Dr. Paula Uimonen

Regardless of the outcome of the political negotiations at WSIS, one message was loud and clear: as far as ICT for development is concerned, action has preceded policy. At the ICT4D Platform, innovative and dynamic experiences of using ICT as a tool for development were showcased and debated. With more than 250 exhibitors from 80 countries, and over 50 conferences, the Platform was teeming with activity. The most common complaint was that there was too much going on. And the sound level was at times overbearing. Yet people lingered on, networking and interacting well past the official closing time. What can the Platform teach us about the challenges of WSIS? More importantly, how can this experience strengthen the process leading to Tunis and beyond?

Representing the largest event of its kind ever organized, the Platform lived up to its promise of showing what connecting people for a better life is all about. And it is all about people. Throughout the developing world, visionary individuals have laid the groundwork for the networked society, spreading ICT access and skills, while using ICT in innovative ways. In many cases, their activities date back to long before the term ICT4D was coined, but the purpose has always been to use ICT for the benefit of the development efforts of developing countries. As showcased in Geneva, each development context has required unique solutions, reflecting the particular circumstances of any given country or sector. Nonetheless, most ICT4D activities have followed a bottom up approach and political decision making has mainly been called upon to encourage and facilitate action. In this regard, ICT4D represents an instance of people-driven technological development.

The Platform also accomplished true multi-stakeholder participation. Unlike the Summit, the Platform was open and inclusive. Registration was a mere formality and access was granted to all, including the general public. In addition to the 11,000 registered participants at WSIS, the Platform attracted 3,000 people. Although the security concerns of the Summit were understandable, the Swiss authorities went to great lengths to negotiate the accessibility of the Platform. Moreover, a balanced representation of all sectors was ensured, not least through generous sponsorship. The host country sponsored the WSIS participation of government, civil society and private sector representatives from least developed countries to the tune of CHF 1 million and the Platform itself cost CHF 2.5 million.

Action-oriented, multi-stakeholder networking proved to be one of the primary outcomes of the Platform. Networking is an important modus operandi in ICT4D. Not only does it reflect the technologies at hand, the Internet representing a network of networks, but it has also proven to be the most effective means for spreading the benefits of ICT throughout the developing world. Given the close correlation between ICT and globalization, it is the spread of boundary crossing networks, by way of synergistic, cross-sectoral networking, that provides the basis for some of the most fundamental aspects of social change that ICT is bringing about. At the ICT4D Platform, the very people involved in this process of social transformation had a golden opportunity to establish, maintain and broaden their networks. These networks will play a catalytic role in the realization of the vision of the WSIS.

The Platform further contributed to raising awareness of ICT4D. ICT4D is still a new concept in the development community as well as in the ICT sector. Many Summit delegates had a limited understanding of ICT4D, this being a new concept to grassroots advocates and telecommunication ministers alike. At the Platform, all stakeholders got a chance to get better acquainted with ICT for development. In this vibrant display of activity and experience, participants could try the bicycle-driven computers of the Jhai Foundation in Laos, learn how advanced Geographic Information Systems can be used to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in Tanzania, or listen to the complex potential that open source software offers for development in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Meanwhile, at their national pavilions and in a joint panel debate, the guest countries of Bolivia, Finland, Malaysia and Mali shared their experiences of creating information society policies tailored to their particular needs and circumstances. This broad exposure to ICT4D did undoubtedly contribute to the enthusiasm that was evident throughout the Platform.

The largest summit event and by far the most popular one, the ICT4D Platform offers important lessons for the WSIS process. Firstly, although policy has yet to live up to the momentum of action, the WSIS offers an unprecedented opportunity to lend political weight to ICT for development. While ICT4D initiatives tend to be bottom-up efforts, their successful take off requires political support, from the highest echelons of power. It is only when decision makers muster the political willingness to support such efforts that ICT4D stands a chance of being fully integrated into national development efforts. Secondly, in order to realize the WSIS vision of building people-centered, inclusive and development-oriented information societies, it is important that all stakeholders are included in this process. The ICT4D Platform has clearly demonstrated the advantages to be gained from a multi-stakeholder approach, cross-sector collaboration resulting in a synergism whereby the total effect is greater than the sum of individual effects.

Although the ICT4D Platform represents an important milestone in the WSIS process, it will be a challenge to identify policies that can match the action already taking place. Not only is it difficult to gauge what works and what doesn't from such a wide array of activity, but the picture is made more complex by the fact that diversity is the order of the day. When it comes to the creation of inclusive and equitable information societies, there is no one model that suits all. Each society has to define its own path forward, based on its specific strengths and weaknesses. Nonetheless, by empowering the people who have the vision and commitment to explore the potential of ICT, we can hopefully bridge the gap between rhetoric and action.

Dr. Paula Uimonen
ICT4D Consultant
Geneva
http://www.i-connect.ch/uimonen
Dr Uimonen works as an ICT4D consultant for UN and bilateral development agencies, with assignments ranging from the formulation of organizational and national ICT4D strategies to needs assessments and project evaluations. For the ICT4D Platform, she worked as a consultant for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), assisting with the conceptualisation and organization of the ICT4D Forum. The views expressed here are those of the author alone and do not represent SDC or any other organization.