Organizer 1: Alireza Yari, Iran telecom research center

    Speaker 1: Alireza Yari, Government, Asia-Pacific Group
    Speaker 2: Amirmansour Yadegari, Government, Asia-Pacific Group
    Speaker 3: Zohreh Taher, Private Sector, Asia-Pacific Group
    Speaker 4: Enayat Abbasi, Government, Asia-Pacific Group
    Speaker 5: Mahsa Saadvandi , Government, Asia-Pacific Group
    Speaker 6: Ehsan Shahghasemi, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group

    Moderator

    Alireza Yari, Government, Asia-Pacific Group

    Online Moderator

    Amirmansour Yadegari, Government, Asia-Pacific Group

    Rapporteur

    Zohreh Taher, Private Sector, Asia-Pacific Group

    Format

    Round Table - U-shape - 90 Min

    Policy Question(s)


    What is the most suitable policy to develop connections for all people, especially in rural areas?
    How can we improve the positive impact of ICTs in rural areas?
    What kind of services should be provided together with the connection?
    What kind of access and services can be provided for the access of people with special needs

    Connection with previous Messages:

    SDGs

    2.a
    2.b
    2.c
    9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure


    Targets: 2.a
    Increase investment in rural infrastructure, agricultural research and extension services, technology development, and plant and livestock gene banks in order to enhance agricultural productive capacity in developing countries, in particular, least developed countries
    2.b
    Correct and prevent trade restrictions and distortions in the agricultural markets by e-commerce solutions in rural areas
    2.c
    Required infrastructure for accessing market information, including on food reserves, in order to help limit extreme food price volatility

    Goal 9
    9.1
    Develop ICT infrastructure to support economic development and human well-being with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all
    9.c
    Increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in the least developed areas in Iran

    Description:

    In this workshop, the impact of information technology as an enabler infrastructure in sustainable development is examined. In this regard, the effect of information technology in rural areas has been considered. The main question is whether connecting the villages to the Internet entails favorable social, economic, and environmental outcomes. This workshop focuses on Internet infrastructure and information obtained through field studies in Iran and will be in the following order.
    The experience of national-wide planning for connecting the rural and least developed areas to the internet is presented and the challenges and problems in this huge project will be discussed. in this project, a wide area of the country of Iran has been covered under the universal service obligation with the help of different service providers.
    Then we will talk about the result of a national-level project for surveying the impact of connecting villages to the Internet. in this study, we have focused on the least developed areas and will show how is the negative and positive impacts of ICT provision in rural areas.  First, the situation of different dimensions of development from the perspective of macro indicators in political, economic, and social dimensions will be presented. Then, more detailed status of e-learning and e-health in terms of cosmetic variables or the digital divide based on demographic characteristics will be discussed.
    Also, the perspective of strategies to systematize the development of electronic services will be considered in the last part of our workshop. We will talk about the planning and the development of ICT services together with the connection infrastructure. in this part, we will talk about the methodology of planning and how we can have suitable planning for the least developed areas.

    Expected Outcomes

    Discuss the result of the study in Iran's rural areas with experts from other countries and exchange knowledge in this regard for better planning

    Hybrid Format: We will also have some video and graphical outputs to transfer the content for both onsite and online participants.

    Online Participation



    Usage of IGF Official Tool.