Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs): An enabling tool for international cooperation

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are transforming the way governments, business and individuals learn, work and communicate with each other. If they are employed strategically within development programmes to promote access and sharing of relevant knowledge as well as fostering participation of the poor and marginalised in decision- making processes that affect their lives, ICTs help to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

SDC focus

The focus of SDC from 2001 to 2008 was to support international mainstreaming efforts of ICTs in development processes, e.g. through supporting a series of targeted publications, thematic roundtables and particularly through strengthening to the development perspective and the multi-stakeholder process in the World Summit of the Information Society (WSIS). In addition to a direct support to the WSIS process and the promotion of the active participation of Civil Society Organisations from the South and the East therein, SDC has directly participated in and supported a whole range of organisations and networks active in the area of ICT4D (see below).

Support for most of these organisations was phased out between 2008 and 2010. The Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) is responsible for Switzerland’s commitments in this area, in collaboration with the ECOSOC Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) and the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). The SDC is currently focusing on the integration of ICTs in its own projects and programmes (as a strategic instrument).

Background

ICTs encompass a full range of increasingly converging technologies, including traditional and emerging devices such as interactive community radios, television, mobile phones, computer and network hardware and software, the Internet, satellite systems, and podcasting. The effective use of Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) is not just a question of infrastructure and software. It also requires an appropriate institutional and regulatory framework and the development of human capacity and relevant content. Holistic and contextualised implementation of ICTs is complex as it depends considerably on the sector or theme in which they are employed as well as the overall socio-economic context (access and affordability of infrastructure, human capacity, cultural habits). Thus ICTs should not be seen as a panacea for all development problems but rather an important tool to be applied as part of a broader strategy for sustainable development.

ICTs can be employed fulfilling three partly overlapping functions:

  • Access: Using ICTs to facilitate access to and sharing of timely and relevant information and knowledge.
  • Voice and Communication: Using ICTs to strengthen the voice of poor, excluded and disadvantaged people in decision-making and self-expression of their culture.
  • Networking: Using ICTs for networking and human communication while fostering multi-stakeholder partnerships to achieve effects on a larger scale (up-scaling).

The transformative potential of ICTs as a tool can be particularly harnessed to

  • increase efficiency: reaching more people while reducing transaction costs.
  • increase effectiveness: in terms of process, ownership, participation, networking and improvement of governance and better delivery of basic services such as education agricultural extension, microfinance and health.
  • improve innovation and productivity: for example for micro, small and medium enterprises through better access to information, credit, markets and procurement using ICT tools in management, marketing and distribution channels.

Links

Documents

Connecting people for a better world
Are information and communication technologies (ICT) such as computers, TV or mobile phones effective instruments to empower people, reduce poverty and improve lives? This book offers new answers to these questions.
Publication ICT4D – Connecting people for a better world (PDF, 2.1 MB)

Up-scaling pro-poor ICT-policies and practices
a review of experience with emphasis on low income countries in Asia and Africa
[en] (PDF, 1.9 MB, English)

Building Bridges across Time and Space – Experience and Success of a Telemedicine Pilot Project in Mongolia
Asia Brief - May 2013
[en] (PDF, Number of pages 4, 413.9 kB, English)

Information and Communication Technologies and large-scale poverty reduction - SDC/Panos 2005
Lessons from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. Edited by Kitty Warnock and Ravi Wickremasinghe in cooperation with John McGill and Gerolf Weigel. Published by Panos London.
[en] (PDF, 799.0 kB, English)

ICTs and Education – Public-Private Partnership to connect Schools to the Net
A National Model in Switzerland - Summary of the Final Report
[en] (PDF, Number of pages 11, 1.7 MB, English)

Deepening Participation and Improving Aid Effectiveness through Media and ICTs
A Practical Manual Translating Lessons Learned into Daily Practice – SDC Working Paper
[en] (PDF, Number of pages 25, 632.2 kB, English)

Un seul monde
No 4/03 - Société de l'information
[fr] (PDF, 1.5 MB, French)

Chennai Statement - on Up-scaling Pro-Poor ICT Policies
[en] (PDF, Number of pages 6, 143.3 kB, English)

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for Poverty Reduction?
Discussion Paper - World Summit on Information Society WSIS 2003
[en] (PDF, Number of pages 71, 759.0 kB, English)

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Poverty Reduction
in Sub Saharan Africa - A learning Study (Synthesis)
[en] (PDF, 454.3 kB, English)

Current projects

Object 337 – 348 of 971

Legal Identity for All (LIA) - Reaching Target 16.9 of the 2030 Agenda

10.12.2018 - 31.12.2021

Over a billion people do not have a legal identity. Legal identity is a prerequisite for full citizenship rights, formal employment, access to government services etc. People with no legal identity risk being left behind and stuck in poverty. The project will address the coordination gap between ongoing efforts of the UN and the WB and take advantage of new technologies to accelerate reaching target 16.9. of the 2030 Agenda “legal identity for all”.   


Ethiopia, IOM - Durable Solutions

10.12.2018 - 09.06.2021

Ethiopia has about 2.1 million internally displaced people (IDPs) mainly due to conflict, drought and flood. Addressing the needs of IDPs has been limited to meeting their short-term humanitarian needs. Given the prolonged economic, social, and gender impacts of displacement on individuals, there is a critical need for longer-term solutions. Switzerland will contribute through IOM to address the long-term needs of the displaced and host communities in their search for self-sufficiency.


Agriculture Census 2020

01.12.2018 - 31.12.2022

Switzerland will support the realization of the Agriculture Census in 2020 through contributing to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS). Updated and accurate data on agriculture holdings is an enabling tool for public and private investment as well as to plan and monitor relevant developments in the agriculture sector, in accordance with the National Policy Agenda (2017-2022). This project will offer opportunities to engage Swiss expertise in the domain of statistics and agriculture.


Global Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development (KNOMAD)

01.12.2018 - 31.08.2024

Migration is one of the 21st century’s defining features that significantly impacts economic and social development. It is thus crucial to ensure that the positive effects of migration on development are maximized, while the negative ones minimized. This is only possible if reliable evidence on migration and its interrelations with development is available. KNOMAD generates ground-breaking research and policy recommendations in the field of M&D. Switzerland has taken a lead in building-up KNOMAD as a pioneering knowledge initiative.


GAIN Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition – “Making markets work to improve the consumption of nutritious and healthy food”

01.12.2018 - 31.12.2021

Poor diets - too little food, too much food, or the wrong combinations of foods - are the number-one risk factor for ill health. What people eat depends on what is available on the market as well as accessible, affordable and desirable to consume. SDC supports the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, a Swiss-based foundation, in facilitating the voluntary engagement of businesses in low and middle income countries to improve the consumption of nutritious and healthy foods, particularly among the vulnerable and poor.


Strengthen accountability for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health

01.12.2018 - 31.12.2021

The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH) ensures that efforts of the many stakeholders involved in maternal, newborn, child health as well as sexual and reproductive health and rights, are well coordinated at global and national level. SDC supports PMNCH’s accountability work so as to contribute to more effective and efficient use of resources in this priority public health area, including of the funding provided by Switzerland.


Regional Development and Protection Program (RDPP)

01.12.2018 - 31.12.2021

The conflict in Syria has forced hundreds of thousands of Syrians to seek refuge in neighboring countries, confronting the concerned governments, host communities, and the refugees themselves with tremendous challenges. Switzerland, first by the Secretariat for Migration and now by SDC, supports Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq to address these challenges and mitigate the impact of forced displacement on host communities through a combination of protection with livelihood approaches. SDC is well positioned to further the labor market integration of refugees and other vulnerable migrants due to its long-standing experience on labor migration issues in the region.


Egyptian Red Crescent: Providing primary health care services to migrants and Egyptians in Greater Cairo

01.12.2018 - 31.12.2021

Access to public primary health care for migrants and Egyptians is a serious challenge. By the means of two “Mobile Clinics”, the project will answer to immediate medical needs of migrants and Egyptians in Greater Cairo. Advocacy on protection and health issues among decision makers will contribute to filling the gaps in service delivery. Thanks to its experience and ongoing engagement in health and protection in Egypt, Switzerland is well placed to provide early recovery and self-resilience interventions.


Enhancing security coordination and local contextual understanding to increase humanitarian access

01.12.2018 - 30.11.2020

This project aims at enhancing security coordination and local contextual understanding to increase humanitarian access to insecure locations both inside and outside of Protection of Civilian (PoC) sites. Through enhanced understanding of the context, operational threats can be better mitigated by NGOs, facilitating scale-up of programme and service delivery to the affected population in South Sudan’s Upper Nile and Unity States.


Ethiopia, UNICEF, Emergency WASH Response for the Reduction of Hunger in Borena Zone, Oromia Region

01.12.2018 - 30.11.2020

The Borena Zone (Oromia Region) hosts one third of Oromia's conflict Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) between Oromo and Somali groups. Water is a priority for conflict IDP sites and local populations. UNICEF, as the lead agency for the WASH sector in development and humanitarian settings, proposes targeted interventions to respond to immediate life-saving needs by improving access to clean and safe drinking water, and support the recovery phase for both IDPs and host communities.


SHIKHON: Horizontal Learning Programme in Bangladesh

01.12.2018 - 30.11.2022

The elected local government institutions (LGIs) in Bangladesh have a mandate to provide public services to the people, but they lack both capacities and budget. The quality and outreach of their services can be improved at relatively low cost through facilitation of peer learning which benefits millions of people. Recognizing the effectiveness of the peer learning approach across LGIs, the Government of Bangladesh committed to institutionalize this approach in its main training institute for LGI officials, with support from SDC.


Support to Climate Change Management (GestionCC )-Phase 2

01.12.2018 - 30.09.2021

All countries are faced with the challenge of translating the landmark Paris Agreement on Climate Change at the national level. Switzerland and Peru have both innovated in setting up the governance structures needed to tackle climate change. This project aims to improve Peru’s ability to successfully implement its commitments under the Paris Agreement[1] and to share its experience in Latin America and globally in order to raise ambition in climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Object 337 – 348 of 971