[oh boy...I hope people have some sense of humour about this. Style via Gruber.]
A Translation From PR-Speak to English of Selected Portions of the Ministers’ declaration on ICT Development
22 June, 2010, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) – Pacific Ministers for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have committed to further development of the region’s ICT systems as a key tool for governance and sustainable livelihoods.
“We met and will definitely meet again in the future.”
In a declaration made at the Pacific Regional Information & Communication Technology (ICT) Ministers’ Meeting in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, they agreed to ‘work together to support the advancement of Pacific countries through improved deployment and use of ICTs in our societies; and endorse the concept of ‘many partners, one team’ in progressing a more coordinated and coherent approach to ICT development’.
“There won’t be much immediate change evident at all but we’re all definitely keen.”
Called the Tonga Declaration, the document notes ICT priority issues and development plans. The ministers also endorsed the Framework for Action on ICT for Development for the Pacific and requested SPC to coordinate the implementation of the framework in collaboration with USP, and other regional agencies and development partners.
“Collaboration is a good thing but we’ll need to have a few more meetings and probably put out some expressions of interest first before anything is decided upon.”
The ministers agreed that the new framework of action should be reviewed before mid-2013, with a Pacific ICT ministers’ meeting to be convened after the review to consider the findings and provide direction to the implementation of the framework.
“The new framework won’t be reviewed anytime soon.”
Ministers also requested that the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) work with the University of the South Pacific, development partners and Pacific Island countries and territories to develop a three year rolling Strategic Action Plan that will be updated annually and to report back on targets set in the framework.
“Yadda yadda yadda...”
The ministers acknowledged the important role of ICT in meeting the Millennium Development Goals and recalled Resolution 64/187 of the UN General Assembly, which highlighted the importance of partnerships with stakeholders in enhancing access to ICT and its potential to provide new solutions to development challenges.
[impossible to translate]
They noted that the Pacific Plan provides a basis for regional cooperation and integration between Forum countries and considered the unique challenges faced by Pacific small island developing states and territories in establishing ICT systems
“We’ve got a pretty wide range of problems and ICT is one of them.”
