COMNET-IT '95
WORKSHOP REPORT APPENDIX A
Hopes and Expectations for the workshop
1. Increasing the Visibility of IT
at the highest Levels
2. Learning from
the Sharing of Experiences
3. Building Cooperation
and Networking
4. Developing COMNET-IT
5. Enhance IT Policy Formulation
for Commonwealth Countries.
6. Implementation
of IT
Hopes and Expectations for the
workshop
The computer support system was used
to gather the participants' hopes and expectation for the workshop.
The following is a summary of the results.
1. Increasing
the Visibility of IT at the highest Levels
It was hoped that the workshop could
act as a major vehicle to increase the visibility of IT to the highest
political and decision-making levels in Commonwealth Member Governments.
It was suggested that the Recommendations of the workshop be conveyed
to the CHOGM, and that reference be made to the workshop in a statement
being prepared from the Prime Minister of Malta.
It was felt that the workshop could
support an action agenda to inspire heads of state, bureaucrats,
the business community and groups in civil society. This agenda
could be the best way to convince top decision makers in Governments
to accept the introduction of IT systems in various ministries and
departments. This Agenda could include recommendations to governments
on the formulation and implementation of national IT policies taking
into cognisance the rapidly changing technology.
It was hoped that the workshop could
produce a report and related documentation, such as proceedings
and a communiqué, which could be used to advance COMNET-IT and to
assist Commonwealth decision-makers to develop IT policies.
2. Learning from the
Sharing of Experiences
Participants hoped to learn from the
experiences of other participants at the workshop. The areas of
experience which were of most interest were what other countries
have done in:
IT Policy Formulation, IT strategies
and National Information Infrastructure;
The practical implementation of national
information policies and strategies;
The development of guidelines;
Capacity building in developing
countries;
Supporting national industry.
3. Building Cooperation and
Networking
Many participants were hoping that
the workshop could enhance networking among information professionals
working in the Commonwealth, and particularly in the developing
world. This might lead to potential joint projects.
The workshop could cultivate strategies
for networking between information providers, and further the network
of contacts/institutions working on IT policy issues. It could provide
the opportunity for the development of a lasting human network through
the use of computer networks.
Several practical ways were suggested
to advance this co-operation. For example, the Editor of the quarterly
Journal "Information Technology for Development" hoped
to find a set of papers suitable for refereed Journal publication
as a result of the workshop. In this way the deliberations of the
workshop could be shared with a wider audience. The representative
of the ICA hoped that there could be opportunities for close co-operation
between ICA and COMNET-IT in the future.
4. Developing COMNET-IT
Participants identified a number of
areas of expectation for COMNET-IT which might emerge from the workshop.
The workshop should, in general, provide a clearer understanding
of its future development, help to shape its "vision",
answer the question "Where do we go from here?" and define
long-term as well as short term goals.
The areas of expectation included:
1. The determination of areas of
significant commonality in IT among Commonwealth countries;
2. The identification of a series
of "next steps", i.e. what specific undertakings would
be most useful and bring common benefit to Commonwealth countries;
3. The establishment of mechanisms
for carrying out selected initiatives. i.e. starting points and
angles of entry for concrete projects;
4. Finding out more about the practical
projects of COMNET;
5. The strengthening of COMNET-IT
as a network of organisations with common or related interests;
6. The setting up of a real-time
means of communications with COMNET-IT and among Member countries;
7. The identification of an action
plan for follow-up during the coming year.
5. Enhance IT Policy Formulation for Commonwealth
Countries.
It was suggested that the workshop
could play a major role in enhancing IT policy formulation for Member
countries through the pooling of ideas relating to the challenges
being faced in the Commonwealth. IT is playing a vital role in the
development of countries and economies. The workshop could draw
on the experiences of those countries which have already designed
and begun to implement policies. The result could be a set of critical
guidelines for policy preparation and implementation, which Members
could use to develop and implement their own national and regional
policies and strategies. There could be a common way forward to
addressing certain macro policy issues in a cohesive manner. These
issues should at least include:
- national IT strategies
- network infrastructures
- training and development.
As well as policies for the Information
Technology sector, there could also be policy guidelines for information
technology education policy formulation. Common definitions, such
as infrastructure development, could also be addressed. It would
be necessary to effect a balance between quick fix and long term
strategies and in general to take a strategic approach to the formulation
of IT policies. The situation of the developing countries, and how
to deal with the "haves and have-nots" is of crucial importance.
6. Implementation of IT
Participants also placed a high priority
on practical approaches to implementing IT policies in various sectors.
They hoped to learn the lessons of experience and the specifics
of policy implementation and to gather enriching ideas to take back
to their countries for implementation. Specific areas of policy
implementation mentioned were methods of access to technologies
by developing countries which may not have the capacity and ideas
and experiences about developing and setting up networks.
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