Title: National e-Strategies for Development: Global Status and Perspectives, 2010
Pages: 68 pp.
Publisher: International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Date (published): 29/04/2010
Date (accessed): 17/05/2010
Type of information: research report
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf, 4,2 MB)
Abstract:
In its Paragraph 85, the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society denotes the leading role that governments, in partnership with other stakeholders implementing the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), have in the elaboration of “comprehensive, forward-looking and sustainable national e-strategies, including ICT strategies and sectoral e-strategies [...], as an integral part of national development plans and poverty reduction strategies, [...] before 2010”.1
The report “National e-Strategies for Development: Global Status and Perspectives, 2010” provides a high-level update and an overview of the progress countries have made in their effort to develop national e-strategies, ICT strategies and sectoral e-strategies, analyzing as well the extent into which ICT have been incorporated into poverty reduction strategies and other national development plans.
In order to provide a broad analysis of ICT strategies, this report describes strategic approaches of national e-strategies and provides three examples of national ICT strategies, detailing their evolution over time.
The report identifies at least 161 economies (84 percent) that have already met the WSIS target of having a national ICT strategy in place by 2010. It also indicates areas where existing national e-strategies could be improved, such as their strategic orientation and their integration into national development plans and poverty reduction strategies. Based on the analysis of sectoral e-strategies, the report also emphasises the need for more comprehensive sectoral e-strategies that take full advantage of the potential ICT have for the economy and society. Finally, the appendix provides the reader a comprehensive list of national ICT strategies developed by ITU Member States.
The information presented in this report comes largely from the WSIS stocktaking,2 an extensive online research initiative conducted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which brings together national ICT and sectoral e-strategies of ITU’s Member States, as well as publications by the five UN Regional Commissions.