (public, private, educational, CSOs).

6. Kenya as Example • Civil society has played a significant role in the development of ICTs by creating awareness, and training by introduction of services . Apart from the supply of email services, civil society lobbied for an improved policy and regulatory . • civil society has shifted its focus to higher values to guarantee access to information as a human right. • civil society is using internet for development and empowerment • The challenges that remain are low access of content and economic difficulties.

7. Cameroon as Example • Government leadership on information society issues was split among different ministries. • Civil society organizations with a history of ICT work were able to establish themselves as important reliable interlocutors of government in spite of its normally secretive way of doing business.

8. Civil society’s role in ICT • Proposals emerged to reinforce civil society’s role in ICT policy processes by:- • International organisations as divergent as APC and the World Bank today agree on the need for civil society participation in policy and strategy development . • Organising the ICT civil society sector internally through the establishment of a national ICT forum.

9. Civil society’s role in ICT Cont… • Linkage with CSOs with broader development goals in order to build awareness of ICTs and provide appropriate training to help CSOs use ICTs effectively. • Increasing understanding of government processes, lobbying and public relations.

10. The arrangement of international opinion • Many international forces come into play when countries begin to define the policies that shape the new technologies and the internet to their own development goals. • Type of organizations:- 1) The international organizations that define the global information economy and the rules under which countries can connect to it .

11. International non-governmental organizations promote alternative visions of globalization and work to ensure a role for civil society in shaping the information society globally, regionally and nationally. • Regional organizations which may play a promotional role and enhance collaboration. • The organizations that govern the internet: The Internet Society, the Internet Engineering Task Force, the World Wide Web Consortium and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers

12. International organisations: the mainstream( الاتجاه العام)position • Five organizations dominate mainstream dialogue on global ICT policy issues: • The International Telecommunications Union (ITU)because of its mandate for telecommunications within the United Nations system • The World Intellectual Property Organisation because it is responsible for setting the rules that govern ownership of content on the internet

13. International organisations: the mainstream position Cont… • The World Trade Organisation (WTO) because it sets the rules for international trade • The World Bank because of the financial and technical resources it brings to bear on development, and • The World Economic Forum (WEF)because of its ability to convene the world’s rich and powerful.

14. The World Bank, WTO and WEF have been subjected to extensive criticism over the last decade because of the role they have played in promoting a global liberalization agenda which has reinforced the digital divide and further marginalized poor people and poor countries.