H APEC Telecenter Development Program Doc no: telwg29/ HRDSG/07 Agenda Item : Human Resource Development Steering Group Submitted by: Chinese Taipei APEC Telecenter Development Program Contact: Yu-chuan Lin Email: yuchuan@rdec.gov.tw APEC Telecommunications and Information Working Group 29th Meeting 21-26 March 2004 Hong Kong, China Please note: This document is not an official APEC document until approved by the Telecommunications and Information Working Group. This version is a draft provided for discussion purposes only. 1
Facesheet (Tick one) New Project (Self-funded) Progress Report Evaluation Report (Tick one) [ ] Operational Account [ ] TILF Special Account Project number: (To be filled in by Secretariat) Date received by Secretariat: Late / Not late Name of Committee/Working Group: APEC Telecommunications and Information Working Group Title of Project: APEC Telecenter Development Program Proposing APEC Member: Chinese Taipei Co-sponsoring APEC Member(s): Project Overseer: Name, Title and Organization Mr. Chia-Cheng Lin Chairman, Research, Development and Evaluation Commission (RDEC) Postal address: 6F, No. 2-2, Chi-Nan Rd. Sec. 1, Taipei, Taiwan Financial Information Total cost of proposal (US$): Tel: +886-2-2351-7837 Fax: +886-2-2392-8133 Email: chiacheng@rdec.gov.tw yuchuan@rdec.gov.tw Amount being sought from APEC Central Fund (US$): Type of Project: seminar/symposium workshop and short-term training survey or research database/website others (Physical implementation of telecenters) Project start date: September, 2004 Project end date: September, 2005 Project Purpose: In support of APEC Economic Leaders decisions, Chinese Taipei proposed the establishment of an APEC Digital Opportunity Center at the 11 th APEC Economic Leaders meeting in Bangkok in 2003. The leaders welcome Chinese Taipei s proposal as reflected in the Chair s Summary. The APEC Telecenter Development Project is one of projects to fulfil the establishment of the APEC Digital Opportunity Center. This project aims to carry on workforce training and physical establishment of telecenters in APEC in order to: 1. Fulfill the goal of an APEC digital society in accordance with the Leaders commitments and The e-apec strategy; 2. Create a cooperative mechanism for public and private sector in bridging the digital divide; 3. Act as a major enabler of the New Economy, while harnessing the full potential of the information and communication technology (ICT); 4. Reinforce and enhance human capacity building toward a successful and sustainable model for telecenter development in APEC. The strategy of this initiative is to bridge the digital divide through a practical establishment of 2
telecenters with a focus on strengthening digital capability of rural area people. In its first phase, the project will involve a workshop and a short-term training. In the second phase, the physical establishment of telecenters in APEC developing members will be implemented. There will be a discussion session at the end of first phase. Conclusion of the discussion and comments from member economies on first phase implementation will be the references for the design of second phase. In order to share relevant experiences and build consensus in the beginning stage of project implementation, Chinese Taipei proposes to arrange a one-day workshop concurrently to the TEL30. Signature of Project Overseer: (Separate written confirmation acceptable for email submission) Signature of Committee Chair/WG Lead Shepherd: Date: (Not applicable to Progress Report and Evaluation Report) (Separate written confirmation acceptable for email submission) Date: 3
APEC Telecenter Development Program Proposed by Chinese Taipei APEC TEL 29 th Working Group Meeting March 21-26, 2004; Hong Kong, China Proposed to: HRDSG Contact : Yu-chuan Lin (Michael) Senior Analyst Department of Information Management Research, Development and Evaluation Commission Email: yuchuan@rdec.gov.tw 1. Project Background a. APEC is currently preoccupied with how to respond to the technical, regulatory and commercial requirements presented by the growth of ICT and the concept of the new economy. The success of APEC has been the result of the ability of our society to adapt to changing circumstances. At their meeting in Brunei, Leaders said that they are committed to develop and implement a policy framework which will enable the people of urban, provincial and rural communities in every economy to have individual or community-based access to information and services offered via the Internet by 2010. Their first aim in this respect was to triple the number of people within the region with individual and community-based access by 2005. Ministers also expressed their collective concern that digital divide could further widen social and economic disparities across the APEC region and they called for a publicprivate partnership to create digital opportunity. b. At the 9th APEC Economic Leaders Meeting in 2001 in Shanghai, the leaders agreed to expand the Brunei Goal by adopting an e-apec Strategy. In addressing the digital divide, the e-apec Strategy specifies two goals, including: (1) To transform the digital divide into a digital opportunity in order that APEC economies benefit from the opportunities presented by a networked environment; and (2) To prepare APEC economies and all of people to use the information revolution as a passport to the New Economy. c. In support of APEC Economic Leaders decisions, Chinese Taipei proposed the establishment of an APEC Digital Opportunity Center at the 11 th APEC Economic Leaders meeting in Bangkok in 2003. The leaders welcome Chinese Taipei s proposal as reflected in the Chair s Summary. 4
d. Telecenters are public places where people can use computers, the Internet, and get information training. Establishment and sustainable operation of telecenters are becoming an important issue to bridge the digital divide in rural and under-served areas. Efforts related to telecenter development have been made in APEC TEL in recent years, including some workshops that explored strategies for affordable technologies and sustainable operation for telecenters in rural areas. Among APEC member economies, some telecenter projects have been also developed in recent years. In order to enhance relevant works and highlight APEC s efforts in this matter, Chinese Taipei proposes to initiate a self-funded project in this matter. e. This project is one of projects to fulfil the establishment of the APEC Digital Opportunity Center. In the project s preparatory phase, Chinese Taipei proposes to hold a telecenter workshop concurrently to the APEC TEL30. 2. Project Objectives This project aims to carry on experience sharing, consensus building, workforce training and trial establishment of telecenter in APEC region in order to: a. Fulfil the goal of an APEC digital society in accordance with the Leaders commitments and The e-apec strategy; b. Create a cooperative mechanism for public and private sector in bridging the digital divide; c. Act as a major enabler of the New Economy, while harnessing the full potential of the information and communication technology (ICT); d. Reinforce and enhance human capacity building toward a successful and sustainable model for telecenter development in APEC. 3. Project Methodology a. The strategy of this initiative is to bridge the digital divide through a practical establishment of telecenters with a focus on strengthening digital capability of rural area people. In its first phase, the project will involve workshops, shortterm training. In the second phase, the establishment of telecenters in APEC developing members will be implemented. There will be a discussion session at the end of first phase. Conclusion of the discussion and comments from member economies on first phase implementation will be the references for the design of second phase. b. In order to share relevant experiences and build consensus in the beginning stage of project implementation, Chinese Taipei proposes to arrange a one-day workshop concurrently to the TEL30. All member economies will be invited to participate in the workshop. In the case of developing economies, the workshop 5
will provide substantial funding for one participant. In this case, the participant should be the contact point for telecenter development subject to this project in the member economy. c. After the workshop concurrent to TEL30, in Dec. 2004, a short-term training camp for telecenter management and development will be held in Chinese Taipei. APEC developing economies will be invited to participate. d. Experts from member economies will be invited to share their experiences and best practices for the workshop and training course. Online training courses will be developed as well. e. The trial establishment of telecenters will be developed in the base of developing economies participation. Due to the limited resource, the project limits the number of participating members no more than four, which remains changeable subject to the project development. 4. Project Outputs/Deliverables a. Guidelines on developing telecenters in rural areas among APEC member economies. b. Best practices of telecenters in rural areas of APEC region. c. Recommendations on related issues, such as government policy, public and private sector cooperation and development methodology. 5. Project Timeframe Mar. 2004: Propose the project to HRDSG of TEL29 Sep. 2004: Telecenter Workshop concurrent to TEL30 Dec. 2004: Telecenter Training Camp in Chinese Taipei Mar. 2005: Report the phase 1 result of project to TEL31 and start the phase 2 in trial establishment of telecenters. Sep. 2005: Report the phase 2 result of project to TEL32; 6
The Establishment of the APEC Digital Opportunity Center (ADOC) Proposed by Chinese Taipei in SOM I Chile, Feb. 2004 Background At the 8 th APEC Economic Leaders Meeting in 2000 in Brunei Darussalam, the leaders outlined the goals of promoting a digital society in their statement which read as follows: We commit to develop and implement a policy framework which will enable the people of urban, provincial and rural communities in every economy to have individual or community-based access to information and services offered via the Internet by 2010. As a first step toward this goal we aim to triple the number of people within the region with individual and communitybased access by 2005. At the 9 th APEC Economic Leaders Meeting in 2001 in Shanghai, the leaders agreed to expand the Brunei Goal by adopting an e-apec Strategy. The objectives of the e-apec Strategy are threefold: (1) To create an environment for strengthening market structures and institutions; (2) To create an environment for infrastructure investment and technology development, and (3) To enhance human capacity building and promote entrepreneurship. In addressing the digital divide, the e-apec Strategy specifies two goals as follows: (1) To transform the digital divide into a digital dividend in order that APEC economies benefit from the opportunities presented by a networked environment; and (2) To prepare APEC economies and all of people to use the information revolution as a passport to the New Economy. In support of APEC Economic Leaders decisions, Chinese Taipei proposed the establishment of an APEC Digital Opportunity Center at the 11 th APEC Economic Leaders meeting in Bangkok in 2003. The leaders welcome Chinese Taipei s proposal as reflected in the Chair s Summary. Purposes The establishment of the APEC Digital Opportunity Center (hereinafter refer to as ADOC) 7
is to carry on the essential planning and development in order to: Fulfil the goal of an APEC digital society in accordance with the Leaders commitments and The e-apec strategy; Create a cooperative mechanism for public and private sector in transforming digital divide into digital opportunity; Act as a major enabler of the New Economy, while harnessing the full potential of the information and communication technology (ICT); Reinforce and enhance e-commerce and human capacity building toward successful and sustainable e-business models for all APEC member economies. Objectives An Enabler to Transform Digital Divide into Digital Opportunity The ADOC will encourage the formulation of policies that expand uptake and efforts for becoming a digital society underway in APEC. The ADOC will offer systematic services on financing and technical consulting to and serve as a communication platform for APEC member economies in bridging digital divide. Toward creating an environment for e-commerce, the ADOC commits to facilitate greater participation of small businesses and entrepreneurships in global commerce. The ADOC will engage with public and private sectors in order to promote different business models and to establish a favourable policy environment toward a digital society in the Asia-Pacific region. Capacity Building for Digital Opportunity The ADOC will provide APEC member economies with training and development courses. The courses will focus on experience sharing on best practices of e- commerce and e-government among member economies. Through the exchange of international e-experts, workshops, information sharing, and system services, the ADOC is committed to enhance member economies capacity both in public and private sectors in small and medium enterprises (SMEs), networking with suppliers, partners and customers so as to improve their productivity, efficiency and global competitiveness. Research and Development The ADOC will undertake researches on promoting digital opportunities as well as models of e-commerce. The researches will focus on the issues of information society, e-commerce, e-government, and e-learning, in order to establish viable models for planning and action. The ADOC will provide APEC member economies with assistance to develop ICT strategies and formulate comprehensive frameworks for ICT development. The findings of the researches will be submitted to APEC member 8
economies for policy consideration. A Platform for APEC Digital Society The ADOC will serve as an instrument of APEC in bridging digital divide and increasing digital opportunity in accordance with the Leaders commitments. In a specific term, the ADOC will create a network and serve as a platform for examining digital opportunities and policy positions among APEC member economies to expand digital capability and skills. Structure and Responsibility The ADOC shall be an independent, non-profit organization. The ADOC shall consists of: Board of Governors Board of Governors is responsible for the policy-making of the ADOC, and will convenes twice annually.. Advisory Council The Advisory Council, consisting of prominent individuals from APEC member economies, offers advice and counsel to Board of Governors. Secretariat The Secretariat, consisting of an Executive Director responsible to the Board of Governors and several staffs undertaking the instructions of the Executive Director, is responsible for administrative matters of the ADOC. Finance The Center will be funded by Chinese Taipei. Any contribution or sponsorship to the ADOC from APEC member economies and private sectors will be welcomed. Location The Center will be located in Chinese Taipei. Work Programs of the ADOC in 2004 APEC Telecenter Development Program Telecenter has been proven to be instrumental in providing universal access to information and resources so that individuals may enjoy better health, education, 9
income, and welfare. The ADOC will develop a program for education and training of telecenter workforce, information exchange, and tangible action plans. Training Course On Paperless Trading The ADOC will hold a workshop and a training project to facilitate experience sharing among member economies on establishment of a web-based, one-stop service mechanism to achieve paperless trading. The major objective of the workshop is to assist APEC member economies with capacity building in paperless trading. 10