Catalog

	Table of Contents
p. 7 of 23 BACK | NEXT Executive Summary I. Introduction II. The Information Revolution A. What is ICT? B. The Global Information Society C. ICT and Development D. ICT Development in Asia and the Pacific III. Need for an ADB Strategic Approach for ICT IV. Strategic Thrusts V. Proposed Action Plan VI. Implications for ADB

Toward E-Development in Asia and the Pacific: A Strategic Approach for Information and Communication Technology : II. The Information Revolution

---

D. ICT Development in Asia and the Pacific

12. A preliminary comparative analysis of the ICT environment in some selected DMCs (Appendix) shows the great disparity in their ICT preparedness. Some countries have the necessary policies and legislative framework already in place, but very slow implementation progress; others have formulated their policies but are still awaiting adoption; some have IT or ICT plans that are not implemented. The following table shows an example of the E-business-readiness ranking of selected countries/areas in the Asia and Pacific region. Some have already reached a similar stage or have outpaced advanced countries, whereas others are lagging behind, mainly because of insufficient infrastructure.

13. In Asia, Singapore¹¹ is most advanced in ICT. Reports indicate that the full support and extensive preparations spearheaded by the Government of Singapore are paying off. Singapore is ranked first in Asia and eighth in the world for E-business readiness, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit. The World Competitiveness Yearbook 2000 has ranked Singapore as first in Asia and fourth in the world in electronic commerce infrastructure, while the Boston Consulting Group has ranked Singapore seventh in total consumer on-line spending after Japan; Republic of Korea; Australia; Taipei,China; Hong Kong, China; People’s Republic of China; and New Zealand.

14. In the Asia and Pacific region, several regional initiatives are designed to prepare countries for the information age. For example, the concern of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) about ICT is demonstrated by its recently created E-ASEAN Task Force¹². The purpose is to develop a broad and comprehensive action plan for an ASEAN E-space and to develop competencies within ASEAN to compete in the global information economy through the establishment of an ASEAN information infrastructure. In developing the infrastructure, the task force will examine the physical, legal, logistical, social, and economic infrastructure needed to create the basis for ASEAN’s competitiveness in the 21st century.

15. Similarly, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)¹³ recently launched a wide-ranging action agenda for the new economy that outlines programs that will use advances in IT to boost productivity and stimulate growth, and to extend basic services to the community. The action agenda includes ways of promoting the right policy environment and build capacity to create a framework to strengthen markets, E-commerce, and knowledge and skills development, and to provide affordable and efficient access to communications and the Internet. APEC supports the development of distance learning capacity and IT as a core competency for teaching and learning. It also strongly supports the development of IT to enable networks to extend health and medical services to a wider community and to address basic health issues.

16. Other key players in the region include the International Development Research Centre (Canada), Canadian International Development Agency, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Food and Agriculture Organization, and International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The assistance provided is focused on community-based projects, which include establishing multipurpose community telecenters, community multimedia centers,¹⁴ distance education, and skills-building courses directly aimed at improving livelihood activities in the community.

Back C. ICT and Development	Next III. Need for an ADB Strategic Approach for ICT