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tries to fully participate in, manage, and benefit from, the process
of globalization, as well as in overcoming key development chal-
lenges in a cost effective manner.
At the same time, there is not enough awareness of the real and
positive impacts that the application of these technologies can
have in key areas of economic and social development, includ-
ing inter alia, commerce, effective and transparent governance,
disaster reduction and efforts towards sustainable development
and poverty reduction.
ESCAP is therefore focusing on supporting the development of
cross-sectoral policies and strategies, and on promoting ICST
applications in key sectors, through support for key national insti-
tutions. ESCAP is also promoting regional cooperation aimed at
making the expertise of many relatively advanced countries of the
region available to the less advanced countries, and at addressing
critical issues which require regional cooperation, such as cyber
crime and information security.
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Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
ESCWA promotes regional cooperation and integration among
its 13 Arab Member States and serves as the main development
forum within the United Nations system for the region. The
objective of ESCWA is to accelerate the pace of economic, social
and technological development in the region and to minimize
the unsustainable exploitation of its natural resources.
Information and Communication Technology Division
ICTD, which was established in mid-2002 through ESCWA
restructuring, aims to increase the capabilities of Member States
in harnessing information and communications technology for
their development, including achievement of the United
Nations Millennium Development Goals. In this respect, it
provides support with regard to the development of informa-
tion and communications technology policies, infrastructure,
and applications, and raises awareness with regard to the
potential of ICT in promoting sustainable development and
enabling ESCWA countries to integrate into the global
economy.
Developing the ICT sector and Arab content industry
ICTD’s launching of the Arab Content Initiative to build up an
Arab content industry and promote and disseminate digital Arabic
content was followed by collaboration with the League of Arab
States (LAS) and initiating projects to construct needed tools.
This should make the Internet of interest to the non-English
speaking Arab populations. An Arabic Domain Names Task Force
under the auspices of ESCWA laid the groundwork for using the
Arabic language to access the Internet. ESCWA and LAS are jointly
tackling the deployment of an Arabic Domain Names System,
which should facilitate the use of the Internet among Arabic
speaking communities. ESCWA is also promoting regional ICT
sector development by providing expertise on related policies and
strategies and supporting incubation schemes for nascent ICT
enterprises.
ICT for sustainable development
Within the framework of its Initiative on Technology,
Employment and Poverty Alleviation (TEPA), ESCWA is imple-
menting a number of programmes and projects with a view to
piloting concepts and modalities aimed at harnessing new tech-
nologies, including ICT, for socioeconomic development.
Through training on ICT and other modern technologies, these
projects are creating new job opportunities among the remote
and rural communities. A number of modalities have been iden-
tified and implemented for delivering new technology inputs at
the local community level, including ICT community centres
and smart community projects. Partnerships have been estab-
lished with municipalities, civil society institutions and
enterprises involved in activities targeted by TEPA.
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Implementation of the WSIS Geneva Action Plan
Through intergovernmental conferences, expert group meetings, regional
workshops, advisory services and technical assistance, ESCWA is
supporting the Member States and coordinating their preparation for
WSIS, while working towards building the regional Information Society.
The Second Regional Preparatory Conference for WSIS, under the motto
“Partnership for building the Arab Information Society”, was held in
preparation for the Tunis Summit and culminated with the Damascus
Call for partnership to provide strategic support for the implementation
of projects whose implementation should establish solid foundations for
the Arab Information Society. The conference also led to the development
of a Regional Plan of Action for Building the Information Society (RPoA)
addressing a range of issues for building the Information Society in
Western Asia while taking into account Arab regional specificities.
Partnerships are being forged by ESCWA to fulfil the objectives of the
Damascus Call and to pave the way for the implementation of the RPoA,
such as increasing community access with emphasis on the marginalized
and disabled. Within the framework of the global Partnership on
Measuring ICT for Development, ESCWA organized a roundtable and a
regional workshop to agree on a common set of core indicators for
measuring the information society and to build capacities of national
statistics offices and ICT units in this domain.
In preparation for the Tunis phase of WSIS
ESCAP, in cooperation with other international/regional organizations,
established the Regional Interagency Working Group on ICT (IWG) in
August 2001, with a view to strengthen cooperation and coordination at
the regional level, and to promote mutually complementary and coherent
strategies and programmes which would ensure synergy of efforts in
achieving Millenium Development Goals (MDGs). The IWG played an
instrumental role in developing regional consensus in the regional
preparation for WSIS. Members of IWG made substantial contributions
to the organization of the Regional Preparatory Conferences and other
regional events. They also participated in the formulation of the Regional
Action Plan towards Information Society.
With inputs from four sub-regional preparatory meetings, a High Level
Asia-Pacific Conference for the World Summit on the Information Society
was held from 31 May to 2 June 2005 in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.
The Conference was organized jointly by the Government of the Islamic
Republic of Iran and the United National Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific in cooperation with the UNDP Asia-
Pacific Development Information Programme and the International
Telecommunication Union.
The objectives of the Conference were to define regional course of
action towards building a people-centred, inclusive and development-
oriented Information Society in Asia and the Pacific as stipulated in the
Declaration of Principles and the Plan of Action adopted by the Geneva
phase of WSIS and contribute to the preparatory process of the Tunis
phase of the WSIS. The Conference adopted the Tehran Declaration and
the Regional Action Plan – Programmes/Projects and Methodology for
Regional Cooperation. The Action Plan pays special attention to the
promotion of the use of ICT for empowerment of women, young and
senior people as well as people with disabilities .