ITU/94-7 15 March 1994 ORIGINAL: English Draft Buenos Aires Action Plan to be tabled at WTDC 94 proposes seven programme areas The Buenos Aires Action Plan proposes seven programme areas which will provide a more focused and coordinated contribution to telecommunication development on the part of the telecommunications community The proposed Action Plan is based on the needs and priorities of the developing countries, but also on a realistic assessment of the current strengths and capacity of the ITU to respond effectively to the demands. It is broken down into the following seven programme areas: * Policies, strategies, and financing * Human resources management and development (HRM/HRD); development of management capabilities * Development Plans; Master plans, network planning, maintenance and frequency management * Integrated rural development * Broadcasting * Information services * Application of new technologies for development; telematics and electronic networks Each of these areas also includes activities specially designed for Least Developed Countries. The cost of implementation of the Action Plan is estimated at 14.8 millions Swiss francs, 41% of which is to be financed by the ITU and 59% from other development partners. The draft Action Plan refers mainly to coordinated activities of regional and global relevance. It is expected that multilateral and bilateral projects complement these activities. The impact of such projects and their contribution to the goals and objectives of the Buenos Aires Action Plan would be greatly enhanced if they were to be designed and implemented in a coordinated manner within the framework of this plan. Thus, in dealing with proposals and requests for multilateral and bilateral programmes and projects, countries are invited to take account of this factor when assigning priorities. The proposed programme areas are to be mutually supportive: for example, appropriate policies and strategies as well as adequate information services are conditions for achieving the goals expressed for all other programmes. Human resources development is of crucial importance for the implementation of all programmes. Improvement of broadcasting networks and rural telecommunications will, for instance, offer possibilities to reach people in remote areas with distance education and training. Similarly, the development of telematics and electronic networks will support all other programmes and contribute to reduce the cost of meetings. Increasing accessibility of telecommunication services to rural and remote areas in these countries, using appropriate technology, is identified as a priority. One concrete goal would be to improve service access, expressed in terms of teledensity, from currently less than 1 telephone per 100 people to at least double that rate by the year 2000, and thus to make a significant contribution to sustainable development. The Conference is invited to examine the draft Plan of Action so as to develop consensus on goals, objectives and priorities, to establish the work programme for the ITU Development Sector and to identify opportunities for partnership and for supporting actions. The main highlights of the seven programme areas are given in annex. BUENOS AIRES ACTION PLAN A SYNTHESIS POLICIES, STRATEGIES, AND FINANCING (PROGRAMME AREA 1) The pace of reform in the telecommunication sector has increased significantly over the past decade. A number of countries have privatized their telecommunication operations or services and others who have maintained the status quo have introduced competition in some services. As the experience with these new reforms is just a few years old, many policies are still being elaborated and many complex issues need to be resolved. No two countries have followed the same model for reform but key ingredients are emerging, i.e., private sector participation, competition, and, in particular, the need for appropriate regulations which must be adapted to the needs of each country. Investment in the sector continues to be problematic. As multilateral sources of financing are declining, new avenues must be explored. Experience has proven that the establishment of sound and transparent telecommunication policies and regulations is essential to ensure confidence on the part of operators, investors, and subscribers and thus encourage overall investment in the sector. Adequate national policies are also prerequisites for the development of other programmes proposed in the Buenos Aires Action Plan. Guidelines based on case studies of the various options and their consequences would help countries to avoid mistakes and to develop policies and strategies which are appropriate for each country. The purpose of this programme is to develop models and guidelines for the harmonization of national policies, regulations and institutional structures conducive to accelerated and balanced development of telecommunication systems worldwide. Such policies and strategies would enable nations in the world to fully exploit all telecommunication tools for sustainable social, economic, and cultural development, for international and regional cooperation, for protection and improvement of the environment, for rescue and relief operations, and for peaceful coexistence One of the objectives of the programme is to facilitate the exchange of information and experiences between and among members of the ITU Development Sector and other development partners. The programme would compile and make a comparative analysis of laws and regulations, contracts and service agreements and continue to elaborate policy documents, such as the African Green Paper or the Blue Book for the Americas. HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT (HRM/HRD); DEVELOPMENT OF MANAGEMENT CAPABILITIES (PROGRAMME AREA 2) Regulatory bodies and telecom entities in developing countries are often lacking staff with the competencies required to cope in the changing telecommunication environment and with the rapidly changing technology, particularly in all areas of management. HRM/HRD activities are required to support all the other programmes of the Buenos Aires Action Plan. Appropriate organization and adequately qualified staff are key conditions for the success of the Action Plan. The long-term goal would be to ensure the supply of human resources, particularly in developing countries, with the competencies and motivation required for regulatory bodies and telecommunication service providers to operate efficiently. Thus, the HRM/HRD programme would contribute to improve relevance and accessibility of distance education and training offered at regional and global levels and support current initiatives efforts to bring together academic and R&D institutions as well as other potential suppliers of distance learning in a global effort for transfer of know-how and harmonization of diplomas and certificates. In particular, the BDT would continue to play a leading role in the development of models and standards for the cooperative design of flexible, portable and adaptable, modular distance learning programmes as well as standards for information systems capable of handling both needs for and supply of such programmes, i.e. an "electronic marketplace", easily accessible by users as well as providers of training courses. DEVELOPMENT PLANS; MASTER PLANS, NETWORK PLANNING, MAINTENANCE AND FREQUENCY MANAGEMENT (PROGRAMME AREA 3) In many developing countries, the telecommunication infrastructure continues to evolve without adequate and consistent planning. At present, these countries frequently use consultants to carry out most of their planning activities without adequate transfer of know-how and competence. The short term objective of this programme would be to train staff in the elaboration of master plans, planning of networks, national frequency management and maintenance. In the medium and long term, these skills would lead to better usage of existing network equipment, and save considerably in investments for the future. Indirectly, improved communications would have a profound impact on trade, tourism, safety at sea, and accessibility to global communications, particularly in rural communities. The long-term objective would be to provide a framework for the development of telecommunication infrastructures in the developing countries, taking into consideration scenarios for future development, preparation of long-term strategic plans, fundamental technical plans, short-term development plans, network operation and maintenance, manpower planning, training requirements, financial aspects, etc. INTEGRATED RURAL DEVELOPMENT (PROGRAMME AREA 4) The crucial importance of integrated rural development for sustainable development has been recognized in many fora and emphasized in the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, adopted in 1992 by the UNCED . It is recognized that there is a great disparity between the developed and the developing countries in access to telecommunications facilities and services. The gap in service availability between the urban and rural areas in those countries is even more astounding. The most effective way of enhancing overall national development entails the elimination of the tremendous imbalance between rural and urban populations in terms of living conditions, education and other socio-economic elements. The Integrated Rural Development (IRD) concept covers all human activities in the rural environment and is based on the concerted development of all sectors such as agriculture, education, transportation, health care, etc. A key factor for IRD is represented by efficient telecommunication infrastructure which will foster some degree of rural entrepreneurship. Rather than attempting to provide telephone lines to a certain percentage of individuals in rural and remote areas, rural telecommunication development programmes could aim at providing access to telematics services for whole communities at strategic locations. The proposed programme would focus on the development of Community Telecommunication Service Centres (CTSCs), supporting small and medium local enterprises, teleworking, teletraining, public administration, remote access to health care (telemedicine), etc. These could be complemented with inexpensive public telephone booths as required. Such Community Telecentres could, for example, be located in post, or telegraph offices, where they can, serve a population of some 10,000. Cooperation with postal services (and the UPU) may therefore be appropriate in many cases. The concept of Community Telecentres, has for some time been successfully tried out in rural areas of Europe, North America, Japan and Australia which have certain characteristics in common with developing countries. National, non-governmental CTSC associations and CTSC International (which has assisted Brazil and other countries) may also be partners in a global programme for further development of such centres. Concentrating telecommunication services to a focal point in the community would stimulate local enterprise and increase the demand for telecom services. Furthermore, it would contribute to developing the huge potential markets of rural populations in developing countries for suppliers and service providers in developed as well as developing countries, and vice versa. Thus, for example, satellite and radiocommunication service providers are potential partners in the pilot projects which would contribute to developing the market. Other stakeholders in industrialized countries include the suppliers of VSAT terminals and other terminal equipment required in the Community Telecentres, as well as suppliers of low cost communication equipment for rural telecommunications. BROADCASTING (PROGRAMME AREA 5) Unprecedented recent socio-political changes in the developing world, combined with rapid technological progress, impose new requirements for the running of efficient and successful sound and TV broadcasting systems. At the national level the deregulation trend allows for newcomers to apply for broadcasting licenses. This will, no doubt. lead to a redistribution of the advertising revenue amongst well-established broadcasters and new licensees. It will also require urgent re-planning of the limited frequency spectrum, designated for the provision of broadcasting services. The lack of an established regulatory framework, deficiencies in planning methods and tools, insufficient capacity to manage and run efficiently the organization within a market-oriented environment, a minimal number of adequately qualified staff, who are usually overloaded and deprived of the means and opportunities to follow the broadcasting technological revolution are other examples of typical problems in this field. The approaches and methods applied by different consultants at times vary to such an extent that broadcasting system planners are often left in doubt as regards the most appropriate solution. The number of requests for assistance received by the BDT confirm the need for a more coordinated assistance programme in this field. There is a need for PC-based planning tools to improve frequency planning at national level. There is also a need for accurate propagation prediction methods in tropical areas, as the methods developed by the Radiocommunication Sector in several cases have been found inadequate in the tropics. The long-term objective is to develop the planning, management and operational capabilities of those broadcasting organizations and independent broadcasting service providers, particularly from the developing countries, that are willing to increase their self-reliance and efficiency. The immediate objective is to produce guidelines that serve both the nationwide service providers and the independent broadcasters and, in particular, to develop and test in a real environment, software, manuals and proceedings to improve the planning of the sound and television broadcasting services in tropical areas. The experience gained could be shared by means of regionally-held seminars/workshops organized specifically to ensure a transfer of know-how and to enable an exchange of experience at the national level. INFORMATION SERVICES (PROGRAMME AREA 6) Information on telecommunications development is critical for analyzing the dramatic changes taking place in the industry worldwide and to forecast, set targets and plan telecommunications development. Such information is used by a number of different organizations including telecommunication policy-makers, network operators, regional and international telecommunication organizations and the private sector. The ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau has developed a database of internationally comparable telecommunication development indicators. Working with other development partners and national counterparts, the database - consisting of over 150 time series spanning 30 years and with data for over 200 countries and territories - has greatly assisted the analysis of developments in telecommunications, and likely future trends. The long-term goal of the proposed programme is the establishment of a comprehensive repository of information including broad coverage of the communication sector, organizational profiles, responsibilities and activities; regulatory environments; multilateral and bilateral project assistance; private sector activities and financing indicators to benefit the worldwide telecommunications community. APPLICATION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES FOR DEVELOPMENT; TELEMATICS AND ELECTRONIC NETWORKS (PROGRAMME AREA 7) Within the framework of the follow up on UNCED, electronic networks such as the Internet, would give developing countries access to information, distance education, training and know-how of academic and research institutions, public organizations and millions of specialists connected to the networks. This would bring about North-South, South-South and East-West cooperation and foster peaceful coexistence. The Internet is a striking example of how fast a truly user-driven global network for information exchange (and more) can develop, essentially thanks to the voluntary work of its users. Providing that more people in developing countries get access at a cost they can afford (and develop the skills to use it), such a network could provide the answer to certain of the needs of telecommunications for sustainable development. The ITU Development Sector has an important role to play in bringing such networks within the reach of people in developing countries, by improving access to these networks and by contributing to capacity-building. In this context also, the ITU could promote the development of national policies, laws and regulations that open access and information services relevant to the actions proposed by the UNCED. The long-term goal is to provide access to information resources from most countries of the world and from many locations, including rural ones, within those countries. More specifically, to give decision makers at all levels, researchers and agents of change (and in the longer term, ordinary citizens), including those located in rural areas in developing countries, access to telematics services which allow them: * to participate actively in global cooperative activities related to the UNCED Agenda 21 * to exchange electronically stored and transmitted experience, information, graphics, still pictures and video for the purpose of improving trade, transport, health-care, education and training, etc. * to participate in telephone, computer and video conferences This is the last in a series of four features on the issues to be debated at the World Telecommunication Development Conference. UNCED: United Nations Conference on Environment and Development which produced Agenda 21. Telematics is here defined as the combination of telecommunication and information technology. In some locations, electronic mail-based access to networked information is a more realistic starting point than full Internet connection. Page 6 of 6