SIIA Commends APEC Ministers and Leaders for Action on 'Digital Prosperity Checklist'

WASHINGTON (Map) - APEC Outlines Specific Steps to Promote Use and Development of ICTs as Catalyst for Economic Growth and Development

WASHINGTON, Nov. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following action recently by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) at its annual Leaders' Meeting in Lima, Peru, the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA), the principal trade association of the software and digital content industries, released the following statement:

"During this time of global economic uncertainty, the software and digital content industries commend Ministers and Leaders from the APEC region for their leadership and strategic outlook," according to Ken Wasch, SIIA's President.

"The Digital Prosperity Checklist is a unique and critical tool not only for individual APEC economics, but for the global community, to benchmark domestic legal, regulatory and trade policy frameworks," added Mark Bohannon, SIIA's General Counsel & SVP for Public Policy. "It focuses on the positive: how to use information and communication technologies (ICTs) to create jobs, and generate value for member economies," continued Bohannon.

According to Joseph Alhadeff, Oracle Vice President of Global Public Policy and Chairman of SIIA's Government Affairs Council, and one of the first to urge APEC to undertake this project, "The Checklist represents a continuing and important consensus process between APEC economies and the private sector to further effective participation in the digital economy. The Checklist provides a compendium of specific actions and associated benefits needed for the broad range of APEC economies to develop or enhance ICT-enabled frameworks for economic growth and societal benefit."

The Digital Prosperity Checklist is the culmination of a two-year effort in the APEC Electronic Commerce Steering Group (ECSG) that brought together experts from both public and private sectors to look at what is required to assist economies in fully participating in the digital economy. The Checklist outlines specific actions or steps that economies could take in six key areas -- or "I's" -- that would enable them to promote the use and development of ICTs as catalysts for economic growth and development, as well as the benefits associated with each action. The six "I's" include:

1. Infrastructure: The need for an appropriate supply chain, communications, and applications infrastructure;

2. Investment: The ability to promote and support a range of investment opportunities from Foreign Direct Investment to capital flows;

3. Innovation: The ability to foster and support innovation, including the ability to protect innovation and investment in research and development;

4. Intellectual Capital: The ability to foster the appropriate skills and training from technological to linguistic to entrepreneurship;

5. Information Flows: The ability to use, transfer, and process information -- the currency of the digital economy -- while promoting privacy and a trusted Internet environment; and

6. Integration: The ability to connect domestic industries with the global economy.

The Digital Prosperity Checklist can be found at:

http://www.siia.net/govt/docs/pub/APECDigitalProsperityChecklistFINAL.pdf

"The Checklist is a positive, forward-looking message from Ministers and Leaders that comes at a critical time," noted SIIA's Bohannon. "We look forward to working with the government of Singapore, which takes on a leadership role in APEC next year, to identify and implement next steps on this important initiative."

About APEC

APEC (www.apec.org) was established in 1989 to further enhance economic growth and prosperity for the Asia-Pacific region and to strengthen the Asia-Pacific community. APEC has 21 members -- referred to as "Member Economies" -- which account for approximately 41% of the world's population, approximately 55% of world GDP and about 49% of world trade. APEC's 21 Member Economies are Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, People's Republic of China, Hong Kong China, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, The Republic of the Philippines, The Russian Federation, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, United States of America, and Viet Nam.

About SIIA

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) is the principal trade association for the software and digital content industries. SIIA provides global services in government relations, business development, corporate education and intellectual property protection for more than 500 leading software and information companies. As a leader in the Government Affairs arena, SIIA works to promote a legal, regulatory and policy environment that promotes the digital economy. For further information, visit www.siia.net.

SOURCE Software & Information Industry Association