DESA: WISIS Event: 12 June 2014

15:00-16:30

TizianaBonapace, Chief, ICT and Development Section, ICT and Disaster Risk Reduction Division, ESCAP

1. Asia-Pacific region of wide contrasts

  • Some progress towards information society (better ICT access by individuals, especially for mobile phones, including rural areas; better connectivity of public institutions, more online language diversity)
  • Widening gap between richer and poorer countries in broadband connectivity (ESCAP is the UN region with largest broadband digital divides: Availability (people using internet): LDCs (5.9%), developing countries (25.8%), advanced countries (69.6)Affordability (cost of bb as % of per capita GNI): Japan (0.7%), Solomon island (280%)Reliability: latency
  • Implications for transformations towards a knowledge based society and sustainable development goals as those with resources are able to more fully exploit potential of the ICT revolution
  • Data availability a problem, especially for WSIS indicators that are not regularly collected
  • Future ICT4D goals need better measurability, or risk that evidence-based policy making will reflect the situation in more developed countries
  • Rapid evolutions will require more frequent updating/review
  • Also ensure measurability and so involve statisticians early on in goals definition
  • Maximize use of existing standards (Partnership’s core indicators)

2. Looking forward: seamless infrastructure connectivity

  • ESCAP responses focused regional connectivity for affordable global connectivity: creating a seamless information and communication space
  • Development of a coherent, meshed regional infrastructure network linking transit terrestrial corridors to each other and to submarine cable networks

•Leveraging on ESCAP’sseamless transport connectivity as embodied in its intergovernmental agreements on Asian Highway and Trans-Asian Railway agreements. Opportunity to open coherent seamless connectivity and cross-sectoralsynergies for smart grids of the future (transport and energy)

3. Looking forward: sustainable connectivity for e-resilience and e-empowerment

  • Asia-Pacific most disaster prone region in world and need to build body of evidence, good practices, lessons learnt on how ICT as a critical information infrastructure has, or could enhance risk management, at all stages of disaster cycle
  • Need to bolster policymakers’ understanding of the effects of using ICT on the quality of education, and types of interventions to improve learning outcomes
  • Large youth population potential opportunity for harnessing the benefits of future innovations, competitiveness and development if education systems can deliver
  • Gender gaps in enrolment in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and in sectoral workforce participation rates, highlight need for a gender sensitive approach

ESCAP looks forward to collaborating with DESA on these and other regional and global issues of common concern to the achievement of sustainable development goals