[afro-nets] CIPESA International ICT Policy Commentary Series

[Joy Olivier <joy@bridges.org>]

CIPESA International ICT Policy Commentary Series
-------------------------------------------------

CIPESA: What is international ICT policy? Who are African stake-
holders?

CIPESA International ICT Policy Commentary Series
Volume 1, Commentary 1 - 25 February 2005

INTERNATIONAL ICT POLICY AFFECTING EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA:
WHAT IS "INTERNATIONAL ICT POLICY"? WHO ARE AFRICAN STAKE-
HOLDERS? WHY SHOULD THEY CARE?

[NOTE: This commentary is part of the Collaboration on Interna-
tional ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), a pro-
gramme of bridges.org. This is one of a series intended to spark
thinking and dialogue on important issues in the field. These
short informative pieces give an overview of an international
ICT policy issue relevant to African stakeholders, and stir dis-
cussion by presenting strong views and provocative questions.
Readers are encouraged to respond to the points raised, via
email or in the "comments" box under each commentary on the CI-
PESA website at http://www.cipesa.org/AfricansCareAboutICTPolicy ]

WHY INTERNATIONAL POLICY IS IMPORTANT

The ability to make an international telephone call or send a
letter across the world is the direct result of long-established
international agreements that set out rules for telephone traf-
fic and postal systems. Since the end of World War II, interna-
tional cooperation has played an increasingly important role in
setting global rules for trade, dispute resolution, and techni-
cal compatibility. Globalisation is viewed by many as a threat
to national identity, culture, and indigenous business. Yet more
effective international cooperation may be the only hope for ad-
dressing the most critical problems the world faces today, in-
cluding massive poverty, environmental degradation, and health
crises. And these issues are inextricably tied up with socio-
economic development on one level, and national security on an-
other. The result is interdependence of national economies, and
interconnectedness of national and international policy-making
processes. All of this makes international policy more important
than ever before.

INTERNATIONAL ICT POLICY BASICS

"International ICT policy" includes a wide range of agreements,
white papers, strategies, and other forms of government plans
that frame legislation, regulations, or government actions,
which govern or affect the use and usefulness of information and
communications technology (ICT) in the short and long-term. For
example, ICT policy takes shape at the international level in
treaties on telecommunications or trade practices, and model
laws on e-commerce or electronic signatures. It sets out rules
for Internet governance, as well as technical standards that al-
low Internet infrastructure to connect seamlessly. At the re-
gional level it is seen in cross-border affairs, like Internet
exchange point negotiations, technology trade and investment co-
operation, or consortium bids to roll out Internet backbone in-
frastructure.

Developing countries are affected by ICT policy linked to donor
aid, such as World Bank deliberations on ICT infrastructure in-
vestment. And they are affected by US and European-led policy
processes that will have an eventual impact for them, such as
the Council of Europe Cyberlaw Treaty, software patent discus-
sions, or deliberations on national environmental legislation
mandating life-cycle responsibility for computer purchases.

IDENTIFYING AFRICAN STAKEHOLDERS

Any African that wants to make a phone call or log onto the
Internet has a stake in the way in which these resources are
managed, regulated and run. But the reason Africans should care
about ICT policy extends beyond that. ICT offers tremendous po-
tential to empower Africans to overcome development obstacles;
to address the most important social problems they face; and to
strengthen communities, democratic institutions, a free press,
and local economies. All individuals or organisations that want
to put ICT to use for the benefit of citizens, constituents,
customers and employees in Africa are stakeholders who should
care about how international ICT policy affects the continent.

INSTITUTIONAL PROCESSES

ICT policy-making processes play out in various institutions at
international, regional (and sometimes national) levels. Tradi-
tional international treaty organisations like the ITU*, UN-
CITRAL*, and WTO* organise negotiations among government repre-
sentatives through formal procedures, usually in international
capitals like Geneva, Paris, or New York (and often behind
closed doors). New kinds of policy-making institutions have
emerged as part of the Internet age ­- such as ICANN*, the re-
gional Internet registries, the IETF*, and the W3C* ­- which
have open, community-based, consensus-driven decision-making
processes. (*See below for a description of acronyms used here.)

Effective participation requires far more than showing up for
meetings. By the time an issue reaches the agendas of interna-
tional meetings, it has been discussed by numerous stakeholders
in various national and regional fora. Identifying issues as
they stand within national and regional contexts, setting agen-
das, negotiating with other stakeholders and implementing and
evaluating policy programmes and action plans are all important
aspects of effective participation in international ICT policy.

But most international ICT policy-making processes are difficult
to penetrate. Participation in traditional treaty organisations
often means navigating a maze of bureaucracy and requires ex-
tended commitments to stick with slow processes. New institu-
tions operate at lightning speeds in ways that demand partici-
pants to have deep knowledge of the technologies and their pol-
icy implications. In these environments, African stakeholders
face tremendous disadvantages.

AFRICAN PARTICIPATION

Sometimes African representatives are ill-prepared for interna-
tional ICT policy deliberations. For example, busy government
officials responsible for a broad portfolio can be out-
manoeuvred by high-level specialists representing the world's
richest countries. In many cases African stakeholders are left
out of ICT policy discussions that affect them, simply because
they do not now how to get involved. Most African stakeholders
lack the knowledge, funding, and institutional capacity to par-
ticipate on an equal basis with those from the developed world.
Moreover, African participants at international meetings are
fewer in number, and are consequently often overwhelmed with the
demands of representing entire regions, building local stake-
holder communities, keeping up with the latest developments,
providing substantive input and commentary, and, usually, earn-
ing a living elsewhere at the same time.

Ineffective participation in international policy-making proc-
esses ultimately has serious implications for whether and how
ICT can be used to improve people's lives and reduce poverty in
the places that need it the most. In many cases, important pol-
icy decisions regarding the rollout, access to and use of ICT in
Africa are being made without the input of the stakeholders on
the continent. Improving the participation of African countries
in these international processes will only be achieved through
improved coordination and a reduction in duplication of effort,
the availability of more relevant information for African deci-
sion-makers, and a greater role for African stakeholders.

WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

Broader debate and coordination are needed for improved partici-
pation by African stakeholders in international ICT policy. CI-
PESA has launched a discussion forum that aims to achieve just
this. Please let us know what you think about the following
questions:

=> Do you think international ICT policy is important for Af-
rica?

=> Are you an African stakeholder in international ICT policy-
making?

=> What do you think are the most pressing international ICT
policy issues facing Africa?

=> Why do you care? Why should other Africans care?

=> Is it worth it for Africans to participate in international
ICT policy processes?

=> What is needed for African stakeholders to participate more
effectively?

Please share your views with us via email to cipesa@bridges.org
or post them in the "comments" box under this commentary on the
CIPESA website at http://www.cipesa.org/AfricansCareAboutICTPolicy.
(Email responses will be posted to the website too.)

--
ACRONYMS USED ABOVE

* ICANN is the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Num-
bers, a private, non-profit corporation that has oversight for
key centrally-coordinated components of the Internet?s underly-
ing architecture, including the domain name system. See
www.icann.org.

* IETF is the Internet Engineering Task Force, a large, open in-
ternational community of network designers, operators, vendors,
and researchers concerned with the evolution of the Internet ar-
chitecture and the smooth operation of the Internet. It is open
to any interested individual. See www.ietf.org.

* ITU is the International Telecommunications Union, an interna-
tional organisation within the United Nations system where gov-
ernments and the private sector co-ordinate global telecom net-
works and services. See http://www.itu.int.

* UNCITRAL is the United Nations Commission on International
Trade Law, the core legal body within the United Nations system
in the field of international trade law. See www.uncitral.org.

* WTO is the World Trade Organisation, and international organi-
sation that deals with the rules of trade between nations and
administers a number of international treaties. See www.wto.org.

* W3C is the World Wide Web Consortium, a forum for information,
commerce, communication and collective understanding. It devel-
ops interoperable technologies (specifications, guidelines,
software, and tools) to lead the Web to its full potential. See
www.w3c.org.

--
For more information on CIPESA, contact:

UGANDA
Anthony Mugeere
Tel.: +256-77-506-015
mailto:cipesa@bridges.org

or

SOUTH AFRICA
Joy Olivier
Tel.: +27-21-465-9313
mailto;cipesa@bridges.org

CIPESA is a programme of bridges.org. It is dedicated to in-
creasing the capacity of East and Southern African stakeholders
to participate in international ICT policy-making. It is one of
two programmes with this specific objective, established under
the Catalysing Access to Information and Communications Tech-
nologies in Africa (CATIA) initiative and funded by the UK De-
partment for International Development. Its sister programme,
CIPACO (serving West and Central Africa) has been launched by
Panos West Africa. Working together, the programmes will stimu-
late discussion, undertake research and policy analysis, and
disseminate findings concerning international ICT issues. The
aim is to enable African interests to be more effectively repre-
sented in international policy fora, and international policy
decisions to be more effectively translated into positive out-
comes in Africa. For more information see www.cipesa.org and
www.cipaco.org.

Bridges.org is an international non-profit organisation based in
South Africa with a mission to promote the effective use of ICT
in developing countries to improve people's lives. One area of
focus is informing policy decisions that affect people's access
to and use of ICT. Bridges.org also conducts technology research
and provides social consulting services to ground level projects
using ICT, helping with project planning and evaluation and re-
laying lessons learned. It brings an entrepreneurial attitude to
its social mission, and is committed to working with, instead of
against, government agencies and the business community. For
more information please see www.bridges.org.

CIPESA and bridges.org
PO Box 715
Cape Town 8000 South Africa

Makerere University
Department of Sociology
PO Box 7062
Kampala, Uganda