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Zawartość zarchiwizowana w dniu 2023-01-01

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Commission proposes ICT as tool to assist developing countries

The European Commission has adopted a communication outlining how the Commission will use ICT (information and communication technologies) as a tool to assist with the EU's development policy. While moves to promote ICT in developing countries have previously been criticised ...

The European Commission has adopted a communication outlining how the Commission will use ICT (information and communication technologies) as a tool to assist with the EU's development policy. While moves to promote ICT in developing countries have previously been criticised as it is not seen as a priority where development is concerned, the communication states that 'they do provide an important tool for more efficient and effective aid delivery, and need to be recognised as an increasingly important element in the economic and social fabric of countries worldwide.' The EU's Enterprise and Information Society Commissioner, Erkki Liikanen and Development Commissioner, Poul Nielson have welcomed the communication. 'In view of the opportunities which ICTs offer for economic and social development, including poverty alleviation, the European Commission is now moving ahead in a determined manner. I am pleased to offer our experience on information society and development policies to the benefit of developing countries, notably Africa,' said Commissioner Liikanen. 'ICTs can assist developing objectives in a number of ways. This paper has the merit of suggesting concrete applications that recognise the realities of poverty and avoid a donor-driven approach,' said Mr Nielson. The EU's action will take place within the context of the new EC development policy, notably its six priority sectors, which focus on poverty reduction: trade and development, regional integration and cooperation, support for macroeconomic policies and the promotion of equitable access to social services, transport, food security and sustainable rural development, and institutional capacity building. In order to support trade and development, the EU will offer technical and capacity building assistance to developing countries so as to assist the setting up and implementation of appropriate ICT policies and regulatory frameworks, the application of ICT by private actors, notably SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises) and the application of ICT for customs and other trade related services to help facilitate procedures and reduce transaction costs. The Community will also assist with the establishment and development of community telecentres in rural areas and the promotion of the gradual elimination of customs duties and reduction of non-tariff measures on ICT products. To aid regional integration and cooperation, the Commission intends to support and assist regional groups that wish to develop common rules on telecommunications and e-commerce regulations or to establish e-readiness assessments and benchmarks of their Member States. Also in the proposal is the intention to support virtual regional research networks working in the priority areas of EC development cooperation with a view to improving knowledge production and dissemination. The Commission would like to support macroeconomic policies and the promotion of equitable access to social services by improving public financial management systems and budgetary processes through an integrated ICT scheme and incorporating the appropriate use of ICT in national health and education systems. In order to support advances in transport in developing countries, the communication proposes encouraging public-private partnerships to work on intelligent transport systems, and assisting with the incorporation of the appropriate ICT into civil aviation or maritime transport operations. Supporting the development priority of food security and sustainable rural development can be done by collecting and disseminating information and providing better insight into natural resources and natural disasters, proposes the communication. The Commission therefore intends to help set up programmes for the collection, processing and dissemination of earth observation data and information relevant to natural resource monitoring and management, weather forecasting and natural disaster awareness. In order to assist with institutional capacity building, the Commission intends to support the creation and strengthening of autonomous regulatory authorities for the telecom sector, promote the inclusion of appropriate ICTs in government and NGO (non-governmental organisations) programmes in the areas of democracy, human rights and good governance, and to promote programmes which improve public services. Priority areas here would be voter registration, census compilation, electoral observations, creating sustainable taxation systems and land ownership registration. 'As with other development challenges, the decision to embrace these new opportunities belongs to developing countries themselves and the relevant stakeholders, notably the local communities. [...] For its part the international community can play an active role, by pointing to the potential benefits of new policies and assisting interested countries in designing appropriate policies in function of their situation and priorities,' the communication concludes.

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