Leading this initiative is the UN/ECE Team of Specialists on Internet Enterprise Development, which was established in June 2000 under the Committee for Trade, Industry and Enterprise Development to act as the UN/ECE focal point for discussion and exchange of views on best practices, trends, policies, guidelines relating to Internet-based enterprise development in transition economies.

The Team is holding its second session at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, on March 20. Participants will include government representatives, experts from the business community in the region and international organizations. The meeting will be led by Chairman Patrick Gannon, OASIS Chairman and Senior Vice-President, BEA E-Commerce Integration Division; Vice-Chair Jiri Roudny, IT Director of the Ministry of Finance, Czech Republic; Vice-Chair George Goumelauri, Consultant, Georgia.

At this session, the Team will address recommendations and best practices regarding applying the new information and communications technologies to Internet-based enterprise development in countries in economic transition. The Team will also review proposals for establishing regional advisory councils on digital economy and developing centres for digital economy in transition economies.

Jaak Aaviksoo, Rector of Tartu University and former Chairman of the IT Tiger-leap programme of Estonia will explore lessons that could be learnt by other countries from Estonia’s Internet development policies over the last ten years. Zoran Jolevski, Chief of the President’s Office of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia will present the Presidential Initiative on "E-Macedonia for All", and Mr. Skorbezh, Minister of Entrepreneurship and Investments of the Republic of Belarus will address key issues of the digital economy and Internet enterprise development in the region.

"The UN/ECE is especially proud to be leading such efforts with this Team of Specialists for Internet Enterprise Development", stated Ms. Carol Cosgrove-Sacks, Director of the Trade Division. "We are pleased to be able to attract such a stellar group of leaders from both private industry and government agencies".

The Team will consider innovative strategies for fostering the implementation of Internet infrastructures that will enable businesses to become e-businesses within the transition economies.

A number of practical work programmes on "E-Transition for All" have been developed since the Team was set up, including the Survey on Internet Enterprise Development in Transition Economies (UN publication, ECE/TRADE/255); the Survey on E-Government Development; the Survey on E-Payment Systems Development, in collaboration with the German Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS); E-Regulatory Framework Development, in collaboration with the Governments of the Czech Republic and Hungary; Internet Startups Development, in collaboration with the European Commission; Distance Learning and Virtual Entrepreneurship Development, in collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

The Team of Specialists held its first Regional Conference on Digital Economy for South East Europe in Bucharest, in collaboration with the Romanian Government in October 2000. This year, a series of follow-up regional conferences are planned to be held in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the Russian Federation.

For more information, please contact:

Mr Daewon Choi
Secretary of the Team of Specialists on Internet Enterprise Development
UNECE Trade Division
CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland

Tel: (+41 22) 917 2474
Fax: (+41 22) 917 0178
Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.unece.org/trade/welcome.htm