Internet and sustainable development

projekt beendet

ContextThe rapid global spread of information and communication technology (ICT) is resulting in far-reaching change at a social, political and economic level. The growth rate for digital applications is particularly high in emerging economies and developing countries. ICT enables new types of communication, cooperation, participation and opinion-forming, thereby leading to a realignment of existing relationships between government, the private sector and civil society.To exploit the transformational potential of ICT, the necessary preconditions must first be established, such as the infrastructure for internet access, even in rural areas. Other prerequisites include education, literacy, language skills, the availability of local content and also IT skills for developers. Once these preconditions have been established, ICT can support new business models, help increase productivity in the private sector and open up new educational opportunities, for example through massive open online courses (MOOCs). In public administration, e-government offers opportunities to increase efficiency and transparency.In contrast, the downside to the digital revolution is the quantifiable digital divide between industrialised and developing countries, a divide between individual regions and countries and also between rural and urban areas. Other negative factors include data misuse and also censorship and manipulation by authoritarian regimes.German development cooperation must therefore keep pace with the dynamic development of ICT and systematically address both the potential and the risks of ICT as a means of promoting sustainable economic, ecological and social development. ICT should not be viewed as a separate priority area for German development cooperation. Instead, it is a methodological area that can be applied to many sectors including agriculture, health, economic development and education.ObjectiveThe sector project supports the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development in its strategic positioning on subjects relating to the digital revolution, and advises it on new, modified and enhanced approaches, methods and tools. In order for national and international development objectives to be better achieved, information and communication technology that supports sustainable development is being increasingly integrated into German development cooperation strategies and projects.ApproachThe sector project's activities are embedded in the relevant strategies and position papers of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, including its education strategy and policy on Africa. Project activities focus on three interdependent areas of activity:1) Thematic development and positioning2) Mainstreaming3) Piloting innovative ICT approachesThe first area of activity involves preparing knowledge products and positions for national and international debate, including the follow-on process to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). In the second area of activity, the sector project is developing knowledge products and tools, thereby helping as part of its mainstreaming mandate to embed ICT more firmly in ongoing projects and programmes in various priority sectors of German development work, such as governance, health and rural development. In addition to integrating ICT methods into ongoing projects and programmes, the third area of activity focuses on developing and testing innovative ICT approaches.

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