On 16 June 2008, the UN-APCICT-organized Global Forum will seek to channel the perspectives from developing countries on the implications of the Internet economy for developing countries. The Forum will also explore the potential of the Internet in reaching out to poor and marginalized groups, enabling them to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the Internet economy in advancing economic growth, reducing poverty, and improving education and health services.
With unprecedented advancement in information and communication technologies (ICTs), can the digital divide be bridged? Will the least developed countries be further marginalized in the coming decade? What has been achieved in the three years since the 2005 World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis whereby a host of declarations and action plans to ensure the implementation of ICT for achievement of the internationally-agreed development goals, including those in the Millennium Declaration were publicly declared?
Over 2,000 delegates including ministers from more than 40 countries will be gathering in Seoul, Republic of Korea for the OECD Ministerial Meeting on 17-18 June 2008 to discuss the future of the Internet economy. The discussions will focus on ways in which the Internet economy can enhance social and economic development. Issues related to convergence, creativity and confidence will be examined, and broad principles that can provide an enabling policy environment for the future of the Internet economy will be identified.
Preceding the Ministerial Meeting, stakeholder forums and other events will be held to solicit viewpoints from business, civil society, the Internet technical community and other stakeholders. In line with this, the United Nations Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development (UN-APCICT), a subsidiary body of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), will hold a Global Forum entitled, Building Inclusive Internet Economy: Voices from Developing Countries, on 16 June 2008.
The Global Forum will seek to channel the perspectives from developing countries on the implications of the Internet economy for developing countries. The Forum will also explore the potential of the Internet in reaching out to poor and marginalized groups, enabling them to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the Internet economy in advancing economic growth, reducing poverty, and improving education and health services.
The Global Forum will begin with an overview of developing countries’ perspectives on the state of ICT and the Internet economy, followed by a panel discussion with panelists from different geographical regions and sectoral representation. The panelists include representatives from government agencies, private sector, international development agencies and civil society organizations from Africa, Asia, Latin America, Middle East and the Pacific.
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OECD Ministerial Meeting on the Future of the Internet Economy
