uses of ict for sustainable...

PARALLEL THEMATIC SESSION PARALLEL THEMATIC SESSION CC::USES OF ICT FORUSES OF ICT FOR

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

http://www.UNPAN.org/DPADM/

Roundtable on Governance and Uses of ICT for Reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

co-organized bythe Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM) in the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA)

(United Nations Headquarters, New York)and

the Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division (IDD)in the United nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)

(Bangkok, Thailand)

Bangkok, Thailand, 9-10 December 2009

CONTENTS

•• OBJECTIVESOBJECTIVES

•• CONTEXT CONTEXT

•• ACTIVITIES AND PROCESES TO REACH MDG # 1ACTIVITIES AND PROCESES TO REACH MDG # 1

•• USES OF ICT FOR THESE ACTIVITIESUSES OF ICT FOR THESE ACTIVITIES

•• HOW TO SHARE KNOWLEDGE AND PROMOTE HOW TO SHARE KNOWLEDGE AND PROMOTE PARTNERSHIPS ABOUT ADOPTING ICT TO REACH PARTNERSHIPS ABOUT ADOPTING ICT TO REACH MDG # 7MDG # 7

OBJECTIVES (1)This Thematic Session shall allow participants to:This Thematic Session shall allow participants to:

1. elaborate a catalogue of diverse specific activities that may significantly contribute to reaching MDG #7 on sustainable development. that is to say, particular activities to:

i. Reverse environmental deteriorationii. Preserve biodiversityiii. Provide population with safe water and sanitationiv. Improve living conditions in slums

2. point out to specific applications of ICT to carry out the different specific activities listed in the catalogue

3. identify and asses, from concrete experiences of participants in the roundtable, examples of viable and useful applications of ICT in those specific activities

http://www.UNPAN.org/DPADM/ 3

OBJECTIVES (1)

4. analyze in relation with these examples the particular features at which other potential users of similar applications should look in order to determine which experiences may be adapted to meet their singular needs

5. determine the leading institutions, organizations and networks, in different countries and at the regional level, with respect to uses of ICT in relation with the MDG #1 addressed in this roundtable

6. identify and weight factors that may hinder these uses of ICT for development in the public and private sectors, as in civil society organizations

7. propose ways to ease the adoption of these ICT uses in activities of high importance for development

OBJECTIVES (2)


CONTEXTAccess to safe water

The highest coverage for both urban and rural areas occurs in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, where the gap is also the narrowest (95% and 82%, respectively, a 13 percent points difference)

In the middle range are East Asia and Latin America, with similar coverage and disparities in both regions (around 93% and 67%, thus a 26 percent points gap)

The lowest indicators are observed in Sub-Saharan Africa (83% and 44%, a 39 percent points disparity)

5* World Bank: Ravaillon, M. and Sh. Chen (2008), “The developing world is poorer than we thought, but no less succesful in the fight against poverty”. With 1993 data original estimates were 985 million people living under $1 USD a day in 2004, down from 1.5 billion in 1991.

Access to sanitationThe highest urban and rural coverage and smallest disparities are in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (91% and 81% , respectively, a gap of 10 percent points), followed by the Middle East and North Africa in all indicators.

Latin America comes next (86%, 52%, and a 34 percent points gap), followed by East Asia (73%, 35% and 38 percent points). In both regions, a marked urban bias is thus observed.

Sub-Saharan Africa records low coverage rates in both areas but narrower disparities (73% and 43%, a 30 percent points gap)

The lowest coverage and widest disparities are found in South Asia (67% and 22% of access in urban and rural areas, respectively, reflecting a gap of 45 percent points).

CONTEXT

* World Bank: Ravaillon, M. and Sh. Chen (2008), “The developing world is poorer than we thought, but no less succesful in the fight against poverty”. With 1993 data original estimates were 985 million people living under $1 USD a day in 2004, down from 1.5 billion in 1991.

No progress or deteriorationProgress insufficient to reach the target if prevailing trends persistProgress sufficient to reach the target if prevailing trends persist

Already met the target or very close to meeting the targetSource: United Nations MDG Report 2009

GOAL AND TARGETS RELATIVE PROGRESS BY REGIONS

GOAL7 Ensure environmental sustainability

Sub-Saharan Africa South-Eastern Asia Southern Asia Latin-America and

the Caribbean

Reverse loss of forests

Medium forest cover High forest cover Medium forest

cover High forest cover

Halve proportion without improved

drinking waterLow coverage Moderate coverage Moderate coverage High coverage

Halve proportion without sanitation Very low coverage Low coverage Very low coverage Moderate coverage

Improve the lives of slum-dwellers

Very high proportion of slum-

dwellers

High proportion of slum-dwellers

High proportion of slum-dwellers

Moderate proportion of slum-

dwellers

7

CONTEXT

MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS AND RELATED TARGETS

EXAMPLES OF SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES IN WHICH ICT IS APPLIED TO REACH THE RESPECTIVE MDG

EXAMPLES OF SPECIFIC USES OF ICT IS APPLIED IN THESE ACTIVITIES TO REACH THE RESPECTIVE MDG

MDG 7: ENSURE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

improve and promote small-scale and organic agricultural production systems;promote forest management for protection and sustainable production;combat threats to freshwater resources and ecosystems;address the threats to fisheries and marine ecosystems;address the drivers of air and water pollutionmitigate the anticipated effects of global climate changestrengthen institutions, coordination and governancecorrect market failures and distortions improve access to, and use of, scientific and indigenous knowledge build environmental sustainability into all development project proposals

GOAL 7: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (1)GOAL 7: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (1)

FOR DISCUSION: WHICH ACTIVITIES CAN LEAD TO MDG # 7 AND HOW CAN ICT BE USED IN THESE ACTIVITIES?




Target 7.A: Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources






Target 7.B: Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss






Target 7.C: Halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation






Target 7.C: Halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation

elaborate by national and local governments, with the engagement of citizens, coherent water resources development and management plans, focusing on sustainable service delivery, rather than construction of facilities alone, and adopt long- and not only short-run policy approaches;empower local authorities and communities, through legal and citizens’ engagement measures, with the authority, resources, and professional capacity required to manage water supply and sanitation service delivery;create awareness among governments and other stakeholders, and promote citizens’ engagement, to move the sanitation crisis to the top of the national and local sustainable development agendas;ensure that policies and institutions for water supply and sanitation, service delivery, as well as for water resources management and development, respond equally to the different roles, needs, and priorities of women and men; commit governments and utilities, with the support from civil society, to instrument and enforce policies to assure that userswho can pay do pay to fund the operation, maintenance, and expansion of services, while the needs of poor households are met with equity; concomitantly, efficient and equitable pricing policies must distinguish between agricultural, industrial, human consumption and other uses of water;instrument modern international cooperation systems to address global water challenges, and engage governments, civil society and private sector partners to support a wide range of water and sanitation technologies and service levels that are technically socially environmentally and financially





Target 7.D: By 2020, to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers

recognize that the urban poor are active agents and not passive beneficiaries of development; support from higher levels of government local pro-poor policies, and empower local governments to enact local development programs with the participation of all relevant actors;improve public governance and coordination among different public entities, to enhance physical and social infrastructure, improve public program and service delivery, and promote economic, social, human and sustainable development in marginalized urban areas; mobilize local action from the private sector and civil society, with the active engagement of slum dwellers, to put in place integral local development plans



VIEWS FROM PARTICIPANTS

All participants are welcome to express their views and suggestions about the uses of ICT to advance towards the MDG targets on Sustainable Development

Reference should be made to the case notes prepared by participants specially for this group discussion


GENERAL DISCUSSION

CASE NOTES SUBMITTED BY PARTICIPANTS•

•

END OF PRESENTATION

uses of ict for sustainable...

Documents