UN General Assembly
2004

computers; 80 per cent own mobile phones; 62 per cent use Internet banking; and 59 per cent fill out their tax returns electronically. Estonians can communicate with both the central Government and local governments over the Internet and are able to use legally binding digital signatures. All those indicators are in line with European Union averages even though Estonia’s gross domestic product remains considerably lower than the European average. I believe that, as a former country in transition, Estonia has experiences which could be very useful for developing countries with respect to the promotion of information and communication technologies. Estonia is in a position to provide development assistance, first 26 and foremost in the form of know-how. We have already taken steps in that direction: in the summer of 2002 the Government of Estonia, the United Nations Development Programme and the Information Programme of the Open Society Institute jointly set up the Estonian e-Governance Academy. The purpose of that unique Academy is to improve the public-private cooperation in the information and communication technologies. The initial beneficiaries of the project are