Assessing the impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and e-services remains a relatively uncharted domain due to the absence of internationally agreed indicators which hinders the ability of policymakers to properly evaluate the impact of ICT initiatives and adapt them to local conditions.

While 2010 was, for ESCWA member countries, a year of recovery from the effects of the global financial crisis, in 2011 the continued global economic recession and the popular movements in some Arab countries led to a downturn in economic growth rates in most member countries. These challenges and changes have placed added pressure on member countries to implement the commitments set out in the 2002 Monterrey Consensus of the International Conference on Financing for Development and reaffirmed in 2008.

This document aims at defining the Digital Arabic Content (DAC) and the opportunities that this industry provides. The ESCWA acknowledged the importance of DAC in the field of Information and Communications Technology in the Arab region and launched the regional “Digital Arabic Content Initiative”, which led to a series of activities and studies. The present document presents also activities and projects implemented within the framework of the promotion of DAC industry.