Regional Plan of Action for Building the Information Society: Western Asia

A result of collaborate regional and international efforts, which include the Arab information and communication technology strategy, the Cairo Declaration, the “Towards an Arab information society: A Framework for Collaborative Action” document, tentative and global plans of action, ESCWA roundtables, and government taskforces. A comprehensive strategic framework for building sustainable ICT production capabilities in the Arab region based on ten thrust areas, which are: policies and strategies; ICT infrastructure; access to information and knowledge; capacity building; building confidence, trust, and security; enabling environment; ICT applications; cultural, linguistic, and local content; media; and international and regional cooperation. Each thrust area identifies a set of objectives, expected accomplishments, and strategic actions within a time frame ending in 2015. Partnership programs are mapped along the strategic framework thrust areas and include: ICT for economic development, Developing e-government services, Empowering Arab NGOs in the information society, Developing telecommunications infrastructure, Developing the ICT sector, Women empowerment in the information society, Information Society measurements, Promoting digital Arabic content, ICT in education and scientific research, and Increasing community access with emphasizes on the marginalized and disabled. Guidelines for implementing regional projects are given and proposed projects for each partnership program are listed.