The lack of a comprehensive comparable set of information and communications technology ‎‎(ICT) indicators poses a major obstacle to strategic decision-making, for instance in identifying ‎priority areas of policy action, assessing and revising ICT strategies, allocating resources, monitoring ‎progress, evaluating impacts, and benchmarking national/regional/global development of the ‎information society. In recognition of that, the “Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development” ‎developed a list of core ICT indicators through an intensive global stocktaking process.‎ ‎ The ‎Partnership list is comprised of forty-two core ICT indicators under four categories: (a) ICT ‎infrastructure and access, (b) access to, and use of, ICT by households and individuals, (c) use of ICT ‎by businesses, and (d) ICT sector and trade in ICT goods.‎ ‎ The agreed-upon list was recognized at the ‎‎36th session of the United Nations Statistical Commission, held in New York, during 1-4 March 2005. ‎However, the list was not intended to be a final list, as it does not cover all vital sectors of the ‎information society;‎ ‎ hence, the focus of the EGM on core indicators for use of ICT in education and ‎literacy and e-government readiness, as well as fostering the adoption and collection of data for these ‎indicators in Western Asia and the Arab region.‎