Contact: Name/Organization/Entity: Ms. Atsuko Okuda/ESCAP

Phone number: Tel:+662 288 1430

E-mail: E-mail: okuda@un.org

http://www.itu.int/go/en/wtdc17rpm

I have the honour to transmit herewith the attached document from ESCAP for your information.

Brahima Sanou

BDT Director,

Regional Preparatory Meeting for WTDC-17 for Asia and the Pacific (RPM-ASP)

Bali, Indonesia, 21-23 March 2017

Document RPM-ASP17/INF/9-E 7 March 2017 Original: English

Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau

INFORMATION DOCUMENT FROM ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC (ESCAP)

ASIA PACIFIC INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY

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InformationPaperAsiaPacificInformationSuperhighway

1. BackgroundMillions of people in Asia and the Pacific are shut out from transformative digitalopportunities due to a lack of broadband connectivity. In particular, countries withspecial needs (Least developed countries, landlocked least developed countries andsmall island developing states) continues to experience the largest gap on broadbanddigitaldivide1.The increasing broadband digital divide in Asia-Pacific, if not addressed, could havesignificant negative consequences on their sustainable development efforts. Inparticular, the abilities ofAsia-Pacific countries to effectively achieving the SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs) and theWorld Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)goals.BasedonESCAPanalyses,themaincausesoriginatefromlackof:investmentinresilientICT infrastructure, effective Internet traffic and network management, conducive andenabling regulations for investment,andcapacityandawarenessamongpolicymakersand regulators among others2. Recognizing these connectivity deficits, the ESCAPmembercountriesrecentlyendorsedtheAsia-Pacific InformationSuperhighway(AP-IS)Master Plan3 and the Regional Cooperation Framework Document4 outline theprinciples,deliverables,timelineandfinancingmechanismstowardsnarrowingthedigitaldivideandacceleratingtheachievementoftheSDGs.2. AP-ISFrameworkThe AP-IS concept was defined to identify cross-border fibre-optic network gaps,opportunities and the need for regional cooperation on improving digital inclusionaroundfourareas(pillars):1) Connectivity:

- Physicalnetworkdesign,development,managementatregionallevel;- Intergovernmentalnegotiation;- Improvingregulationsbasedonopenaccess

2) Traffic/networkmanagement- Ensuing efficient and effective Internet traffic and network management at

1In2015,20Asia-Pacificcountrieswerefoundtohavelessthan2%fixedbroadbandpenetration.ThesecountriesconsistmostlyofLDCs,LLDCsandSIDS.Forfurtherdetails,seeESCAP(2016),‘StateofICTinAsiaandthePacific–uncoveringthewideningdigitaldivide’,accessedvia:http://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/State%20of%20ICT%20in%20Asia%20and%20the%20Pacific%202016.pdf2ForfurtherdetailsonESCAPstudies,pleasevisithttp://www.unescap.org/our-work/ict-disaster-risk-reduction/asia-pacific-information-superhighway/publications3http://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/pre-ods/CICTSTI1_2E_rev1.pdf4http://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/pre-ods/CICTSTI1_3E_rev1.pdf

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regional,sub-regionalandnationallevels3) E-resilience

- ResilientICTnetworks;- Supporttodisastermanagementsystems;- Ensuringlast-miledisastercommunication

4) Broadbandforall- Bridgingdigitaldivides- Promotingaffordableaccesstounderservedareas- Policyandtechnicalsupporttogovernments

TheAP-ISMasterPlanendorsedbyESCAPmembercountriesinOctober2016includedthreekeyareasandsevenstrategicinitiativesfortheachievementofmedium-termobjectivesforimplementationasfollows:Threekeyareas:1) Seamless, affordable and reliable regional broadband connectivity, with well-

balanced sea- and land-based connectivity and Internet traffic exchangemanagement;

2) Thepromotionofe-resilience3) Thepromotionofinclusivebroadbandaccessinunderservedareasandnarrowingthe

digitaldivideAP-ISseveninitiatives5:1) Identification, coordination, deployment, expansion and integration of the regional

backbone networks at the cross-border intra- and interregional levels, incollaborationwithmembercountriesandsub-regionalorganizations

2) Establish a sufficient number of Internet exchange points at the national and sub-regionallevelsandsetoutcommonprinciplesonInternettrafficexchangetopreventInternettromboning,decreasetransitcostsandimproveservicequality

3) Regionalsocialandeconomicstudies4) EnhancingICTinfrastructureresilienceintheAPregion5) Policyandregulationsforleveragingexistinginfrastructure,technologyandinclusive

broadbandinitiatives6) Capacity-building7) AP-ISprojectfundingmechanismbasedonpublic-privatepartnerships

3. PotentialactivitiesforITU/ESCAPcollaboration

AsoutlinedbytheAP-ISMasterPlan,specificareasoffocuswithpartiesresponsiblehavebeenidentifiedthroughregionalconsultations6inthepast12months.TheactivitieslistedbelowareareasidentifiedintheAP-ISMasterPlanforpotentialcollaborationwithITU.5http://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/pre-ods/CICTSTI1_2E_rev1.pdf6http://www.unescap.org/events/second-session-working-group-asia-pacific-information-superhighwayandhttp://www.unescap.org/events/committee-information-and-communications-technology-science-technology-and-innovation-first

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SomeactivitiesareproposednewareasoffocusforcollaborationbetweenITUandESCAP.Inaddition,theWorldSummitonInformationSociety(WSIS)isanactivityoutsidetheAP-ISMasterPlan,butidentifiedasapotentialeffectiveregionalpartnershipforESCAP/ITUcollaboration.

Areasoffocus Description Partyresponsible

UpdateAsia-Pacificinformationsuperhighwaytransmissionmaps

• Maximizecross-sectoralsynergyorutilizeexistingroadsandrailroadinfrastructure

• UpdatetheAsia-Pacificinformationsuperhighwaytransmissionmap

ESCAP,InternationalTelecommunicationUnionandmembercountries[AsreflectedintheAP-ISMasterPlan]

Financialinclusionforempowermentofwomenentrepreneurs

• IncollaborationwithUnitedNationsEconomicCommissionforAsiaandthePacific,evaluatechallenges,bestpractices,andlessonslearntontheuseofICTtoimprovefinancialinclusioninPacificislandcountries.

[ProposedactivityforITU]

Terrestrialfibrelinkstointernationalconnectivity

• Explorewaystostrengthene-resilienceinfibrelinktoEurope

• ExploretheprovisionofadditionalbandwidthforlandlockedCentralAsiancountries

[ProposedactivityforITU]

Institutionalandindividualcapacity-building

• Capacity-building,sharingofgoodpracticesandlessonslearnedattheregionallevelpertainingtonetworktrafficmanagementandmonitoring,deploymentofterrestrial/submarinefibre

ESCAP,allmembercountries,researchinstitutes,theprivatesectorandUnitedNationsagencies&InternationalTelecommunicationUnion[AsreflectedintheAP-ISMasterPlan]

FormulationofanAsia- • Exploreandformulatea ESCAP,UnitedNations

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Pacificinformationsuperhighwayfundingplatform

mechanismtofundtheAsia-PacificinformationsuperhighwayprojectinpartnershipwiththeWorldBank,theAsianDevelopmentBank,theAsianInfrastructureInvestmentBankandotherfinancialinstitutes

• Explorepublicfundingarrangementsandpublic-privatepartnershipsandspecialpurposevehiclesforthepromotionofinfrastructuredevelopment

• ExploregovernmentfundingoptionsonInternetexchangepointconstructionandoperations

• CollectinformationonICTprojectfundingmechanismsintheAsia-Pacificregion

agencies,subregionalorganizations,theprivatesector,financialinstitutionsandmembercountries[ProposedactivityforITU]

RegionalreviewoftheWorldSummitonInformationSociety(WSIS)inAsiaandthePacific

• IncollaborationwithUnitedNationsEconomicCommissionforAsiaandthePacific,conductannualregionalreviewontheprogressofimplementationoftheWSISactionlinesinAsiaandthePacific.

[ProposedactivityforITU]

4. ReferencestoESCAPResolution,SustainableDevelopmentGoals,andWSISActionLineGoals

ESCAPResolution

ESCAPResolution72/10,‘RegionalreviewoftheimplementationoftheWorldSummitontheInformationSocietyactionlines(E/ESCAP/RES/72/10)’

SustainableDevelopmentGoals

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TheidentifiedactivitiesforjointESCAP/ITUcollaborationabovecontributedirectlytotheachievementofthefollowingUNSDGs:5(target5.b);9(targets9.a,9.b,9.c)&17(targets17.6)

WSISActionLineGoals

TheidentifiedactivitiesforjointESCAP/ITUcollaborationabovecontributesdirectlytotheimplementationoftheWSISActionLineC4(Informationandcommunicationinfrastructure);C5(BuildingConfidenceandsecurityintheuseofICTs);C6(Enablingenvironment);andC11(Internationalandregionalcooperation).