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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.

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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