Jordanian Minister of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Bassem Rousan opened the UN-ESCWA Workshop on "Establishing Public Private Partnerships (PPP) for Information and ICT Initiatives" hosted by the Ministry of ICT (MoICT) in Amman from 26 February to 1 March 2007.

 

The workshop was organized in cooperation with the Jordanian MoICT, the Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP), and the Institute of Public Private Partnership (IP3). Participants tackled PPP strategic and operational aspects such as: PPP options for infrastructure services; legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks; project finance; tendering and procurement techniques; and developing PPP units. Participants also presented case studies from their respective countries and discussed ideas for potential regional projects and partnerships that would allow them to collaborate in knowledge sharing activities, spread strategic alliances, and mobilize resources for the innovative use of ICTs in development. 

 

The workshop concluded with a panel session comprised of representatives from the organizing partners of the workshop. It highlighted priority areas and modalities for promoting PPPs, as well as ways to encourage entrepreneurship and create an enabling environment in the region.

 

As a side event to the workshop, UN-ESCWA, represented by the Chief of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Division Youssef Nusseir, and Alcatel-Lucent, represented by Vice-President Thierry Albrand, held a press conference on 28 February 2007 to launch a joint publication entitled "Broadband for Development in the UN-ESCWA Region: Enhancing Access to ICT Services in a Global Knowledge Society". This publication is the latest outcome of the ongoing cooperation between UN-ESCWA and Alcatel-Lucent in the field of ICT for development, which began in early 2005 and resulted in a number of joint activities.

 

The study is intended to build a regional framework for broadband deployment in the UN-ESCWA region both as a contribution in line with the outcome of the World Summit on the Information Society, and as part of UN-ESCWA's Regional Plan of Action for Building the Information Society. Furthermore, it provides guidelines for ICT policymakers with respect to infrastructure development at the national and regional levels. The first dimension of the study is an analysis of the status of broadband deployment in the UN-ESCWA region, substantiated by specific country case studies. The second is an assessment of lessons learnt from international experience, focusing on what has made broadband a success in other countries. The third dimension consists of an evaluation of technologies and business cases that may support broadband for socioeconomic development in the region, for which broadband availability is widely perceived as a powerful catalyst.