Abstracts of presentations:

·        Can we make ICT for Development REALLY work?

Mr. Alan Greenberg, Canada

Although there has been great progress in ICT4D in a few selected areas, overall ICT4D has not come close to meeting the hoped-for goals. There is a belief that ICT can help address the Millennium Development Goals and other similar targets, but there is little evidence of this actually happening. There is growing concern that ICT4D will not meet its goals unless there is a radical change in approach. The presentation will explore the problems and the potential solutions.

·        Recent advances in using ICTs for development - broadband everywhere and "small" technology.

Mr. Jonathan Metzger, USA

Technology has dramatically changed the world – now almost anyone can “move” at Internet-speed; people who were marginalized are able to find information on acquiring micro-loans to start businesses, and villages previously unconnected to the telecommunications grid now have affordable cell phone access. As technology becomes easier to use, more affordable and widespread, new sustainable development solutions are a reality. Jonathan Metzger will explore recent innovation in using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for development purposes. Session will cover strategies to bring affordable, reliable, and sustainable national broadband Internet in developing countries, wiring of schools, using media technology in education such as small affordable Flip Video cameras, MP3 players, as well as cell phone technology for data collection.

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Ms. Katrin Verclas, USA

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·        Building the Broadband Economy from the Bottom Up: A Community Informatics Approach to BB and Economic Development

Mr. Michael Gurstein, Canada

High speed Internet at relatively affordable prices is rapidly becoming available in large parts of both the developed and developing worlds. This means that the technical restrictions on information access, communications at a distance, transaction management and the range of Internet and information management capabilities are rapidly disappearing. The challenge remains however, as to how those at the grassroots and particularly in developing countries can take advantage of these developments to improve their level of economic well-being, access to employment and to the realization of additional opportunities for themselves and their children. The risk is that high speed Internet will result in more drain from local economies into more highly developed and capital intensive applications and their centralized and corporate sponsors. This presentation will examine these developments, explore the risks and identify the opportunities and means for realizing opportunities at the grassroots through the development of bottom-up community based – community informatics – strategies and applications.

·        Social enterpreneur in ICT sector- what economic oppurtunites they bring- Vietnam case.

Ms. Nguyen Thu Hue, Vietnam

What is the status of social enterpreneur in ICT sector in VN?

What contributions in economic opportunities

Challenges in policy environment for development of the social enterpreneurs and suggestions for improvement

 Web 2.0 and beyond

Mr. Dominique Hazael-Massieux

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·        Telecenter – categories, successful stories around the world

Dr. Pham Minh Tuan

Telecenter – categories, successful stories around the world

- Impacts of telecenters on economy, international statistics

- Experiences from TOPICA/TOPIC64 projects in Vietnam

- Myths and realities

Why we should do one thing well rather than many?

Why Bill Gates spend more on vaccines than on telecenters?

Why we should not teach telecenter managers but give them leverage?

- Situation of telecenter initiatives in Vietnam

- Why everyone is investing on Access, where  is Content and Advocacy?

- New trends and experiences from world experts

Telecenter franchises - Steve Schmida

Non-ICT business models to complement telecenters - Al Hammond

Wimax and Wifi mesh - Intel, Darrell Owen

·        CSR Case study in Steve Chang’s enterprise

Mr. Steve Chang

We build up some easy-to-understand CSR concepts to distribute to each employee. At first, employees should well acknowledge that this enterprise do not implement social activities for the sake of its profit, but this enterprise must have profit in order to conduct social activities. Making money in parallel with social activities helps an enterprise and its goals survive sustainably in long run – this is the core difference between pure humanitarian activities and activities of a social corporate.  

CSR activities are not as simple as give-and-take activities but the essence of CSR activities is the heart and goodness of the entrepreneurs. They will share their ideas and enthusiasm about CSR activities and help employees keep their willingness. Especially, CSR team in an enterprise should always answer the questions why enterprises need to concern about corporate social responsibilities? How to create the base for CSR activities so that they will become a value, a cultural aspect of an enterprise? An enterprise which wants to develop robustly and sustainably should comply with standards on environment protection, gender equality, labor safety, rights for laborers, fair salary payment, staff training and community development.   

Starting from these opinions, InnovGreen Vietnam was founded. If an enterprise only aims at making profit, there might not have had InnovGreen in Vietnam today. InnovGreen will cope with many difficulties but I believe that InnovGreen will be successful thanks to our determination and firm beliefs, our vision to build up a leading social corporate in forestry industry bringing about benefits for five groups: Farmers – Environment – Nation – InnovGreen’s staff and its shareholders. InnovGreen has been implementing plantation projects with advance technologies in 6 provinces of Vietnam including Lang Son, Quang Ninh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Quang Nam and Kon Tum with total investment of US$ 284.2 million, on the scale of over 300,000 hectares. InnovGreen is the biggest foreign investor in forestry industry in Vietnam. InnovGreen’s projects are conducted in remote and mountainous areas to cover vast land and bare hills. InnovGreen’s plantation activities are the evidence of enterprise’s responsibility for the society as follows: 

- As for the environment: balancing the eco-system, restraining the increase of CO₂ and mitigating damage of natural disasters due to global climate change.

- As for local people: generating tens of thousands of job opportunities at site for local people in crop breaks. Local people can access and learn advanced plantation technologies. Our enterprise spares money for project to improve infrastructure at communal and hamlet levels. In addition, InnovGreen is one of the enterprises which enthusiastically participate in social activities to support victims in flooding areas, policy families, and disadvantaged families and grant scholarships for poor students… 

- As for the nation: generating revenue for the state budget. InnovGreen helps develop the economic situation of rural areas. InnovGreen transfers advanced technologies and solutions to develop and manage forests sustainably, friendly to the environment. InnovGreen helps train local staff and develop human resources for the nation. Additionally, InnovGreen helps raise the position of Vietnam’s forestry industry in international arena.

- As for InnovGreen’s staff: having good conditions to improve their competence, realize their dreams and ambitions, use their strength and talent to contribute to the development of society and community. They also have stable and competitive salary.

- As for InnovGreen’s shareholders: apart from assuring sustainable profit, InnovGreen create favorable conditions for shareholders to take part in social activities and community development in Vietnam

·        One million hours together with Vietnamese intellectuals

Mr. Nguyen Dong Long

1.     Guiding Internet access for Vietnamese youths in the country at 2353 village post offices over the country such as: Internet access, reading e-news, searching websites with information about agricultural promotion, public health, training, social business, labour and study.

2.     The movement “Youths in VNPT connect the knowledge network” for the administrative officials, in some remote areas of some provinces such as: Cao Bang, Lao Cai, Ha Giang,Bac Kan, Bac Ninh, Dak, Lak, Dak Nong, etc,.

Focusing on the content: the basic IT knowledge, Internet access, information searching, reading, e-news, joining in some Forums, etc...

3.     Setting up some “VNPT knowledge incubator” included the system of connected computers, webcams, bookcases, parks with green tress, stones seats, sport yards, etc, ...at some locations such as: the village post offices, the army camps, the schools, the islands, etc,. There are 04 incubators operated in such provinces: Bach Long Vy Island, Ad Nang, Hai Duong, and Ninh Than… In July and September, 14 incubators will run in Giam Lai, Dung Tau, Lai Chau…

Focusing on the content: the basic IT knowledge, Internet access, information searching, reading, e-news, joining some Forums, etc...

The total people involve about 120.000.

Michel Bauwens

Jayantha Fernando

"ICT LEGAL REFORMs AGENDA - The Sri Lankan Experience"

A proactive legal and policy framework is a pre-requisite for any country seeking to levarage ICT for economic development. Often countries tend to embark on policy and legislative reforms efforts in isolation with no clear nexus to any internationally accepted models and sustained ICT development efforts. True benefits of such reform then take years to materialise. A successful reforms Agenda should therefore be driven through a committed initiative coupled with ICT development measures, drawing on internationally accepted norms and practices, so that true potential of the reforms efforts would be realised. This Presentation would focus on the Sri Lanka's approach to legal and policy reforms agenda, which was coupled with an ambitious multi-donor development agenda known as the e-Sri Lanka Development Project, which is already taking the dividends of ICT to all segments of its population, achieving most of its development objectives. The IPR, Cyber Crime and e-Transactions reforms and policy measures intiated along with it were centred around the ICT develoment plans and was also drawn on international precedents and best practices. Such an approach was also possible due to the catalytic role played by the Insitutional arrangements established to fulfil the ICT Development and reforms agenda. The presentation would focus on the pros and cons of such arrangements and lessons drawn from them.