individual stakeholders due to synergies and cost savings achieved through joint efforts. This Policy is neither the beginning nor the conclusion of the national ICT development. Market liberalisation has already expanded availability of ICTs, especially mobile communications, to virtually everyone in Vanuatu. A significant part of our population can have access to the Internet. A submarine fibre cable project, which will provide a high-speed reliable link for Vanuatu to the World, is well underway. National infrastructure has been further strengthened by launching the first Internet Exchange Point in the Pacific. The high-quality Government Broadband Network, connecting all the provinces, has brought the Government much closer to everyone across Vanuatu. ICTs are already transforming public administration. Multiple public and private services can be accessed via mobile phones or online, and the public debate has been significantly enhanced by social networks. Sector institutions, specifically the multi-stakeholder National ICT Development Committee, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer and the Telecommunications and Radiocommunications Regulator, provide a best-practice foundation for further development of the sector. In our work we have enjoyed support of our friends in a multitude of international and regional organisations, as well as our development partners. I would like to express a special thanks to the Australian Government, which has consistently supported the institutional and policy development in the ICT area in Vanuatu in general, and this policy process in particular. A lot has been achieved. However, a lot is yet to be done. ICTs have a strong potential to transform education of our children, expand and improve government services, make us more resilient in the face of natural disasters, preserve and promote our culture, as well as provide new business opportunities, and generally enhance our livelihoods. They will bring us closer together and strengthen our connection to the World. In short, expansion and utilisation of ICTs will cre- ICTs have a strong potential to transform education of our children, expand and improve government services, make us more resilient in the face of natural disasters, preserve and promote our culture” ate jobs, provide economic growth and enrich our social lives. I believe that this Policy will provide a good platform for such further developments. However, actual benefits depend on all of us working together—the Government, businesses, academia, users, civil society, and, ultimately, every citizen and resident. Only together can we transform this potential into reality that we will feel every day. I am especially proud that this is truly a Vanuatu policy. We have learned from other countries and taken advice from international and regional experts and documents. However, experience and insights from all of us here in Vanuatu made this document into what it is today. Numerous stakeholder consultations, an industry roundtable, input from multiple stakeholders through the National ICT Development Committee, as well as obtaining public views through an unprecedented Call for Public Input formed the basis of this Policy. I am pleased that our efforts have been recognised by various stakeholders 6 National Information and Communication Technology Policy