Global Information Society Watch 2007 Report

The Global Information Society Watch 2007 report - the first in a series of annual reports- looks at state of the field of information and communication technology (ICT) policy at local and global levels and particularly how policy impacts on the lives of people living in developing countries.

Studies of the ICT policy situation in twenty-two countries from four regions are featured: Africa (Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda); Asia (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and the Philippines); Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru); and Eastern Europe (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania), with one report from a Western European country (Spain).

The report concludes that when it comes to ICTs for development, there are some conspicuous similarities between the countries. Excluding Spain, the other twenty-one countries each show obvious evidence of the “digital divide” which impacts on the majority of people negatively. According to Brazilian authors RITS, the absence of a people-orientated policy framework in Brazil runs the risk of condemning the vast majority of people to “eternal disconnection.” The report also includes provocative, analytical essays on five international institutions (including ICANN and the World Intellectual Property Organisation) questioning the extent to which they allow all stake-holders to participate in their processes. There is a special section on how to measure progress.

The Global Information Society Watch 2007report will be launched on 22 May 2007, at the United Nations’ Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, during the cluster of WSIS-related events.

More citizen involvement in policy-making is key

“Increase in access to ICTs will not reduce poverty,” state APC and ITeM in their introduction to the 2007 report. “But there is a real danger that lack of access to ICTs can deepen existing social exclusion and create new forms of exclusion. In this context we believe it is essential for civil society networks to participate in and watch over ICT policy processes at the global, regional and national levels.”

More information

 Download the complete Global Information Society Watch 2007 Report (4 MB)
 or read online: Global Information Society Watch 2007
 Download the GISW Report about Bulgaria

Editors: APC and ITeM