Information AboutIct4d |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR DEVELOPMENT | |
| ict and development | |
| nonprofit technology | |
| information technology | |
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Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) is an increasingly popular, general term referring to the application of Information And Communication Technologies (ICTs) within the field of Socio-economic Development . ICTs can be applied either in the direct sense, where their use directly benefits the disadvantaged population in some manner, or in an indirect sense, where the ICTs assist Aid Organizations or Non-governmental Organizations or Governments in order to improve socio-economic conditions. In many impoverished regions of the world, legislative and political measures need to be taken to facilitate or enable application of ICTs, especially with respect to monopolistic communications structures and censorship laws. ICT4D is geographically unspecific, and as such concerns itself directly with overcoming the barriers of the Digital Divide . ICT4D is rapidly becoming recognised an '''interdisciplinary research field''' as can be noted by the number of conferences, workshops and publications in the field ICT4D DESCRIPTION AND IMPORTANT ISSUES The Anatomy of an ICT4D Project ICT4D initiatives and projects may be designed and implemented by private companies (e.g. Intel's Classmate ), governments (e.g. E-Mexico Initiative ), non-governmental organisations (e.g. Hivos ), or virtual organisations (e.g. OLPC.org ). ICT4D projects address one or more of the following issues:
Problems facing ICT4D Projects ICT4D projects which deploy technologies in underdeveloped areas face well-known problems concerning crime, problems of adjustment to the social context and also possibly infrastructural problems. ICT4D projects in marginalised rural areas face the most significant hurdles. Since people in marginalised rural areas are at the very bottom of the pyramid, it has been postulated that they stand to benefit the most from ICTs ref needed. However introducing ICTs in these areas is also most costly, as the following barriers exist
InfoDev's Rural ICT Toolkit analyses the costs and possible profits involved in such a venture and shows that there is more potential in developing areas than many might assume ICT4D Lessons Learned What's crucial in making any ICT4D effort successful is effective partnership between four key stakeholders:
InfoDev have published 6 fairly succinct lessons from an analysis of 17 their pilot programmes (see below). These lessons are backed by a variety of examples as well as a list of recommendations, which should be read by everyone starting an ICT4D project
Sustainability and Scalability A growing perspective in the field is also the need to build projects that are sustainable and scalable, rather than focusing on those which can be propped up only by huge amounts of external funding, but cannot survive for long without that. Also, many so-called "developing" countries, such as India (or other South Asian countries like Sri Lanka , Pakistan and Bangladesh , as also nations like Malaysia , China , Indonesia , Brazil , South Africa and many others) have proved their skills in IT (information technology). In this context, unless these skills are tapped adequately to build on ICT4D projects, not only will a lot of potential be wasted, but a key indigenous partner in the growth of this sector would be lost. Also there would be unnecessary negative impact on the Balance Of Payments due to imports in both Hardware and Software . Currently, the main two perspectives coming out of this sector either emphasis on the need for external aid to build infrastructure before projects can touch viability, or the need to develop and build on local talent. Both approaches are, of course, not mutually exclusive. A Critique of ICT4D As it has grown in popularity, especially in the international development sector, ICT4D has also increasingly come under criticism. For instance, questions have been raised about whether projects that have been implemented at enormous cost are actually designed to be scalable, or whether these projects make enough of an impact to produce noticeable change. For instance, the Sri Lankan journalist , November 2005. Retrieved August 11 2007 . This sentiment echoes a 2003 report by the World Bank . Further criticism of ICT4D concerns the impact of ICTs on traditional cultures and the so-called cultural imperialism which may be spread with ICTs. For example, young males are tempted to spend their recreational time playing violent computer games. It is emphasised that local language content and software seem to be good ways to help soften the impact of ICTs in developing areas. MAJOR ORGANIZATIONS IN ICT4D ICT4D and the United Nations UN ICT Task Force In 2001 the United Nations Information And Communication Technologies Task Force was formed to address a variety of ICT4D topics. The Task Force held semi-annual meetings focusing on specific themes, including a ''Global Forum on Internet Governance'' (UN headquarters in New York, March 2004); a ''Global Forum on an Enabling Environment'' (Berlin, November 2004); and a Global Forum on Harnessing the Potential of ICTs in Education (Dublin, April 2005). The UN ICT Task Force's mandate ended on December 31 , 2005 . A new group, called the 'Global Alliance for ICT and Development', was created to continue much of the work of the UN ICTTF. In November 2002, , November 5 2002 . Retrieved August 11 2007 . This would provide the technical basis for WSIS discussions. Global Alliance for ICT and Development In 2006, at the end of his tenure, outgoing UN Secretary General Kofi Annan launched the Global Alliance For ICT And Development (GAID) . It is described as a "multi-stakeholder forum" and a "cross-sectoral platform and forum that will bring together all stakeholders representing relevant constituencies". It includes a large number of persons from the fields of government, development cooperation, foreign policy, finance, the social sector (health, education), regulatory agencies, industry and workers' associations, producers and consumers of ICT, the media, non-governmental organisations, community social organisations, foundations, scientific, academic and ICT communities and "individuals providing advocacy and oversight on Information Society issues and implementing programs addressing the United Nations ' MDGs Millennium Development Goals ." GAID is lead by a steering committee (with Intel's Craig Barrett as its chairman and comprising of Walter Fust of Switzerland, Jamaludin Jarjis of Malaysia, Guy Sebban of the International Chamber Of Commerce , Talal Abu-Ghazaleh of Jordan/Egypt, Titi Akinsanmi of the Global Teenager Project , Renate Bloem of the not-for-profit network CONGO , Yoshio Utsumi of the ITU , John Bernander of the Norwegian Broadcasting - European Broadcasting Union , Luis Alberto Moreno of the Inter-American Development Bank and José Antonio Ocampo / Sarbuland Khan ). It also has a Strategy Council, a set of high-level advisors, and a "champions' network". The Global Alliance for ICT and Development held its first meeting on June 19-20, 2006 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Asia Pacific Development Information Programme and International Open Source Network United Nations -- though its various organisations such as the United Nations Development Programme 's Asia Pacific Development Information Programme (APDIP) -- have been bring out a number of publications. Many are published with shareable content licenses. Specifically in the field of and Open Source Software (FLOSS), the International Open Source Network (IOSN) (IOSN) is an active player too. UNDP-APDIP brings out two series of e-primers, namely the e-Primers for the Information Economy, Society and Polity and the e-Primers on Free/Open Source Software. The former series details the concepts, issues and trends surrounding the information economy, society and polity. It intends to raise awareness and help policy makers and planners understand the relevance of information and communications technology (ICT) for development, by explaining technical jargon in simple terms. The latter series serves as an introduction to various aspects and dimensions of Free/Libre And Open Source Software (FLOSS) , with country case-studies. It aims to raise awareness on FOSS issues and support capacity building efforts. The International Development Research Centre ( IDRC ) The IDRC is a Canadian governmental agency (crown corporation) that has a very broad programme which includes many small to mid-sized ICT4D projects. The IDRC The IDRC is also one of the major sponsors of the telecentre.org telecentre movement. The One Laptop per Child Project ( OLPC.org ) OLPC is a high profile project initiated by Nicholas Negroponte. Several large companies are members of the organisation including MIT and chip manufacturer AMD . It has a wide open source community. The aim is to produce laptops cheaply enough to provide them to every school child in the world. Through its bold and controversial aim, the project has generated much exposure for ICT4D in general. Other Organizations in ICT4D
NOTABLE ICT4D EVENTS World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) A major event for ICT4D was the twin World Summit On The Information Society (WSIS) . The first part of WSIS took place in Geneva, Switzerland in December 2003 (with a large ICT4D exhibition and an ICT4D symposium co-ordinated by InfoDev ). The second part of WSIS took place in Tunis, Tunisia, in November 2005. One of its chief aims of the WSIS process was to seek solutions to help bridge the so-called "digital divide" separating rich countries from poor countries by spreading access to the Internet in the developing world. Perspectives on the WSIS are available Elsewhere On The Wikipedia , and this covers links to Civil Society , Tunis 2005 , US Priorities At WSIS , Media Responses , Tunis Conference Developments , Roles For Business And Government , Digital Divide Issues , The Digital Divide And The Digital Dilemma , Common Ground , A Civil Society Study On WSIS , and external links. ICT4D INITIATIVES AND PROJECTS Large Initiatives and Projects Here, initiatives and projects are those which involve more than 3 partners, are currently still running and have a budget of over 10 million $: Some of the most prominent programs and initiatives in the ICT4D field include:
Prominent Initiatives and Projects Here we list projects that are not large projects, but which are significant because they have directly or indirectly (via aid organisations) reached 10'000 or more people.
Other Initiatives and Projects This is not an exhaustive list of projects, nor has it been selected by any methodical manner.
REFERENCES SEE ALSO FURTHER READING |
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