Empowering Development Through ICT: Finnish Strategies & Global Impact

1. Information Society and Development Applying Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the Finnish development co-operation WITFOR World IT Forum Botswana 2005

2. Contents Finnish Information society Finland in ICT4D Guidelines for the Implementation ICT4D

3. ICT4D: a key to the development of a (information) society • I = Information knowledge innovations • C= Communication cooperation democracy • T = Technology effectiveness efficiency • D = Development wealth welfare

4. Information Society and Development Framework • Information and knowledge • Access to Information • Basic education (literacy) • Information society skills (ICT literacy) • Technical knowledge • Business knowledge • R&D • Knowledge economy • Economic development based on generation and use of knowledge • ICT service provider • Innovative ICT companies • Content production • Political strategies • and regulatory framework • Supportive policy • Telecom regulations • Stategies (PRSP, ISS) • Institutional strategies on IS Integration of ICT in MDG’s • Infrastructure and • availability of ICT • General infrastructure (electricity, etc) • ICT Infrastructure (lines & access) • ICT applications available

5. Towards a comprehensive and sustainable information society and development policy • Development policy guidelines for the Ministry for Foreign Affairs concerning the Information Communications Technology for Development, 2005 • General principles of Finland's development cooperation, Government Resolution on Development Policy, 2004 • Principles and Plan of Action of the World Summit on the Information Society, adopted in Geneva in 2003 (WSIS, 2003) • UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG), to reduce inequality and to respond to new global challenges • Priority areas as identified jointly with SA partners • Integration of different views to IS • Technology (ICT) • Economy (knowledge economy, poverty issue) • Socio-political (equity, democracy) • Culture - intellectual (locality, language and education)

6. Development goals • Reduction of poverty by making use of the ICT • Access to education and training for all through ICT and upgrading of citizens' information society literacy • Democracy and human rights; Development of an inclusive information society • Development of an information society based on a legal foundation. • Anticipation of natural disasters, prevention of health hazards and promotion of good health habits • Ensuring sustainable information society development.

7. The Implementation • Mainstreaming ICT and components of Information Society in all the sectors of the Finnish development co-operation (Information Society as a cross cutting theme) 2.Enablingsustainable information society development (Information Society as a Policy) 3. Active participation in the global discourse of Information Society and Development and follow-up of the development impact of ICT (Information Society as a Policy sector)

8. Mainstreaming of ICT in all the sectors of the development policy • A process aiming to integrate ICT to all the sectors of society. To optimise the benefits of ICT for development in these sectors. • to develop the basic information systems by utilizing appropriate ICT • to develop electronic services (e-services), make these accessible, trustworthy and transparent • Finland prioritize the existing development co-operation sectors in each of the partner country

9. Enabling sustainable information society development Political strategies and regulatory framework • The legislation, telecommunication regulations and information society strategies are pivotal in enabling access to ICT and related services • Finland prioritize the development and integration of national Information Society strategies • Development of information society strategies of the nationally important institutions like universities and libraries, and NGO’s • Regional solutions & competence building is prioritized • The starting point is the development strategy of each partner country

10. Enabling sustainable information society development Private sector development on ICT • From the sustainability point of view, it is important that private companies providing access and services will emerge – public intervention for market failure • Knowledge economy will create economic growth in the society and will reduce poverty on it’s behalf • However, it is important to support local innovation systems, legislation, and politics of economy to make it sure that the growth will be distributed more evenly to benefit the most poorest.

11. Enabling sustainable information society development Technical Infrastructure and applications • The access to information depends on the availability of the appropriate ICT infrastructure • The emphasis is on the activities that encourages private investments on ICT infrastructure especially in rural and disadvantaged areas • Finland support directly only those infrastructure development projects that are strategically important for mainstreaming ICT in other sectors • Private - public partnerships are strongly supported in infrastructure development

12. Global partnership and dialogue on information society and development • Coherent internal policy (Finland & EU) • Global dialogue and follow-up of the impact of ICT4D • UNESCO, ITU ja ICT TaskForce, UN ECA, development banks, etc. • Information Society / Knowledge society debate • Finland prioritize • the development of a more inclusive information society and more equal access to information • the development of ”sustainable technologies” that makes it possible for developing countries to utilize ICT for development ( like open source software, open standards, open content, open access, etc.)

13. Thank you • Contact Ilari Patrick Lindy Embassy of Finland 628 Leyds Street P.O.Box 443, Pretoria 0001 Republic of South Africa Tel. +27-12-343 0275 E-Mail: ilari.lindy@formin.fi