Context
Recommendations

Preamble

A Commonwealth workshop on the theme Containing the Millennium Big, A Commonwealth Initiative took place in Malta during 15th - 17th September, 1998. Aimed, among others, at promoting a better understanding of the millennium bug, sensitising Finance agencies in Government as well as Information Technology policy-makers to the need for millennium bug preparedness and providing guidelines on high-level planning requirements for beating the millennium bug, the Workshop brought together a total of 30 participants and resource persons from 16 countries of the Commonwealth and 4 international organisations world-wide (see Appendix 1). Below is a summary of the conclusions of the deliberations of the Workshop. The recommendations contained therein are aimed at drawing the attention of national Governments, particularly through the Senior Officials Meeting (SOM), which is scheduled for 29th September, 1998, in Ottawa, Canada in preparation for the Commonwealth Finance Ministers Meeting (CFMM). The recommendations take cognizance of the status of Y2K preparedness of the developing member countries, a sample which is contained in Appendix 2 of this document.

A - Context

The Problem

At the turn of this century there is a very high level of risk that the world’s microchips and software systems will misinterpret the Year 2000, resulting in failure or corruption of the systems they control and interact with, whether they be in the government, public sector, business or domestic domains. The extent of the repercussions of the problem will not be confined to information technology circles. Almost any area that uses a microchip which deploys a date or date function to compute, initiate, index, report, facilitate or record, is vulnerable and therefore susceptible to the millennium bug:-

services concerned with tourism;

small businesses;

inland revenue and income tax collection services;

customs and excise collection services; and

payroll and payment systems.

Also, every military defense / offense system will need to be assessed for Year 2000 compliance or conformity requirements.

The Effect on the Economy

Without strategies for remedial action, economies are likely to falter and some, may fail with the potential for civil panic among the populace. The millennium bug could cost national economies millions of pounds in lost economic output. Production could suffer. Inflation could rise. Recession could be likely and depression could be the result on a global scale!

B - Recommendations

Delegates to the Commonwealth workshop on Containing the Millennium Bug: A Commonwealth Initiative:-

Aware of the nature and scope of the millennium bug;

Conscious of the impact that the millennium bug could cause on business continuity in government, the public sector at large and the private sector; and

Concerned that with less than 500 days to the advent of Year 2000, time is of essence in any national initiative to realise Year 2000 preparedness,

made the recommendations set out below, which are aimed at national governments and which were conveyed through the Senior Officials at the Commonwealth Finance Ministers Meeting at the end of September 1998, in Ottawa, Canada.

Need for Action with Expediency

Funding bears a critical support dimension in a country’s effort to realise a state of millennium preparedness well before the advent of Year 2000. To this end, every government finance minister is urged to take the problem seriously, give it his/her personal attention and help invoke or stimulate action with expediency. The trials and tribulations of inaction would be greater than the pains of action.

By the middle of 1999 all critical systems need to have been tested for Year 2000 compliance and, where found to be non-compliant, remedial action taken to maintain operational integrity, including drawing of contingency plans in the event of unprecedented Year 2000 compliance failures.

Funding Resource Allocation and Sourcing

Member government are called upon to provide initial threshold funding to help stimulate action for millennium bug preparedness, with particular reference to the public sector. Whenever sufficient monies or budgets are not available internally, additional funding should be sought from international institutions such as the G8, the UN, the EU, the World Bank/IMF and Commonwealth Funding Agencies, and from various bilateral development agencies within and outside the Commonwealth.

Establish a National Task Force

Member governments are called upon to establish a national task force, or equivalent central government-backed body, with responsibility to facilitate scoping of the millennium bug in both the public and private sectors.

It is recommended that ownership of the problem and its solution should be vested in a Cabinet minister or the Prime Minister to reflect on the need for top level commitment in government.

An action programme MUST be implemented focusing, initially as a matter of highest priority, on mission-critical areas of the economy that are under threat as well as on vital life support systems.

Create Public Awareness

Government are called upon to take the lead in creating and raising public awareness of the Year 2000 problem, stressing on the need for business continuity for both national and global competitiveness before, during and after the century date change. Deployment of conventional media, including the Mass Media, Television and Radio must be enhanced to make the public at large aware of the importance of the Year 2000 problem and the dangers of not taking it on board as a serious issue.

Public/Private Sector Alliances and Partnerships

The Year 2000 problem may be conceived to be a global as well as a transectoral issue. To this end, it is recommended that public and private sector alliances and partnerships be created or enhanced in government initiatives for Year 2000 preparedness.

Government/Government Co-operation - Role of the Commonwealth Secretariat

It is observed that individual nations and government rely on one another for goods and services in much the same way as do business organisations with a single country. Within the context of Year 2000 preparedness, some countries are more advanced in the lessons of experience than others and it, perhaps, behooves the former to provide some help to less advantaged nations in the interests of all.

It is recommended that Commonwealth Secretariat act in complementary role to the efforts of the respective governments and countries as a central coordinator and facilitator for information exchange and advice on technical aspects and strategies for Year 2000 preparedness, technical co-operation between countries and sourcing of information on the Year 2000 problem.