The division’s stated objective and expected accomplishments for 2008 and 2009

Developing theInformation Society in Western Asia

-------UN-ESCWA Activities during 2008-2009

by Georges YounesRepresenting UN-ESCWA (ICTD)

[email protected] - 19 May 2009

mailto:[email protected]

1. The division’s stated objective and expected accomplishments for 2008 and 2009

2. IS panorama in the ESCWA region

3. Some 2008-2009 activities

4. This year’s main IS event

5. Questions and answers

Agenda

To narrow the digital divide and to build an inclusive, people-centred and development-oriented information society in accordance with internationally agreed development goals and objectives.

ICTD: Objective for 2008-09

(a) Increased implementation of the Regional Plan of Action for Building the Information Society, particularly in relation to the information and communication technology sector

(b) Enhanced capacity of member countries to provide e-services in Arabic targeting socio-economic development

Expected Accomplishments

IS Panorama in Western Asia (2008)

• 2008: Little improvement over past years

• Region’s Internet penetration: 11.81% - world average: 22.04% (ITU figures)

• Digital divide also exists within region (richer/poorer countries): Mobile

penetration in UAE: 173%; Yemen: 14%

Regional Plan of Action - WA• Original formulation of RPOA: 2005• 10 programmes/38 projects• Partners: private sector, public sector, international organizations, regional organizations• 2006-2008: Formulation of Arab ICT Strategy and

companion plan of action• Much of the RPOA was adopted “as-is” by the League of Arab States and backed by the Arab Telecommunications and Information Council of Ministers (ATICM)• RPOA update: June 2009 during WSIS follow-up

conference in Damascus (more later)

ISPER: Information Society Portal

• Regional online tool for following up on the RPOA

• Caters to Arabic and English speakers/ bilingual library

• Real-time discussion forums

• Biennial publication “Regional Profile of the Information Society” compiled from “National Profiles”

• All action lines covered in both publications• Include a chapter that highlights ICT

achievements which may have an impact of the MDGs

• Comparative analysis help Governments update/fine tune strategies and

implementation plans • To iron out the kinks of past profiles, ESCWA

held in November 2008 a “Consultative Workshop on the National Profiles in Western Asia”

• Modified template to improve quality/accuracy

National/Regional IS Profiles

Access to Information and Knowledge (1)

• Access in rural areas remain one of the main obstacles

• 3-year project (2006-2009) involving Regional Commissions (ESCWA as lead agency): “Knowledge Networks through ICT Access Points for Disadvantaged Communities”

• Transformation of existing ICT access points/community telecentres into knowledge hubs

• Knowledge hubs provide, develop, organize, share and disseminate knowledge to the communities they serve

Access to Information and Knowledge (2)

• 2008 activities • Design of the Knowledge Networks portal

• Formulation of regional and global knowledge strategies

• Training workshops for key staff of participating telecentres

Capacity Building• ESCWA and UNESCO are partners in “ICT Education in Iraq”• Aimed at addressing problems related to education

in a conflict zone• Work subdivision:

• ESCWA: ICT infrastructure• UNESCO: Training and e-learning

• 2008 activities:• Sessions on the formulation of education strategies• ICDL instructor training• Creation of courseware• Infrastructure and equipment for 5 training centres and 10 schools

Enabling Environment

• 2007 Study: “Models for Cyber Legislation”

• 2008 Workshop: “Cyber Legislation and its Implementation in the ESCWA Region”

• 2009 Project: “Harmonization of Cyber Legislations”

• 2009 Study: “Building Trust in e-Services in the ESCWA Region”

Cultural Diversity (1)• Arabic speakers: 5% of the world population

• Arabic content on the Internet: 0.16%

• Digital Arabic content (DAC) is a subject that is dear to the heart of policymakers in the Arab world

• Field project: “Promotion of the Digital Arabic Content Industry through Incubation”

• Partnership with 5 incubators in (1 in each) Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Yemen

• Competition to select DAC projects to be incubated under the supervision of participating incubators

Cultural Diversity (2)• Active involvement of ESCWA in the development

of an “Arabic Domain Names System” (ADNS)

• 2003: Creation of the “Arabic Domain Names Task Force” (ADNTF)

• 2008: Collaborative efforts with global players (Afilias; PIR) to resolve outstanding issues

• Involvement of communities and experts from diverse parts of the globe using Arabic script (e.g. Persian and Urdu)

International & Regional Cooperation (1)

• Many ESCWA initiatives have been carried out in partnership with international and regional

organizations

• Collaborative efforts are coordinated primarily with United Nations Regional Commissions, UN

specialized agencies, UNDP regional offices the League of Arab States as well as governments of member countries

International & Regional Cooperation (2)

• “ESCWA Technology Center for Development” aims at supporting national and regional capacity-building in science, technology and innovation

• A manifestation of regional cooperation and integration as it is based on a partnership between ESCWA and its member countries, particularly those who will host and partially fund the centre

• Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Syria expressed interest in hosting the centre

• Status: Final negotiations

Financing Mechanisms• May 2009: a workshop on “Investment in the ICT

Sector.”

• The main objective of the workshop is to raise the awareness of member countries and to increase their understanding of policies, mechanisms and modalities that promote ICT investment and in the region

• Participants included policymakers from investment authorities and ministries of ICT, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, investment bankers as well as representatives of investment companies.

Measuring the Information Society

• 2008: In collaboration with the Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistics (AITRS) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a training workshop on “Measuring ICT Indicators”

• Theoretical and hands-on training on data collection of the core list of ICT indicators, including indicators on ICT infrastructure, access to and use of ICT by households and individuals, use of ICT by

businesses, as well as on trade in ICT goods

Regional Follow-upto the Outcome of the

World Summit on the Information Society16-18 June 2009Damascus, Syria

2009 Main IS Event in Western Asia (1)


• Highlights implementation activities related to WSIS outcomes, the Regional Plan of Action (RPOA) and the Arab ICT Strategy

• An updated version of the RPOA including a list of new projects targeting the needs and realities of the Information Society for the period extending from 2009 to 2015

• A roadmap for the implementation and follow-up of future WSIS-related activities

• The creation of the Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID) Arab Region Network.


Draft Agenda - Day 1 - 16/06/2009Time Track 1 Track 2 Track 3

9:30-11:00

Opening Ceremony (Plenary)

ESCWA, MOCT, UNESCO (Update on WSIS Activities in the Arab World), IDRC, GAID (TAGI), ITU, LAS

11:00-11:30 Coffee Break

11:30-13:00

Keynote Speakers (Plenary)

ESCWA (RPOA), GAID, Cisco (ICT for Collaboration and Increased Productivity), Microsoft, SCS, STE, AITRS, ARADO

13:00-14:00 Lunch Break

14:00-15:30

Regional ICT Strategies ICT Infrastructure Research and DevelopmentMohamed Abdel Wahab (Arab Business Forum for ICT): Arab ICT Strategies for ICT Services

Mahmood Sharief AlShaikhli (Ministry of Science and Tech Iraq): Government-Wide ICT infrastructure

Abdul Kader Kamli (Madar Research - UAE): Statistical Irregularities and Other Issues Facing ICT Research in the ESCWA Region

Abebe Chekol (UN-ECA): Implementing the World Summit on the Information Socieity (WSIS) Action Lines in Africa: Analysis of Country Reports

ITU: To be contacted ESCWA Technology Centre

Abdel Rahman Sabry (LAS-Egypt): Progress made in Regional ICT Strategies

STE: To be contacted Arab Advisors Group: To be contacted

ESCWA - RPOA GDS (Lebanon): To be contacted Omaima Dakak: To be contacted


16:00-17:30

National ICT Strategies Measurements/Indicators Capacity BuildingAhmed El-Sherbiny (MCIT - Egypt): Egypt's Information Society Strategies in Light of WSIS Outcomes

Eman Yassin (CAPMAS - Egypt): Measure the Impact of the Use of Communications Technology Towards Building the IS

Youssef Monsef (Lebanese University): WSIS Recommendations and Readiness of Universities in the ESCWA Region

Yahya al_Rewi (Aden University): المعلومات لمجتمع العالمية القمة ومقررات اليمن ESCWA - Rami Zaatari Marwan Tarazi: Regional Network for Learning Innovation in the Arab World

Contact Tania Zaroubi for Lebanon's strategy ESCWA - Sukaina Al-Nasrawi ESCAP - Suk Rhee: To be confirmed

AITRS - National Statistical Offices: To be contacted Tarek Shawki (UNESCO): To be contacted

Nawar Al-Awa (Damascus University): Title not provided

2009 Main IS Event in Western Asia (4)Draft Agenda - Day 2 - 17/06/2009

Time Slot Track 1 Track 2 Track 3

09:00-11:00

Digital Arabic Content Community Telecentres ICT Applications

Nabil Ali Abdul Aziz (Pico Advanced Multilingual Systems): To be provided

Nasser Khalaf (National IT Center - Jordan): Community Centres for Sustainable Development

Abdulilah Dewachi (Qatar): Addressing national shortages in skilled human resources

Mohamed El-Sharkawi (Center for Documentation of Cultural and Natural Heritage): Documentation of the Arab World Memory: Status and Future Paulette Assaf (Cisco - Levant): Connected Communities Business

Initiative Model in Lebanon

Fadi Abdulhamid (TAGI - Syria): eReadiness Framework for E-Government and e-Commerce Implementations - Theoretical Framework

ESCWAAhmed Eisa: Impact of Telecentres (GDCO) in Community Development through ICT ICTDAR: Development of ICT Applications in Arabic

Noureldin Cheikh Obeid: Syrian Community Telecenters and Their Contribution to Development Fadi Salem (Dubai School of Government): To be contacted

ESCWA


11:30-13:00

ICT Sector ICT/Media Convergence ICT in Education

Jawad Jalal Abbassi (Arab Advisors Group - UAE): Overview of the Arab Telecom and Internet Broadband Markets

Robert Madi (Mindshare - Lebanon) Convergence of ICT and Media Haif Banayan (Jordan Education Initiative): To be contacted - e-mail failed

Hisham Qattan (Jordan Computer Society): To be contacted UNESCO: To be contacted

ESCWA - Gaby Deek: To be contacted


14:30-16:00

Women in the Information Society Internet Governance/ADNS Arab GAID Network

Salam Yamout (Women in IT): Using ICT to Empower Women and Youth Charles Sha'Ban (TAGI): Update on the IGF-MAG Work GAID

Claudia Morrell (MDWIT): Building Capacity for Development through Women and ICTs

Baher Ismat (ICANN): To be contacted (already invited as a participant)

E-education: ???????

Nada Hamzi (Women in Technology): To be contacted Abdel Aziz Al Zoman: To be contactedPoverty reduction?????

Bahjat Youssef (Dubai Women's Office): Center for Women and Technology for the Arab Region

Iba's Uwasheq: ????????

ESCWA ESCWA


Draft Agenda - Day 3 - 18/06/2009Time Slot Track 1 Track 2 Track 3

09:00-11:00

Security and Trust Investments/Economic Crisis Empowering Youth through ICT

Hoda Baraka (MOICT Egypt): Towards an e-safety agenda in the Arab World

Khater Abou Habib (Kafalat - Lebanon): To be contacted

Ziad Haddara (ICTDAR): Engaging Youth in Local Development through Responsible Citizenship

Elie Mikhael (MOSA - Lebanon): Protection of Children from Internet Exploitation Nicholas Rouhana (Berytech): Development of an enabling environment for ICT in Lebanon

IDRC: Youth and Employability - To be contacted

Khedija Ghariani (AICTO): To be contacted Samir Aita: To be contacted

ESCWA


11:30-13:00

Public Private Partnerships Legal Framework/Cyber Legislation ICT for Development

George Akiki (Partnership for Lebanon/Cisco): PPP Model - Partnership for Lebanon Younis Arab (Arab L@w Group): تكنولوجيا ميدان في العربي التشريعي االداء تقييمالمعلومات

Najat Rochdi: ICT to Address Local Development

Mona Jabbour (Lebanese University): Legal Informatics Center and Access to Legal Information

IDRC: Regional Capcacity in ICT4D - To be contacted

Sami Sharaf: To be contacted Nadia Hegazi (MCIT Egypt): Job creation in the Information Society

Wassim Harb: To be contacted Krikor Ajemian (Amman Chmaber of Commerce): The Role of Chambers of Commerce in Bridging the Digital Divide

ESCWA - ICT for MDGs: Georges Younes


14:30-16:00

PlenaryGAID Arab Network: Yousef Nusseir

RPOA Update: Mansour Farah


16:30-17:00

Closing


Register for the Conference, by 1 June 2009

Registration form available at:

http://www.escwa.un.org/information/meetingdetails.asp?referenceNum=850E




Questions?

Thank you

Georges YounesRepresenting UN-ESCWA (ICTD)

[email protected] - 19 May 2009

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

The division’s stated objective and expected accomplishments for 2008 and 2009