[Index]
E-Transition for All
Geneva, 20 March 2001
New UNECE Initiative
Team of Specialists on Internet Enterprise Development
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
(UN/ECE) announced today a new initiative - "E-Transition for All" - to assist
in the advancement of the digital economy and Internet enterprise development in countries
in transition.
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 Estonias Internet development policies over the last ten years. Zoran
Jolevski, Chief of the Presidents 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
Ref: ECE/TRADE/01/01