Digital Reach

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sectors and civil society, aimed at turning these new technologies

and digital networks into tools for economic and social develop-

ment. In some countries, the digital agenda is increasingly an

integral part of the development agenda. Such initiatives are

tending to become widespread and more intense in all the coun-

tries of Latin America and the Caribbean; this increases the scope

for cooperation and the exchange of best practices among them,

the creation of economies of scale and the reduction of the cost

of learning.

At the global level, the region participated actively in the

formulation of the Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action,

adopted at the first phase of the World Summit on the

Information Society, which was held from 10 to 12 December

2003 and at which goals were set for 2015, to coincide with the

fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goals. Under this

long-term strategy, 175 countries adopted 67 guiding principles

and 167 global goals, often with vague wording to satisfy the

needs of the least developed, as well as those of the most

advanced nations of the world. The challenge for Latin America

and the Caribbean is to translate these global efforts into local

initiatives for the benefit of the region.

In the region, countries have made a supreme effort in the past

five years to formulate political declarations on the strategic orien-

tation of the Information Society and the guiding principles that

should direct public policy in this sphere.

The challenge in the

short run is to move rapidly from agreements and political decla-

rations to action, identifying instruments and appropriate

standards and promoting initiatives and concrete projects, since

there is already consensus on the importance and advisability of

using ICT.

Bearing in mind the historic opportunity provided by the

current progress of the World Summit, the political consensus

existing in the region, the similarity of challenges and the scope

for ICT, the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean

proposed, at the meetings of the first two preparatory committees

of the second phase of the World Summit on the Information

Society (Prepcom 1 and 2), that their regional plan of action

should be prepared for the period 2005-2007, so that it might

serve as a first step towards prioritization and preparation of

concrete international projects on the long road to 2015.

During the Regional Preparatory Ministerial Conference of Latin

America and the Caribbean for the second phase of the World

Summit on the Information Society, held in Rio de Janeiro from

8 to 10 June 2005, the countries adopted a Plan of Action for the

Information Society in Latin America and the Caribbean,

eLAC2007. This plan seeks to strengthen national strategies with

a vision that recognises the opportunities facilitated by regional

cooperation for using digital technologies and networks for

economic development with equity.

In the 30 goals listed in eLAC2007, the governments of the

region are pursuing three potential gains:

1. Support the implementation of national initiatives through

intra-regional technological transfers and capacity building in

areas by, for example:

• Reducing by half the potential national average user base per

community Internet access centre or reducing its coverage to

20 000 people per centre and fostering the quality and ensur-

ing the sustainability of Internet access centres (goal two)

• Doubling the number of public schools that are connected

to the Internet or connecting one-third of them (goal three)

• Doubling the number of health centres and hospitals in the

region that are connected to the Internet or connecting one

third of them (goal four)

• Connecting at least half of urban local governments and one-

third of rural local governments to the Internet (goal six)

• Providing ICT literacy training to at least 2.5 per cent of the

working-age population (goal nine)

• Creating and/or strengthening instruments for exchanging e-

government services, such as the e-government network of

Latin America and the Caribbean (REDGEALC), developing

regional cooperation for the transfer of technologies (goal 15)

• Encouraging existing regional initiatives to integrate ICTs in

national justice systems (goal 19).

The Regional Preparatory Ministerial Conference of Latin America and the Caribbean for the second phase of the World Summit on the Information

Society, held in Rio de Janeiro from 8 to 10 June 2005