Achievements of Bangladesh From the WSIS Forum 2013

Achievements of Bangladesh From the

WSIS Forum 2013

Development Agenda

Post-2015 Development Agenda was the attractive issue of WSIS Forum. Bangladeshi Delegations tried their best to get utmost benefit from every agenda of WSIS Forum focuses on post-2015 development agenda Emerging trends and innovation in ICT being engaged sternly with all the agenda. The WSIS forum as an enabling platform for international cooperation on ICT for development and for strengthening cyber-security worldwide adds value to Bangladeshi Delegates tremendously.

The WSIS Forum focuses on the future of information and communication technologies, particularly as an engine of growth in a post-2015 development environment. Bangladeshi Participants engaged in discussions on a numbers of diverse topics, such as ICT infrastructure, cyber-security, enabling environment, e-learning, e-health, e-agriculture, media, accessibility, and ethics. High level dialogues with government ministers and representatives from business and civil society examine:

(1)  Women's empowerment in the information Society: systematic, scalable strategies

Smart climate change monitoring: Expanding access to information on weather, climate and water

(2)  ICT innovations and standards: Creating technology for the next three billion

(3)  Securing cyberspace in a borderless world: Vision 2015 and beyond

(4)  ICTs and post 2015 goals

(5)  Youth and ICTs

These High Level programs and discussions augmented Bangladeshi delegates with new ideas about the present position and what will be the future plan of ICT. They are also being able to be acquainted with how the ICT sector of Bangladesh could be enhanced and what is the international policy to achieve the goals.

This year’s WSIS Forum was a unique opportunity to develop multi-stakeholder consensus on what is needed for the WSIS process in the future, to ensure that the bottom-up approach of the WSIS process is preserved and that the decisions concerning modalities also respect the real requirements of the use of ICTs for socio-economic development, while ensuring growth in the ICT ecosystem itself, especially the developing countries like Bangladesh.

More than 1500 participants from government, private sector, civil society and international organizations attend the WSIS Forum. Former UN Secretary General Mr. Kofi Annan addressed the WSIS Process beyond 2015 as well as his engagement with young people in a webinar to inspire them to contribute to the post-2015 development frameworks currently under negotiation. Bangladeshi delegates took part of all the programs and certainly enlighten their view. This tour inspired them; boost up their knowledge to make unbeaten Digital Bangladesh.

Approaching ten years since the Summit in 2005, the WSIS+10 Visioning Track will bring all emerging challenges related to the information society into perspective, ensuring that the new vision for WSIS beyond 2015 builds upon real needs of people at the bottom of the pyramid. The United Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS), consisting of 30 members, will issue a joint statement on the Post-2015 Development Agenda to harness inter-agency expertise and experience in addressing development challenges of the 21st century. Bangladeshi delegations were really mindful following the opening ceremony, a high-level session kicked off on Emerging Trends and Innovation in the Ecosystem, attended by over fifty government ministers from around the world as well as industry executives.

Cyber security on Global Agenda

The High Level Dialogue at the WSIS Forum on "Securing cyberspace in a borderless world: Vision 2015 and Beyond" focused on future strategies and actions needed for harmonized international cooperation. It was a very important dialogue, especially in the context of Bangladesh. According to Hamadoun I. Toure, annual losses of the world are more than 100 billion USD due to cybercrime.  In the security business, trust is key, and if we do not start to develop such a culture of trust, there will be no way that the cyber world can ever become truly safe and secure. Global initiatives within the framework of ITU's Global Cyber-security Agenda (GCA), such as Child Online Protection (COP) and the International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber Threats (IMPACT) helped Bangladesh to protect Cybercrime to ensure effective Cyber-security.

A good number of workshop organized by ITU and the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization (CTO) on the Establishment of COP National Framework, emphasized that child protection is not only a matter of safeguarding children's rights but is a core human development component in meeting the Millennium Development Goals. ITU and CTO have established COP National Frameworks in six African Countries: Bangladesh, Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Mauritius, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. Minister Mr. Mostafa Faruque Mohammed Said, "Cyber security is a borderless issue that requires a global approach and concerted effort," "The WSIS forum adds value as an enabling platform for international cooperation on ICT for development and for strengthening cyber-security worldwide."

Smart Climate Monitoring

WSIS Forum agreed on outcome documents that highlight discussions on, inter alia: smart climate change monitoring; women's empowerment; information and communication technologies (ICTs) innovations and standards; and cyberspace security. Participants also considered ICTs and post-2015 goals, reviewed the Implementation of the WSIS Outcomes and produced a Statement on the WSIS+10 visioning. These programs enriched the Bangladeshi Delegates and change their traditional ideas in numerous ways.

In a ministerial roundtable, participants recommended interaction between the post-2015 agenda and the WSIS+10 Review process. The UN Group on the Information Society (UNGIS) is expected to finalize a statement on harnessing inter-agency expertise to address the post-2015 agenda. Mr. Mostafa Faruqe Mohammed plays a vital and important role of the Ministerial roundtable. His speech in different sessions highly praised by the participants with Mr. Kofi Anan, former Secretary General of UNO and and Dr. Hamadun I. Tore, Secretary General of ITU. This praise enhanced our confidence and morale status. Undoubtedly it is an grand gain to explore ourselves in international showground.

The Outcome Document on “Smart climate monitoring: Expanding access to information on weather, climate and water” recognizes ICT as a tool for gathering and disseminating such information to communities and for producing climate knowledge. It stresses the need to address ICT e-waste and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It recommends viewing ICTs in climate monitoring “as an ‘end to end' system from observations to predictions.” Participants encouraged the WSIS+10 processes to create an action line on climate that, inter alia: contributes to the implementation of the Global Framework for Climate Services; and defines developing country participation in climate ICTs. Mr. Mostafa Faruque Mohammed gave out the status and all the initiatives in favor of improving the said matters very nicely. His talking was acknowledged and admired with ‍clapping.

The Forum also discussed accessibility, enabling environments, e-agriculture, e-health, e-learning, youth, infrastructure, ethics and media. Additional highlights include: the announcement of the Kofi Annan Dialogues, a series of online youth discussions on topics including democratic governance and unemployment; and the ITU World Telecommunication and Information Society Award, which recognized three leaders for promoting road safety and ICTs.

Over 1,800 participants from government, international organizations, the private sector and civil society attended over 150 high-level dialogues, country and thematic workshops and interactive sessions. ITU, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNTAD) and the UN Development Program (UNDP) served as co-organizers. The Outcome Documents will be submitted to the UN General Assembly (UNGA), the ITU Council and the Commission on Science and Technology (CSTD). Bangladeshi delegates got scope to be known about these. Bangladeshi Delegates had direct contribution to make the Outcome Documents. Undoubtedly it was rare opportunity.

Sustainable Development

This Forum discussed the ICT’s Rule in Sustainable Development and Green Growth and e-Environment Day, brought together experts from the public and private sectors and civil society to examine the role of the information society in the protection of the environment. E-Environment Day was co-organized by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), UN Environment Program (UNEP), the Basel Convention and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Discussions during the day highlighted the potential synergies and linkages between the WSIS, the sustainable development agenda and green growth strategies, identifying several activities to be followed up within the process of the WSIS for 2012. A special call was made during the event to provide the outcomes of this process as an input for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20). Participants highlighted the enormous power of technological innovation and the information and communication technologies (ICT) sector in catalyzing the transition to a green economy, in particular by providing tangible solutions to promote energy efficiency, sound waste management and carbon emissions reduction. Considering all the situations, the Bangladesh has no scope to avoid sustainable ICT Development and Green Growth to create Digital Bangladesh; Bangladeshi Delegates have been able to understand it, attending the WSIS Forum 2013.

 

Mobile miracle continues to transform lives in the LDC’s

People living in the poorest countries in the world are benefiting from a mobile cellular miracle which has seen access to voice and simple data connectivity rise from an LDC average of 1.2 per cent of the population to almost 30 per cent in just ten years. This steep rise in phone connectivity far exceeds the targets set out in the LDC III Brussels Program of Action, which called for average telephone density in LDCs to reach 5 per cent by 2011.The democratization and rapid spread of mobile cellular technology — which, in 2001, was still considered the province of people in wealthy countries — has transformed the ICT landscape in the world’s 48 UN-designated Least Developed Countries, bringing connectivity to almost 250 million people in those nations.

This Forum helped the Bangladeshi delegations to know the technique to analysis of strategies to boost effective mobile penetration and leverage this to accelerate development in our economic and social sectors. From the Conference, namely: ICTs and Telecommunications in Least Developed Countries and The Role of ICT in Advancing Growth in Least Developed Countries; informed us a lot. Bangladesh may take its plan accordingly.

ITU figures confirm that while the number of fixed lines has barely risen in LDCs over the past decade, reflecting global trends, mobile access has mushroomed, with cumulative annual growth rates over the past five years of 42.6 per cent in LDCs compared to just 7.1 per cent in developed countries. Bangladesh improved a lot meanwhile but we need more, forum edifies us how it has to be done.

Internet users in LDCs

The past decade has also seen significant progress in getting people in LDCs online, with 2.5 per cent average Internet penetration by the end of 2010, compared to under 0.3 per cent in 2001. But that is nothing like enough, according to ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun I. Toure, and remains well below the Brussels III target of 10 per cent.

Internet penetration is really such a high priority for people who, on a daily basis, face a lack of safe drinking water, rising food prices, and a chronic shortage of health care. Because the Internet — and especially broadband — is an extraordinary enabler which has potential to massively expand the effective delivery of vital services, such as health care and education. Nowhere is this more important than in countries where people are chronically deprived of these services.” In order to help countries better exploit ICT to drive development, ITU made five key commitments to the conference which have been incorporated into the Istanbul Program of Action for LDCs 2011–2020. Bangladesh Delegates informed about the five key Commitments and are able to find out the way to the target.

Expanded access to ICT is already bringing services such as mobile banking to tens of millions of people in the developing world, giving them a level of financial power to manage their lives which they have never before enjoyed. In the past two years alone we have seen a remarkable surge in national and international bandwidth in developing countries, with several new submarine cables being landed, and new advanced technologies which can help affordably bridge the digital divide. Some of the world’s most disadvantaged countries are already showing what can be achieved with the right combination of political will and innovative public-private partnership.

The need to highlight the importance of broadband, particularly at the national level, is the main reason why ITU set up the Broadband Commission for Digital Development in 2010, in partnership with UNESCO. Identifying innovative ways to get poorer nations connected to high-speed networks will be one focus of ITU’s forthcoming Global Broadband Summit, which will take place in Geneva.

 

Democracy and cyberspace

One of the biggest draws of the information technology scene is that, unlike nearly any other sector of civic life, it does not tend to attract argumentative people in the twilight of their careers debating aimlessly in closed rooms without having the first notion of what they're talking about, just because they've come to feel very lonely when not accompanied by the sound of their own voice. If technology has one central piece of lore, it is “find it, fix it”. But times they are a-changing. Take a ringside seat at WSIS round two, starting this week, and you can say you were there when the tides turned.

Instead of getting down to the real business of pondering why, if this info-juice is so wonderful and free and everything, whilst I'm time stamping my political satire .mp3 downloads on the bus, there's a whole village in South East Asia sharing one mobile phone, at the UN's World Summit for the Information Society in Tunis on 16-18 November we'll be asking: who controls the net? World needs a neutral but powerful authority to control internet with enough representatives from the developing countries according the ICT users.

Knowledge society

Information and communication technologies are becoming, and will continue to be, instrumental in improving the lives of the world’s poorest, which is why the Geneva Plan of Action continues to inform UNESCO’s daily work towards achieving these important goals. During the Forum, the members of the United Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS), coordinating body for 29 intergovernmental organizations to enhance the coherence and the effectiveness of their actions, met in Geneva to discuss future joint action in order to meet the WSIS goals by 2015. The event was jointly organized by UNESCO, ITU, UNCTAD and UNDP in the framework of the WSIS implementation mechanism. More inclusive and open, this year’s Forum attracted about 700 participants from all over the world, including representatives of governments, United Nations, non-governmental organizations and the private sector. Bangladeshi delegates get an immense opportunity to introduce with the total procedure staying very near.

To facilitate the participation of all stakeholders, webcast, an interactive live blog and captioning services were made available this year. In addition, a photo slide show and video interviews of key personalities of the Forum were also released during the Forum week. At this important occasion, UNESCO presented its WSIS mid-term assessment, the publication entitled Towards inclusive knowledge societies: a review of UNESCO's action in implementing the WSIS outcomes and organized nine sessions to address critical issues identified by stakeholders through the open consultation carried out prior to the Forum. These doings help Bangladeshi delegates to know how to organize and manage International conference efficiently. 

Expectations are running high as world leaders converge on Geneva to work out strategies that will more effectively harness the power of information and communication technologies to accelerate progress towards achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and the connectivity targets of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) — all by 2015. It was also an important learning for Bangladesh participants.

The importance of broadband to national economic and social development cannot be neglected. We are all very much aware of how close we are to the 2015 deadline for meeting the WSIS targets and the Millennium Development Goals. We have made quite extraordinary progress in terms of connectivity, the creation of an enabling environment, and cyber-security. Bangladeshi delegates realize the situation and understand what to do and how to do. The next major step must be to repeat the mobile miracle for broadband Internet.

Actually WSIS Forum is a stupendous way to foster interactive debate and information exchange on a wide range of key topics such as rural development, multilingualism, environmental sustainability, education, health care and innovation. The right to communicate, social media as a tool for development, and cyber-security, were among the other hot issues on the agenda. Bangladesh digs up a lot essential technique and proficiency from these outstanding programs.

This year’s WSIS Forum program has been greatly enhanced. The Forum has also benefited from contributions of participated countries for the series of workshops, and for interpretation. Bangladesh delegation gets a lot from the WSIS Forum.

E-agriculture

To share Bangladesh experiences and hear from the international expert panels on this agenda, BIID organized the workshop titled Strengthening ICT service provision in agricultural sector and engagement of youth during the WSIS 2013 will also explore potential partnerships for future. It was a great opportunity for BIID to share Bangladesh experiences and practices on strengthening youth opportunities in agricultural sector through ICT, discussed insights and lessons learned based on the field experiences and heard international expert panel’s views on this agenda.

Bangladesh Institute of ICT in Development (BIID), an inclusive business initiative involved in ICT4D activities and partnering with government, private sector and development agencies to integrate ICT enabled agricultural extension services in Bangladesh since 2008. Based on the field experiences and potentials of ICT usage to make impact in livelihood, BIID foresee scopes to converge thematic integration of extension services and youth engagement to establish a sustainable mechanism at local level envisioning long term benefits. Since the digital divide, along with the economic divide, has worsened the gap between the underprivileged and privileged communities among the young communities in rural areas, BIID foresee intensive involvement and engagement of youth communities to contribute and lead to bridge the gap. And, it has already been established that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has massive potential as a tool to facilitate access to information and skill to bridge the gap.

Internet Governance

The Summit's first phase took place in December 2003 in Geneva. The summit process began with the first "Prepcom" in July 2002. The last Prepcom, held from 19–30 September 2005 in Geneva, ended without securing final agreement on Internet governance, with the U.S. rejecting a European Union proposal to relinquish control of The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

ICANN is responsible for the coordination of the global Internet's systems of unique identifiers and, in particular, ensuring its stable and secure operation. ICANN's primary principles of operation have been described as helping preserve the operational stability of the Internet; to promote competition; to achieve broad representation of the global Internet community; and to develop policies appropriate to its mission through bottom-up, consensus-based processes. In many sessions of WSIS Forum 2013, participants discussed about the Internet Governance. But, USA is not agreed to lose their control on Internet, even little bit.

Internet system, throughout the world totally controlled by the USA. An issue that emerged was Internet governance and the dominant role that the USA plays in policy making. The most radical ideas about devolving this authority were those supporting a civil society approach to Internet governance. Bangladeshi delegations have learnt many technical and sensitive as well as strategic themes about the Internet Governance. The world needs strong accord in this matter to obtain democratic and safest Internet Governance.