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Girls in ICT

ITU-EC-ACP PROJECT

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 Support for the Establishment of Harmonized Policies          
for the ICT Market in the ACP States
     
 
 
 
     
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Leaders from across the world increasingly acknowledge that information and communication technologies (ICTs) offer significant opportunities for socio-economic development. At the same time, ICTs are shaping the process of globalization. Therefore, coordination within and across the regions is essential if the policies, legislation, and practices resulting from each country's liberalization are not to be so various as to constitute an impediment to the development of competitive regional markets.
In that framework, the Project aims at providing support for harmonized policies and legislations for ICTs. Harmonization does not mean the same solution for all the countries. It means similar responses to similar issues and thus, different responses to different problems. These solutions incorporate the best national, regional and international practices. The Project is part of the @CP-ICT Programme that was funded by the 9th European Development Fund (EDF) and co-financed by the ITU, and is focusing on the three fast developing regions of the world – Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific islands (ACP). It has an implementation period of 60 months (September 2008 - September 2013).
For each of the regions, a custom-made approach addressing specific needs was built into a sub-project:  
1. Enhancing competitiveness in the Caribbean through the harmonization of ICT Policies, Legislation and Regulatory Procedures (HIPCAR Project).
 
2. Support for harmonization of the ICT Policies in Sub-Saharan Africa (HIPSSA Project).
 
3. Capacity Building and ICT Policy, Regulatory and Legislative Frameworks Support for Pacific Island Countries (ICB4PAC Project).

 


 
 

ACHIEVEMENTS


The Project has received a significant regional support and an overwhelmingly positive impact due to the methodology applied throughout the regions and in each individual country.

Central to the project’s success, regional and national stakeholders have been at the heart of the project from the initial Launching meeting to the final stages, giving advice and monitoring progress. The same Methodology has been broadly followed in each of the three regions, allowing regional variation where necessary. As a result, major goals and objectives set forth at the start of the Project have been achieved.

In a first stage, Model policies and legislation have been developed at a regional level with the full involvement of all relevant stakeholders. Following validation of this region-wide activity, technical in-country assistance has been made available to individual countries for transposing the regional model policies and legislations into national legislative frameworks that concur with national specificities.

With these recommendations incorporated into their national economic and social activities, these countries will now be in a position to take full advantage of being part of a harmonized legislative landscape.

Regional organizations and beneficiary countries have appreciated the way in which the Project has also incorporated the pertinent results of previous development projects - whether regional, EU, Commonwealth, World Bank or UN projects, to name a few. This integration has favored synergies and therefore increased the usability of the outputs that each country has received.

Finally, specific attention has been given to linking the substance of policy and legislation with capacity-building initiatives which are giving the beneficiary countries and regional organizations the skills they need to effectively implement and manage the project’s outcomes.

This project underlines the significant contribution that ICT can make to poverty reduction and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. It demonstrates the necessity of beneficiary countries and regional organizations taking ownership of development projects and the catalytic role that the international community can play.
Summary Report on the Project is available here.
 
 
 

 

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