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Toward E-Development in Asia and the Pacific: A Strategic Approach for Information and Communication Technology :
II. The Information Revolution
B. The Global Information Society
5. The world economy is in the midst of a profound transformation,
spurred by globalization and supported by the rapid development of ICT
that accelerates the transmission and use of information and knowledge.
This powerful combination of forces is changing the way we live, and redefining
the way companies do business in every economic sector. It is also
vastly expanding the range of opportunities for entrepreneurs to create
innovative products and pioneer new markets. The cumulative effect of these microlevel changes in firms and their markets is the macrolevel shift
to an increasingly information-based global digital economy. This
phenomenon, commonly referred to as the information revolution, has given
birth to what is now called the global information society and the new
economy, spawned by digital technologies. The current information revolution
driven by ICT, without being a panacea, promises to bring enormous
opportunities for growth and poverty reduction. World leaders have been
looking at the potential impact of ICT and globalization on the social and
economic development of poor countries.
6. The ICT issue was recently brought to the forefront of the international
development agenda. ICT, which transcends national borders and makes
knowledge more important than physical assets, is now acknowledged to
have the potential to seriously widen the gap between people with access
to the information economy and those without. For example, the digital
divide issue was extensively discussed in some major international political
meetings such as the G8 meeting in Okinawa, Japan, in July 2000. To
narrow the divide, ICT must be equitably deployed, and knowledge and
jobs brought to poor countries. However, these opportunities have to be
seized quickly as changes in the world’s digital economy are happening
rapidly. To address the digital divide issue, the G8 meeting in Okinawa
adopted the G8 Charter on Global Information Society; the charter stresses
the need to ensure that ICT is used in developing countries to facilitate
social development, good governance, and pro-poor growth (Box 1). The
leaders of the G8 also established the Digital Opportunity Task Force5 (DOT
Force) to strengthen international cooperation in implementing this charter.
Box 1: Okinawa Charter on Global Information Society
In July 2000, the G8 countries adopted the Charter on Global Information
Society at their summit meeting in Okinawa, Japan. This reflected the
G8’s recognition that information technology (IT) is one of the most potent
forces shaping the 21st century. The charter discusses the creation of a
global information society and toward this end, the host country, Japan,
has committed $15 billion.
The G8 vision of an information society is one that enables people to
fulfill their potential and realize their aspirations. The charter seeks to ensure
that IT serves the mutually supporting goals of creating sustainable
economic growth, enhancing public welfare, and fostering social cohesion.
The ancillary objectives that IT growth is expected to achieve in
developing economies include increasing transparency and accountability
in governance, enhancing cultural diversity, and fostering international
peace and stability.
The G8 charter is a call to both public and private sectors to bridge the
information and knowledge divide—the digital divide. It underscores the
fact that an effective partnership of stakeholders, through policy cooperation,
is key to the sound development of a truly global information society.
The charter emphasizes the importance of building on the following foundations:
- economic and structural reforms to foster an environment of openness,
efficiency, competition, and innovation;
- sound macroeconomic management to help economic agents plan
confidently and exploit the advantages of new technology;
- development of information networks offering fast, reliable,
secure, and affordable access through competitive market conditions;
- development of human resources capable of responding to the
demands of the information age; and
- active utilization of IT by the public sector.
The private sector is expected to play a lead role in the development of
IT networks. Governments, however, have to create a predictable, transparent,
and nondiscriminatory policy and regulatory environment. They must
also ensure that IT-related rules and practices are responsive to the emerging
revolutionary changes in the way people conduct business using IT,
while taking into account the principles of an effective public-private sector
partnership.
Source: Asian Development Bank. 2000. Okinawa Charter on the Global Information Society.
Asian Development Outlook 2000 Update. Box 1, 59. Manila.
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- The task force members are (i) G8 (17): one government and one private sector representative
from each G8 country, and one representative from the European Commission;
(ii) developing countries (9): one representative (either from the government or the private
sector) from Bolivia, Brazil, People’s Republic of China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, South
Africa, Senegal, and Tanzania; (iii) international organizations (7): World Bank
(Cosecretariat); United Nations Development Programme, Economic and Social Council
of the United Nations; International Telecommunication Union; United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization; United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; (iv) business
organizations; and (v) nongovernment organizations.
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