信息通信技术的智慧应用——联合国经社理事会主席在第七届亚太城市信息化论坛上的讲话

7th Annual Forum on City Informatization in the Asia-Pacific Region(CIAPR VII)

“Smart Use of ICT for Better Cities”

Shanghai,26-27 May 2008

Draft Statement by His Excellency Ambassador Léo Mérorès,

President of ECOSOC

Mr.Yang Xiaong,Vice Mayor of Shanghai,

Mr.Sha Zukang,Under-Secretary-General,DESA

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my distinct pleasure to participate in this Forum on City Informatization in the Asia-Pacific Region.In this regard,I would like to thank the Shanghai Government,as well as the Department of Economic and Social Affairs(DESA)for inviting me to this important event.

I would first of all like to offer my condolences to the people and the Government of China on the tragedy of the recent earthquake.

I am particularly pleased to be in Shanghai,a city whose eminence is rising on an international level.This month,Shanghai saw the opening of the Shanghai Expo Exhibition Center,marking the two-year countdown to World Expo 2010.The organizers are expecting more than 1 million people to visit this exhibition.This serves to show that cities are to retain their prominent role as creative places and in bringing people together.Another eminent Chinese city,Beijing,is the host of this year’s Olympic Games.

Cities have always been creative places.From their very beginnings more than 9,000 years ago,they were the cradles of every advance in the arts,in science,in medicine,in philosophy.Fast forward to the 21st century and there is another key requirement,which is the quality of urban life.

People are traveling more than they ever have,and they are putting unprecedented demands on transportation systems at all levels of government.For instance,a major international airport is a necessity,as are high-speed rail systems.

Such a rationale has been behind the heavy investments by Singapore and Hong Kong in rapid transit systems,and extensive parks and waterfront recreation areas.

While in the past cities had to guarantee pure water for their people,they now find that they have to increasingly compete by offering clean air and a clean environment.

Climate change,for which cities are to a large extent responsible,could however imperil poverty goals,as efforts to achieve the anti-poverty Millennium Development Goals(MDGs)could be reversed if climate change is not addressed.

In order to achieve the MDGs by the 2015 target date,we do not only need to step up our efforts particularly targeted at specific MDGs,but also need to step up our efforts to address the challenge of climate change.Otherwise,we risk seeing hard earned fragile economic and social progress reversed by the negative effects of climate change.

In this sense,competition among cities in offering a clean environment is a step forward in the right direction.

Cities now compete more than ever in bringing in business and leisure tourists,in attracting foreign direct investment and knowledge workers.

But increasingly,communications are vital for the creative and successful city.

The rise of a global knowledge economy,coupled with the worldwide trend towards decentralization and urbanization,means that cities(and regions)face new challenges and opportunities.

At the international level,the Millennium Declaration of 2000 and the Outcome of the 2005 World Summit on the Information Society(WSIS),established a clear set of internationally agreed development goals.WSIS forged a global consensus on the importance of ICTs as tools for achieving these development goals and ECOSOC will review the implementation of the Tunis Agenda in 2010.Obviously,local governments have a very crucial role to play in the implementation of the Tunis Agenda.

Successful governance now increasingly requires thoughtful ICT planning and the management of information assets.ICT has now become a tool in the management of information,and more specifically in the creation,gathering,manipulation,distribution,protection,interpretation and storage of information.

This process of reinvention goes beyond the mere devolution of power.It implies a redesign of governance which would affect the relationship between government and its citizens and a complete transformation of the way government works internally as well.

In the process of reinventing government,ICT can play a pivotal role.A crucial area is citizens’access to governmental information and the consequent possibilities of participation that this entails.

At the center of this re-engineering process is the idea of putting citizens first and considering citizens as customers of government.

In the race to electronic governance,many local governments throughout the world have created websites with basic information concerning local governance conditions,containing information about elected officials,governmental agencies and city courts.They have also put all laws,codes and regulations online.These sites are becoming increasingly more interactive,providing not only information but,in many cases,actual services.

This one-stop approach to governmental information and service delivery is proving to be extremely effective:citizens and businesses need to make a single contact with their government and,in turn,they hopefully receive a coordinated and effective set of information and services.

For government,ICT can allow it to perform its functions in more transparent and innovative ways.Government is becoming more virtual.That means that governments must govern without being physically present.A good example is smart traffic lights which permit the control of traffic without requiring the physical presence of a police officer.This implies that resources can be redeployed elsewhere.

In areas like healthcare and education,where markets have worked poorly,the cause of this is often limited information.Markets only work when buyers have the right information.Cities are responsible for providing that kind of information to citizens.With ICTs,local service delivery in health care,education and other non-profit areas can be improved.

Taking healthcare as an example,what people need is accurate information about potential providers–what specialties they are certified in,information posted by past and current patients providing instant feedback,and the rates of success for certain hospital procedures.

Looking into the future,one of the biggest challenges that governments both at the national and local level will face will be the need for new local,national and international legislation to provide a regulatory climate in which information-based economies can flourish.

The governments which will be rewarded in a globalized knowledge economy will be those which stay attuned not only to the best administrative practices in the conduct of their own affairs but also to those practices of governments in their region and around the world.

With these opening remarks,I wish you very successful deliberations.