Poverty Reduction

Information & Communications Technology for Development

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are part of the economic infrastructure that supports global production, trade, investment and capital flows. ICTs are means by which individuals, institutions and organizations network, undertake activities, and participate in the development process at the local, national and global levels. In this context, ICT can help to lay the foundation for pro-poor investments and economic growth through:

• catalyzing private sector investment and increasing the sustainability and reach of small and medium scale enterprises;
• facilitating the delivery of agricultural extension, financial and business support services in under-served rural areas;
• facilitating learning and exchange and thereby helping to scale up the delivery of education.

ICTs include a multi-purpose set of tools, applications and services used to produce, store, process, distribute and exchange information. ICTs use both the ‘old’ technologies of radio, television, telephone and the ‘new’ of computers, satellite, wireless technology and the Internet. ICTs enable new types of development solutions and thus allow countries and communities to pursue their development goals more effectively.

With the objective of strengthening the pro-poor dimensions of ICTs, UNDP support in this area focuses on:

• Pro-poor ICT policies and integration of ICTs into poverty reduction and strategies related to the Millennium Developtment Goals;
• Citizen-centered and ICT-enabled service delivery and support to the poor;
• Local development, livelihood creation and local entrepreneurship through strategic ICT use;
• Gender equity and social inclusion in ICTD initiatives.

Key Initiatives

Policy options for pro-poor access to ICT and ICT-enabled service delivery in under-served areas

ICTs are an important medium for communication as well as development at the local and community levels. UNDP supports on-going case study research to provide evidence-based policy recommendations, highlight appropriate programming activities, and exploit emerging technology innovations to ultimately provide access and ICT-enabled services to under-served areas.

A first phase of this initiative resulted in Community-based Networks and Innovative Technologies: New models to serve and empower the poor, (Seán Ó Siochrú and Bruce Girard, 2005). The second phase (2006) is focused on research in four countries of Eastern Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania) and one or two countries in Asia.

Policy options and ICT-enabled approaches to strengthen local economic development and social inclusion

Decentralization plays an important role in development discourse and government policies. Local authorities are confronted with the challenge of strengthening local development opportunities, attracting investment, and assisting citizens in responding to emerging economic and social opportunities. ICT can be deployed to address some of these challenges faced by local governments and other local actors. In the context of analysing approaches to local economic and social development, UNDP captures and reviews good practices of financing policies, capacity development and support to local producer organizations and other actors.

Integrating ICT in MDG-based Poverty Reduction Strategies: Resources to support decision-makers and engage stakeholders

ICT plays an important role in strengthening the effectiveness of poverty reduction programmes and strategies. UNDP advocates the use of ICT in scalable interventions which leverage their full potential for poverty reduction, capacity building and empowerment. One of UNDP's products UNDP is the Guide. The case studies located in the Guide explore ways in which practitioners can use available experience to identify key factors determining the most appropriate modalities of ICT deployment in Poverty Reduction Strategies, sectoral and local strategies.

Integrated support to labor market development & livelihood support services

The formulation and implementation of concrete steps for poverty and unemployment reduction are emerging as a priority for small and medium municipalities. We take a three-pronged approach involving: (i) addressing the needs of the unemployed; (ii) focusing on job creation and supporting the creation of enterprise development opportunities and backward-forward linkages between the enterprises and possibly public/informal entities; and (iii) facilitating skill development. The initial phase of this initiative will take place in Bulgaria. It will focus on the development of a set of web-based ICT applications that can be easily replicated elsewhere to increase the effectiveness of local labor and social departments and enterprise support units, as well as enhancing their coordination with other departments and partnership initiatives.

Resources

• ICT Policy Formulation and e-Strategy Development: A comprehensive guidebook (Richard Labelle for UNDP-APDIP, 2005.)



• Development divides and digital bridges: why ICT is key for achieving the MDGs (Shoji Nishimoto and Radhika Lal, Commonwealth Finance Ministers Reference Report, 2005.)



• Community-based Networks and Innovative Technologies: New models to serve and empower the poor, (Seán Ó Siochrú and Bruce Girard, 2005.)



• Regional Human Development Report – Promoting ICT for Human Development in Asia: Realising the Millennium Development Goals (Editors: Anuradha Rajivan, Ramesh Gampat, Elena Borsatti, Achila Imchen and Susan Howes UNDP-APDIP, 2005.)



• APDIP E-Primers for the Information Economy, Society and Polity. This series details the concepts, issues and trends surrounding the information economy, society and polity. It intends to raise awareness and help policy makers and planners understand the relevance of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for development, by explaining technical jargon in simple terms.



• Telecottage Handbook: How to Establish and Run a Successful Telecentre: A practical guide to establishing a telecottage as well as a valuable source of experiences and lessons learned, this report was prepared by members of the telecottage movement. This publication is intended for ICT professionals, community development practitioners and public administrators who wish to improve social services delivery at a local level, and who recognize that telecottages can be used in service of individual, local and community poverty reduction. (UNDP Europe and the CIS, 2006)



• How to Build Open Information Societies: A collection of best practices and know-how. This publication presents a collection of knowledge-based best practices accumulated by UNDP in Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Its main purpose is to identify and share UNDP's know-how in this rapidly emerging area, by showing how ICT can promote socio-economic development and good governance.



• Bridging the Gender Digital Divide: A Regional Report on Gender and ICTs in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Commissioned by UNDP, this report represents a joint effort of UNDP and UNIFEM to deepen knowledge about gender dimensions within ICT for Development (ICTD) and to strengthen integration of gender within the work of UNDP and others working to promote ICTD in the region.



• "National & Regional E-Development Strategies: A Blueprint for Action" in The Role of ICT in Global Development (p29-70), UN ICT Task Force UNDP (Denis Gilhooly and Radhika Lal, 2003).



• Creating a Development Dynamic: Final report of the Digital Opportunity Initiative A guide to holistic e-strategy development. (Accenture, Markle Foundation and UNDP, 2001.)
  
• The Mozambique National ICTD Strategy Incorporates a holistic approach and selected costing and phasing of nationally identified priorities to facilitate speedy implementation and resource mobilization. (Developed with UNDP support.)
  
• ICT4D-social enterprise toolkit This Toolkit is a showcase of good practice and lessons learned from Digital Divide Data, a non-profit Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) established in Cambodia in July 2001. Digital Divide Data was tasked to develop integrated educational and vocational opportunities for disadvantaged groups through providing outsourced data services, such as digitalization of data, to business and public sector customers. (A UNDP commissioned study.)