It goes without saying that human development is a major international objective.  The United Nations brought global unity on this crucial objective with the Millennium Declaration of 2000.  This Declaration mobilized the international community to action with the release of the Millennium Development Goals that set forth specific targets related to ending poverty, enhancing education, promoting equality, improving health care, fostering environmental sustainability, and generally stimulating economic development.

The purpose of this report is to contribute to the discussion of how to enhance the proliferation of telecommunications and ICTs particularly in developing countries in a way that promotes the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.  The major focus of this report is to provide insight into how to stimulate direct investment in telecommunications and ICTs in developing countries.

The report looks at the issue of investment from various perspectives, including from the point of view of the potential investor (local, national, and international) as well as from the points of view of the national government and regional/international organizations—including, of course, the ITU.   How to bridge the financial interests of the investor with the social/economic goals of the government and regional/international organizations and finally, with the needs and demands of the society—that is the basic question that this report examines.  The report is structured into eleven chapters.

This publication has been released in English.   French and Spanish versions will be available in February 2004.   
The "Executive Summary" is available free of charge via:  (English only) 

Catalogue Price:	CHF 90.-
Member States and Sector Members:	- 15%
Administrations of Least Developed Countries:	- 80%
Electronic copy via Electronic Bookshop (No discount): - http://www.itu.int/itudoc/itu-d/publicat/85112.html	CHF 90.-
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