Guiding Principles/Objectives

Programmes

Overall strategy
UNDP's strategy with respect to ICTs is to create an environment that enables the use of ICTs in all sectors of human activities, working if possible on five complementary and interacting areas: infrastructure, human capacity, content and applications, policy, and enterprise. At the national level, this should lead to the explicit use of ICTs for development goals, and facilitates an overall development dynamic.

Guiding principles for use of ICT for development
ICTs are tools of human networking that improve information sharing and knowledge building in any activity. This includes the pursuing of sustainable human development through all other activities in which UNDP is engaged, either through supporting ICTs as tools of knowledge per se, or by mainstreaming the use of ICTs within other activities undertaken by UNDP.

Objectives
Create an enabling environment for the use of ICTs in all field of sustainable human development and inherent in UNDP activities themselves.

Web-links to any relevant strategy documents or guidelines:

The main page of the ICTs for Development at UNDP:
http://Sdnhq.undp.org/it4dev/

The above strategy is detailed in the report "Creating a Development Dynamic: Final Report of the Digital Opportunity Initiative": www.opt-init.org

The UNDP Office of Evaluation has published a synthesis of lessons learned in ICTs for Development as part of its Essentials series, number 5, September 2001:
www.undp.org/eo/Publication/essentials.htm

Areas of Application:

The practices areas of UNDP, in addition to ICTs for Development, are democratic governance, poverty reduction, crisis prevention and recovery, energy and environment, and HIV-AIDS.

UNDP Thematic Trust Fund ICT for Development is used to fund global, regional and national programmes. It operates within the framework of UNDP's Global Co-operation Framework (GCF). The GCF provides a range of services to government, civil society and UN Country Teams in the area of ICT for development including global advocacy and analysis, partnership building, promotion of strategic frameworks and support for the implementation of comprehensive programmes in ICT for development.

The Digital Opportunity Initiative (DOI), a public private partnership of Accenture, the Markle Foundation and the UNDP undertook a detailed examination of the experiences of the deployment of ICT in broad range of developing nations, the results of which are presented in its report, Creating a Development Dynamic.

UNDP/CISCO Networking Academy for Least Developed Countries (LDC) Initiative trains students in LDCs for jobs in the Internet Economy.

NetAid's mission is to build an active network of people and organisations in developing countries committed to ending extreme poverty around the world.

The Observatory covers latest news and developments in the field of ICT for development.

The Sustainable Development Networking Programme operates at the country level by launching and supporting local Internet sites, and building national capacities and knowledge resources.

The Sub-regional Resource Facilities (SURFs) permits the sharing of experiences and good practices and facilitates South-South and North-South networking.

The Small Islands Developing States Network (SIDSnet) utilises ICT to help 43 Small Island Developing States achieve sustainable development objectives.

Since 1993, UNDP has been designing and implementing dedicated IT programmes and pilots at both national and regional levels to foster the creation of adequate ICT enabling environments in developing nations and promote sustainable development:

► Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme (ABDIP) provides capacity building on IT and policy issues.
► Internet Initiative for Africa (IIA) aims at enhancing national Internet info structures.

ICT for Development Highlihts

Participation in Multi-donor Programmes:

Most projects by UNDP Country Offices involve several partners, notably UNIFEM, UNOPS, UNDESA, UNV, ITU, ILO, several NGOs such as Open Society Institute, Global Internet Policy Initiative, IREX, and bilateral agencies.

In addition, UNDP has been closely involved in global ICT initiative including the Digital Opportunity Task Force and the UNICT Task Force.

UNDP has no regional or country focus. It operates in over 160 developing or transition countries, with 135 Country Offices and a number of liaison offices. ICTD programmes and projects can be initiated in any of those countries.

Mr. Stephen Browne, Head, ICT for Development Special Initiative, stephen.browne@undp.org