Tuesday, February 01, 2005
ICT funding still tops the agenda at WSIS
By Emrakeb Assefa
ACCRA- One of the two main, unresolved issues of the first phase of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) in December 2003 relates to the question of who pays the bills for bridging the digital divide between the haves and the have-nots.
As such, the financing question is on the top of the agenda at the African Regional preparatory conference for the WSIS opening today in Accra, Ghana where delegates will look at the report of the Task Force on Financial Mechanisms set up to facilitate the discussions on the subject.
Called “the Report of the Task Force on Financial Mechanisms for ICT for Development”, the 123-page report, published in December 2004, reviews all existing financial mechanisms and their efficacy in meeting the challenges of ICT for development.
In terms of agreements reached during the first phase of the two phase WSIS process, governments, civil society and the private sector are implementing the Plan of Action adopted by world leaders in Geneva, in December, 2003. At the same time, two working groups have been set up to find solutions and reach agreements on financing mechanisms and internet governance.
The first phase, which was concluded in Geneva in 2003, recommended that “while all existing financial mechanisms should be fully exploited to make available the benefits of information and communication technologies, a thorough review of their adequacy in meeting the challenges of ICT for development should be completed by the end of December 2004”.
African countries are very concerned about a Task Force recommendation, contained in the final report, regarding the creation, effectiveness, and feasibility of a voluntary Digital Solidarity Fund (DSF). The bad news for African countries, the major force behind the DSF, is that the fund did not receive a green light to become part of the WSIS process. The report says that Task Force is “not in a position to assess DSF’s role among the various ICT financial mechanisms” since the mechanism is yet to be operational and its goals and objectives are still evolving.
The good news is that though not an officially recognised body, the DSF has received voluntary contributions from various sources as well as the support of many city and national governments. The fund has so far received more than five million Swiss francs, while 120 cities have committed themselves to implementing the “Geneva Principle”. This document stipulates that public calls for bids in the field of ICT shall include a digital solidarity clause requiring the successful company to contribute one percent of the value of the transaction to the Digital Solidarity Fund.
ACCRA- One of the two main, unresolved issues of the first phase of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) in December 2003 relates to the question of who pays the bills for bridging the digital divide between the haves and the have-nots.
As such, the financing question is on the top of the agenda at the African Regional preparatory conference for the WSIS opening today in Accra, Ghana where delegates will look at the report of the Task Force on Financial Mechanisms set up to facilitate the discussions on the subject.
Called “the Report of the Task Force on Financial Mechanisms for ICT for Development”, the 123-page report, published in December 2004, reviews all existing financial mechanisms and their efficacy in meeting the challenges of ICT for development.
In terms of agreements reached during the first phase of the two phase WSIS process, governments, civil society and the private sector are implementing the Plan of Action adopted by world leaders in Geneva, in December, 2003. At the same time, two working groups have been set up to find solutions and reach agreements on financing mechanisms and internet governance.
The first phase, which was concluded in Geneva in 2003, recommended that “while all existing financial mechanisms should be fully exploited to make available the benefits of information and communication technologies, a thorough review of their adequacy in meeting the challenges of ICT for development should be completed by the end of December 2004”.
African countries are very concerned about a Task Force recommendation, contained in the final report, regarding the creation, effectiveness, and feasibility of a voluntary Digital Solidarity Fund (DSF). The bad news for African countries, the major force behind the DSF, is that the fund did not receive a green light to become part of the WSIS process. The report says that Task Force is “not in a position to assess DSF’s role among the various ICT financial mechanisms” since the mechanism is yet to be operational and its goals and objectives are still evolving.
The good news is that though not an officially recognised body, the DSF has received voluntary contributions from various sources as well as the support of many city and national governments. The fund has so far received more than five million Swiss francs, while 120 cities have committed themselves to implementing the “Geneva Principle”. This document stipulates that public calls for bids in the field of ICT shall include a digital solidarity clause requiring the successful company to contribute one percent of the value of the transaction to the Digital Solidarity Fund.
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