Up-Scaling Pro-poor ICT-Policies and Practices

This 64-page study, published by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and Gerster Consulting, examines lessons and trends that aim to advance policies for the poor. The study includes conclusions based on a November 2004 meeting in Chennai, India where a “Chennai Statement” emerged seeking to strengthen a poverty reduction agenda as part of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). This goal is closely linked to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The authors pose five key questions which frame their study on poverty reduction:

• Creating an enabling environment I: How to mainstream ICTs (regulatory and policy environment, sector, facilitator) in national poverty reduction strategies?
• Empowerment: How to give poor people a stronger voice at all levels of decision making by using ICTs?
• Opportunity: How to enhance income generation by the poor through ICT?
• Security: How to up-scale formal and informal education of the poor by the use of ICT?
• Creating an enabling environment II: What pro-poor ICT regulations and policies (including free/open source software) are required for up-scaling ICT for poverty reduction?

The study suggests that ICTs can be maximised when health interventions are recognised in respect to specialised, "know-how" on issues such as reproductive health or HIV/AIDS. Further, the authors indicate that ICT interventions need to be based on solid expertise with consideration to issues such as regulation and localisation.

The authors believe that the implementation of poverty reduction strategies (PRS) can play an important role in achieving the MDGs and empowering people who live in poverty. ICTs can be used to facilitate the PRS process by being mainstreamed into the implementation of sectoral components as well as complementing the poverty-reducing priorities of the national ICT strategy.

According to this study, the basic requirements at the grass roots level for alleviating poverty reduction through ICTs require: (1) an enabling ICT policy environment; (2) conducive conditions for poverty reduction; (3) appropriate technology choices; (4) mobilisation of additional public and private resources.

The authors point to a number of steps for the future that can help scale up poverty reduction. Several of their suggestions include tackling the challenge of capacity building in local communities, developing sustainable business models and defining the level of institutional and public sector support and retaining local ownership. They believe that advocacy at the national level is "key" in reducing poverty through ICTS. They contend that global declarations, including this Chennai Statement, are useful based on the extent to which they are heard by governments, civil society and the private sector regionally, nationally and locally. They suggest that global coalitions advance opportunities and security for people in poverty, including gender equality, education, health and democracy. Further, they believe that intensifying South-South networking and dialogue should be pursued systematically. Also, building multi-stakeholder partnerships can be valuable in the way they help build an inclusive information society based on the WSIS’s vision and inspired by the Millennium Declaration.

This study is a joint publication by the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, India, and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.