ICT Policy Development and Implementation Seminar for Afghanistan, 14-18 October 2002
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Executive Summary
This report represents the results of discussions held by a group of Afghan government officials at an information and communications technology (ICT) policy seminar sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through its Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme (APDIP).
Taking into account various Afghan Government policy documents such as the draft National Development Framework, the National Telecommunications Policy, and the Telecommunications Development Strategy, the group identified challenges, issues, and process for developing and implementing a national ICT policy for Afghanistan.
It was recognized that the issues related to the building of physical infrastructure have largely been addressed by the telecommunications policy and development strategy documents. However, the complementary information and capacity building issues that together with the infrastructure issues form the basis for a comprehensive ICT policy remained to be dealt with.
The paper puts forward three objectives to be pursued by the strategy:
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Network Access |
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Information and Knowledge Access |
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Government Use of ICT |
Five principles are also advanced to guide the development and implementation of policy:
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An interconnected and interoperable network of networks |
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Collaborative public and private sector development |
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Competition in facilities, products and services |
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Privacy protection and network security |
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Lifelong learning as a key element in ICT policy. |
Citing a vision to build a high-quality, low-cost ICT network for Afghanistan, the report outlines the public policy issues and recommends the process by which a national ICT policy for Afghanistan should be developed in consultation with stakeholders.
The public policy issues are summarized in the form of questions and will form the basis for consultation with all levels of Afghan society:
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How fast will the advanced ICT networks be built and how will network improvements be financed? |
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What is the proper balance between competition and regulation? |
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How should copyright and intellectual property issues be addressed? |
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What measures are needed to support Afghan cultural and other content-based products and services? |
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What controls, if any, should be placed on the information that is put on the network? |
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How can ICT be used to improve government services to the public and government operations? |
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How can personal privacy and security of information be protected? |
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How can ICT best be used to improve the growth and competitiveness of Afghan business? |
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How can Afghans be assured of universal access to essential services at reasonable cost? |
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What consumer awareness and learning opportunities should be provided to enable Afghans to be effective users |
The Minister of Communications will consider establishing a National Information and Communications Technology Council (NICTC) formed of a core group of the UNDP-APDIP ICT policy seminar participants and by representatives from various levels of Afghan society. The NICTC would be tasked with carrying out stakeholder consultations and to make recommendations to the Minister on a national ICT policy that respects the overall social, economic and cultural goals of the Afghan government.
Last modified 2004-11-04 04:01 PM
