Monitoring of trends with regard to ICT access, use, impact and related policies

The Information Economy Report (IER) is one of few annual global reports that monitor ICT trends from a development perspective. The IER is an important tool for UNCTAD to disseminate data and analysis related to ICT and development. As a flagship report it has a wide readership. The IER informs policymakers and other stakeholders about trends in the information economy, in particular with regard to the access to, use and impact of ICT in developing countries. The Report presents results from research on, for example, developments with regard to the “digital divide”, and the impact of ICT on productivity and poverty alleviation, international trade in ICT goods and services, and the ICT producing sector.

Measuring the information economy and its impact on development

In order to formulate as well as evaluate their policies and strategies for ICT-driven growth, policymakers need reliable data and indicators regarding ICT readiness, use and impact. In addition, ICT indicators can allow developing countries to benchmark their performance against others, helping them to take policy decisions to narrow the digital divide. Comparable indicators can furthermore help countries monitor and evaluate the economic and social aspects of ICT-related developments. UNCTAD’s assistance in this area aims at developing the capacity has gained extensive experience in the area of statistical indicators for the information economy and assists developing countries in their efforts to develop ICT indicators, in cooperation with other relevant organisations. UNCTAD is a leading member of the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development, which is a multi-stakeholder initiative aimed at improving the availability and quality of internationally comparable ICT statistics. See http://measuring-ict.unctad.org

ICT Policy Reviews

The UNCTAD ICT Policy Reviews serve to help developing countries adjust their ICT policies and implementation mechanisms aimed at developing the information and knowledge-based economy. Each review assesses the implementation of the national ICT master plan within national development strategies. It identifies policies and programmes favouring the development of the information economy and assesses specific e-business and cross-cutting policies that are intimately linked to the development of the information economy.

Building of legal frameworks for the growth of the online economy and the implementation of e-government services

The creation of an adequate legal framework is necessary to foster development gains from the deployment of ICTs. Among the many important issues that need to be addressed are the legal validity of electronic documents, e-signatures, cybercrime and building trust. Since 2002, UNCTAD offers capacity building and advisory services to governments of developing countries, with an emphasis on LDCs, to help them build legal frameworks governing the use of ICT. The objective is to create more awareness and better understanding of the legal implications of ICT among policy makers and the legal community in developing countries.