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For Bangladesh, a country dependent essentially on its human resources for improving its lot and offering its people life with basic human dignity, the confluence of the digital technology revolution and economic globalization opens up unprecedented opportunities ... Is Bangladesh doing all it can to seize the opportunities?

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TWO major regions of the world — one consisting of some of the richest countries and the other with some of the poorest — pin their hope for economic recovery and progress on the digital information technology'.

Leaders of the European Union, according to a communique issued on 24 March at the end of a Summit of the European Union leaders in Lisbon, vowed to turn Europe into-a "strong and dynamic knowledge-based economy" in a bid to surpass the United States in the Internet age. Dubbed as the "dot-corn" summit because of its focus on the "new economy" based on information technology’. the meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Antonio Guterres of Portugal, whose country currently holds the rotating Presidency of the European Union.

The Lisbon communique underscored the need for "social systems able to provide beyond their intrinsic value, the stable framework required for managing the structural changes involved in moving toward a knowledge-based society." Specific targets adopted by the heads of government of Europe included, among others, connecting every school to the internet. cutting the cost of Internet access, speeding up legislation for e-commerce. and drawing up plans for reforming and adding appropriate regulations for the ‘new economy.

Prime Minister Guterres was of the view that. “This Lisbon Strategy- is going to bring about a revolution in the way we work... This is a turning point." Chancellor Gerhard Scliroeder of Germany was equally enthusiastic. “It shows we are prepared to move away from the old industrial society toward a new. high technology and communication-based one." he said. British Prime Minister Tony Blair saw the summit meeting as having “developed a different set of directions for EU economic policy."

During the same week as European leaders were charting the information age future, delegates from 46 countries of Latin America at the annual meetings of the Inter-America Development Bank were treated to a vision of the Internet-based future for their region. Several Projects were presented to demonstrate how the internet can make a difference in the lives of peasant farmers. One project showed how Guatemalan peasant women marketed their hand-woven

cloth through c-commerce. lit another, people in small towns were shown to gain access to the Internet through computer cabins set up around Pent.

President Miguel Angel Rodriguez of Costa Rica, speaking to tne meeting by video-conference facility, said that his country aimed toward "a society that is based on technology and a government that Is based on technology."

The message of Enrique Iglesias. President of the InterAmerican Development Bank, a sister institution of the World . Bank, to the conference was that the Internet can make a difference and help create new growth in Latin America. To pull one-third of the people in Latin America out of abject poverty, a much higher and sustained ievel of economic growth will be needed than the three to four per cent rate expected In 2000 and an even lower rate in the past. Effective use of the new technology could be the answer, according to Mr Iglesias.

It has not escaped the participants at the Latin American meeting that Europe and Latin America do not start from the same base-line of economic, technological and Institutional development. Electronic commerce may spark off a faster economic growth in Europe Just as information technology in general has created an unprecedented decade-long economic boom In the United States and has produced huge national budget surplus, with no end in sight of the expansionary phase of the business cycle. Some experts believe that a sustained economic productivity growth that has been achieved through the application of the digital technology implies the end of business cycle as we know it. characterized by periods of expansion and recession.

Latin America has to overcome several challenges before it can benefit fully from the new economy of the internet. Most critical of these challenges are convincing and changing the mind-set of political leaders and policy makers regarding the potential of the digital technology, improving the

telecommunication infrastructure — the backbone of the new information technology and developing ways of applying the new technology in aiding growth and wealth creation that is shared widely by the people.

The globalized market has opened the possibilities for investment and technology sharing that will be required for introduction and use of digital technology hi the developing countries. However, as Mr. Iglesias noted, private sector Investors are interested mainly in big markets like Mexico and Brazil. "So the role of the (Inter-American Development! bank will be to help finance telecommunications and New Economy infrastructures for the smaller nations," Mr. Iglesias asserted.

Equally important will be the role of the government of the smaller nations In preparing the ground, taking neces-sary policy and regulatory decisions. giving priority to the necessary infrastructure, building and facilitating private investment. and promoting public-private partnership.

Also a critical responsibility of the government is to develop. {) re sent and share with the pubic the vision of the future that can be created for the benefit of all. The Government has to win the support or at least prevent active resistance of those who are against change. The President of Costa Rica, as he spoke about the promise of the new technology, remained confined in a building, besieged by government workers demonstrating against legislation that would end the government monopoly in telecommunication and the power sectors. This is symbolic of the obstacles developing countries face — and not an unfamiliar scene in Bangladesh.

For Bangladesh, a country dependent essentially on its human resources for improving its lot and offering its people life with basic human dignity, the confluence of the digital technology revolution and economic globalization opens up unprecedented opportunities.

Some of the possibilities of creating employment and Income and boosting foreign ex-< hange earnings are well-known from the experience ol other developing countries including neighbouring India: contracts for data processing and data management for multi-national mammoths such as Insurance companies, health systems, and airlines with huge on-going data processing needs: export of tailor-made software and application development, the demand for which is sky-rocketing: and export of skilled personnel with IT competencies for whom a massive shortage is projected. India's earning from IT-relatcd export was $4 billion in 1998 and Is projected by the government to rise to $85 billion by 2008.

New possibilities that will arise if the right steps are taken now Include:

a) Staking a claim in the burgeoning global e-commerce — on-line world-wide commercial transaction between consumer and business and between business — the fastest growing sector in the world economy:

b) Prospect of dramatic improvement in the quality of education by expanding the availability of learning materials for students and teachers through web-based learning resource centres. Michael Saylor, owner of the Microstrategy Corporation, has pledged 100 million dollars to create a virtual campus in order to offer a "ivy league college education" free to anyone ready to take ad-vantage of it. There Is no reason why Bangladesh universities cannot make use of this gift to complement their lectures and course materials:

c) Most importantly, the new technologies offer a fighting chance for Bangladesh to be in the arena of the global market, to make a credible effort to halt and reverse the widening gap in Income and quality of life with developed countries and to make a place for itself on the right side of the looming digital divide.

Is Bangladesh doing all It can to seize the opportunities? Some important steps have been taken including duty-free Import of computer hardware and software, permitting competitive entry ol the private sector Into cellular phone service; and contract (although much delayed) for links to under-sea global fibre-optic-trunk lines The private sector, especially the NGOs have made an exemplary contribution as internet service providers and by initiating IT training opportunities.

Other Important policy measures that need attention Include:

• Rapid improvement of telecommunication infrastructure. opening It to private sector competition; ensuring that telephones are efficient, reliable. and available on demand at a reasonable cost; and eliminating the Interface problem between wireless and wired networks.

• Expanding broadband access for fast and large-scale data, audio and video transmission.

• Encouraging IT training and skill development with measures for self-regulation and self-accreditation by providers to safeguard consumer interest.

• Making Internet service cheap and widely available as a public good for education and public information; university students and teachers at all levels should have internet access on a priority basis.

• Promoting public-private partnership Tor developing Bangla language internet capabilities and Bangla education and information content. A systematic effort Is needed to develop a network of educational content providers for Bangla language Internet service.

• Developing a legislative and regulatory framework for within country and International e-commerce for quality control, consumer protection and dispute settlement — If Bangladesh expects to take part In the global e-commerce race.

Digital technology Is not the God-sent solution to all of the ills of Bangladesh. But it is a new and promising tool for tackling some of the major intractable problems.

The above are personal comments by the writer, who is Director oj the UNICEF Office Jor Japan.