Seminar on Government Facilitation of E-Commerce for Development

1. Geneva, 14 June 2001 Seminar on Government Facilitation of E-Commerce for Development @ Government coordination @ @ Task Force on E-Commerce Venezuelan Mission Oscar Hernández / Luisa Rodríguez

2. Task Force for the Facilitationof E-commerce for Development 1.- A challenge for public policy: • Obstacles for the use of information and communication technology in Developing Countries • Objectives of the “internal coordination” 2.- The Venezuelan Experience: • Strategic Framework • Legislation and Development Plans • Actions 3.- Future projects and their expected results.

3. Obstacles to the use of information and communication technologiesin Developing Countries • High costs of hardware • Low Penetration of infrastructure of telecommunications • Cost of access to internet • Reduced number of persons with credit card Access • Governments with little knowledge about e.commerce • Lack of knowledge about the commercial possibilities of internet • Entrepreneurs prefer their “traditional way” of doing bussiness Know How • Little security and confidenciality in the transactions • Phone and fax are considered safer • Little certainty about applicable jurisdiction Confidence

4. Situation of internet accessin Venezuela Source : Cavecom-E (1999)

5. A challenge for public policy:Objectives of the “internal coordination” • Open and competitive telecommunications sector • Create a framework of rules that stimulate the access to infrastructure • Educate the society in order to give it the capacity to take advantages of the opportunities that e.commerce offers • Transparency in the legal regimes • Appropriate systems of security to generate confidence

6. The Venezuelan Experience:Strategic Framework • Develop a national infrastructure for Information Technologies (I.T.) that will allow to strenghthening of the human capacities and improve the quality of life • Bring up human resources on the effective use of the I.T., through training activities which will allow the transmission of a creative attitude towards I.T.

7. The Venezuelan Experience:Strategic Framework • Contribute with the modernization of the Venezuelanstate. The use of the I.T. will: • Facilitate the communication within the Public Sector, with other Governments and with the citizen • Improve the quality of the public services provided to citizens, institutions and organizations. • Promote the I.T. in the productive sectors (public and private), in order to promote the quality and innovation, in the context of digital world economy

8. The Venezuelan Experience:Legislation and Development Plans • Presidential Decree for e-Government (Nº 825, 10-05-01) • Telecommunications Law • Data Messages and Electronic Signatures Law • Science, technology and Innovation Law • Data Security Law(Project) • Information Technologies National Plan • Telecommunications National Plan

9. The Venezuelan Experience:Actions • INFOCENTROS • Thematic servers in health, production, education, science and environment • http://www.venezuelasaludable.gov.ve/ • http://www.venezuelaproductiva.gov.ve/principal.html • http://www.rena.e12.ve/. • Project to provide I.T. to the small and medium enterprises • “Incubator” for the .com enterprises • Intranet/extranet of the Ministry of Science and Technology as a role model for the public administration

10. The Venezuelan Experience:Highlighting some of the actions INFOCENTROS: Products:  Definition: • Adequate communitary spaces, provided with I.T. Services. They have progressively been increased in number and in services provided. •  February 2001: • Opening of 5 in the metropolitan area an 3 in the interior. 21.050 users per month • Operation costs covered by the Government • Strategic alliances with public and private actors  Objectives: • Increase access to the internet. • Promote the access to the information to stimulate investigation and innovation •  June 2001: • 240 in the whole country with a capacity of 7.200.000 per month • Communities centers and training centers

11. The Venezuelan Experience:Highlighting some of the actions Minnovación: automatic process for the evaluation of projects • The user finds information and application forms to ask for financing in the area of the projects of the Science and Technology Ministry • Education • Health • Modernization of enterprises • Industrial grants • Allows innovators, institutions, investigation centers, enterprises, NGO to present proposals and requests for a reduction of the time of response. The requests are sent by internet to external evaluators who give an opinion online about them, without knowing the identity of the petitioner http://www.minnovacion.gov.ve/

12. Situation of internet access in Venezuela Number of internet users 154% 300% Source: 1200 home interviews. DATANALISIS 2000

13. Future projects and their expected results (dec. 2002) • Increase from 4% to 25 % the internet users • Give specialized medical assistance at low cost and from a distance

14. Future projects and their expected results (dec. 2002) • Stimulate the development of companies with techonological base and form more entrepreneurs on ICT in order to generate new opportunities of bussiness and sources of work • More effective, efficient and transparent management: • Online procedures for Government Procurement • Online execution of the State budget

15. Situation of internet accessin Latin America Million of users: Source: Jupiter Communications

16. Situation of internet accessin Latin America Million of US$: Source: Jupiter Communications

17. Agents who relate to each other by electronic means The relations with commercial expression Are: B 2 C, C 2 B, and B 2 B