WORLD TRADE WT/LDC/HL/2
10October 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-4355)
High-Level Meeting onIntegrated Initiatives for
Least-Developed Countries 'Trade Development
HIGH-LEVEL MEETING ONINTEGRATED INITIATIVES
FOR LEAST-DEVELOPED COUNTRIES 'TRADE DEVELOPMENT
TheRoleofinformation technology inenhancing trade opportunities
forLDCs andways tofacilitate itsusebyLDCs
I. INTRODUCTION
Theconcept thatInformation Technologies (IT)canbeamotive force fortheeconomic and
social development ofdeveloping countries isbecoming central tothesupport andinvestment strategies
ofmany international organizations. Thispaper presents anoutline ofsome oftheprincipal projects
currently being implemented bythese organizations toimprove thecapacity ofdeveloping countries,
particularly those which areleastdeveloped, tousethese technologies toadvance theirdevelopment.
II. COORDINATION AMONG INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Theproliferation ofinformation technology projects being organized insupport ofdeveloping
countries byinternational organizations, NGOs andtheprivate sector hascreated theneedforefforts
toavoidduplication,andtoaligntheseeffortswithnationalcommunicationsstrategies.Thiscoordinating
roleisbeing assumed byanewWorking Group onInformation Technologies thatwasestablished
inthecourse ofacoordination meeting ofinternational organizations inRabat, Morocco inApril 1997.
Thefollowing planofaction hasbeenagreed:
Establishment ofacomputerized database (inventory) ofinformation technology projects being
implemented indeveloping countries. Theinitial listofprojects identified among participating
organizationsrepresentsaninvestmentofUS150millioninAfricaalone,overthenext2-3years.
Thisinvestment isforcomputer training, equipment andtoincrease connectivity (ability to
connect totheInternet).
Establishment ofacoordination group andmechanism toensure ITprojects fordevelopment
areimplemented inawaywhich favours cooperation among theagencies represented inthe
initial working meeting.
TheInformation Technologies Working Group isinitially comprised ofthefollowing agencies:
Agence delaFrancophonie (ACCT), Bellanet International Secretariat, Carnegie Corporation,
COMNET-IT Foundation, Economic Commission forAfrica (ECA), Food andAgriculture
Organization (FAO), Global Information Infrastructure Commission (GIIC), International Development
Research Centre ofCanada (IDRC), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Rockefeller
Foundation, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), USDepartment ofState,
USAID, UNDP, UNESCO, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, World Bank (EDI) andtheWorld TradeWT/LDC/HL/2
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Organization (WTO). Thenextfullmeeting willbeheld23-25 October inconjunction withthe
21-22OctobermeetingoftheAfricanTechnicalAdvisoryCommittee(ATAC)inAddisAbaba,Ethiopia.
III. SURVEY OFINFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROJECTS
(a) World Trade Organization: Information Technologies forDevelopment project. TheWorld
TradeOrganization,withthecollaborationoftheWorldBank'sEconomicDevelopmentInstitute,
hasinitiated aproject thatusesInformation Technologies tobetter enable decision-makers in
developing countries tounderstand andtomake useoftherulesandmechanisms oftheWTO
forthebenefit oftheircountries. Theproject willenable developing country decision-makers
to:
havepermanent on-line access toelectronic training, education andinformation tools
conceived specifically forthem.
maintain anon-going, electronic contact withtheWTO sotheycankeepabreast of
newdevelopments (ex:telecommunications agreement) andbeinformed specifically
ontheirimportance fortheircountry orregion.
Basic Concept
Theideaattheheart oftheInformation Technologies forDevelopment (ITD) project isthat
information technologies provide anewopportunity fordeveloping countries tohaveaccess toawealth
ofinformation from which theyhavebeen excluded, mainly bygeography andthedifficulties of
conventional means ofcommunications.
TheITDproject isdesigned sothateventhose whodonothaveaccess tothemostsophisticated
newtechnologies, suchastheInternet, willstillhaveaccess totheinteractive, electronic learning
toolsdeveloped aspartoftheproject. TheInformation modules being developed willbeaccessible
using anumber ofelectronic toolsincluding simple computer diskettes, aswellasonCD-ROMs and
through aspecialized Internet site.
Target Groups
Theprincipal groups forwhich theselearning toolswillbedeveloped areindividuals whomake
decisions about, orinfluence, theshaping oftrade policies indeveloping countries. They include:
- Government officials (elected andappointed)
- Academics
- Journalists
- Leaders ofbusiness associations.
Content
Acorecomponent oftheproject isthecreation ofalibrary ofinteractive, electronic guides.
Each guide willenable theusertoacquire knowledge about thesubject being treated through an
interactive approach using electronic linksandthecapacity tosearch forspecific topics. Theguides
willbemade available tothetarget group using avariety ofinformation technologies. Forthose without
Internet connectivity theguides willbeavailable ondiskettes andonaCD-ROM. Those withInternet
connection willreceive theguides bye-mail orwillbeabletodownload themfromaspecial Internet
site.Thefollowing guides willcomprise theinitial electronic library:WT/LDC/HL/2
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Guide totheWTO
Uruguay Round andDeveloping Countries (with progress/success story casestudies)
Guide toreading WTO schedules
Guide onServices
Guide onGoods
Guide onRegionalism
Guide onDispute Settlements (with casestudies)
WTO Glossary
Capacity
TheWTO project willbeofusetodeveloping country officials tothedegree thattheyare
abletohaveaccess toasimple personal computer. Tomake fulluseofallthetoolsdeveloped within
theproject, individuals willneedtohavetheability toactually connect totheInternet. Thiscanbe
simple e-mail access orfullaccess, including thepossibility ofusing theWEB. Tohelpdevelop this
capacity theWTO training andtechnical cooperation division isintroducing acomputer training
component intothesix-week trade policy courses itregularly provides forofficials from developing
countriesandcountrieswhoseeconomiesareintransition.InadditiontolearninghowtouseInformation
technology toolstrainees willalsobeinitiated tousethespecific products oftheITDproject, including
howtomaintain electronic contact withtheWTO oncetheyarebackintheirhome ministries.
Connectivity
TheITDproject isbeing developed incoordination withaseries ofinitiatives byother
international organizations which areaimed atenabling individuals indeveloping countries toandhave
access toinformation technology tools andresources. Most such projects involve training and
investments aimed atdevelopment ofthecommunications infrastructure which canprovide access to
theInternet.
Internet Components
TheITDproject isdesigned sothatanyindividual withaccess toasimple Personal Computer
withadiskette reader willbeabletobenefit fromitsresults. However, forthose withInternet access
wearedeveloping ajointWTO-World Bank Trade andDevelopment Internet site. Thecontents of
thissite,which canbeaccessed byanyone using theInternet, willbedesigned specifically toprovide
information todecision-makers/opinion leaders indeveloping countries whoinfluence tradepolicy and
related developments.
ThefollowingareexamplesofcontentthatwillbeavailabletoanyoneaccessingtheWTO-World
Bank trade anddevelopment Internet site:
Developing country casestudies: examples ofdeveloping countries whoaremaking
effective useof,anddrawing benefit, from therules andmechanisms oftheWTO
system. Such casestudies willfocus onthelessons learned intheprocess.
Interactive Guides (described above)
On-line discussion forums ondeveloping issues where participants cancontribute ideas,
obtain answers toquestions andshare information.
WTO-World Bank Training seminar updatesWT/LDC/HL/2
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WTO Training seminar on-line follow-up forums
World Bank interactive modules oneconomic planning
Directory ofother Internet WEB sitesproviding information ontradeanddevelopment
Directory oftechnical cooperation andtraining programs related totradeprovided by
other international organizations.
(b) United Nations Conference onTrade andDevelopment (UNCTAD)
TheUNCommission onTrade andDevelopment hasestablished theGlobal Trade Point
programme forestablishment oftrade points andweb-based trade-incubation centres. Itisengaged
inawareness raising, training, provision ofhardware andsoftware, Internet support, andprovision
ofaccess totheExport Trade Opportunity (ETO) system. Specific assistance isprovided totheLDCs,
inparticular through theInternet Incubator which helps develop Internet access andcapacity.
Other programmes which UNCTAD runsare:
ASYCUDA, aprogramme forcustoms reform andcomputerization, which hasbeen
orisbeing installed inover60countries inallregions oftheworld. Thesystem uses
stateoftheartinformation technology. Itsobjectives are:toreform customs procedures
andmanagement withaviewtoimproving efficiency ofcustoms clearance andcontrol;
toassist Governments onmatters related tosimplification andharmonisation oftrade
formalities andprocedures; tosupport theintroduction ofinternational standards.
UNCTAD 'sDatabase onTrade Control Measures, called TRAINS. Member States
havedesignated national focal points forthedissemination ofinformation from the
Database. Onrequest, these aresupplied withtheTRAINS CD-ROM. Itsmain
objectiveistoincreasetransparencyininternationaltradingconditionsandthusfacilitate
trade.
ACIS (Advance Cargo Information system), isthegeneric name given toa"tool-box"
ofcomputer applications designed toproduce management information toaddress
multimodal cargo transit andtransport problems. Itsmain objective istoprovide
information ontheprogress ofconsignments sothatmarket pressures canbeapplied
toidentify andcurethecauses ofdelay andother problems.
(c) International Trade Centre (ITC)
TheInternational Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO iscarrying outfollowing activities involving
newinformation technologies:
surveys ofelectronic sources oftrade information, including CDROMs andonline
databases (increasingly accessible through theInternet) andtraining ofinformation
specialists intheuseofthese sources formarket research andtrade development
(including trainees from LDCs).
development ofasoftware fortheeffective management ofcompany registers
(COMREG), based oninternational standards; adatabase ofabout 6,000 companies
inEastern andSouthern Africa (including various LDCs) hasbeenconstituted withWT/LDC/HL/2
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thesupport ofthissoftware anditisproposed toextend thisdatabase toallAfrican
LDCs andtodistribute itonCDROM.
establishment ofa'virtual exhibition centre '(VEC) ontheInternet, sinceOctober 1996,
aimed atpromoting exports ofartisanal products fromdeveloping countries; anumber
ofLDCs arealready benefitting from thisservice anditisenvisaged toextend itto
othernon-traditional export sectors which areimportant forLDCs suchashorticulture,
garments, leather products andtradeinservices. ITCisproviding assistance toseveral
LDCs inthecollection ofproduct images andcompany profiles, aswellasinthe
development andpromotion oftheirownWebsitesinresponse totheneeds ofpotential
trade partners.
(d) World Bank
Aside fromsupport fortelecommunications infrastructure development, theWorld Bank has
established avariety ofIT-related programmes indeveloping countries. Inparticular:
TheAfrica Region Department oftheWorld Bank'sPartnership forCapacity-Building
inAfrica willestablish Internet connections inGhana andMalawi forabout four
organizations intheareaofEducation, Finance andHuman Resource Development.
TheAfrica Region isfocusing onGhana, Malawi, Mozambique andSenegal.
TheWorld Bank’sEconomic Development Institute (EDI) ismanaging theWorld Links
forDevelopment (WorLD) programme which aimstolink1,500 secondary schools
in40countries (10-12 countries inthefirstyear). WorLD has$5mfor3-years from
thebank andhopes toraiseafurther $18m withcorporate contributions andother
development agency financing. EDIisalsoproducing Internet casestudies and
documentation andaconnectivity handbook which willbearesource thatcanbeused
bytaskteam leaders, clients andother donors. TheEDIisalsocollaborating inthe
WTO ITproject targeting trade policy decision-makers.
TheWorld Bank established themulti-donor InfoDev fundwhich hassupported the
African Telematics forDevelopment Consortium andtheAfrican Virtual University,
a$1.2M World Bank programme toprovide distance education facilities in
8Universities in6countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and
Ghana.
(e) United Nations Development Programme
TheUNDevelopment Programme ’sRegional Bureau forAfrica hasrecently announced a
new$10m Internet Initiative forAfrica (IIA) which isaimed atenhancing Internet access, supporting
contentdevelopmentandtrainingin10-12Africancountries.UNDPisalsoimplementingtheSustainable
DevelopmentNetworkingProgramme(SDNP)whichsupportsopenconnectivityfocusingondevelopment
ofcontent related tosustainable development. Withabout $1.25m incorefunds and$1mfromcountry
resources, SDNP hasestablished 30nodes indeveloped countries. Other projects include:
TheUNDP national offices aresupporting aLAN installation attheZambian cabinet
offices andthedevelopment oftheZimbabwean academic research Internet
infrastructure.
Collaborating with theWorld Bank onestablishing central African Regional
Environmental Monitoring Programme (REIMP)WT/LDC/HL/2
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Support fortraining attheUniversity ofGhana with UNESCO andtheITU.
Conducting feasibility studies forSDNP inBurkina Faso, Coted’Ivoire andGambia.
(f) TheAgence delaFrancophonie
TheAgence isfocusing support infrancophone developing countries, forthefollowing:
Supporting theCentres Syfed which provide Internet access atmany French-speaking
Universities inAfrica.
Supporting multimedia CDandweb-based content development forthedigitalization
ofmuseums inFrench-speaking countries through itsFF5m ProSud programme.
Establishing Internet servers in9African countries.
Supporting thedevelopment ofjudicial databases (COGEDI).
Assisting with connecting French speaking embassies, political andeducational
institutions totheInternet withtraining, equipment andcommunication subsidies.
(g) TheInternational Development Research Centre
ThisCanadian government agency hasundertaken amajor re-alignment ofitsprogramme for
developing countries tofocus oninformation technologies fordevelopment.
Major activities nowinclude:
TheAcacia programme, anew$60m, 5-year flagship initiative toestablish asetof
projects topilottheuseofITsatthecommunity levelacross sub-Saharan Africa, in
particular through Schoolnets, Telecentres andother projects defined bythe
communities themselves. Using theregional offices inDakar, Nairobi and
Johannesburg,majorprogrammeswilltakeplaceinMozambique,Senegal,SouthAfrica
andoneeastAfrican country.
(h) International Telecommunications Union
TheGeneva-based ITUhasbeendirected byitsmembers tofocus mostattention ontheLDCs
(most ofwhich areinAfrica) andtheBuenos Aires Action Plan(BAAP) hasmandated itwithanumber
ofprogrammes tosupport ITsinAfrica. Thisresulted insupport fortheAfrican Green Paper on
Telecommunications, theTelematics forDevelopment inAfrica Symposium andtheAISIhighlevel
working group. TheITUisalso:
Amember oftheTelecentre Fund which willestablish pilotMultipurpose Community
Telecentre (MCT) projects inruralareas indeveloping countries, including Vietnam,
Suriname, Benin, Mali, Mozambique, Tanzania and
Conducting other general support activities under BAAP suchassending experts to
PTOstoassistwithpolicychange,restructuring,networkplanningandtheestablishment
ofInternet services.WT/LDC/HL/2
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Piloting theglobal Virtual Training Centre -awebbased training resource for
telecommunications distance education.
Collaborating withWHO inanumber oftelemedicine projects.
Assisting thetworegional telecommunications training centres -AFRALTI inNairobi
andESMT inDakar -tobecome centres ofexcellence andtoalsobeabletooffer
advanced training inInternet operations.
(i) UNEducational, Scientific andCultural Organization (UNESCO)
TheParis-based agency issupporting thefollowing:
Atechnical training project inGhana incollaboration withITUandUNDP toestablish
anational telematics training centre andanational public sector Internet hub.
Launching the$2.5m 20country Learning Without Frontiers Programme which will
provide connectivity andcontent development support toteacher training centres in
developing countries. Apilothasbeenestablished inZimbabwe.
Planning amass media andtheInternet project forAfrica.
(j) USAID
TheUSInternational Development Agency isthechief executor fortheLeland Initiative -a
$3mperyear5-year inter-agency effort toassist 20African countries todevelop useoftheInternet.
Focusing onpolicies, connectivity anduser-base development withtraining asamajor component,
PTOs inthefirstninecountries oftheinitiative arebeing supported withequipment, technical expertise
andtelecom subsidies toestablish cost-based wholesale Internet services inthecapital cityforresale
bylocalprivate sector ISPs. Sub-regional technical training workshops havebeenheldandexpertise
isalsoprovided inthedevelopment ofbusiness plans forInternet services andonhowtoselect, qualify
andlicense ISPs. Where services arealready readily available Leland willworkonrelated goalsfocusing
ontraining andapplications development, multi-purpose Community Telecentres, private sector issues,
governance, health, education etc.Inparticular applications willfocus onareas which cancapitalise
onthe$600-700m/year thatAIDspends onAfrica.
IV. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FORDEVELOPMENT MEETINGS, CONFERENCES,
ETC.
Theheightened interest inusing Information Technologies fordevelopment isevident inthe
proliferation ofmeetings, conferences andother activities which seektostimulate discussion onthe
issue ortohelpdevelop Information Technology collaborations andpolicies.
June22-26: Global Knowledge forDevelopment Conference, GK97, Toronto, Canada. Hosted
bytheWorld Bank andtheGovernment ofCanada inpartnership withalarge group
ofpublic andprivate organizations, willfocus onthechallenges facing developing
countries, andtheinternational community, attheendofthe20th century andthe
dawn oftheinformation age.WT/LDC/HL/2
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June23-26: AfricaGIS 97,Gabarone, Botswana. Graphical Information Systems forAfrica
conference organized bytheGovernment ofBotswana andsupported byUNITAR.
June24-27: INET97. 7thInternet Society Conference, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Theconference
willaddress thetraditional andevolving frontiers ofthesocieties throughout theworld.
WillalsohosttheDeveloping Countries Workshop, andtheAfrican INET workshop.
June30-
July4: WorldTelemedicineSymposiumfordevelopingcountries,Cascais,Portugal,organised
bytheITU.
July14-18: 5thInternational Conference onAdult Education, Hamburg, Germany. Organised
bytheUNESCO Institute forEducation.
August 15-18: 4thAnnual Telecommunities Canada Conference. Halifax, Canada. Brings together
people from around theworld whoareinvolved inCommunity Networking.
Sept. 3-5: AITEC Computer &Communications Trade Show, DaresSalaam, Tanzania.
Sept. 6-12: NewMedia 2000, Grahamstown South Africa. 300journalists areexpected togather
inSouth Africa todebate theimpact oftheInternet andcomputerized journalism on
themedia.
Sept. 8-14: Telecom Inter@ctive 97,Geneva. ITUorganized event focusing onbroadband and
multimedia applications andwillinclude afocus ondeveloping country issues.
October 8-10: AITEC Networld +Landaba 97Trade Show andInternet training workshop,
Johannesburg, South Africa.
October: WillMultimedia Transform Society? Washington. TheSmithsonian Conference
organized bytheClubofRome todiscuss theimportance ofmultimedia ineducation
andtheacquisition ofknowledge considering thegapbetween richandpoorcountries.