UNECE Information Economy Report 2002-2003
Theme: E-Policy for Knowledge Economy
Development
in Transition Economies
At the Pan-European Regional Conference for the World Summit on the Information
Society to be held on 7-9 November in Bucharest, the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UNECE) is to launch the Information Economy
Report 2002-2003, an annual review series prepared to assist member
States, particularly from transition economies, in developing and implementing
e-strategies, e-policies and e-regulatory framework towards a knowledge-based
economy.
The publication contains a series of national progress reports prepared by
relevant experts from 16 countries taking stock of current initiatives of
e-policy development in the region. The report was put together by members
of the UNECE Team of Specialists on Internet Enterprise Development (TSIED)
who met at the UNECE/EU Joint Expert Panel on E-Strategy and E-Policy Development
in Transition Economies, 3-4 October 2002 in Brussels. It also benefited from
contributions of the South East Europe Digital Economy Project of the European
Commission.
The report provides an overview of national e-development strategies, main
policy directions and instruments, relevant legal and regulatory framework,
and the state-of-the-art e-statistics as available. The reports included in
this publication are from Albania, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary,
Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, the
Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
Ukraine, with other countries of the region to be added as of the forthcoming
edition. It also contains a brief regional overview on the main regional trends
and future directions.
The report highlights several key areas that decision makers in transition
economies should consider when formulating policies on the Information Society.
It serves two main purposes: to enable the country concerned to appraise the
institutions and mechanisms that contribute to Information Society development
in terms of country assessment; and to encourage better dissemination of relevant
policies and best practices in terms of knowledge economy development.
Main message of the report is that whilst the role of private sector is becoming
more relevant, public policy does matter, at the national and international
levels, in creating an enabling environment for the Information Society.
The report also aims to serve as a reference material for events in the context
of the World Summit on the Information Society: the Pan-European Regional
Conference in Romania in 2002, the World Summit on the Information Society
in Switzerland in 2003 and in the year 2005 in Tunisia, contribute to deliberations
at these events, and help to bring about an improved understanding of new
information technology-related processes and policies that are essential for
the agenda of economic and social transition.
For further information please contact the UNECE secretariat at:
Mr Daewon Choi
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
Palais des Nations - Office 427
CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Phone: +41(0)22 917 24 74
Fax: +41(0)22 917 01 78
E-mail: [email protected]
Ref: ECE/OPA/02/19