Executive Summary
The information society, in which information is processed efficiently, including the production, exchange, adaptation and use of information, is the appropriate environment for achieving sustainable development and enhancing the quality of life for all citizens. However, the transition towards the information society constitutes a real challenge to developing countries, particularly in view of the expanding digital divide with developed countries, thus rendering them increasingly vulnerable to a reduction of their productive and economic capacities.
In the framework of follow-up activities to the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), ESCWA launched in 2003 its initiative “National and Regional Profiles of the Information Society in Western Asia” to monitor and evaluate various aspects of the information society in its member states, and measure the progress towards building such society. Since then, ESCWA has published a series of reports on the National and Regional Profiles of the Information Society on a biennial basis for the years 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, and 2013.
The latest issue of the Regional Profile of the Information Society in the Arab region 2015 covers the period 2003-2015, as it portrays the development and achievements of the region in building the information society based on the ten action lines defined by the WSIS. Each chapter highlights the progress of member states in one of these action lines, providing objective analyses and comparisons based on findings and statistics drawn from renowned sources, as well as selected success stories from various countries in the region. Furthermore, every chapter discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the Arab region, and concludes with a set of actionable recommendations for the corresponding action line.
The final chapter of the report is dedicated to highlighting the most important areas of interdependence between development priorities of the information society in the region and the newly adopted 2030 Development Agenda.