Monday, 8 September 2003: Cambodia is preparing its first national information and communications technology (ICT) plan, with support from UNDP and the Asia Pacific Development Information Programme, a UNDP regional initiative.

Agreement on creating the plan came at a national summit on ICT policy and strategy in June, where Prime Minister Hun Sen outlined a vision of a Cambodia that can "benefit from the dynamic pace of globalization" by making optimum use of ICT.

The Asian Forum on ICT Policies and Strategies next month in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will provide an opportunity for Cambodians to exchange experiences with ICT policy makers from other countries. The forum will discuss links between ICT and strategies to reduce poverty, and how countries can mobilize ICT to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Its recommendations will be presented at the World Summit on the Information Society in Geneva in December.

Cambodia has come a long way since two decades of conflict ended in the early 1990s, with progress in satellite, mobile, fixed, and Internet connectivity. Rural areas are underserved, however, and prices for Internet access are among in the highest in the region and out of reach of most Cambodians.

The Prime Minister said that Internet access needs to be expanded, especially in rural areas, and called for development of Khmer language computer standards to enhance communication at all levels. He also said that expansion of ICT should come through private sector investment, fair competition and transparent policies.

"The formulation and implementation of ICT policies and strategies is crucial to keeping Cambodia firmly on the development track," said Mr. Hun Sen.

UNDP Resident Representative Dominique Ait Ouyahia-McAdams said that ICT can have a dramatic impact on achieving social and economic development goals and play a catalytic role in broader national development strategies.

"While the potential impact of ICT for national socio-economic development is enormous, whether or not ICT can play a successful role in development depends largely on the commitment of both the government and the people," she said.

"Just as the Royal Government of Cambodia is committed to harnessing the benefits of ICT, UNDP is committed to promoting and advocating ICT as an enabler of development," she added. "UNDP believes that the real benefits lie not in the provision of technology per se, but in its application to create socio-economic networks by dramatically improving communication and the exchange of information."

An ICT policy steering committee, chaired by Sok An, Senior Minister and Chairman of the National Information and Communications Technology Development Authority, is guiding the drafting of the national ICT plan, due by year's end.