Al-Bashir: Communications technology will help the Kingdom to cope with the requirements of development
AMMAN – HH Prince Faisal bin Al-Hussain, acting as a delegate of HM King Abdullah II, inaugurated yesterday the meetings of the UN ICT Taskfore, an affiliate of the United Nations, organized by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications in collaboration with Talal Abu-Ghazaleh & Co. International (TAGI) and the Information Technology Association - Jordan (int@j) at the Sheraton Hotel, Amman.
Dr. Salah El-Din Al-Bashir, Minister of Industry and Trade, stressed the importance of partnership between the public and private sectors in the field of ICT to bring about the required development in this area, while exhibiting Jordan's initiative in the Information Technology (IT) sector led by HM King Abdullah II.
Al-Bashir said that the importance of the meeting lies in the focus on the Arab dimension to create a kind of economic integration between Arab states and the overcoming of borders with regards to the trade of goods and services.
He added that IT will help the Kingdom to deal with the different requirements of development, pointing out to the fact that the Internet has created a new market a gathering both service sellers and consumers in one basket.
Al-Bashir added that the greatest impact of the technological progress positively reflected on the trade of institutions, making it one of the key elements of our (Arab) local trade in terms of using national expertise and reducing the immigration of local competencies, noting that the technological impact has reflected on the concepts of economy moving it from an industrial economy to that of a knowledge one.
During the meetings, a decision delegating Jordan to become the regional headquarters for the UN ICT Taskforce in the Arab region is expected.
Informatics and Development
Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Regional President of the Arab Regional Network of the United Nations Information and Communication Technologies Task Force (UN ICT TF), said that the establishment of the UN ICT TF came to emphasize the UN's acknowledgement and commitment to the role that ICT plays in modern human development and the reduction of poverty levels, both being goals that were agreed upon at the Third Millennium Summit.
He said that this new body, which includes the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the World Bank and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), will work with many partners such as regional development banks, international donors and non-profit organizations that don't seek profit for the purpose of mobilizing resources for the completion of specific programs and initiatives. It will also work in close cooperation with groups and taskforces formed to follow up on the work of the Digital Opportunities Task Force (DOT Force) emanated from the G8, according to assignment by the UN Secretary General.
He explained that the work of the UN IC TF will be complementary to that of the DOT Force this year, and that it will be assisted by the main UN organizations, targeting more and wider key sectors through its network. The UN IC TF builds and adds to the Genoa Plan of Action, he added.
He stressed that the UN ICT TF will play an important role in the creation, support and encouragement of international participation in the issuance of new international policies and technical issues raised by the Internet and ICT evolution.
Abu-Ghazaleh revealed that the Arab Regional Network, which emanates from the UN ICT TF, will work with its counterparts in Africa, Asia, South America and elsewhere for the benefit of ICT projects specific to the development of the Arab world, without their establishment or implementation, for the Group is not an executive body. Reference to this issue is important since executive bodies are regarded as competition and this is far from the purpose of the group.
He also noted that the burst of the Internet bubble has clarified several truths about the Internet and ICT and spent much of the excess enthusiasm associated with them. This had an impact on the eruption of disturbances; however, it was necessary and will have its positive effects in the long-run in terms of redirecting resources to more productive methods.
In the scope of our goals, and from the perspective of development, this matter is considered beneficial whereby it highlights the importance of narrowing the digital gap and shows us how we can look at this revolution in a more realistic way.
He also drew attention to the fact that the managerial and administrative work of the Arab Regional Network should reflect the principles of transparency, objectivity and impartiality; moreover, policies with regards to conflicting interests should reflect those very same principles and that we should enhance our methods of work, not only to avoid an inappropriate image but to avoid any suspicion for the presence of such an image.
Bridging the Digital Divide
Mr. Kareem Kiwar, President of int@j reassured that Jordan will do its best to withstand the trust it was granted when it was chosen as a regional headquarter of the Arab Regional Network for Information Technology.
He also said that today's meeting aims at contributing to targeted efforts towards the bridging of the digital divide between us and the developed world, noting that there are a lot of available opportunities to narrow this gap which is widening as time passes.
Kawar pointed out that Jordan has come a long way in the ICT field, thanks to the efforts of HM King Abdullah II who has adopted and supported the initiative of this sector.
He added that the meeting will serve the exchange of experiences and the identifying of challenges, pointing to the importance of participation that yields new ideas and create awareness of the importance of technology to help those who did not have the chance yet to reap its benefits.
Poverty Reduction
UN representative Mr. Sergio Komploff, stressed the importance of harnessing technology as a tool in the service of development pointing out that it would contribute to the targeted efforts of reducing the level of poverty around the world.
He pointed out that Jordan is witnessing clear progress in IT which has become a national priority and is hoped to contribute in the next few years to the creation of 30 thousand job opportunities.
He stressed the importance of the private sector in supporting IT stressing the need for the redoubling of efforts and increasing contribution from the business sector in order to achieve the main goal of the UN, which is to reduce the percentage of poverty by 50% by the year 2015.
He recalls that the Taskforce came as a result of an initiative approved by the ministerial meeting of the UN Economic and Social Council which was ratified by more than 150 heads of state attending the Millennium Summit at the UN headquarters in September 2000 and issued the Millennium Declaration.
The Taskforce will work to help bridge the digital divide and create digital opportunities under the umbrella of the UN, as it is the first body to be formed by a decision made by governments, and member governments, the private sector and other parties will all participate as equal partners to develop ICT in the service of development.