Rio de Janeiro Declaration on ICT for Development

Representatives of 28 developing countries of Africa and the Middle East, Asia and Oceania, Latin America and the Caribbean gathered at the meeting on Information and Communication Technologies for Development: the view of developing countries, convened by the Government of the Federative Republic of Brazil in the City of Rio de Janeiro, on 18-19 June 2001, in order to formally address their views to the ECOSOC and to the G8 on how to harness the developmental opportunities of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT):

• Aware of the potential role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in strengthening the democratic system, and achieving an efficient, equitable and sustainable development;
• Cognisant of the opportunities these technologies may bring to facilitate economic and social progress in fields such as education, health, culture, poverty eradication, youth empowerment, gender equality, job and wealth creation, trade, agriculture, industry, tourism, and governmental transparency;
• Mindful that allowing the evolution of the information and knowledge-based society to be guided solely by market mechanisms entails the serious risk of widening the digital divide between developed and developing countries as well as among and within developing country societies, creating new forms of exclusion;
• Concerned that major international initiatives on ICT for development such as the UN Information and Communication Technologies Task Force (ICT Task Force) and the G8 Digital Opportunity Task Force (DOT Force), the World Bank’s InfoDev Programme, the World Economic Forum’s Digital Divide Task Force and Regional Funding Agencies initiatives, inter alia, are approaching a turning point;
• Aware that it is essential for developing countries to respond to developments concerning digital risks and opportunities in step with the rapid pace of ICT innovation.

Declare:

• That it is of crucial importance that developing countries effectively participate in international decision-making processes concerning information and communication technologies taking into account their economic, political, environmental, cultural and social impact;
• That the principles and action lines that the DOT Force will propose to the G8 Genoa Summit generally reflect the concerns and needs of developing countries relating to the role of ICT for Development;
• That the measures recommended by the DOT Force should be resolutely supported by the G8 to allow their swift implementation in developing countries, according to their particular characteristics and needs;
• That it is extremely important that the G8 assign a clear priority to the creation of funding sources and their attendant implementation mechanisms, such as specific regional funds and other initiatives, to support the formulation and implementation of national ICT for development strategies encompassing governance, content development, human resource development, ICT infrastructure, universal access, digital literacy, scientific and technological research, among other developing country goals.

Furthermore, it is their understanding that:

• The launching of a United Nations ICT Task Force, with a strong representation of developing countries, should provide a unique framework that adequately reflects national and regional priorities of the developing world on ICT for development.
• The clear support of and commitment to the UN ICT Task Force by developed countries would greatly enhance the prospects of success and continuity of co-operation that seeks to implement the Information Society in developing countries in a socially equitable and economically sustainable manner.
• International co-operation fostered within this framework should include the considerable expertise that has been built in ICT implementation in the developing world through inter-regional, regional and sub-regional co-operation.

South Africa , Argentina , Bolivia , Brazil, Chile , China, Colombia , Costa Rica , Cuba , Egypt, El Salvador, Equador, Fiji , Guiné Bissau, Honduras , India, Indonesia, Mexico , Nepal , Nicaragua, Nigeria, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Sudan, Uganda, Uruguay, Venezuela

Programme

First Day: Emphasis will be given to the exchange of information so as to obtain a summary overview of major global and regional initiatives aimed at harnessing ICT for developmental goals and at overcoming the threat of a growing digital divide. The objective is to jointly assess those initiatives and to identify relevant topics that will compose the meeting’s final declaration. The debate will be conducted around two modules.

Module (A) "Where we stand: the global initiatives". Presentation of major global initiatives for bridging the global digital divide, particularly those of ECOSOC and the DOT Force. The objective of this module is to ensure that participants have a common overview of ongoing initiatives that are defining the global conditions of and the political arena for developing countries’ actions concerning the use of ICT for development. This is a prerequisite for the more detailed discussion that will follow.

Module (B) "Where we stand: a regional overview". A discussion of policies for the information society in the major regional clusters will be made against the global background of the initiatives presented in the previous module. The discussion should identify topics of regional interest that are already covered by the action plans of the global initiatives as well as those that are yet to be covered. The module will comprise three panel discussions dedicated to each large regional cluster:

Panel 1 will focus on the Latin American and Caribbean region;

Panel 2: will be centred on the policies being designed in Africa; and

Panel 3: will be devoted to policies and strategies within the Asian context.

Second Day. The objective is to discuss the way forward. Emphasis will be given to mechanisms of consultation and of implementation. The debate of the day will be opened with Module C and the composition of a Drafting Commission that will gather and organise the notes prepared by rapporteurs. The discussion and approval of a final declaration will take all of the afternoon.

Module (C) "Major global themes on ICT for development". The focus on consultation and implementation mechanisms will lead to a discussion of major issues that affect the possibilities for developing countries to take full advantage of ICT for development and that are of a global nature. Four issues will be discussed: governance, the role of regional agencies, the role of the United Nations and the role of multilateral mechanisms.

Agenda

16:00 – 18:30 - Early registration

8:00 – 9:00 - Registration

9:00 – 10:30 - Opening table

Ambassador Ronaldo Sardenberg

ECOSOC

DOT Force (G8)

10:30 – 11:00 Coffee break

11:00 – 12:30 Module (A) "Where we stand: the global initiatives"

Panel:

UN ICT Task Force

DOT Force

Chair: Tadao Takahashi

Rapporteur:

12:30 – 13:30 Lunch break

13:30 – 15:00 - Module (B) "Where we stand: a regional overview"

Panel: An overview of Latin America and the Caribbean priorities

Chair: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

Rapporteur:

15:00 – 16:30 Module (B) "Where we stand: a regional overview"

Panel: An overview of strategies in Africa

Chair:

Rapporteur:

16:30 – 16:45 – Tea break

16:45 – 18:15 Module (B) "Where we stand: a regional overview"

Panel: An overview of priorities in Asia

Chair: Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

Rapporteur:

19:00

Cocktail offered by the City of Rio de Janeiro

Place: Palácio da Cidade, Rua São Clemente, 360

9:00 – 11:00 – Module (C) "Major global themes on ICT for development"

Composition of a Drafting Commission

Chair:

Rapporteur:

11:00 – 11:30 Coffee break

11:30 – 13:00 Discussion of topics for Declaration: ICT for Development

Chair: Tadao Takahashi

13:00 – 14:30 Lunch break

14:30 – 16:00 Writing of "The Rio de Janeiro Declaration on ICT for Development"

16:00 – 16:30 Tea break

16:30 – 18:30 Discussion and approval of final version of "The Rio de Janeiro Declaration on ICT for Development"

18:30 – 19:00 Closing