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Beirut, 27 January 2003 (United Nations Information Service)--The
Western Asia Ministerial Conference, to be hosted by the Lebanese
Government at the United Nations House in Beirut on 4-6 February
2003 and organized by ESCWA (United Nations Economic and Social
Commission for Western Asia), in cooperation with the UNESCO
(United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization)
regional office in Cairo and ITU (International Telecommunication
Union), constitutes the important regional milestone intended to
prepare for WSIS (The World Summit on the Information Society),
the first phase of which will be convened in Geneva in December
2003.
Consequently, the Conference will be an important opportunity to
Arab states to start bridging the knowledge gap they are facing,
and which will continue to grow unless effective action is taken
to bridge the digital divide. The Arab region has the lowest level
of Information Communication Technology (ICT) access with only
0.7% of the population registered on the Internet, while personal
computer penetration is limited to 1.8% according to the most
recent ITU figures.
Most of the Arab countries have not yet formulated national
policies to facilitate the move towards the information society,
nor did they plan for concrete steps to enhance national capacity
in ICT, including research and technological development.
Furthermore, initiatives to disseminate ICT applications in
priority areas and provide access to information and knowledge for
all remain at a very primitive stage.
This situation prevails in the majority of developing countries.
Hence, the need exists to harness knowledge and technology for
promoting development and achieving the Millennium Development
Goals. It is, therefore, imperative to address at the highest
political level the wide range of issues relevant to the
information society. It is also of prime importance for all
nations to collaborate in striving towards the development of a
common vision and understanding of the information society and its
socioeconomic implications.
It is worth noting that the global economic environment is
changing rapidly with the dissemination of information and
communications technologies in all walks of life. Tomorrow’s
information society holds a multitude of opportunities for
developing countries by increasing their competitiveness, for
individuals by improving their quality of life, and for
institutions by increasing their efficiency. These new
technologies are driving the world towards the digital economy and
the global information societies through a variety of applications
such as facilitating new approaches to learning; helping women
combine work and home responsibilities; assisting persons with
special needs; and enabling positive change in production and
service institutions.
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