NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY AND NATIONAL ICT STRATEGY INTEGRATION: MEETING THE MDGs AND WSIS DECLARATION Conference for Regional Policy Makers and Advisers Caribbean Development Bank Bridgetown, 30 September 1 October 2008 Neil Pierre ECLAC Sub-Regional Headquarters for the Caribbean
Outline of Presentation The MDGs and WSIS The Caribbean in Context Status of ICT and e-government Policy Recommendations
The MDGs - Eight Goals Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger Achieve universal primary education Promote gender equality and empower women Reduce child mortality Improve maternal health Combat HIV/AIDS Ensure environmental sustainability Develop a global partnership for development
The WSIS Action Plan First Phase Summit, 10-12 December 2003 in Geneva The Geneva Plan of Action included encouraging expansion of ICT infrastructure, outlining governments role in ICT expansion, promoting capacity building and emphasizing the benefits of increased access to knowledge Second Phase Summit, 16-18 November 2005 in Tunis The Tunis Agenda highlighted successes derived from the First Plan of Action, re-affirmed the commitment to ICT deepening and widening and identified some of the newly recognized challenges to ICT expansion.
Economic Development Slow and uneven economic growth; High public sector debt; Low productivity; Large informal sector; Dependence on small range of goods & services export; Expiration of preferential trade agreements.
Social challenges Demographic, economic and epidemiological transition; Migration (brain-drain, return migration); Natural disasters; Poverty and vulnerability: estimates range 15 38%; Cross-cutting gender issues; Health and Education challenges (Access, HIV/AIDS, Reforms).
Poverty o Advanced development: high HDI - BUT: o Unequal income distribution (high Gini); o Pockets of poverty and indigence; o Limited availability and access to data; o High risk population segments: unemployed youths, elderly, informal sector employees, the disabled, female headed households with dependents;
45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Comparative Poverty Levels for Selected Caribbean Countries Per cent Anguilla 2002 Antigua & Barbuda 2005 Belize 2002 BVI 2002 Dominica 2002 Grenada 1998 St. Kitts 2000 Nevis 2000 St. Lucia 2005 St. Vincent 1995 T & T 2005 Country Sources:CDB Country Poverty Assessment Reports- Antigua & Barbuda, Anguilla, BVI, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & Grenadines; Survey of Living Conditions- Belize and Trinidad
GINI Coefficients for Selected Caribbean countries 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 Anguilla 2002 Antigua & Barbuda 2005 Jamaica 2000 BVI 2002 Dominica 2002 Grenada 1998 Haiti 2001 Jamaica 2004 St. Kitts 2000 Nevis 2000 St. Lucia 2005 St. Vincent 1995 T & T 2005 Gini Coefficient Country Sources: CDB Country Poverty Assessment Reports- Antigua & Barbuda, Anguilla, BVI, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & Grenadines; Survey of Living Conditions- Belize and Trinidad; UNDP Human Development Reports Haiti, Jamaica
Status of e-government Policy frameworks exist to facilitate e- government in many Caribbean countries: few have made it a budgeted activity Barbados ranks 46 in the global e- Government readiness index; T&T ranks 54 Specific initiatives undertaken by some Government entities
Country 2008 Index 2008 Rank E-Government Readiness Barbados 0.5667 46 Trinidad and Tobago 0.5307 54 Dominican Republic 0.4943 68 Bahamas 0.4911 71
Access and Digital Inclusion Limited Infrastructure available There are particularly underserved groups, which include: people in rural and remote areas, citizens with disabilities and the poor Limited Public ICT Budgets Generalized Absence of Universal Access Funds
National ICT Strategies Public Sector Reform programmes widely in place (Jam; Guy; T&T; B dos, Gren; St Lucia) Inadequate coordination between ICT Strategies and Public Sector Reform programmes Inadequate integration of National ICT Strategies and National Development Strategies. Some attempts made to coordinate these (T&T; Guyana; Jamaica) Need for information for proper planning Lack of effective Legislative framework
National ICT Strategies Only Jamaica, Suriname, Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago have long term National Development plans. However, all of the above countries, including Barbados, St Kitts and Nevis, Grenada and St. Lucia have prepared ICT strategies and have, at least partially, made budgets available for e-government projects.
Policy recommendations - ICT Improve ICT infrastructure Improve access through community Internet centres Increase digitization of content and processes: backoffice functions Identify strong leadership to drive and coordinate a national ICT plan/strategy Develop long-term strategies but implement with short-term plans
Policy recommendations - ICT Set national ICT goals that are realistic, measurable and embedded in national development strategy Build strong data collection capacity to track and measure progress Adopt Knowledge Management approach: Integrate policy, planning and service delivery Transform development thinking and culture
Policy Recommendations - MDGs Sustain Investment in Human Capital Redesign Social Integration and inclusion policies Extend Social Protection and compensation Ensure evidence-based social protection and provisioning Strengthen the enabling environment Involve the private sector and other stakeholders in development planning
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