Information and Communication Technologies for Development

Remarkable strides have been made over the last two decades.

For example, access to information technologies has been dramatically increasing around the world, especially in developing countries. The number of mobile subscribers expanded from 491 million in 1999 to approximately 950 million by the end of 2001 - an extraordinary increase in only two short years. In addition, we should all note that Internet users within developing countries are now approaching 20% of all Internet users around the world. As the UNDP recently stated, "Technology networks are transforming the traditional map of development, expanding people’s horizons and creating the potential to realize in a decade progress that required generations in the past."

Much of this growth is because people are obtaining new and better telecommunications services at much lower prices.

Progress, however, should not be an excuse for complacency. The gap between developed and developing countries persists, and we are convinced that political and economic reforms are crucial if all countries are to seize the benefits of ICT.

Policymakers worldwide recognize that the ICT sector not only is an economic engine but also is an enabler of social and political progress.

As President Bush said at the World Bank last year, "We have the opportunity to include all the world's poor in an expanding circle of development."

Mr. Chairman and fellow delegates: The United States is committed to expanding the global circle of prosperity and freedom.

Much work remains to be done in the area of building basic communications infrastructure and having the capacity to use it. How can this be done?

A global consensus is emerging around four fundamental principles that form the link between ICT and development:

1. liberalization and competition
2. commitment to the rule of law
3. private sector-led innovation
4. human capacity building

I am encouraged by the extent to which over 150 countries affirmed these general principles when they approved the Istanbul Action Plan at the ITU's World Telecommunication Development Conference last March.

The commitment to liberalization and competition in the ICT sector opens the door to productivity gains and sustainable wealth creation through increased private investment.

Clearly, the private sector has the flexibility and resources to offer innovative solutions to the unique problems facing developing countries. Governments should look for opportunities to partner with the private sector to make available the benefits of these new technologies.

As a recent OECD report indicates, countries that build an environment conducive to private sector investment and that are adaptable to technological innovation experience the greatest benefits of the networked economy. For example, numerous state-of-the-art wireless and IP-based technologies are being used around the globe to provide communications to rural communities. At the same time, telemedicine applications are improving health care for millions of citizens in remote areas by giving doctors real-time access to critical medical information.

But investment funds will only flow into those economies that establish administrative and commercial institutions based on predictable and transparent rules, especially good governance. Companies, both domestic and foreign, require assurances that regulations are transparent and fair, and that contracts will be enforced - in a word, that there is a sound, legal basis for commercial investment.

Lastly, investment is broader than simply capital flows. It includes investment in people. ICT training and educational initiatives are the cornerstone of expanded access and usage of information-based technologies.

We are mindful of numerous local, regional and global training initiatives where users and engineers are taught to create, operate and maintain complex communications systems. Our own US Telecommunications and Training Institute has provided tuition-free management, policy and technical training for over 6,000 talented professionals from the around the developing world.

We have much to learn from each other. While there is no single template for achieving ICT development, we all agree that the challenge is great and that the opportunities, if we are successful, are of historic dimensions.

That is why the President recently announced the Millennium Challenge Account which is designed to help those countries that govern justly, invest in their people and encourage economic freedom.

The US will seek to support those governments in developing countries that demonstrate a commitment to the domestic reforms that are necessary for sustained economic growth.

The progress we make will have many stops along the road. The World Summit on the Information Society, where Member States, the private sector and civil society will come together in 2003 and again in 2005, are two important stops along this journey.

Dear Colleagues, We cannot miss this opportunity -- this global dialogue is vital to everyone who wants all the world's citizens to enjoy the benefits of the information age.