Community Information Services for the Poor 2005

Post-event Statement

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Background

About 40% of Sri Lanka’s population can be classified as poor or vulnerable to poverty. This poverty level remained constant during the 1990s, despite a real gross domestic product growth rate of around 5% per annum. Moreover, the benefits of growth are not being evenly distributed throughout the country: most growth has been concentrated in the Western Province. Poverty is predominantly a rural phenomenon, with nearly 90% of the poor residing in rural areas where vital information for survival and additional income is lacking. Therefore, it is very difficult for the poor to share the benefits of economic growth, as they do not know what opportunities are available.

Information and communications technology (ICT) has enormous potential to improve the livelihoods of low income people by reducing the cost of providing services to traditionally marginalized communities and facilitating the build up of constructive social capital. ICT contributes to poverty reduction by enhancing the efficiency of the economy, enabling better delivery of public services, and creating new employment opportunities for the poor and disabled. Access to information plays a crucial role in improving living conditions of the poor. ICT promotes integration of isolated communities into the global economy.

An affordable method to improve access to ICT in rural areas is through community centers that have integrated ICT infrastructure to provide information services. The community center, which is equipped with ICT, is commonly referred to as an e-community center (also referred to as a telecenter, tele-cottage, cyber café, or information kiosk). Through the e-community center, rural people can obtain information and knowledge that can improve their livelihoods and empower themselves. E-community centers have sprung up across developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region at a rapid rate. The growing need to become part of the knowledge society or knowledge economy has encouraged many countries to take this initiative. Therefore, it is necessary to review various business models of e-community centers and look for the best model for their sustainability.

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Objectives

• List at least three different cases of e-community centers for rural development in Asian countries;
• Debate issues in operating and establishing community information centers in rural areas;
• Develop business plans for sustainable community information centers in rural areas after reviewing various business models;
• Identify policies that can effectively promote community information centers; and
• Draft project proposals for establishing community information centers.

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Outputs

• About 30 trained participants in establishing community information centers.
• Realistic strategies for establishing community information centers in Sri Lanka.
• Summary of proceedings.
• Workshop materials that can be converted into interactive CD-ROMs and published online.

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Participants

Decision makers in government ministries of communications, rural development, economy, and planning in Sri Lanka. In addition, observers from civil society and international agencies are expected to attend the workshop.

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Language

English (No interpretation will be provided.)

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Responsibilities

Each participant is required to prepare an issues paper on community information services and a project proposal for establishing a community information center. Suggested outlines of the issues paper and the project proposal will be provided in advance to the selected participants.

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Cosponsors

Cosponsors are the Government of Sri Lanka, Asian Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Korea International Cooperation Agency, and Microsoft.