KEY ISSUES ON INFORMATION SOCIETY, DIGITAL ECONOMY...

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia

AYMAN EL-SHERBINY

CHIEF OF ICT POLICIES, UN-ESCWA

KEY ISSUES ON INFORMATION SOCIETY, DIGITAL ECONOMY AND SMART DEVELOPMENT

SHAPEING THE DIGITAL FUTURE OF THE

ARAB WORLD

ISDEHAR Programme

© Copyright 2014 ESCWA. All rights reserved. No part of this presentation in all its property may be used or reproduced in any form without a written permission

Global Perspective: The Inception and Evolution of the WSIS Process

The information society is a society that processes

information efficiently and gears it towards socio-economic

development. The process includes the production, exchange,

adaptation and use of information for the purposes of

development, the enhancement of the quality of life and the

improvement of the working environment for all citizens. The

information society relies chiefly, but not solely, on the use of

smart technologies to bring these enhancements and

improvements to its citizens.



Significant differences exist in the capacity of countries to adapt to

the rapid changes in technology and knowledge. The move towards the

information society constitutes a real challenge to developing countries.

In this context, the General Assembly adopted resolution 56/183 in

December 2001 to endorse a proposal presented by the International

Telecommunication Union (ITU), which aimed at convening the World

Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) under the patronage of the

Secretary-General of the United Nations. The Summit aimed at

reducing the digital divide between developed and developing

countries by increasing awareness of the benefits of the information

society, and by presenting mechanisms to help developing countries

advance towards such a society.



The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) was held in

two phases. The first phase took place in Geneva during 2003 and the

second in Tunis during 2005. The main objective of WSIS was to bridge

the digital divide between developing and developed countries and

promote the creation of an equitable and all-inclusive Information

Society.

WSIS Action Lines

WSIS 11 Action Lines

20302000

MDGs Process

8 Goals

17 Goals SDGs

Post -2015 Development Agenda

2015201420132012

Rio+20

1. Declaration2. Sustainable

Development Goals and Targets

3. Building Partnerships for SD

4. Monitoring and Accountability

UN – Led

Member Countries – Led

Post-2015 Development agenda, MDGs to SDGs

20302000

MDGs Process


2015201420132012

Rio+20

WSIS +10 2016-2025

UN – Led

Member Countries – LedFrom MDGs to SDGs

WSIS Process 2003-2015

STI Processes STI Processes

WSIS from the MDGs to SDGs

WSIS Action Lines

WSIS 11 Action Lines


Role of ICT in Sustainable Development

20302000

MDGs Process


2015201420132012

Rio+20

WSIS +10 2016-2025

UN – Led

Member Countries – LedFrom MDGs to SDGs

WSIS Process 2003-2015

STI Processes STI Processes

WSIS from the MDGs to SDGs

The Matrix


Challenges of the Region

ESCWA identifies areas of the information society that are

still facing challenges in the Arab region such as security and

trust in cyber space, as well as the limited development and use

of e-services including e-government, human capital, and the ICT

sector. It highlights the priorities of the region beyond 2015, and

maps the aspirations of for the use of technology and ICT to

achieve WSIS+10 and SDG priorities.


Renewal of the Mandates of both the WSISand the IGF - 2015

In 2015, the WSIS mandate was renewed for 10 years spanning from 2015 to 2025. The

Outcome Document of the WSIS+10 Overall Review, adopted by the UNGA, extends the mandate of

the WSIS process to 2025 in such a way as to timely feed into the overall review of the 2030 Agenda

for Sustainable Development. The overarching message of WSIS+10 is that development is

increasingly digitally-based. The resolution that came out as a result of the WSIS+10 meetings is

dominated by ideas that are related to digital development. It also has strong links with the 2030

Agenda for Sustainable Development. The mandate of Regional Commissions, which had been

stipulated in the initial Tunis Agenda of 2005, received a similar extension. In addition to the original

11 WSIS Action Lines, new topics have been emphasized. They include human rights, trust, security

and Internet Governance. From a substantive point of view, human rights, trust, and security are even

Internet Governance core issues and topics among others. As such, more than three quarters of the

next decade of the WSIS process is focusing whether directly or indirectly on Internet

Governance related issues. The mandate of the global IGF itself was also renewed till 2025.


Strategic Perspective

2030


An Economy producing ICT based

services

A Society harnessing ICT based

Services

Big Picture

The Matrix

WSIS Process



2030


Digital Economy Smart Societies

Big Picture

The Matrix

WSIS Process


Big Picture => ISDEHAR


ESCWA Programme on ISDEHAR

Purpose

ISDEHAR is part of the efforts of ESCWA

Technology for Development Division (TDD) to

increase readiness of the Arab region by 2020 to

achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

(SDGs) defined in the Horizon of 2030.

The Information and Communications Technology

(ICT) Policies Section is leading the thematic

process of promoting the Digital Economy and Smart

Societies to harness ICTs for the implementation of

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development


Activities and outputs

More than 35 activities including flagship publication

entitled ICT Horizon 2030, the Arab Digital Economy and

Smart Societies Report (a biennial series starting 2017

and 2019), in addition to the Arab Internet Governance

Forum (Arab IGF), and the Arab ICT Academy (AIGLE);

Arab WSIS Conference, Arab Digital Agenda 2030, an

updated Arab Roadmap on Internet Governance plus a

variety of Technical Materials, Expert Meetings, and

Workshops


Project duration:

Three (3) years, from Start of 2017 to End of 2019, as a pilot period

followed by an assessment


ISDEHAR



Pillar 1

WORLD SUMMIT ON THE INFORMATION SOCIETY,

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS, AND CAPACITY

BUILDING

o 2005 Regional Plan of Action for the WSIS

o 2009 Regional conference on WSIS+4

o 20013-2016 Academy of ICT Essentials for Government Leaders

o 2017, Study: Information Society and Digital Economy: Strategic

Perspectives and Selected Priority Issues for the Arab Region

o 2017 EGM on WSIS Beyond 2015: Strategic Perspectives, Selected

Priority Issues and Action Plans for the Arab Region

Expected Accomplishment: To strengthen the regional Strategic Frameworks

for the information society and digital economy for SDGs in the Arab region


ISDEHAR


Public Policy Issues that are relevant to Internet governance

The WGIG devoted much of its attention to the identification of public policy issues that are potentially relevant to Internet governance, as called for in paragraph 13 (b) of the Plan of Action. It agreed to take a broad approach and not exclude any potentially relevant issue. Based on this fact-finding work, the WGIG established four key public policy areas:

(a) Issues relating to infrastructure and the management of critical Internet resources, including administration of the domain name system and Internet protocol addresses (IP addresses), administration of the root server system, technical standards, peering and interconnection, telecommunications infrastructure, including innovative and convergent technologies, as well as multilingualization. These issues are matters of direct relevance to Internet governance and fall within the ambit of existing organizations with responsibility for these matters;

(b) Issues relating to the use of the Internet, including spam, network security and cybercrime. While these issues are directly related to Internet governance, the nature of global cooperation required is not well defined;

(c) Issues that are relevant to the Internet but have an impact much wider than the Internet and for which existing organizations are responsible, such as intellectual property rights (IPRs) or international trade. The WGIG started examining the extent to which these matters are being handled consistent with the Declaration of Principles;

(d) Issues relating to the developmental aspects of Internet governance, in particular capacity-building in developing countries.

Source: http://www.wgig.org/docs/WGIGREPORT.pdf


(Contd.)

After examining in depth the issues pertaining to these four clusters, the WGIG identified and included in the Background Report the public policy issues that are relevant to Internet governance. The issues of highest priority, including related issues and problems, are set out below for the attention of the WSIS. Administration of the root zone files and system Interconnection costs Internet stability, security and cybercrime Spam Meaningful participation in global policy development Capacity-building Allocation of domain names IP addressing Intellectual property rights (IPR) Freedom of expression Data protection and privacy rights Consumer rights Multilingualism

Source: http://www.wgig.org/docs/WGIGREPORT.pdf


Simple Classes of IG Issues

• Critical Internet Resources (Arab Domain Names)

• Infrastructure (Regional IXPs)

• Access and Content

• Openness, Security and Privacy


Internet Governance Regionally: The

Roadmap and the Forum

Recognizing the importance of the aforementioned global IGF process,

ESCWA created, in partnership with the League of Arab States (LAS), an

initiative named Arab Dialogue on Internet Governance (ArabDIG).

Within the ESCWA-LAS partnership, a study was produced in 2009 on

"Internet Governance: Challenges and Opportunities for the ESCWA

Member Countries," and the ArabDIG initiative resulted in 2010 with the

publication "Arab Regional Roadmap for Internet Governance:

Framework, Principles and Objectives".

This Roadmap was adopted by key stakeholders in October 2010 who

also confirmed the need for the creation of an Arab IGF through a Call of

Arab Stakeholders: Towards Activating Comprehensive Arab

Cooperation for Internet Governance, Regionally and

Internationally.


Activities of the Arab Internet Governance

Forum

Since its inception in 2012, the Arab IGF has held four annual meetings:

• The First Annual Arab IGF meeting, attended by over 300 participants,

was held in Kuwait and hosted by the Kuwait Information Technology

Society, on the theme “A better Internet for a better Arab world” (9-11

October 2012);

• The Second Annual Arab IGF meeting, attended by some 800

participants, was held in Algiers and hosted by the Ministry of Post,

Information and Telecommunications Technologies, on the theme “Partners

for development” (1-3 October 2013);

• The Third Annual Arab IGF meeting (AIGF-III), attended by some 500

participants, was held in Beirut and hosted by ESCWA, on the theme “Arab

perspective for shaping the future of the Internet.

• The Fourth Annual Arab IGF meeting (AIGF-IV), hosted by the

Lebanese OGERO Telecom in Beirut, on the theme "Internet Economy for

Sustainable Development" attended by 650 participants.


Outcome of the Arab Internet Governance

Forum

The main outputs of the Arab IGF annual meetings are the key

messages that include strategic recommendations helping

policymakers in the Arab region taking adequate decisions in the field

of Internet Governance.

Although it is difficult to measure impact of the forum, there is no

doubt by all stakeholders that there is a need for policy dialogue in

the region on Internet governance, and that it had a positive impact

from a policy advocacy perspective.

In this context, ESCWA and LAS has launched in December 2015, at

the conclusion of AIGF-IV, the AIGF2020 initiative, a pan-Arab

community-wide initiative to review the elapsing phase of the Forum

and to further develop it in the next phase aiming at better Internet

governance in the Arab region.


Objectives of the AIGF2020 Initiaitve

The main objectives of the AIGF2020 initiative can be summarized by the

following:

• Analyse the achievements of the first mandate of the Arab IGF process

(2012-2015) with regard to the targets of the ESCWA Roadmap on Internet

Governance (2010);

• Assess the impact of the Arab IGF on Internet governance policies in

the Arab region;

• Discuss challenges that faced the first mandate; and

• Propose enhancements for developing the second issue of the Arab IG

roadmap as well as the second mandate of the Arab IGF, to be geared

towards implementation of SDGs.



GOVERNANCE, POLICY AND LEGAL ENVIRONMENT

o 2009 Study: Internet Governance: Challenges and Opportunities for ESCWA Member

Countries

o 2010 Initiative: Launch of the Arab Dialogue on Internet Governance

(ArabDIG) initiative

o 2010 Study: Arab Regional Roadmap for Internet Governance:

o 2012, Forum: Establishment of the Arab Internet Governance Forum (Arab IGF) and

convening of Four Annual Arab IGF Meetings.

o 2015, Initiative: Launch of the AIGF2020 initiative that aims to analyze and develop the

Arab IGF process in its second mandate 2016-2020.

o 2016 and 2017 Study and 2 Meetings: Internet Governance Beyond 2015

Pillar 2

Expected Accomplishment: Enhance knowledge, harmonized positions and

policy dialogue on Internet Governance environment in the Arab region


ISDEHAR


According to the World Economic Forum, is currently experiencing a

technological revolution the world has never seen before. A revolution that will

radically alter the lives of human beings: how to live, work and relate to each

other. It will be shifts resulting from those changes enormous in terms of size,

scope and level of complexity.

In the first Industrial Revolution, water power and steam used for the automation of

production.

In the second revolution, the electrical energy used to create mass production.

In the third revolution it used the electronics and information technology to automate

production.

Now the Industrial Revolution, the fourth is the digital revolution which is characterized

by a combination of digital technologies that blurred the lines between the physical

worlds, digital, biological, and related to this revolution with new concepts such as the

concept of the information society, knowledge-based economy, the digital economy,

smart communities, and other modern concepts.

Digital Economy



Transform social interactions & relations, communication and broadcast

networks, growing fast and driving economic growth

Examining the ICT sector, telecom markets, and broadband infrastructure

and services and related indicators would highlight the region's capacity and

role of its ICTs industries in economic growth and wealth creation in the digital

economy paradigm.

In 2016, the magnitude of the Internet economy in the G-20 countries is

expected to expand to 4.2 trillion USD (Boston Consulting Group, 2014), and it

is crucial for the Arab region to be benefit from the opportunities offered

from the growing digital and Internet economy at both the regional and

global levels.

It is essential for the Arab countries to develop their national digital

agendas for boosting economic growth, and to aspire to develop their

digital economies in a manner that promotes ICT venture capital investments,

increases employment and contributes to alleviation of poverty and inequality

Digital Economy




Pillar 3

PRODUCTION, COMPETITIVENESS OF THE ICT SECTOR AND ECONOMIC GROWTH

o 2007 Study: Information and Communication Technology Financing, Venture Capital and

Entrepreneurship in the Region

o 2011 Study: Promoting the ICT Sector to Meet the Challenges of the Knowledge Economy (Ar)

o 2013 Study: Regional Competitiveness of the ICT Sector in the Arab

Region – Innovation and Investment Imperatives

o 2013, Forum: Arab Forum on the ICT Sector (Tunis, 7-10 May 2013)- Meeting on Investment, Research, Development and Innovation in the ICT Sector

- Conference on Investment and Finance of the ICT Sector in the Arab Region

o 2015, Study: Transition to Knowledge-Based Economies in the Arab Region: Space and Satellite

Technologies for Development

o 2017, Study: Selected Priority Areas to promoted the Digital Economy in the Arab Region

Expected Accomplishment: To encourage the boosting of Production and

Competitiveness of the ICT industries and sector for Economic Growth in the

Arab region by enhancing knowledge and capacities


ISDEHAR


Smart Societies


Smart societies use smart methods in their development, and have the

knowledge and skills that enable them to be competitive in a global and developing

world.

Enhanced government-citizen relationship

More effective and efficient procedures and smart e-government services/tools,

Cooperation among the various sectors of the economy.

ICT sector contributes to the transformation to smart societies, and innovative

solutions can support better life and work conditions of all citizens and

Make living ecosystems more inclusive, greener and sustainable. Other sectors,

such as education and health, transport and real estate, and social development

sectors are also main pillars in a smart society.

According to the ITU Focus Group on Smart Sustainable Cities (2014),

“A smart sustainable city uses ICTs to provide enhanced quality of life to its citizens, improved efficiency of services and

sustainable development. Such a city meets the needs of today without sacrificing the needs of future generations with

respect to economic, social and environmental aspects”.



TRANSFORMATION OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND SOCIAL INCLUSION

2013, Study: E-Government Strategies in Arab Countries: Current

Status and Development Prospects (Ar)

2014, Study: Smart Cities: Regional Perspectives

2014, Study: Mobile Government Applications In the Arab Region: Opportunities

and Prospects

2017, Study: Smart Governments and Smart Sectors for Smart Societies in the

Arab Region

Pillar 4

Expected Accomplishment: To promote Institutional Development, Smart

Sectors Transformation, smart societies and Social Inclusion in the Arab region


Project: ESCWA ICT4D Academy

The project entitled Academy of ICT Essentials for Government

Leaders (AIGLE) in the ESCWA Region builds upon lessons learned

and the achievements of a similar academy that was launched in

2008 by the Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and

Communication Technology for Development (APCICT). Launched

early 2013, the goal of AIGLE is to help ESCWA member

governments build enhanced capacities among policymakers to

narrow ICT human resources gaps, reduce barriers to ICT adoption

and promote the application of ICT in accelerating socio-economic

development and achieving development goals.



In 2015, AIGLE produced the following four core training modules, in

Arabic, with an associated English-Arabic glossary of terms and

adapted case studies for the Arab region:

Linkage between ICT and Development: This module invites readers

to explore linkages between ICT and development by presenting case

studies of ICT applications in key sectors of development in Arab

countries. The module highlights key issues and decision-making

points related to the use of ICT to meet development needs, from

policy formulation to implementation;

ICT for Development Policies: Main Elements and Tools for

Management: This module discusses issues related to the

development of ICT for development policies, the obstacles that might

face countries during their implementation as well as the practical

methods to address them;



E-government: Policies, Strategies and Applications: This module

provides an overview of e-government, including key concepts and

theoretical aspects of e-government and e-governance and the means for

building related strategies. It also shows how to link theory and practice

with a number of case studies that cover a wide range of experiences;

Internet Governance: This module provides readers with the main

features of Internet governance and the history of the Internet and its

technical development. It discusses various issues related to Internet

governance and its challenges. It also describes the regional efforts in this

context, and the activities of the League of Arab States (LAS) and the Arab

Working Group on Domain Names and Internet Issues. It further provides

overviews on the Arab Regional Roadmap for Internet Governance, which

was launched by ESCWA in partnership with LAS, and which was followed

by the launch of the Arab Internet Governance Forum (Arab IGF)


ESCWA Engagements Related to PUOS

UN GA Resolution 68/75 has emphasized that regional and interregional

cooperation in the field of space activities is essential in strengthening the

peaceful uses of outer space, assisting states in the development of their

space capabilities and contributing to the achievement of the goals of the

United Nations Millennium Declaration and those of the 2030 development

agenda. It also requested relevant regional organizations to offer

assistance to member states to carry out related recommendations.

ESCWA recognizes the strong connection between space technology

and the modern infrastructure that underpins the knowledge economy and

contributes to economic, social and environmental development. ESCWA

acknowledges that a long-term vision and a clear strategy are necessary to

help the Arab region in benefiting from space technology and its

applications.



ESCWA is following up on the deliberations of the Committee on the

Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, particularly on the themes of space and

sustainable development and the use of space within the UN system. The

organization recognizes the roles of states, intergovernmental

organizations, non-governmental organizations and the private sector in the

promotion of safety and long-term sustainability of outer space activities.

The assessment of regional needs indicates a need for a policy

coordination role to be played by ESCWA in the field of space and satellite

technologies. ESCWA could also act as a strategic liaison between UN-

COPUOS and regional stakeholders. Given the fact that the space

technology field is underdeveloped in most countries of the region, regional

cooperation is essential.



ESCWA has also contributed to the Report of the Secretary-General

on Coordination of space-related activities within the United Nations system

which highlights the directions and anticipated results for 2014 and 2015 as

well as the use of space-derived geospatial data in addressing the post-

2015 development agenda. To build regional capacity in the Arab region,

ESCWA will work to set up a network of universities and other academic

institutions involved in space and satellite technologies.

In seeking to determine the needs, opportunities and priorities of the

Arab region with regard to the various applications of the peaceful uses of

outer space (PUOS), the Technology for Development Division (TDD) at

ESCWA produced, during the last biennium, two studies that were planned

to be followed by an EGM during this biennium to be financed from extra

budgetary resources, if made available .



In the geospatial data/information field, ESCWA Statistical Division (SD)

cooperated in bringing the Global Geospatial Information Management

(GGIM) initiative to the Arab region. Working in coordination with the

Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA), ESCWA lobbied

member countries to agree to set a regional governance structure for the

GGIM, and to establish its foundations in the form of a Regional Committee

for GGIM. In the future, ESCWA will be working to prioritize the work on

methodological issues related to the collection of information that is geo-

referenced, be it statistics, road safety, environment, business activity,

housing, environment, or others. In the climate change field, ESCWA



Sustainable Development Policies Division (SDPD) is coordinating the

implementation of the Regional Initiative for the Assessment of the Impact

of Climate Change on Water Resources and Socio-Economic Vulnerability

in the Arab Region (RICCAR). RICCAR generates geospatial information

and analysis for the Arab region based on regional climate downscaling,

hydrological modeling and an integrated vulnerability assessment that draw

upon geospatial databases, satellite images, remote sensing and local

observations.


The Smart Paradigm

Smart Governments

Smart Sectors

Smart cities

Smart citizens

Smart societies

Focus on smart learning

(ESCWA presentation today on CC)


ISDEHAR


Governance, Rights, Peace and Justice

Competitiveness, Production, Trade and Job Creation

Transformation, Social Inclusion and Institutional Development

P411Information Society and Digital

Economy Report(2017)

P417Smart

Governments & Smart Sectors for Smart Societies

P420Digital

Opportunities for the Arab Region

(DOAR)

P415Arab IGF

2020Updated Roadmap

XB

AIGLE: Module 5 on DEAIGLE: Module 4 on Internet

GovernanceAIGLE: Module 3 on Electronic

Government

XBDE

Conference

WS on

DE/ATLDs Industry

RPTC

XBTCWG

RPTCTCWGRPTC

XB P406EGM

AIGF-V

P406EGM

AIGF-V

XB

P405 EGM on WSIS

Arab Digital ActionAgenda

2030

AIGLE: Module 1”

on ICT4SDGs


Multistakeholder Partnerships

UN's belief in the Role of academia, business sector and civil

society

ESCWA is working with Academia from different angles:

• STI Ecosystems, particularly Technology Transfer and TTOs

• Engagement in the Arab IGF Process

• Engagement in the AIGLE Process

• Infrastrucure: ASREN

• Smart Learning Applications

Thank you, Thanks to AUB, ASREN, TAGI & Yousef Torman, and his

colleagues


Research Areas

ISSUES that are suggested for further research

between ESCWA, ASRENs NREN community, and AUB within

ISDEHAR Framework

Infrastructure is still a priority

Privacy and Openness versus security.

Net Neutrality, Cloud computing, Big Data and IoTs are feeling

theses issues

Peaceful Use of Outer Space

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia

THANK YOU

KEY ISSUES ON INFORMATION SOCIETY, DIGITAL ECONOMY...

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