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This 'issue brief' describes the proliferation of electronically communicated information, which has accelerated economic and social change across all areas of human activity worldwide. It observes that the rapid growth of ICTs in developing countries is partly a result of very low initial access, and therefore in absolute terms developing countries are still well behind the developed world in access to ICTs. It concludes that ICTs offer an opportunity for development, but not a panacea. For the potential benefits of ICTs to be realized in developing countries, many prerequisites need to be put in place: prompt deregulation, effective competition among service providers, free movement and adoption of technologies, targeted and competitive subsidies to reduce the access gap, and institutional arrangements to increase the use of ICTs in the provision of public goods. The paper advocates for the importance of all three "Cs": connectivity, capability to use the new tools, and relevant content provided in accessible and useful forms

This issue of id21 insights looks at barriers to disabled peoples' access to the physical environment, how they constrain economic and social opportunities and the importance of working with disabled people to dismantle them. The contributors also present good practices in a range of infrastructures, including transport, communication technologies and sanitation, that serve as examples of how disabled access can improve in developing countries. Articles include: Training Ethiopia's blind people in ICTs; Accessible water supply and sanitation; Creating disabled-friendly environments in Sri Lanka; Better access to public transport; Campaigning for access in Viet Nam; Including disabled people effectively in post-Tsunami planning

This paper is the result of a literature review and discussions during a two-day workshop. It examines how ICT can make a difference in reducing poverty and reaching the MDGs. This potential contrasts, however, with the relatively modest pro-poor ICT implementation level. It asks what key barriers impede the implementation of declarations, and how can we multiply, upscale and replicate successful pilot projects. This study idenfies four "basic requirements" for successful up-scaling of poverty reduction through ICTs: an enabling ICT policy environment; a high priority assigned to ICT for poverty reduction; appropriate technology choices; and mobilisation of additional public and private resources

This country report describes the situation of disabled people in Sri Lanka. It gives an overview about the country, reviews the legislation, describes disability organisations and development agencies and lays out the results of a participatory programme. In addition to this, the report analyses the connections between disability and poverty by reviewing the current programmes and showing the gaps. The recommendations of the report urge to pay special attention to activities in the fields of inclusion, participation, access and quality