V. Recommendations of the Expert Group Meeting: A Summary
53. The draft study report on the use of space technology
for poverty alleviation: trends, strategies and policy framework,
prepared by the ESCAP secretariat, formed the background
paper for the ad hoc Expert Group Meeting (EGM) held on
22-24 August 2003 at Bangkok. At the EGM, attended by 27
experts, users and decision makers drawn from governmental
agencies, non-governmental organizations and private companies
representing Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, the Islamic
Republic of Iran, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, and
Viet Nam, plus the World Health Organization and the World
Bank, participants deliberated at length all the aspects
highlighted in the report. The EGM also took into account
the variety of experiences and lessons learnt from the member/associate
member countries. The study report presented above - from
paragraphs 1 to 52 - is the revised version, integrating
EGM views and suggestions. The revised study report aims
to bring out useful policy frameworks for consideration
by decision-makers in member/associate member countries.
It also aims to provide insights for forming cooperative
mechanisms at national, sub-regional, and regional levels.
The EGM recommended that the report be submitted to the
Intergovernmental Coordinating Committee (ICC) on the Regional
Space Applications Programme for Sustainable Development
(RESAP), for its consideration and approval, and the suggestion
was also made that the final report be made available on
the ESCAP Web site. The deliberations of the meeting finally
boiled down to the recommendations hereunder.
A. Awareness Creation: Towards Collective
Vision and Commitment.
54. Awareness of ICT has been driven more by market forces
than by the role it could play in bridging income, knowledge
and digital divides, or in enabling poverty alleviation
and building a more equitable society. It is necessary to
highlight the long-term social gains embedded in poverty
alleviation and the potentials and cost-effectiveness of
ICT in addressing this. The objective is not to promise
the impossible, impractical or unaffordable, but to engage
all the stakeholders and increase their awareness of ICT.
55. It is important to recognize that space technology
is not an independent entity; it is part of the technological
convergence from which ICT was born. By blending with conventional
systems, space technology provides an enabling infrastructure:
it addresses "last mile" outreach and helps in establishing
connectivity as well as contents. While awareness campaigns
are necessary to highlight these services and their institutional
viability, an emphasis has also to be placed on emergence
of newer services from satellite broadband like digital
television broadcasting, Internet content multi-casting,
asymmetric Internet with up-link through terrestrial dial-up
Internet, and bi-directional asymmetric Internet, which
hold considerable potential towards empowerment through
CTCs, tele-education, tele-medicine and other programmes.
The role of geomatics, in term of content creation relevant
to poverty alleviation, needs to be promoted in the developing
countries. While ESCAP should continue to play the role
in sensitization and awareness building among the member
and associate member countries, there is a need for greater
focus on creating a collective vision and commitment that
recognizes space technology applications as strategic tools
for poverty alleviation.
B. At the Core of National Policies towards
Poverty Alleviation: Strategically Integrating Space-based
Information and Communications Technology.
56. Information and communication technology is no magic
wand. Reducing poverty requires leadership, a national consensus
that acknowledges poverty as a major problem to be overcome,
the will of nations to reach the large masses of poor and
marginalized people, most of whom are unfamiliar with the
new technologies, and a recognition of the vitality of space-based
ICT. Government policies, in terms of promotion campaigns,
start-up investment capital, capacity-building, and demand
support during initial stages, have to be in place. While
these measures involve substantial investment, they hold
even greater promise towards building valuable social capital.
These policies are also to be seen as a part of the country's
concerted long-term, sustained efforts in building state-of-the-art
community resources to achieve equitable growth.
57. It has been operationally demonstrated, in several
developing countries, that satellite communications, in
synergy with terrestrial networks, can cost-effectively
connect underserved communities with such services and applications
as tele-education, tele-medicine, and Internet-based information
services like email, e-commerce, e-government, marketing
and employment information, which draw deeply on this technology.
While recognizing this vitality, the government policies
have to acknowledge that even the poor and marginalized
are entitled to state-of-the-art ICT and that obsolete technology
is not acceptable.
58. Satellite-based broadcast technology, for example,
is a valuable part of the infrastructure for mass communications
- especially for training, education and other outreach.
Nations must be encouraged to help build up networks for
social change, focused on poverty alleviation. What needs
to be emphasized, because it is so often overlooked, is
the potential impact of the new interactive network technologies.
China, for example, has demonstrated this new transition
by upgrading its DE systems with selective and conjunctive
(with regard to the traditional systems) inclusion of interactive,
broadband, digital and multimedia technology. Distance learning
via satellite in Thailand is yet another example, wherein
state-of-the-art technology is used innovatively to reduce
costs. The modules such as eLearning services, eTeacher
training and eSchool in Thailand's DE programme exemplify
how state-of-the-art tools could work, and they address
the enrichment of knowledge, as well as the divides pertaining
to knowledge. While it is a fact that DE cannot substitute
for traditional educational systems, it is also a fact that
DE provides enabling infrastructure and synergies, in a
cost-effective way, to give the process of disseminating
knowledge and skill a much larger outreach.
59. Yet another aspect affecting DE is the changing composition
of traditional allies in the education sector. Traditionally,
DE has been a part of public services, mainly perused by
government agencies. In the emergence of virtual learning
institutions driven by the market and technology trends,
it is necessary that policies on DE have to be harmonized
with the rights of the poor, against a backdrop of financial
sustainability, business interests of role players, and
market and technology trends. Distance education should
be an integrated part of education policies, investment
plans and creation of budgetary mechanisms to meet recurrent
costs if these are not recovered from end-users. The DE
model of Thailand showcases a country's resolve in this
regard.
60. Like education, health is also a need as well as a
right of the poor. It is important to recognize that satellite-based
tele-health is more about connectivity, cooperation, and
strategic partnership than about the technology per se.
While most success stories have demonstrated the vitality
of such cooperation between bandwidth service providers
and specialist health centres, the role of government -
in terms of policy support and facilitator - has been critical.
For example, China has adopted the policy of training family
planning workers in remote areas, using tele-health services.
Tele-medicine networks in India exemplify public-private
partnership efforts.
61. The "accessibility", "affordability" and "usefulness"
of ICT are to be married to benefit the poor and marginalized
through shared community resources, in terms of contents
and bandwidth. While it seems likely that broadband satellites
would trigger their mainstream large-scale operationalization,
it is highly advisable to create a domestic policy environment
in support of community teleservice centres. The government
policies to encourage commercial viability of CTCs, their
control and ownership by stakeholders themselves would go
a long way in terms of creating the networks of small and
medium-sized entrepreneurs, engaged in the business of empowering
the masses and thereby working as agents of poverty alleviation
and digital bridging.
62. The developing countries, through designing and implementing
environmental and natural resources use policies in harmony
with poverty alleviation, should be encouraged to use increasingly
the advances taking place in geomatics tools like remote
sensing, GIS, GPS, and other modelling tools that can support
decision-making. A study on the economics of geomatics brings
out several important of benefits: (a) indirect benefits
in terms of environmental and social gains, and (b) direct
benefits like economizing mapping activities, opportunity
cost, economy of scale and global standards, and more. Yet
another aspect worth highlighting is the catalytic role
that geomatics could play in such endeavours. For example,
in poverty reduction programmes like watershed development
or reclamation of environmentally degraded lands, the geomatic
aspects cost hardly 1-2 per cent of the total project cost,
but they played a critical role in terms of benchmarking,
monitoring and evaluation - leading to the successful execution
of the projects/interventions. Recognizing this, it is important
that geomatics should be integrated as policy instruments
towards poverty alleviation and environmentally sound sustainable
development. It is also important to recognize that geomatics
provides valuable scientific inputs connecting ecosystem
approach and stakeholders' concerns, and it enables implementation
of International protocols/conventions, green governance
etc.
63. Poverty mapping, which is emerging as an important
instrument for targeting pro-poor policies and interventions
in LDCs, envisages the use of geomatics in conjunction with
econometric and statistical models. While it is important
to encourage the use of poverty maps, creating the appropriate
infrastructure in terms of personnel and machines calls
for in-house capacity-building needs. Government policies
hold the key to this aspect of the task.
64. While the current policy focus on disaster management
is moving away from relief and response to community-based
risk management and vulnerability reduction, space technology
applications (such as SatCom and geomatics) - though critical
in implementing this new transition - need to be integrated
fully. Institutional inadequacy, coupled with lack of access
to satellite data and services, has been the principal constraining
factor in the developing countries. Government policies
that will help to build institutional capacity and increase
the acceptability and integration of space-based ICT, among
other steps, are important for strengthening the national
response mechanisms in disaster management.
65. The domains of space technology and service providers
are changing from public to private, and the role of government
is centring on policy formulations, regulation establishment
and enforcement, on the building of an enabling environment
for operationalization of relevant ICT applications and
services. The government, in its new role, has to create
"a win-win" situation by harmonizing the market interest
of the key players with societal obligations like poverty
alleviation, disaster reduction and environment management.
Secondly, the countries should have the mechanisms to absorb
the dynamics of the technology life cycle (typically with
regards to ICT), standards, modularity, interoperability,
and technology transfer, ensuring equitable benefits down
the line to the grassroots level.
C. Building Regional and Subregional Cooperative
Frameworks.
66. While it is recognized that developments taking place
in space-based ICT need bilateral and multilateral frameworks
for operationalization, building regional/subregional cooperative
mechanisms not only maximizes the benefits for larger communities
but also provide opportunities to learn from the experience.
The role of ESCAP is of considerable significance in this
regard. On a priority basis, there are areas such as the
digital divide and disaster management wherein cooperative
mechanisms could be built upon, based on the mediation of
ESCAP.
67. In tune with the ESCAP mandate on promoting public-private
partnership to strengthen the global efforts in bridging
the digital divide by providing satellite-based broadband
connectivity, the efforts could be placed on holding "group
negotiation" - especially on behalf of LDCs, involving governments,
public and private space agencies, service providers, development
funding agencies and donor countries. Group negotiation,
covering technical, institutional and policy-level issues,
may aim at (a) creating the multi-level debate and consensus
to foster public-private partnership, (b) building strategic
partnership among the stakeholders, (c) strengthening the
institutional capacity, especially in LDCs, (d) developing
viable commercial models for sustainable ICT service provision,
and (e) developing, in the long run, appropriate regional/sub-regional
cooperative mechanisms.
68. While it is recognized that space technology applications
are to be integrated with disaster management activities
in the region, the integration at technical, institutional
and policy levels calls for the suitable cooperative mechanisms.
Towards this, setting up the networks for disaster management
- involving the nodal civil defence authorities, space agencies,
centres of excellence and international agencies - could
be built upon. A network could be envisaged that involves
(a) international and regional organizations like Typhoon
Committee, the Panel of Tropical Cyclones, Asian Disaster
Preparedness Centre (ADPC), Asian Disaster Reduction Centre
(ADRC) and others, (b) space agencies, including private
space-based ICT service providers like Inmarsat, Shin Satellites,
Asia Satellites and APT Satellites, and (c) nodal disaster
management agencies, including civil defence authorities.
The scope of the International Charter on Space and Major
Disasters and other ongoing concerned international efforts
could be dovetailed while configuring such network.
D. "Proof-of-Concept" Pilot Projects.
69. Among the priorities set forth to pursue space technology
applications towards poverty alleviation, broadband satellite-based
CTCs hold considerable significance. But there are hardly
any "proof-of-concept" studies in the region, which could
document workable operational strategies (prototype technical
configurations, business models, etc) under diverse socio-political
and cultural environments faced in the region. ESCAP provides
a platform to engage all players, including donor countries,
space agencies, governments and other international organizations
mandated with bridging the digital divide, among them ITU
and APT; it could mobilize their support mechanisms and
initiate the process towards conducting proof-of-concept
pilot projects on CTCs, especially in less developed countries.
E. Concept Promotion
70. While the concept of broadband, satellite-based, multi-purpose
CTCs needs promotion among member and associate member countries
of ESCAP, the use of geomatics in harmonizing community-based
disaster management systems with natural resources, environment
management and poverty mapping within the framework of ecosystem
approaches, as suggested by WSSD recommendations, is yet
another concept that needs to be evolved. Promoting such
concepts brings into focus the synergy and convergence of
policies and programmes related to poverty alleviation,
disaster management and environmentally sound sustainable
development. It is important to promote such concepts -
by advocating enabling policies among member/associate member
countries, by conducting proof-of-concept experiments, and
by establishing regional/sub-regional cooperative frameworks
to pursue such agenda.
F. Compendiums
71. To facilitate efforts supporting building regional/sub-regional
cooperative mechanisms and moving through prototypes to
operational use, as given in paragraphs 66 to 69, it is
necessary to bring out detailed compendiums on these subjects.
These compendiums, providing insights on technical, institutional
and policy-related issues, would serve as valuable documents
on initiating space technology applications towards poverty
alleviation.
72. Yet another compendium on poverty mapping - spelling
out clearly the role of geomatics in conjunction with econometric
and statistical models - would be important. Since poverty
mapping involves multi-disciplinary interfaces, it is essential
to bring out the potentials of geomatics in such endeavours.
Such a compendium, synthesizing operational methodologies
being used by international agencies like the World Bank,
UNDP, CGIAR, FAO and ADB, should also include success stories,
operational practices developed indigenously by countries
themselves, lessons learnt, and other information that could
help to promote the understanding and use of space technology
for poverty alleviation.
|
