We are living in a time when technology is changing the way we interact with each other and the ecosystem around us. Globally, access to mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, and a host of other affordable devices is bringing the power of computing to our palms in the comfort of our homes and offices. The world today has almost as many cell phone subscriptions as inhabitants. There are currently 6 billion mobile subscribers worldwide, which roughly equals 87 percent of the world’s population. Further, an estimated 2.3 billion people—which translates to one in every three of the world's 7 billion people—are internet users.
Such unprecedented penetration of technology plays an important role in reducing global imbalances and the digital divide. Technology, led by ICT, presents solutions to some of the most pressing global challenges in areas like financial inclusion, healthcare, education, and disaster management, amongst others. There are short-term challenges to be overcome in view of the lack of communication infrastructure and lack of global cooperation. Over the next 20 to 30 years, the ICT space will continue to be a major driver of economic growth and employment.
There are 5 focus areas for ICT that the Innovation and Development Taskforce of the B20 is looking at recommendations for the G20 coalition:
1) Importance of public-private cooperation in the area of ICT.
The private sector has always led from the front in developments in ICT. To enable the benefits of these developments to reach the masses, public-private cooperation is crucial. There is a need for long term solutions towards giving better service to citizens. Governments have a key role to play because private sector investments typically go to regions where there is high investment potential and not to rural areas. Therefore, governments have to invest in strengthening communication infrastructure.
2) Protection of the data privacy.
Private and public sectors alike are still figuring out where to draw the line when it comes to data privacy. Governments play a key role in protecting interests of the state and citizens by fighting cyber-crime (including acts of terrorism) and strengthening data protection measures. To achieve these objectives, the government needs access to information. However similar to a warrant for searching a citizen’s house, the government will need legal clearance to access personal information of individuals. For getting access, they need to document what they need the data for. This calls for cooperation even within governments because the crime may occur in one state and the jurisdiction may be in another state.
3) Role of government and public/private institutions in conducting IT training and creating other conditions for modern, IT-involved citizens.
In the 21st century, change is continuous and rapid. There is a need for continuous and life-long training to stay relevant. We need industry, government, and academic partnerships to implement this. We can leverage technology to bring quality education to smaller, remote communities where getting teachers would pose a challenge. This will leverage the IT infrastructure set-up in Public-Private Partnership mode.
4) Role of ICT in fostering entrepreneurship.
Innovation and entrepreneurship are the bedrocks of any economic activity. It creates jobs, it creates wealth and it improves the general standard of living for large sections of the population. Small and medium enterprises in particular play a very important role as they create the maximum number of jobs. At a time when there are over 200 million unemployed youth in the world, 40 million of which are in the advanced economies alone, entrepreneurs will have to lead from the front in job creation. The need of the hour is to create incubators which provide the enabling environment to foster entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is unparalleled in its ability to enable job seekers to become job creators.
5) Catalytic role of the public sector in ICT and other spheres.
ICT is today a catalyst for growth in every sector including banking, education, healthcare and governance. It enables governments to provide better and effective citizen services. ICT will continue to be a key driver for productivity in the next 30 to 50 years. In the past 20 years, ICT has led job creation and wealth creation, and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Governments must come forward and play a central role in order to bring in scale to these efforts. We need to foster global discussion, collaboration and action in order to share best practices and create enabling policies. Special focus should be given to inter-governmental cooperation.
In conclusion, the scale of the challenges we face today is so huge that no single stakeholder can work in isolation and hope to move the needle. What we need is a multi-stakeholder response between governments, private sector, policy makers, and NGOs alike. ICT will continue to play the role of being an enabler in the design and delivery of these coordinated responses. Forums like the B20 will play a critical role in representing the views of the business community which has to lead from the front in these efforts.
S. Gopalakrishnan (Kris), the Co-chair of Innovation & Development Task Force of the B20, is the Co-founder and Executive Co-chairman of Infosys Ltd. He is the President of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and a Member of the Board of the United Nations Global Compact. He was the Chairman of The Business Action for Sustainable Development 2012 (BASD). Kris was recently selected to the Thinkers 50, an elite list of global business thinkers. He is also a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian honor.
This article was originally published in the special annual G8 Summit 2013 edition and The Official ICC G20 Advisory Group Publication. Published with permission.
Photo: ITU Pictures (cc).
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ICT for a Better Tomorrow
August 25, 2013
We are living in a time when technology is changing the way we interact with each other and the ecosystem around us. Globally, access to mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, and a host of other affordable devices is bringing the power of computing to our palms in the comfort of our homes and offices. The world today has almost as many cell phone subscriptions as inhabitants. There are currently 6 billion mobile subscribers worldwide, which roughly equals 87 percent of the world’s population. Further, an estimated 2.3 billion people—which translates to one in every three of the world's 7 billion people—are internet users.
Such unprecedented penetration of technology plays an important role in reducing global imbalances and the digital divide. Technology, led by ICT, presents solutions to some of the most pressing global challenges in areas like financial inclusion, healthcare, education, and disaster management, amongst others. There are short-term challenges to be overcome in view of the lack of communication infrastructure and lack of global cooperation. Over the next 20 to 30 years, the ICT space will continue to be a major driver of economic growth and employment.
There are 5 focus areas for ICT that the Innovation and Development Taskforce of the B20 is looking at recommendations for the G20 coalition:
1) Importance of public-private cooperation in the area of ICT.
The private sector has always led from the front in developments in ICT. To enable the benefits of these developments to reach the masses, public-private cooperation is crucial. There is a need for long term solutions towards giving better service to citizens. Governments have a key role to play because private sector investments typically go to regions where there is high investment potential and not to rural areas. Therefore, governments have to invest in strengthening communication infrastructure.
2) Protection of the data privacy.
Private and public sectors alike are still figuring out where to draw the line when it comes to data privacy. Governments play a key role in protecting interests of the state and citizens by fighting cyber-crime (including acts of terrorism) and strengthening data protection measures. To achieve these objectives, the government needs access to information. However similar to a warrant for searching a citizen’s house, the government will need legal clearance to access personal information of individuals. For getting access, they need to document what they need the data for. This calls for cooperation even within governments because the crime may occur in one state and the jurisdiction may be in another state.
3) Role of government and public/private institutions in conducting IT training and creating other conditions for modern, IT-involved citizens.
In the 21st century, change is continuous and rapid. There is a need for continuous and life-long training to stay relevant. We need industry, government, and academic partnerships to implement this. We can leverage technology to bring quality education to smaller, remote communities where getting teachers would pose a challenge. This will leverage the IT infrastructure set-up in Public-Private Partnership mode.
4) Role of ICT in fostering entrepreneurship.
Innovation and entrepreneurship are the bedrocks of any economic activity. It creates jobs, it creates wealth and it improves the general standard of living for large sections of the population. Small and medium enterprises in particular play a very important role as they create the maximum number of jobs. At a time when there are over 200 million unemployed youth in the world, 40 million of which are in the advanced economies alone, entrepreneurs will have to lead from the front in job creation. The need of the hour is to create incubators which provide the enabling environment to foster entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is unparalleled in its ability to enable job seekers to become job creators.
5) Catalytic role of the public sector in ICT and other spheres.
ICT is today a catalyst for growth in every sector including banking, education, healthcare and governance. It enables governments to provide better and effective citizen services. ICT will continue to be a key driver for productivity in the next 30 to 50 years. In the past 20 years, ICT has led job creation and wealth creation, and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Governments must come forward and play a central role in order to bring in scale to these efforts. We need to foster global discussion, collaboration and action in order to share best practices and create enabling policies. Special focus should be given to inter-governmental cooperation.
In conclusion, the scale of the challenges we face today is so huge that no single stakeholder can work in isolation and hope to move the needle. What we need is a multi-stakeholder response between governments, private sector, policy makers, and NGOs alike. ICT will continue to play the role of being an enabler in the design and delivery of these coordinated responses. Forums like the B20 will play a critical role in representing the views of the business community which has to lead from the front in these efforts.
S. Gopalakrishnan (Kris), the Co-chair of Innovation & Development Task Force of the B20, is the Co-founder and Executive Co-chairman of Infosys Ltd. He is the President of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and a Member of the Board of the United Nations Global Compact. He was the Chairman of The Business Action for Sustainable Development 2012 (BASD). Kris was recently selected to the Thinkers 50, an elite list of global business thinkers. He is also a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian honor.
This article was originally published in the special annual G8 Summit 2013 edition and The Official ICC G20 Advisory Group Publication. Published with permission.
Photo: ITU Pictures (cc).
