2.4 Other Policy and Strategic Plan Linkages The policies and strategies of several other Ministries and Agencies are impacted by and linked to this National ICT Policy. For example, this policy recognises Education, Health, Police service and National Disaster Management as described in Section 8: Development and Strategies. International conventions such as the International Maritime Organisation’s Safety of Life at Sea for Marine sector and the International Telecommunication Union’s programmes for protecting the rights of children and child protection on-line are also linked to this policy. 3. Importance of the ICT Sector The United Nations recognises ICT development as a key enabler of other sectors, that will help them to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Telecommunication services help to overcome the barriers of long distance and isolation, which are particularly challenging for Kiribati. Telecommunication helps to bring together people and families from village to village, from island to island, and to connect to the world. Unfortunately, the current lack of effective telecommunication services for the Outer Islands means that many families are unable to stay in effective contact with loved ones who have travelled to other parts of Kiribati or internationally, often in search of work. The availability of telecommunication services is a vital contributor to economic development. A World Bank study in 2009 by Christine Zhen Wei Qiang and others shows that in developing countries 10% increases in service penetration can lead to GDP growth of 0.73% for fixed lines, 0.81% for mobiles, 1.12% for Internet and 1.38% for broadband. Kiribati is now developing 3G and 4G mobile services, which will deliver mobile voice and broadband, across the country, with the prospects of substantially more than 10% penetration increases, so there is a high expectation of substantial economic growth. This is of vital significance for the whole country. In particular, bringing modern highquality services at affordable prices to the Outer Islands could help to slow or even reverse the drift of population and mitigate the problems of overcrowding in South Tarawa. Improved communications for the Outer Islands will support the development of tourism, agricultural production and the fishing industry, as well as improving policing, health and education services. It is important that Kiribati embraces the information society, which is spreading Kiribati National ICT Policy 2019 4