During the
World Summit on the Information Society
Tunis, 16-18 November 2005
The event will take place in two High-Level Round Tables featuring Heads of State, Government Ministers, the Executive Secretaries of the United Nations Regional Commissions, as well as high-level representatives of the business community and civil society.
IX. HIGH LEVEL ROUND TABLES
DAY 1: 16 NOVEMBER 2005, 13.00 – 15.00 hrs
Panel 1: Regional Perspectives for the Global Information Society (2 hours)
25. The information revolution has been a major driver of economic change, restructuring businesses, affecting skills and employment, contributing to growth, and facilitating the opening up of markets through the wider and faster flow of information and knowledge.
26. Global and regional forces have had significant impacts on the emergence of the Information Society. Regional cooperation is regarded as an important component of an international strategy for promoting sustainable development as an instrument for promoting the integration between countries and attaining the Millennium Development Goals. Increasing attention is being given to issues of globalization and the cross-border nature of many development challenges, through the pursuit of regional initiatives and integration. Consequently, a regional Information Society strategy can help build a better knowledge environment, increase dialogue at the highest political levels, build political consensus and create a common vision for digital opportunities for countries. In addition, it lays the required foundation for promoting greater cooperation among countries and accelerating integration of countries into the global economy.
27. The new forces for economic growth worldwide are technological innovation and entrepreneurship. It is generally recognized that the private sector is an effective booster for harnessing these forces, in order to create wealth, generate employment and promote social well being. In turn, entrepreneurial, knowledge-based, small and medium-sized enterprises are the backbone of the private sector as they help diversify the economy and offer a wide range of goods and services both to national and international markets. Most countries have formulated strategies for promoting innovation and assisting small enterprises in acquiring modern technological resources. Nevertheless, challenges still remain with respect to strategies at the regional level. Infrastructure, legal and regulatory policies, limited human capacity, cultural and linguistic factors as well as limited political will include some of the difficulties.
28. The purpose of this session is to share information with each of the regions represented, showing how the goals of sustainable, inclusive development in the regions can be supported by innovative technologies. Success stories will be showcased and panelists will consider future trends and how to promote the sharing of best practices across regions.
Contact: Makane Faye, Senior Regional Advisor, UNECA
Email: mfaye@uneca.org
Provisional agenda
Chairperson: H.E. Paul Kagame, President, Republic of the Republic of Rwanda
Moderator: Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Member of the UN ICT Task Force
Panelists:
Mr. Kim Hak-Su, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)
Mr. Abdoulie Janneh, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
Mr. José Luis Machinea, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC)
Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD)
Mr. Carlos Alfonso, Director, Information Network for the Third Sector-RITS
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