22 June, 2010, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) – Pacific Ministers for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have committed to further development of the region's ICT systems as a key tool for governance and sustainable livelihoods.
In a declaration made at the Pacific Regional Information & Communication Technology (ICT) Ministers' Meeting in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, they agreed to 'work together to support the advancement of Pacific countries through improved deployment and use of ICTs in our societies; and endorse the concept of 'many partners, one team' in progressing a more coordinated and coherent approach to ICT development'.
Called the Tonga Declaration, the document notes ICT priority issues and development plans. The ministers also endorsed the Framework for Action on ICT for Development for the Pacific and requested SPC to coordinate the implementation of the framework in collaboration with USP, and other regional agencies and development partners.
The ministers agreed that the new framework of action should be reviewed before mid-2013, with a Pacific ICT ministers' meeting to be convened after the review to consider the findings and provide direction to the implementation of the framework.
Ministers also requested that the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) work with the University of the South Pacific, development partners and Pacific Island countries and territories to develop a three year rolling Strategic Action Plan that will be updated annually and to report back on targets set in the framework.
The ministers acknowledged the important role of ICT in meeting the Millennium Development Goals and recalled Resolution 64/187 of the UN General Assembly, which highlighted the importance of partnerships with stakeholders in enhancing access to ICT and its potential to provide new solutions to development challenges.
They noted that the Pacific Plan provides a basis for regional cooperation and integration between Forum countries and considered the unique challenges faced by Pacific small island developing states and territories in establishing ICT systems
Other documents taken into account at the meeting included the Wellington Declaration of the 2006 Pacific Islands Forum Communications Ministers meeting, the 2009 Pacific ICT Ministerial Forum Communiqué that was endorsed by Pacific member states of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the Cairns Communiqué.
For more information: please contact Ruci Mafi, Communications & Training Assistant, SPC-RMC (rucim@spc.int); or Siaosi Sovaleni, ICT Outreach Coordinator, SPC-EDD (SiaosiS@spc.int).
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