| Abstract: |
The diversity and socio-economic differentiation of the real world prevents
the full-scale cultivation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
to the benefit of all. Furthermore, the lack of determination and political
will in some countries and slowness of responses to new technological
opportunities in some others are responsible for the creation of another
social divide – a digital one. The above problems were fully acknowledged by
the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). The Summit called for a
joint international effort to overcome the digital divide between and within
the United Nations Member States under the Digital Solidarity umbrella. This
report was prepared as a follow-up to the Summit and represents a brief review
of the status and trends in the area of ICT and Internet development in the
UNECE region and provides background information on the state of the art in
some relevant ICT subsectors in the Member States. The report focuses on the
state of the Internet critical resources and, consequently, on the ICT and
Internet penetration across countries and social groups. It also looks into
existing Internet governance arrangements and makes some recommendations. The
report contains three parts and conclusions. The first part, “Towards a
Knowledge-based Economy: Progress Assessment”, highlights the situation in the
region with regards to the digital divide, both between and within countries,
and national strategies and actions aiming at overcoming barriers to accessing
the Internet. The second part, “Internet Development: Current State of
Critical Internet Resources in the UNECE Region”, concentrates on reviewing
the physical Internet backbone, interconnection and connectivity within the
Internet in the UNECE Member States. The third part, “Governing the Evolving
Internet in the UNECE Region”, focuses on the issues of Internet Governance in
the countries of the region, challenges faced by the countries and
participation of key stakeholders in ICT and Internet policy formulation and
implementation. The final part contains conclusions and recommendations. |