This first series of papers explore proposals for new financial mechanisms for ICTs development in Southern countries. While the global public good approach provides a conceptual framework and presents a range of specific financial options for this public good in particular, a special focus is put on the situation of empoverished peoples in Africa, concluding that to address the needs of the poor is an intrinsically decentralized exercise that requires innovative and distributed financing. Universal access funds and a combination of community-owned ICT enterprises and wireless related technologies are particularly considered as proposals that can potentially extend ICTs to poor communities in rural areas. Documents are available in Spanish, French and Arabic. [En español] [En français]

Note: some translations are not available yet. They will be added in the next days.

In-depth papers

• [ Financial mechanisms for the information society from a global public goods perspective ]
  Fernando Prada
  The GPGs approach allows to recognize the information society building blocks according to the vision, aspirations and values that define it. Identifying its components makes it possible to explore a range of specific financial options for this public good in particular. The WSIS is an opportunity to arrive at conclusions on financial mechanisms for the information society that would allow, in a reasonable term, that more people in the world can take advantage of its benefits.
  [ Español ] [ Français ]
  
  
• Financing ICTs for Development with Focus on Poverty
  Lishan Adam
  Addressing the needs of the poor is an intrinsically decentralized and contextual exercise that requires innovative and distributed financing. A systematic effort to understand the needs of poor, their social and political context and the constraints placed on them due to lack of ICTs would make ICTs more meaningful to those who need information and knowledge the most; identify innovative approaches for making provisions for those who cannot afford access to them and reduce wasteful expenditure, by avoiding transplanting applications that worked in developed countries to the contexts of poor regions.
  [ Español ] [ Français ]
  

• A systemic vision to financing the Information Society as a Global Public Good
  Fernando Prada
  The international community has expresed, in several fora, its worries concerning the effects of access and knowledge gaps in Southern countries and the need to find additional financial mechanisms, with a solidarity criteria, that would allow to more citizens to benefit from the ICTs. The central aim of this documents is to present financial strategies for the information societies within the "Global Public Goods" conceptual framework.
  [ Español ] [ Français ] [ عربى ]
  
  
• Progress and issues in Financing ICT4D in Sub-Saharan Africa
  Lishan Adam
  This paper looks at the issue of financing ICTs in support to the development in sub-Saharan Africa. It argues that ICT financing should primarily focus on the needs, aspirations, capacities and perspectives of the vast majority of poor people in Africa and concludes that the Global Public Good framework provides an alternative mode to existing funding mechanisms for the region.
  [Español] [ Français ] [ عربى ]
  
  
• Community ownership of ICTs: New possibilities for poor communities
  Seán Ó Siochrú
  This paper examines a solution that combines a centuries old institutional form with the latest technological innovations. A combination of community-owned ICT enterprises and the new wave of wireless and related technologies together may offer significant potential to extend networks and offer new services to poor communities in rural areas.
  [ Español ] [ Français ]
  
  
• The funding of universal access
  Joëlle Carron
  The reduction of the digital divide is, in itself, a global public good and consequently, its funding must be ensured supportively by the entire international community. The path to achieve this objective is, in particular (but not exclusively), through an especially promising mechanism: that of universal access funds. For the international community, this is on the one hand to encourage States to establish such funds, and on the other, to study the possibility of establishing a universal access fund on a world scale.
  [ Español ] [ Français ] [ عربى ]