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P
OLICY
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MAKERS IN
Latin America and the Caribbean have
adopted a common short-term digital agenda for action,
embodied in the Regional Plan of Action for the Information
Society in Latin America and the Caribbean, eLAC2007. This
agenda seeks to strengthen national strategies and serves as a link
between the ambitious goals of the global community and the
needs of the countries of the region based on their specific local
features. The Plan of Action, eLAC2007, serves as a bridge in two
respects: it combines the political consensus existing in the region
with an operational agreement, and it reinforces worldwide inter-
national cooperation through the development of partnerships
and advances at the regional level.
Challenges for public policies for the Information Society
in Latin America and the Caribbean
In the past five years, significant progress has been made in dissem-
inating information and communication technology (ICT) in Latin
America and the Caribbean with a growing impact on the public,
social and economic spheres. Between 1998 and 2004, the
number of fixed telephones almost doubled, rising from 53 million
to almost 93 million; the number of cell phones grew 8.5 times,
from 20 million to 172 million, and the number of Internet users
increased twelve-fold, from six million to 72 million.
2
Significant gaps persist, however, and indeed, are becoming
wider if one considers broadband Internet access; only 14 per
cent of the population in Latin America and the Caribbean have
access to the Internet, compared with more than 50 per cent in
developed countries. Growth in ICT faces increasing challenges,
as these technologies penetrate sectors of the population where
the purchasing power is lower. According to estimates, the richest
20 per cent of the population in the region dispose of USD800
per year investing in ICT, while the poorest 50 per cent can only
afford to spend USD100 per year, or USD2 per week. The poorest
25 per cent of the population have only USD1 per week with
which to connect to ICT.
3
Thus, the region is coming to the real-
ization that without proactive policies, new technologies can
exacerbate existing inequalities, which makes it increasingly
important to take public action that will ensure socially desir-
able results.
Second, the digitization of information and communication
processes in the public sector can help to increase public effi-
ciency and transparency. This includes overcoming deficiencies
in inter-agency coordination, facilitating coordination between
different spheres of government, improving efficiency and trans-
parency of bureaucracy, and opposing arbitrary or outright
corrupt decisions. In addition, e-government is a new dynamic
factor for other sectors of the Information Society, as it creates
network effects that stimulate businesses and individuals to use
the Internet on an increasingly massive and intensive scale.
Contrary to the situation in many developed countries, in many
cases it is competitive bidding that prompts firms in Latin
America and the Caribbean to make their first online transac-
tion. Similarly, it is public procedures, such as paying taxes or
fines and obtaining motor vehicle or trade licences, that encour-
age citizens in the region to take the cultural leap and make their
first digital transactions.
Third, since training is a basic requirement for knowledge-based
societies, the Information Society calls for the development of new
capacities and their continuity over time. Any effort in this direc-
tion must include training and computer literacy programmes for
women and men who are already in the labour market, as well as
a business innovation dynamic through digital technologies with
innovation and learning systems.
National and global strategies and the regional strategy
Almost all the countries in the region have implemented public
policies based on cooperation between the public and private
eLAC2007 – Implementing the Geneva Plan of
Action in Latin America and the Caribbean
Information Society Programme, Economic Commission for
Latin America and the Caribbean, United Nations
1
Adopting a plan of action for Latin America and the Caribbean