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Regional Capacity-building Activities on

ICT Policy Development

in Central Asia

Michiko Enomoto

Economic Cooperation and Integration Division (ECID)

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)

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Work of the UNECE Committee on Economic Cooperation and Integration (CECI)

Main focus areas of CECI:

• Knowldge-based economy and innovation• Entrepreneurship and SME development• Financial intermediation for innovative development• Intellectual property rights (IPR)• Public-private partnership (PPP)

ICT related issues are dealt in broader work programme of CECI

on innovation and competitiveness.

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Our approach on ICT related issues

1. ICT as one of the most important tools to enhance innovative development and knowledge-based competitiveness

2. Concrete, demand-driven capacity-building activities on ICT

3. Emphasis on countries with economies in transition, with special focus on Central Asia

4. Extrabudgetary source of funding for capacity-building activities (i.e. UNDA)

5. Cooperation with other international

Organizations.

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Support Regional Cooperation on ICT for Development under SPECA

United Nations Special Programme on Economies in Central Asia (SPECA)

Project Working Group (PWG) on ICT for Development

(Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan + Afghanistan).

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Major Output

Regional Capacity-building seminar on ICT Policymaking, Bishkek,

Kyrgyzstan, 11-14 July 2006

• Sharing best practices on how to integrate ICT policies into national

development plans, descussion on harmonized law reforms related to ICT

development

• Networking of ICT Policymakers.

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Major Output

• Seminar on Information and Communication Policy and Legal Issues, Dushanbe, Tajikistan (30-31 October 2007)

• Seminar on ICT Policymaking, Baku, Azerbaijan (26-27 November 2007).

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Promotion of Harmonized ICT Law Reforms

Publication on Information and Communication Technology Policy and Legal Issues for Central Asia (October 2007)

• At the request of SPECA PWG on ICT for Development

• Hightlights legal issues on ICT infrastructure, legal certainty, security, IPR and ICT crimes

• Content is relevant for all ECE member countries.

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Other activities on ICT access issues

Workshop on Broadband and ICT Development for Improved Communication in Central Asia, Tashkent, Uzbekistan (21-22 June 2007)

http://broadband.ictp.uz/

TASHKENT STATEMENT on Broadband and ICT Development for Improved Communication in Central Asia.

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Other specialized Capacity-building activities on ICT Access Points

UN Development Account (UNDA) Project on

Knowledge Networks through ICT Access Points for Disadvantaged Communities

Joint project of the 5 UN Regional Commissions Objective: to empower poor and disadvantaged communities

through transforming existing ICT access points into knowledge hubs

ECE preparing Regional Review of the ICT Access Points (incl. Central Asia)

Capacity-building activities planned in 2008-2009 by our partner organization in Central Asia.

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Future Activities

• Continued capacity-building support on ICT and Legal Issues under the framework of SPECA

• Other demand-driven capacity-building activities on requests.

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For further informationMichiko Enomoto

Economic Affairs OfficerECID/UNECE

Michiko.Enomoto@UNECE.org