PI/1302

USE OF INTERNET AS TOOL FOR DEVELOPMENT REVIEWED AT BEIRUT SEMINAR

Specialists from 13 Arabic, French-speaking Countries Take Part In Session Organized by UN/UNDP and International Organization of la Francophonie

NEW YORK, 20 October -- The Department of Public Information (DPI) and the International Organization of la Francophonie, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme Sustainable Development Networking Programme (SDNP) in partnership with StrategicLink.Inc., held a seminar on the theme "The Internet as a Tool for Development", in Beirut, Lebanon, from 2 to 13 October.

The seminar, which took place at the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) headquarters, brought together 30 specialists of institutional communication from Arabic and French-speaking countries from North Africa and the Middle East, representing ministries of information/communication, education and/or development. Participants from the 13 following countries took part in the seminar: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Mauritania was represented by a trainer. Representatives of the ESCWA Information Service, United Nations information centres in the two regions, and from the UNDP Beirut took part as well in the seminar.

The objective of the seminar was to promote the use of the Internet as a tool to support economic and social development efforts pursued, in particular, by the United Nations and the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, while the world is undergoing an information and communications technology revolution. The participants were trained to set up Web sites and to present their institutions and their activities. They were also introduced to information resources on the United Nations system and Francophone organizations Web sites.

The seminar was led by Jean-Pierre Bugada, Osamah Khawam and Anna Manikowska of the Information Technology Section of DPI, and by Christian Ambaud, of the Agence intergouvernementale de la Francophonie (AIF), Simone Sabathe, of the Institut francophone des nouvelles technologies de l'information et de la formation (INTIF), Sid�Ahmed Ould Fadel (AIF) and Maria Abi Karam�, of the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF).

During the seminar, George Akl, SDNP National Coordinator in Lebanon, presented the project. This project, managed by Raul Zambrano and created by Agenda 21, the programme of action adopted by the 1992 Rio Conference on environment to bring together major actors in the field of environment and development, effectively connected 30,000 people around the world. In this context, Mr. Akl underlined that 220 participants were trained in Lebanon. Thirty-two Web sites were developed and 31 partners connected. A Web sites

- 2 - Press Release PI/1302 23 October 2000

directory covering 19 themes linked to environment was prepared. The assigned goal has been reached and the project is now completed.

Ramzi El Hafez, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Lebanon Opportunities, dealing with Internet development in Lebanon, said that the Internet was introduced in Lebanon in 1995. Major institutions, in particular governmental agencies and banks, were the first to use it. Unfortunately, the communications network was damaged by war.

Internet users, between 50,000 and 100,000 according to use level, should reach 200,000 in 2002. But, with a national bandwidth increase and if competition produces a higher level of better quality, this level could reach 400,000. There are now 19 service providers in the country. Access monthly rate went down from $30 to $10. Three thousands Lebanese sites, of various size, are on-line. Nevertheless, the necessity to register a trade mark for $500 to have a site limits the development of �.lb� sites, to a level of only 1,700.

The Internet economy should generate $160 million a year. In fact, bank involvement gives credit to the Internet development. This development requires that governmental regulation be limited. Specialists are well trained, but they may migrate towards more attractive regions in terms of taxation.

Safa Zok, also representing Lebanon Opportunities, presented the results of a study on Internet use, conducted last summer with 1,000 users. It covers site browsing, e-commerce and Netphone. Netphone is very popular despite restrictive regulations and WAP format will be introduced soon.

Edward Wallace, StrategicLink.Inc. Vice-President, and Mark Maamari and Joe Tawile, local representatives of the company, which specializes in wireless broadband access and which supported the seminar by providing in particular a high-speed connection to the Internet, demonstrated the technology.

Nejib Friji, United Nations Information Centre Director and ESCWA Information Service Chief, on behalf of ESCWA Executive Secretary, Nada Al-Nashif, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, on behalf of the UNDP Resident Coordinator and Michel Bennasar, Regional Director of Le Monde Arabe de l�Agence universitaire de la Francophonie and Representative of the International Organization of la Francophonie, took the floor during the closing session. Jean-Pierre Bugada and Osamah Khawam from DPI/ITS also took the floor.

The seminar was opened by Anwar Al Khalil, Minister of Information of Lebanon. Hazem Abdel-Aziz El-Beblawi took part in the ceremony.

The seminar, a follow-up of the 1999 Abidjan seminar, also organized in cooperation with OIF, for nine French-speaking countries in West Africa, underlines the importance given by the United Nations to new information and communication technologies and their increasing activities in this field. United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in his Millennium Report, addressing the necessity to overcome the digital divide between developed countries and developing countries, stressed that this divide can -- and will -- be bridged.

The seminar Internet coverage is available on the United Nations Web site at .

* *** *
United Nations