PREAMBLE

Over the past few years it has become evident that Information Technology (IT) in general, and particularly the Internet, is truly changing the way we work and live. This change deeply affects countries where UNDP works, and has the potential to accelerate their development and growth while contributing to equalise disparities at social and economic levels. There is also the risk that some countries will be further sidelined and disadvantaged if they are not in a position to promptly understand and respond to the challenges presented by the new communication paradigm. To enable governments to implement efficient policies on IT development, APDIP is offering a specialised Seminar titled "IT Policies and Infrastructure Development." This document offers detailed information to enable UNDP country offices to assess the interest of participation by Government counterparts.

The Seminar is designed to assist countries in formulating comprehensive IT frameworks and enabling policies to harness the potential of IT and support national development in line with their social, economic and political objectives. This will provide a catalyst to achieve optimal national IT growth while maximising available resources and decreasing expenditures.

The Seminar will begin with an introduction to broad issues that need to be addressed in determining IT policies and implementation. It will then focus on specific global IT frameworks, the establishment of infrastructure, national information services, quality of service, financial mechanisms, taxation, Internet regulation and legislation. Practical applications of Internet such as electronic government, electronic commerce, telemedicine, distance education and teleworking will be emphasised upon in the Seminar to advance Sustainable Human Development (SHD).

The Seminar is offered to participants who have manifested a strong interest in learning how IT can be implemented in their countries. Ideally these individuals should currently be in a position to actively promote the development of organisational, national and international IT systems and policies.

The Seminar will provide a variety of examples, practical sessions and supporting materials. The mode of delivery will be through lectures, tutorials and open forum discussions conducted by specialists in the fields of policies and infrastructure development. An excellent training environment with electronic presentations and relevant IT applications deployed through Internet-wired workstations will be made available to participants at the Seminar.

At the end of the Seminar, a session will be dedicated to brainstorming, thus providing a forum for exploring relevant issues and resolving concerns regarding the actual implementation of IT initiatives. A session could also be dedicated to identifying possible assistance APDIP and other UN programmes can provide. The APDIP team will assist in determining the different co-funding possibilities based on the type of proposals identified.

The following sections outline the Seminar training contents, logistical arrangements, and participation guidelines.

SEMINAR OUTLINE

OBJECTIVES: This session will introduce the primary aim and main focus of the Seminar and provide a summary outline of all subsequent Seminar sessions.

1. Introduction by the APDIP Co-ordinator;
2. Welcome Speech by UNDP Resident Representative;
3. Keynote Address by invited Guest Speaker prominent in the field of IT policy development;
4. Self-Introduction by the participants. Short outline on their own perception of IT, expectations about the Seminar and the use of IT;
5. Presentation of APDIP and its mandate;
6. Overview of the Seminar; and,
7. Introduction to the Seminar web site.

1. Electronic presentations;
2. Interactive web site; and,
3. Round-table discussion and exchange of information.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this session is to examine the practical uses of IT for SHD. This session offers background information on IT and explains how information systems can scale across a wide range of applications, and what benefits can be expected.

1. Difference between transport and content;
2. Introduction to Intranet – distribution of information across the organisation;
3. Introduction to Internet-based national information systems, CountryNet to support main Government activities and national development;

1. Potential benefits of Internet for SHD activities; and,
2. Practical applications of IT for SHD - e.g. teleworking, telemedicine, distance education, aid coordination, disaster management etc.

1. Computer-based presentation;
2. Examples of Intranets to highlight the potential benefits for government organisations;
3. Demonstration of information services to support development activities; and,
4. An open forum discussion with the participants.

OBJECTIVES: This session will expose the participants to initiatives implemented nationally on matters of policies and regulations for the development of IT infrastructure and services. It will familiarise participants with broad issues that need to be addressed in developing IT policies in line with national aspirations.

1. Establishment of national connectivity – basis requirements, enabling policy decisions, mode of policy implementation;
2. Meeting social and political objectives, enabling economic growth and promoting SHD through technology-mediated development activities; and,
3. Funding mechanisms of national IT infrastructure and services.

1. Electronic presentation on country-specific National Internet Policies;
2. Researched presentation material on IT Policies in the above areas will be distributed to participants; and,
3. Open forum discussion on utility and feasibility of connectivity for developing countries, with particular focus on national Internet policies for SHD activities, good governance and infrastructure.

OBJECTIVES: This session will focus on the development of infrastructure for national IT connectivity and Internet. Infrastructure technical standards, security issues, access methods and funding mechanisms will be discussed.

1. Telecommunications and IT infrastructure development;
2. Assessment of infrastructure requirements for national and global Internet connectivity;
3. Technical standards for reliability, stability, interoperability, scalability and usage;
4. Security and the effective use of globally supported technologies (encryption, authentication, firewalls, etc.) in relation to security management infrastructures;
5. Funding mechanisms to promote the achievement of affordable IT services infrastructure; and,
6. Determining access to network – overcoming infrastructure limitations, usage incentives, and training provision.

1. Computer-based presentations;
2. Researched presentation material on best practices available and country-specific telecommunication policies will be distributed to participants; and,
3. An open forum discussion with the participants and an assessment of their national telecommunication and IT infrastructure needs.

OBJECTIVES: The entire day will be dedicated to discuss Internet policies specifically in relation to legislative, finance, usage and convergence issues. There will be a strong emphasis on enabling laws to harness the potential of IT and support national development.

1. National and international IT policies and frameworks specifically in the following areas:

1. Legislation and Dispute Resolution Mechanisms;
2. Fraud Prevention and liabilities;
3. Intellectual Property Protection particularly related to issues on Copyright, Sui Generis Protection of Databases, Patents, Trademark and Domain Names;
4. Privacy; Principles of fair information practices;
5. Trade and Finance particularly related to issues on Customs, Tax, Electronic Payment, Electronic Contracts, Digital Signature and Electronic Registries in a global market;
6. Electronic Government, Electronic Commerce, Telemedicine, Distance Education and other implementations of Electronic ICTs;
7. Convergence; The marriage of telecommunications, computers and broadcasting; and,
8. Internet Governance.

1. Cyber Laws and Regulations:
   1. General regulations to protect privacy and ensure security – encryption, digital certificates;
   2. Preventive regulations – defining computer and database crimes, intellectual property right and copyright, user/consumer protection, transaction security, etc; and,
   3. Restrictive regulations – limiting access to site, information type, individuals or organisation.
2. Critical evaluation of the necessity and utility of Cyber Laws and Regulations - Enabling Laws.

1. Computer-based presentation;
2. Review existing IT policy implementation and legislative issues in various countries – the US, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia etc;
3. Researched presentation material in the above areas will be distributed to participants; and,
4. An open forum discussion with the participants and assess their needs in relation to developing frameworks and implementing of IT policies and regulations.

OBJECTIVES: This session will emphasise the importance of quality of service and how to measure it. The need for content regulation from a country-perspective will also be discussed.

1. Quality of service (Qos);
   1. Overcoming service barriers; and,
   2. Managing technology change.
2. Content regulation;
   1. Regulatory paradigms and costs;
   2. Government-regulated or self-regulated;
   3. Foreign content quotas (importance of developing local content);
   4. Advertising regulation; and,
   5. Prevention of fraudulent content.

1. Computer-based presentation;
2. Researched presentation material in the above areas will be distributed to participants;
3. An open forum discussion with participants to identify QoS indicators and assess the need for content regulation.

OBJECTIVES: Exchange of ideas on the formulation of IT frameworks and the identification of follow-up tasks as a result of the Seminar. Discussion on concept proposals in support of development activities and the possibility of assistance through a UNDP programme at country level/APDIP and/or other partners.

1. Closing statement by a representative of the participants to highlight follow-up tasks in their country;
2. Discussion and debate on benefits of IT for governance and development activities;
3. Discussions on the formulation of IT policies and regulations;
4. Assessment of infrastructure and national information system needs;
5. Presentation of the UNDP Country Office programme activities;
6. Discussion on the implementation of IT components within UNDP-funded programmes and projects;
7. Presentation of the IT country proposal template and criteria for APDIP Assistance;
8. Budget requirements, financial structure and type of funding available; and,
9. Feedback and evaluation of Seminar content, format and presentation.

1. Roundtable discussion involving all participants on the elaboration of country proposals for development activities to be supported by APDIP; and,
2. Evaluation of Seminar– questionnaire and verbal feedback.

The one-day field trip is optional and can be scheduled as an additional day to any of the Seminars offered. Participants will visit several leading IT organisations in the country. This will promote an exchange of ideas and skills. The following two organisations are proposed (confirmation is subject to participants' needs and availability of resources).

1. Malaysian Institute of Microelectronic Systems (MIMOS) Berhad - Jaring Services, Technology Park

   MIMOS is a national R&D organisation funded by the government of Malaysia. The organisation plays an important role in developing national IT strategies. It is the secretariat to the National IT Council (NITC) of Malaysia.

   MIMOS pioneered the first Internet services, JARING, for the country. The organisation is also actively involved in the development of intelligent projects/cities such as E-Commerce (Mall of Malaysia), Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) - Total Airport Management System (TAMS), and the new administrative capital of Malaysia, Putrajaya where the concept of electronic government will be introduced.

   MIMOS undertakes R&D projects and collaborates with many organisations to develop innovative products and services such as Smart Home, Electronic Community Generic Office Environment, edutainment, electronic commerce and culture compatible tools and solutions.

2. Multimedia Development Corporation Sdn. Bhd. (MDC), Cyberjaya