United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Carribean (ECLAC)
Updated October 2003
 

Guiding Principles/Objectives

Programmes

The Commission is particularly active in the field of IT research, analysis and policy formulation.

The book "Building an Information Society: A Latin American and Caribbean Perspective" explains the conceptual framework ECLAC uses for its Information Society investigations and features a detailed analysis of the current situation in Latin America and the Caribbean.

ECLAC has recently issued an institutional document in preparation for the World Summit on the Information Society. In "Road Maps Towards an Information Society in Latin America and the Caribbean" (available in English and Spanish), ECLAC seeks to address three questions:

1. What kind of information society is desired?
2. What are the basic characteristics and regional particularities of the transition towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean?
3. What policies can support the transition towards an information society?

All documents and further information can be downloaded at:
http://www.eclac.cl/ddpe/socinfo/ and http://www.eclac.cl/analisis/tIN70.htm

ECLAC's Webpage for the World Summit for Information Society (WSIS) regional PrepCom.

ECLAC is continuing its work in assisting the countries to develop a regional strategy toward the Information Society in Latin America and the Caribbean. ECLAC is acting as a clearing house for experiences of national strategies and programs, as well as a facilitator for the regional dialogue through the organization and the active participation in international seminars and workshops.

ECLAC is carrying out in-depth policy oriented analysis on national Information Society strategies; international and domestic digital divide; digital economics in developing countries; local e-government and digital municipalities; women and information technologies; the usage of ICT in small and medium-sized enterprises; labor markets and ICT; e-commerce and export promotion through digital networks; ICT supporting transport systems; education and culture in the Information Society; electronic democracy and digital citizen participation; among others detailed investigations.

Participation in Multi-donor Programmes:

In co-operation with ICA (Institute for Connectivity in the Americas) ECLAC has established an information Society observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean (OSILA, Observatorio para la Sociedad de la Informacion en America Latina y el Caribe). In close co-operation with other stakeholders from the region (such as National Statistical Institutions and telecommunications regulators), the observatory seeks to raise the importance attributed by national administrations to the collection of ICT indicators in the region. In doing so, it aims at a more coherent centralization of data, indicators, methodologies and the networking of qualitative information from all the region, the normalization and harmonizing of ICT related indicators gathered at the sub-regional, national and local level, and to increase and improve the quantity and quality of ICT data gathered across the region.

ECLAC is an active participant of the UN ICT TF Latin American and Caribbean Regional Network (Lac-Net).

► Dr. João Carlos Ferraz, jcferraz@eclac.cl
► Mr. Martin Hilbert, mhilbert@eclac.cl