Hong Kong

The Digital 21 Strategy was first published in 1998 as the blueprint for Hong Kong's ICT development. It was updated on a regular basis to take into account technological and socio-economic changes. The 2008 Digital 21 Strategy contains five key action areas: facilitating a digital economy; promoting advanced technology and innovation; developing Hong Kong as a hub for technological cooperation and trade; enabling the next generation of public services; and building an inclusive, knowledge-based society.

From activists in Egypt to coffee farmers in Colombia, the Internet has transformed the lives of billions of people. It functions as a gateway to ideas, resources, and opportunities that never could have been realized before. All around the world, the Internet is helping people to imagine new possibilities—and then, to make them happen. But women and girls are being left behind. On average across the developing world, nearly 25 percent fewer women than men have access to the Internet, and the gender gap soars to nearly 45 percent in regions like sub-Saharan Africa.

The Hong Kong Government is intent on harnessing the full potential of information and communications technology (ICT) to benefit the community and enhance Hong Kong's position as a leading digital city. The resource provides the reader with an overview of Hong Kong Government's strategy and initiatives in promoting the adoption of ICT in both the public and the private sectors, and how the reader could profit from the effort.

The paper explores several areas linked to information management systems throughout Asia Pacific, and reveals a strong general trend towards improved management systems. It also highlights the massive growth of data that governments are required to keep and the challenge of keeping up with expected future growth.