-- a Commonwealth Perspective

Executive Summary

At a Commonwealth Workshop held in Malta in May 1997 under the sponsorship of the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malta, some 40 delegates from Commonwealth countries gathered for three days to discuss the implications of the rapid developments in information and communications technologies (ICTs), and the effect that these technologies are having on the prospects for international trade, investment and sustainable development. The Workshop was a precursor to the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Edinburgh in October 1997. When they meet, the Commonwealth Heads of Government will have as their main focus "Trade, Investment and Sustainable Development". Broad issues, such as investment promotion, political stability, and the development of human resources will feature prominently in their deliberations.

The objectives of the Workshop were:

• To increase awareness of the opportunities, issues and initiatives which result from the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) in the promotion of trade and commerce
• To address policy implications which arise from the deployment of information and communications technologies (ICTs); and
• To propose initiatives which may be taken to facilitate the development of information infrastructure both within the Commonwealth and beyond.

The Workshop recognized that information has become a most important resource in the sustainable development of all countries. It further recognized that the ability to communicate and transport that information within any nation and from that nation to the world is an essential tool to support national economic development. In his address to the final session of the Workshop, on May 21, 1997, Dr. Alfred Sant, Prime Minister of Malta said; "There is no single development…that is likely to be significant as the diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICTs). These technologies are clearly becoming the conduit for all human endeavour, from managing the utilisation of scarce resources to the development of the person and the generation of economic activity." The application of such technologies could even support some countries to "leap frog" their development.

Delegates agreed that the responsible and effective application of information and communications technologies has become an urgent task for all governments and all other major players. To this end, the Recommendations below formed the major highlights of the deliberations of the Workshop in Information and Communication Technologies in International Trade, Investment and Sustainable Development – a Commonwealth Perspective, held during 19-21 May 1997 in Malta.