The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), with a target date of 2015, have become the yardstick for measuring progress in a number of inter-related development areas. There is still a decade to go but it has become obvious that there will be mixed results, and even regression in some areas, if the world continues business as usual. To give the MDGs a strong chance to be achieved, innovative approaches and additional efforts are required.
An effective deployment of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in development and poverty reduction efforts has the potential to enable a more effective use of existing resources as well as to facilitate a more scaled-up and responsive approach to crafting solutions to meet key development challenges. The organisation of the second phase of the World Summit of the Information Society (WSIS) and a high-level event on the MDGs at the time of the United Nations General Assembly to take stock of the achievements five years after the Millennium Declaration in the second half of 2005 provides a unique opportunity for promoting synergies between a focus on the achievement of the MDGs and information society and ICT for development goals at a high-level.
This study, Up-scaling Pro-Poor ICT-Policies and Practices, looks into these issues in more detail. A first draft served as a background paper for an MSSRF/SDC-sponsored expert meeting in Chennai (India) from November 17-19, 2004 to discuss the recent lessons and trends in up-scaling propoor policies and practices. Based on these inputs, the authors further developed the arguments in this paper. During the expert discussions a "Chennai Statement" emerged, which presents - in a nutshell - the insights of the participating development practitioners and policy makers. The statement is intended to strengthen a multi-dimensional poverty reduction agenda for the implementation of the WSIS Principles and Action Plan, which is closely linked to the achievement of the MDGs.
