8th Arab Telecom and Internet Forum 24-25 May 2006 Muscat, Oman

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8th Arab Telecom and Internet Forum24-25 May
2006Muscat, Oman
The Role of the Private Investments in LDC s
Development
Ebrahim Al-Haddad, ITU Arab Regional Office
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Topics of Discussion

• WTDC-06
• Outcomes and priorities
• Regional Initiatives
• The Role of the Private Sector

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World Telecommunication Development
Conference7-15 March 2006Doha, Qatar
harnessing the power of information and
communication technologies (ICT) to accelerate
the pace of development
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WTDC-06

• Chaired by Dr. Hessa Al Jaber, Secretary General,
  ICT Qatar
• Nearly 1000 participants
• 132 Countries
• 93 representatives of public and private sector
  companies
• 38 representatives from regional and
  international organizations

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WTDC-06 Outcomes

• Doha Declaration
• ITU-D Strategic Plan
• Doha Action Plan
• 6 Programmes
• 2 Activities
• 5 Global Initiatives
• 25 Regional Initiatives
• Two Study Groups

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Doha Action Plan (DAP) SIX PROGRAMMES
Six-point development strategy to maximize
impact, while integrating the WSIS outcomes
Prog 2 Inf. Com. Infrastructure Tech. Dev.
Prog 1 Regulatory Reform
Prog 3 E-strategies and ICT applications
Prog 4 Economics and Finance
Prog 6 LDCs, SIDS Emergency Telecom.
Prog 5 Human Capacity Building
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WTDC after WSIS
WTDC-06 was 1st Global Development conference
after WSIS. DAP takes on several action lines set
out by the Summit. Some of these are -
Information and Communication infrastructure
development - Public Policy and Regulatory
Framework - Capacity Building -
e-applications - Spectrum Management
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Programme 6 LDC
DAP recognised the needs for LDCs. The importance
of their inclusion in the global framework to
meet the objectives of the MDGs. Hence the full
support for the continuation of the Special
Programme on LDCs. Programme now also to include
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Due to the
tragic natural disasters in recent times, the
programme has been expanded to cover emergency
telecommunications.
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Regional Initiatives for the Arab States

• 1. ICT indicators capacity building
• 2. Development of a common Arab regulatory
  framework/guidelines for ICT
• 3. Arab centre for digital documentation (Memory
  of the Arab world)
• 4. Connection of Arab internet networks (National
  Access Points)
• 5. Translation and Arabization of ICT terminology

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Regional Initiatives
DAP sets out the Nuts and Bolts of Regional
Initiatives

• Integrating Development activities into
  long-term projects

• These Initiatives spell out the aims and
  expected results

• Meeting the regions priorities

• Attract large-scale investments

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Role of the Private Sector

• The Private Sector Membership of the ITU is
  650 entities.
• 1 The impact of these members is tremendous
• 2 Many projects were implemented in partnership
  with the private sector
• 3 Capacity building activities were one of the
  major fields where the private sector has played
  a leading role
• The private sector plays an important role in the
  work of all the ITU sectors
• In recognition of the importance of the private
  sector, ITU Council welcomes now representatives
  as observers during its sessions
• The private sector was well recognised during the
  WTDC-06 in Doha
• As we forge ahead with the development plans as
  well as meeting the UN MDGs, the private sector
  will be a catalyst in the implementation of the
  regional initiatives.

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Role of the Private Sector

• There are several LDCs in the Arab region
  (Somalia, Yemen, Sudan, Mauritania, Comoros and
  Djibouti).
• Of course, we have also Palestine and the Iraq,
  countries that are not on the list of UN LDCs,
  but nevertheless are at the level of LDCs.
• The Private Sector has been and will continue to
  be a player in the development of the LDCs.
• Governments have already started to hand over
  several important parts of the economy to the
  private sector with the assurance that these
  entities are capable of achieving the desired
  goals.
• The ITU has partnered with the private sector on
  several projects not just within the Arab region,
  but all over the world.
• We have very active interaction on our website
  (http//www.itu.int/ITU-D/index.asp) where we are
  seeking and calling for partners to join hands
  with us in implementing some of these projects.
• The LDCs need support, not only from the
  international agencies, but also from the private
  sector. This is an opportunity we need to
  utilise and profit from.

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Role of the Private Sector

• This is an excellent opportunity for the
  private sector to contribute to the economies of
  the LDcs.
• These green fields could be the scene for the
  implementation of pilot projects that would lead
  to the improvement of the lives of people in
  these countries.
• The BDT is looking for partners to implement
  rural pilot projects in various fields such as
  tele-medicine, tele-education as well as
  Multi-purpose Community Centres that would
  provide a sustainable development approach.
• Capacity building is another mean through which
  the private sector can contribute. By assisting
  individuals from LDCs through the provision of
  training courses, these individuals will be able
  to contribute to their own societies. There are
  several examples of the private sector providing
  scholarships through the ITU for students from
  LDCs.

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Let us work together

• Through this forum, on behalf of the ITU/BDT,
  we are inviting the private sector to continue
  working closely with us on ICT Development
  projects that would lead to connect the
  unconnected.
• Together, we can make a difference
• Thank You