Developing Countries

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) offers unprecedented promise for social and economic development on a global scale. As the primary means of communication and access to information and activity in the network society, ICT is fundamental to inclusion and empowerment for developed and developing countries alike.

The challenge and opportunity the ICT revolution represents for the development community is nowhere more apparent than in the world’s poorest nations. By international consensus, the United Nations Millennium Summit most recently identified the development imperatives that must be tackled by the nations of the world: By 2015, (1) To halve, the proportion of the world’s people living in extreme poverty; (2) halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger; (3) Reduce by two-thirds the under-five child mortality rate; (4) Reduce the level of HIV/AIDS; (5) Reduce by three-quarters the maternal mortality rate; (6) Ensure universal access to safe/reliable contraceptive methods; (7) Ensure universal access and completion of primary education; (8) Half the proportion of people unable to reach or afford safe drinking water. By 2005, (9) Eliminate gender inequality in primary and secondary education, and (10) Ensure that all countries are in the process of implementing national strategies for environmental sustainability.

As a contribution to the global effort, Accenture, the Markle Foundation and the United Nations Development Program launched a public-private partnership—the Digital Opportunity Initiative—at the G-8 Okinawa Summit. The Initiative seeks to answer a two-part question: (1) how can ICT be applied to address specific development goals at the sectoral level, and (2) how can ICT be leveraged in pursuit of a global development dynamic, which would be the product of a series of measured interventions that, when taken in conjunction with each other, would generate returns on a scale much greater than the sum of the inputs. 

ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific) Countries

European Institutions    External links

European Institutions

What telecom regulation for low-income African countries?
Study undertaken for the European Commission.  

Africa-Europe Summit under the Aegis of the OAU and the EU, Cairo, 3-4/04/ 2000
Download the press release (PRES/00/901) of 07/04/2000

For Access to documents and press releases, please consult the ACP archive.

External links

IICD - International Institute for Communication and Development

IICD's Website serves as a starting point for gathering information on issues with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and sustainable development relevance.