World Congress on Information Technology 2014
29 September 2014
Excellencies,
Distinguished Participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure for me to be with you for this 2014 edition of the World Congress on Information Technology here in Guadalajara. I feel privileged to be the first Secretary-General of UNCTAD to address the World Congress.
At the outset, I would also like to express my appreciation to the Federal Government of Mexico, to Government of the State of Jalisco as well as CANIETI for extending such a warm welcome to me here in Guadalajara.
UNCTAD is the United Nations focal point on matters related to ICT sector development, e-commerce and related aspects of the digital economy. Against this background, I value our collaboration with the World Information Technology and Services Alliance on strengthening the IT industry in developing countries.
This Congress takes place at an opportune moment. The international community is working towards new development goals that will serve as a framework for our common efforts to fight poverty, achieve sustainable development and bring prosperity to all. As Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his address to the General Assembly last week, the agenda that is emerging is “remarkable in its vision”, as well as its scope.
The proposed Sustainable Development Goals that UN Member States will soon take up in negotiations identify technology as a key means of implementing the goals. They recognize the crucial role that technology can play in fostering development that is sustainable – economically, socially and environmentally.
For technology to play this role to the fullest, it is important that we continue to make progress internationally in building a more development-oriented information society. In this context, we have begun assessing the first ten years since the World Summit on the Information Society, which was concluded in Tunis in 2005.
The WSIS+10 Review of progress in implementing the Summit’s outcomes is currently underway under the guidance of the United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development. I am pleased to recognize the presence today of the Commission's Chairperson, Honourable Minister Omobola Johnson of Nigeria. I would like to encourage those interested to attend the special briefing session that will be held tomorrow afternoon to learn more about the review and to express your views on the first ten years since WSIS.
I would now like to share with you my perspective on the links between the ICT dimension and the broader sustainable development agenda.
The Millennium Development Goals adopted in 2000 are widely recognized for having focused the development agenda on a set of clear and reachable goals, and for galvanizing global efforts to achieve them. There has been much progress, particularly in halving the number of people living in extreme poverty. Yet there remains much more to be done. For this reason, as the international community strives to fulfil the MDGs, it is also looking forward to the post-2015 development agenda.
If we are to build on and expand the achievements reached under the MDGs, we will need to set the world on a path of economic growth that is much more inclusive and that truly transforms people’s livelihoods. The future development agenda must seek to create conditions that allow more countries to achieve “virtuous circles” of productive investment, technological upgrading, rising incomes, poverty reduction and expanding markets that bring about lasting economic and social transformation.
In addition, the new SDGs will need to recognize the close interdependence that exists between the social, economic and environmental dimensions of development, as well as the fundamental role of technology and innovation in achieving the goals.
Ladies and gentlemen,
In looking at the role of the ICT sector, rapid evolution means that today the scope is greater than ever before for ICTs to reach people in poorer countries and to contribute in multiple ways to sustainable development. This is thanks to significant advances in mobile technologies, broadband connectivity, data storage capacity and such areas as cloud computing and social media. This development potential of ICTs has been emphasized by the Commission on Science and Technology for Development, the UN Group on the Information Society as well as in the outcome documents from the WSIS+10 High-Level Event that took place last June in Geneva.
ICTs also figure in the proposals of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals, which will serve as the basis for negotiations among UN Member States. Of the 17 proposed SDGs, three refer explicitly to ICT.
- Goal 5 – which concerns gender equality and empowerment of women and girls – includes a sub-target to "enhance the use of enabling technologies, in particular ICT, to promote women’s empowerment".
- Goal 9 – which relates to resilient infrastructure, inclusive and sustainable industrialization and innovation – refers to the need to "significantly increase access to ICT and strive to provide universal and affordable access to internet in LDCs by 2020".
- Finally, Goal 17 is on strengthening the means of implementation and revitalizing the global partnership for sustainable development.
It identifies technology as a means of implementations and mentions, among other things, the need to "enhance the use of enabling technologies in particular ICT".
The current draft list of new Goals is likely to evolve further and it remains to be seen how the ICT dimension will be reflected in the final version. If UN Member States eventually adopt the goals as they currently read, it would be a step in the right direction towards recognizing the potential contribution of ICT to development. There are many examples of how ICT can be leveraged in favour of development. ICT can strengthen governance, mitigate the effects of climate change, reduce the risk of natural disasters, improve energy efficiency, make remittance flows more affordable and inclusive, boost the productivity of enterprises, bring health care to rural areas and improve education.
Equally important in terms of development outcomes is the supply side – the ICT producing sector. After all, it is the enterprises and people in the ICT sector that will have to develop, produce and install the various applications that are needed for ICTs to bring about desired gains under the post-2015 agenda.
A vibrant local ICT sector is essential to support sustainable use of ICTs throughout society. Firms in other sectors, public organizations and individuals will stand a better chance of using ICTs productively if local firms are available to provide relevant goods and services at affordable prices, and in timely manner.
In my home country, Kenya, the ICT sector has contributed significantly to economic performance. Since 2000, the sector has grown on average by 20 per cent each year, outperforming every other sector. This positive track record is linked to the success of the mobile sector and the spread of innovations such as mobile money and other applications. A sign of this dynamism is IBM's decision last year to establish an Innovation Hub in Nairobi. Another is the more than 120,000 mobile money agents that now exist in the country.
When considering the ICT sector, there should be special attention given to IT services and software. Software, which enables computers, mobile phones, smart phones and other devices to perform their operations, is having an increasing impact on a variety of goods and services. For example, the public sector is relying on software to deliver e-government, health care, education and other services to its citizens. This makes it increasingly relevant to build the capacity to understand, manipulate and adapt software. The software sector itself offers opportunities for countries at all levels of development. It is characterized by relatively low capital barriers to entry, it is a potential creator of employment, especially for the skilled youth, and it is a source of innovation and export revenue.
In most countries that have successfully nurtured their software and IT services capabilities, such as India, Ireland, Israel and the United States, government support has been instrumental. This is especially the case through partnerships with the private sector, universities and the software developer community.
Indeed, governments should play the role of a proactive coordinator rather than seeking to impose a top-down vision. An effective dialogue with the private sector, often represented by a national IT or software association, is central in this context. Without a professional national industry association as a partner, it is immensely difficult for policymakers to formulate adequate policies to support growth and competitiveness in this rapidly evolving industry.
This is where WITSA and its member associations have a strategically important role to play. You can act as a constructive partner by producing relevant data on the sector, by raising awareness of the link between ICT and development, by identifying areas of opportunities and by highlighting bottlenecks that need to be addressed.
A joint UNCTAD-WITSA survey of national software associations a couple of years ago found that the most frequently mentioned barriers to the growth and development of software and IT services include the lack of venture capital, shortages of qualified human resources and too little government procurement. Such information helps policymakers decide what actions to take to promote the ICT sector.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
UNCTAD will continue to address the challenge of building a more inclusive, stable and sustainable world with the same integrated approach that has been the hallmark of our work for five decades. Technology, and particularly ICT, will remain a key component in our efforts. Leveraging technology requires effective collaboration between relevant stakeholders. Thus, it is most encouraging to see so many leading representatives from government, the private sector, academia and civil society attending this event.
In this context, I wish to reiterate what I mentioned yesterday in my meeting with the WITSA Board of Directors. Before the end of this year, we will formalize our partnership with WITSA, with the enhanced commitment to build synergies to maximize the impact of ICT for inclusive development.
Before closing, I would like to thank the organizers for having arranged the World Congress on Information Technology and for inviting me to address you all. Let me encourage you to make the best use of this gathering with a view to identifying constructive approaches to advancing the ICT dimension of sustainable development and to building a mutually beneficial Digital Agenda beyond 2015.
Thank you.