Practices and Experiences of ICT for Development UNDP China

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Practices and Experiences of ICT for
DevelopmentUNDP China

• Daniel Wang Dexiang, ICT Focal Point and PA
  Specialist
• Kuala Lumpur, December 2002

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Focuses of the presentation

• A national context of China
• UNDP ICT practices in China

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A China Profile of ICT Development
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Digital Divide A National View

• Almost 57 million people have home Internet
  access
• Internet subscription rates growing at rate of 6
  percent month
• 130,000 websites registered under .cn domain
  including 100,000 belonging to financial and
  commercial organizations
• Almost 70 of all Internet users live in big
  cities however
• 13 western provinces have less than 1 internet
  users and vast parts of the countrys western
  areas not connected to Internet
• The imbalance reflects regional disparity in
  general economic development and level of
  education
• The information isolation of the poor social
  groups is more serious than the physical
  constraints they face.

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E-strategies of China

• A strong emphasis on information technology
  within the context of the Chinas Tenth Five-year
  Development Plan 2001-2005 for widespread usage
  of computers and Internet among the whole society
  of China
• Development and utilization of information
  resources
• Linkage of IT with cultural industry
• For universities and schools at various levels
  to provide education through active
  utilization of computers and internet
• Popularization of the use of information
  technology among general public
• Construction of infrastructure for modern ICTs
• Construction of users connection network and
• Combination of three networks, namely,
  telecommunications, TV and computers.
• Stipulating that telecom service
  providers/operators must fulfill the obligation
  of universal service at a universally
  acceptable/affordable price.

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National Initiatives

• Radio and TV Network to all Villages
  Programme launched by SDPC, 1999
• Universal Telecom Service Fund to help the
  western region, rural areas and the impoverished
  outreaches, Proposed by Ministry of Information
  Industry (MII), December 2001.
• Western Initiative Reduce the Digital Divide
  MOST, MOE, MII, MOA etc., 2002
• China Agricultural Information Network, Ministry
  of Agriculture, 2002.

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UNDP Strategic Focus in China
UNDP assists China with provision of policy
guidance and support to mainstream ICT into
national development priorities such as distance
education, health care and creation of economic
opportunities through access to ICTs in poor and
remote areas.
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Global
ICT Interventions
National
Local
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A number of UNDPs pioneering initiatives in
China
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Enhanced Access of the Poor to ICT UNDP
Practices in China

• MOST Project on ICT for the poor rural areas
• MOE Project on distance learning for unqualified
  teachers in the poorest areas in Western China

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A Summary of the Two UNDP Projects
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Other UNDP Practices in China

• A number of ICT applications have been developed
  as sub-components of other UNDP assisted projects
  to demonstrate innovative methods/strategies or
  adapt technologies, and/or scaleup on going
  initiatives to enhance the reach of national
  e-strategies.
• Specially, Innovative E-governance management of
  Customs Automation and Information Management
  System led to the efficiency of customs clearance
  and standardized the customs management at all
  levels. The use of the Customs Automation and
  Information Management system has speeded up the
  customs clearance of a legal transaction in some
  places from 22 days to 2 minutes.

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Partnership

• Government of China
• MOST
• MOE
• MII
• General Administration of Customs
• Donors
• DFID
• Business sector
• CISCO
• ITUC
• China Telecom

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UNDP Chinas Lessons Learnt on ICTs for
Development and Applications

• Need from the government to put in place an
  enabling environment that encourages investments
  in hardware and tertiary education
• Need to put in place comprehensive national
  e-strategies that address issues such as
  connecivity, regulatory environment, and human
  capacity
• Top-down or bottom-up approach an alternative
• A well-educated technically-qualified pool of
  potential IT employees is more critical advantage
  than the quality of a countrys telecom
  infrastructure
• Need in finding cost-effective solutions through
  PPP.

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An Important Area for UNDP Future Intervention

• The proposal of the Government of China (MII) to
  establish the Universal Telecom Service Fund not
  yet realized
• UNDP may play a critical role in bringing in the
  best international practices in this regard.

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Other Possible Areas for UNDP Future ICT
Interventions in China

• Support to the improvement of legal framework and
  strategy for ICT
• Facilitate the adjustment of Governments role in
  promoting informatization
• Strengthen the partnership among public sector,
  private sector, and civil society organisations
• Foster cooperation with other developing
  countries
• Promote the inclusion and integration of
  marginalised and vulnerable groups in the
  information age, both in rural and urban areas
• Small town development.

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Our coming events

• NHDR 2003 decided with Theme of ICT for
  Development
• Recruitment of NHDR author team
• For samples in other countries

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Conclusion

• Not just through encouraging the flow of ideas
  and information, not just by transforming how
  states deliver services from schools to security
  and hospitals to highways, but by supplying the
  most important democratic dividend of all a real
  say combined with choices and opportunities,
  particularly for the
• poor.
• Mark Malloch Brown, the Administrator of the UNDP