dotGOV: WHY POLICY REFORM AND CAPACITY BUILDING IS IMPORTANT

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dot-GOV WHY POLICY REFORM AND CAPACITY BUILDING
IS IMPORTANT

• TAG MeetingMarch 13, 2006

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Why ICT Policy Reform?

• The demand for cheap, affordable and pervasive
  access to the Internet, through the cell phone,
  handheld device or computer is spreading to every
  country.

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Frecatei, Romania, population 1,470. Phone on
right is old one phone on right new one
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What Difference Does Policy Make?

• An enabling policy environment is needed to
  allow the ICT sector to make these tools
  available to people.

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Why Work with Governments?

• They are EAGER to enter the information
  technology market
• Their need for technical assistance to foster an
  enabling policy environment following
  international best practices is PROFOUND.
• This desire to adapt national policy to a common
  body of knowledge is an unprecedented opportunity
  for international cooperation.

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Vietnamese Officials and U.S. Department of
Justice Staff
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Why Work with Regulators?

• Regulators want reference a body of established
  practice, to see how other countries handle the
  same questions so they can reduce marketplace
  conflict.

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Algerian Regulators and Press at the FCC
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Why Work with Ministries?

• Ministries want a policy development and
  analysis role to encourage a more competitive ICT
  market and see the use of ICTs within other
  sectors.

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State Secretary Sharing Romanias Information
Security Concerns
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Why Work with the Private Sector?

• The WILLINGNESS of the private sector to engage
  with government on policy reform is essential to
  develop the ICT market and the capacity of to
  innovate.

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Why Work with Associations and Universities?

• Business associations help guide development of
  training institutions and motivate universities
  and high schools to develop appropriate
  curriculum to meet demand for local ICT
  solutions.

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Why Work with the Media?

• The use by media of ICT tools for reporting,
  forces government to engage media on freedom of
  expression in new ways.
• Media use of ICTs provides a channel for
  citizen interaction that is largely uncharted but
  is affecting democracy and economic growth.

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Why Work with Civil Society Organizations?

• Privacy of data, intellectual property,
  identity protection, filtering and censorship
  issues are key areas where citizens are demanding
  credibility through ICT policy of their
  government.

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Who are we trying to reach?

• Consumers can make or break businesses when
  they have choice over price and quality consumer
  behavior offers policy challenges that all
  countries are confronting, regardless of
  developmental ranking.

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Indonesia Cyber café
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Why Try to Reach the Individual Through ICT
Policy Reform?

• Because it makes a difference in their lives.

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e-Business graduate, Cambodia
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dot-GOV Lessons

• A policy and legal framework for digital
  communications is needed that supports
  innovation, expands access, and generates trust
  in an online system.
• Privacy, information security, and freedom of
  expression must be addressed directly through
  policy and public dialogue.
• e-Leadership is necessary from the highest level
  of government and the private sector.
• Training on use of technology and accepting
  feedback on training gains to support from civil
  servants for policy change.
• Cheaper access to the Internet is critical to
  fostering an information society.
• NGOs bring stakeholders and government together
  to ensure dialogue in neutral territory.
• Involving media is critical for creating public
  awareness.
• Ordinary citizens need to see whats in it for
  them!

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Dot-GOV Activities 2005-2006

• Project Launches
• e-Government Macedonia
• Assisting the Internet in Algeria

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Dot-GOV Pilot Activities

• Workshop on Cyber Crime Legislation for
  Peru/APEC/DOJ
• OAS/APEC Regional Workshop on Cyber Crime
  Legislation
• Professional Workshop for Arab Regulators Network
  on New Technologies and Policies for Universal
  Service and Universal Access.
• Arab Telecommunications and Internet Market
  Development Building a Successful Regional
  Business Association-IJMA3
• ASAP Extranet website for ASEAN Members
• E-payments workshop, USAID/Nepal
• Asian Regional Forum ARF-Net Extranet website
• e-Government Letter of Finding and review of
  cyber crime law for USAID/Madagascar
• Digital signature legislation development,
  USAID/Vietnam
• e-Government Letter of Finding for USAID/Kenya
• Assessment of Senegal Digital Freedom Initiative
  for USAID/Africa/SD
• Diaspora Training of S. Sudanese Regulators for
  USAID/Redso paper
• Women in Technology Program (Cisco Academies
  scholarships in Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka,
  Mongolia, Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria)

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Project Completions

• Romania Information Technology Initiative Policy
  
• Using ICT for Development Across the ASEAN Region
• NetTel_at_Africa - Network for Capacity Building
  and Knowledge Exchange in ICT Regulation and
  Applications

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THANK YOU

• It has been a privilege to work with you since
  September 2001.
• The dot-GOV team and Internews Network, Inc.
  humbly extends gratitude to USAID, all the host
  country governments we have worked with, our
  subcontractors, our consultants and
  collaborators, dot-ORG and dot-EDC