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USE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION TO HELP SOCIETY’S POOR, OAS ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL URGES

Addressing an information technology conference at the Organization of American States headquarters, Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin has called on policy makers, providers and experts to put greater emphasis on applying innovation in information and communication technologies (ICTs) to address the needs of the poorest in society.

Ambassador Ramdin was speaking to participants at the one-day Forum on “Enabling in ICT Business Environment in the Americas Region,” a joint initiative of the OAS Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). Among other objectives, the Forum is intended to boost dialogue and exchange of experiences between administrations and the private sector for more cooperation geared towards telecommunications/ICT development in the Americas.

A “genuine partnership” of organizations such as the OAS and the ITU, governments and the private sector is the only way to bridge the digital divide to bring improved connectivity to unconnected areas, Ramdin argued. He also called for mechanisms to build, in developing countries, “a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the ICT sector,” so as to stimulate the creation of local producers of ICT applications and services.

With convergence “blurring the boundaries of telecommunications, information and broadcasting services,” Ramdin observed, each country must properly address policy and regulatory issues posed by the existence of multiple platforms for the delivery of digital content and applications.

New technology and market globalization are rapidly increasing productivity, said Ramdin, warning that “as productivity rises, so does the opportunity cost of leaving millions of young people unemployed.” In that context, he reiterated that the 2008 OAS General Assembly-slated for Medellin, Colombia, in early June—will have young people as the main subject. “And we want to make a commitment and get deliverables as soon as possible.”

For his part, Director of the ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau, Sami Al Basheer Al Morshid, emphasized the vital role of cooperation involving governments, regulators, service producers, operators and technology suppliers to create an enabling environment to stimulate industry investment in ICT infrastructure and services. Underscoring cooperation as indispensable, the ITU official noted that while the public sector is concerned with providing an enabling legal and regulatory framework, the private sector brings along with investment a business culture based on efficiency, quality and economic sustainability.

In his overview of the OAS telecommunication agency, Chairman of CITEL’s Permanent Executive Committee, Pedro Pablo Quirós Cortés, cited key initiatives, including those to reduce the digital divide and build an inclusive information society, and the Digital Cities (rural municipalities) development. He also stressed CITEL’s need for funding “for real action in the development of info-communications in the Americas” and for more support to promote effective interest from international organizations, public sector, private sector and civil groups in the growth of GDP for the benefit of society.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines Minister of Telecommunications, Science, Technology and Industry, Jerrol Thompson, moderated the roundtable on innovation and partnership opportunities in the Americas; the World Bank’s Regional Coordinator for Latin America, Eloy Vidal, moderated the roundtable on enabling investment and new opportunities; and Walda Roseman, Chair of the Telecommunication Development Advisory Group, moderated the roundtable on stimulating ICT development.

Reference: E-139/08