28 June 1999
TEXT: PLATT REMARKS ON CONFRONTING Y2K
(Says contingency planning is crucial element) (3,000)

http://www.usia.gov/cgi-bin/washfile/display.pl?p=/products/washfile/latest&f=99062801.glt&t=/products/washfile/newsitem.shtml

[Fair Use: For Educational/Research Purposes Only]

Tokyo -- Contingency planning and getting accurate information out to the public are crucial in confronting the Y2K (Year 2000) computer challenge, according to U.S. Information Agency International Y2K Coordinator Jody Rose Platt.

In a speech delivered June 18 at the EmPrep 99 Conference in Tokyo, Japan, Platt said that the U.S. President's Council on Y2K Conversion has spent a lot of time and resources working with the states and counties, which have been slower to respond to the Y2K problem than the federal government.

Platt added that two things emphasized at the local level as "crucial to the successful management" of Y2K are contingency planning and transparency. [As in Naval War College...transparency?]

"No matter what stage of readiness a system might be in, contingency plans are necessary because no one can predict what will or will not happen when 1999 becomes the year 2000," Platt said.

As for transparency, Platt said people and countries need to know what steps are being taken to prepare for January 1, 2000. "Locally, lack of information can cause stockpiling and other panic," she added.

Platt also emphasized that the leading industrialized countries, such as the United States and Japan, must take the responsibility of working with other countries to help them prepare for Y2K - both in terms of remediation and in planning for contingencies.

She said that the United States is actively engaged in dealing with Y2K on the international level in several areas, including helping to set up the International Y2K Cooperation Center (IYCC) that has a mission of helping regions and countries work together.

"The IYCC offers a clearing house where they can share their knowledge and learn from others," she said. "This is particularly important when it comes to contingency planning for Y2K."

Following is the text of Platt's speech as delivered:

(begin text)

EMPREP CONFERENCE
Tokyo, Japan - June 18, 1999

The U.S. Government's Y2K Activities
Jody Rose Platt, Ph.D.

[snip]

Unfortunately, the Y2K issue is not a dream; it is a reality that is being dealt with by countries the world over. It is an issue that requires serious forethought and preparation at every level of government and society and by every country. This EmPrep conference sponsored by USIS, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the National Land Agency, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, the Ministry of Construction, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, and the Tokyo Fire Department shows the Japanese commitment to deal effectively with the change of date to January 1, 2000.

We in the United States are pleased to have a special relationship between our governments. The Chair of our President's Council on Y2K Conversion, John Koskinen, has traveled abroad only twice during his tenure. Due to the relationship between our two countries, one of those two trips was to Japan, both to Asia.

I spoke to Mr. Koskinen before I came here. He spoke very favorably of the pace of activities in Japan since Prime Minister Obuchi made Y2K a visible, public initiative of his administration last September. He noted the support your government had given to the United Nations Conference for National Y2K Coordinators last December. Mr. Seiji Kondo of your country made important contributions as a member of the steering committee that since the December UN meeting has created the international Y2K Cooperation Center and has played a role in preparing for the Second Y2K UN conference which starts next week. The relationship between our two countries on this issue provides an excellent example of mutual understanding and cooperation on an international level that is too rare among other nations, yet needs to become more common as we approach the Y2K deadline.

Japan has been a player in helping others in the world community prepare for Y2K. We in the United States appreciate these efforts which augment our own efforts. And, as the agenda for today says that I should talk about American efforts, please allow me to discuss the activities, which we have undertaken.

The United States Y2K Efforts

The way the United States Government approaches the Y2K challenge is, of course, multi-faceted. One of the cornerstones of this approach is public diplomacy. We strive to work together with other nations to share information on how we all can weather whatever may result from the upcoming change of date. We recognize the importance of dealing with this issue on all levels.

Almost a year and a half ago, President Clinton established the President's Council on Y2K Conversion. This Council is comprised of high-ranking officials of several of our Federal agencies. The Council has many working groups on various sectors, which range from International Public Diplomacy (which is chaired by my boss Jonathan Spalter who is USIA's CIO and Associate Director for Information) to Energy to International Trade to Telecommunications. These working groups interact with both the public and private sectors to move forward in addressing sector-specific Y2K issues domestically and internationally.

The Council's activities are more far reaching than the Federal government alone, which is over 90% compliant in its mission critical systems. Certainly, domestic issue takes up much of the Council's time and efforts. John Koskinen said in a recent press release that "[O]our greatest domestic risks for year 2000-related failures are at the local level."

Domestic Efforts

This is why many of our resources have been devoted to working with the states and counties (the equivalent, I think, of your prefectures). The localities have been slower to respond to the Y2K problem than the Federal government which recognized early on that the Y2K issue is not merely a technical issue relegated to "techies" seated at computers, but rather that the problem is a managerial one as well as a diplomatic and social issue. The Federal government is working with the localities to minimize potential problems.

The Council recently began a summer long program called Community Conversations which encourages local officials to meet with their citizens, local industries and business, and other officials to discuss what is being done to address Y2K concerns locally. Organizations such as the National Governor's Association, The U.S. Conference of Mayor, the American Banker's Association, and the American Hospital Association have added their support to this initiative, showing the broad range of sectors involved.

Part of the reasoning behind these Community Conversations is the belief that two things are crucial to the successful management of this challenge. First is the belief that contingency planning is a must. The United States Government feels that one of the best ways to confront Y2K is to plan for all contingencies. In other words, it is important to remember that something can be completely Y2K compliant internally, but can still be effected by external forces. No matter what stage of readiness a system might be in, contingency plans are necessary because no one can predict what will or will not happen when 1999 becomes the year 2000.

The second belief is that transparency is the best way to help insure that the public does not panic. Panic can be just as destructive, if not more, than some people's worst case scenarios of what might happen come January first. This means that public perceptions will have a large impact. For example, if a country is seen as unprepared - because there is no information to the contrary - then there is the danger of capital flight. Locally, lack of information can cause stockpiling and other panic. People, and countries, need to know what steps are being taken to prepare for January 1, 2000. Getting information into the public domain about preparedness levels and contingency plans helps to provide a comfort level and allows everyone to judge how they should best prepare.

Another initiative that the United States Government has undertaken is to form an Information Coordination Center. The Center will organize an information collection system and report on the status of Federal systems and key industry sectors. Additionally, the Center will facilitate the coordination of Federal emergency response resources working closely, I am sure with our last speaker Kay Goss of FEMA. This will be crucial should their be multiple problems occurring on January 1. The Center will also be gathering information internationally come January first which starts 17 hours ahead of the East Coast in other parts of the world. These are some of the many activities that the United States Government is undertaking to manage potential problems domestically.

International Efforts

The Council and all elements of our government are also actively engaged in dealing with Y2K on the international level. The global interconnections which the world is now made of demand this type of coordinated action. As Commerce Secretary Richard Daley noted, "All nations, whether developing or developed, highly computerized or not, are firmly interwoven into a global web of economic interdependence that a Y2K mishap could unravel." Your conference today shows the serious manner in which your country views the Y2K issue, and we applaud you for it.

We in the United States have concerns about other countries' Y2K preparations. I am sure that Japan shares these concerns. When the Council released its second quarterly report, Mr. Koskinen told reporters, "Although the situation has improved in the past year as more [nations] have become aware of the problem and begun to take action, many countries got a late start on fixing their systems and will likely experience infrastructure failures...." These potential failures will be felt outside the boundaries of the countries they occur in. The inter-connectivity of the world ensures this fact. As my boss Mr. Spalter is fond of pointing out, "No country is a digital island unto itself."

Responsibilities

We feel that leading industrialized economies, such as the U.S. and Japan, have an obligation to act outside of their own boarders. In other words, we must take the responsibility of working with other countries to help them prepare - both in terms of remediation and in planning for contingencies.

In the U.S.-Japan Y2K Cooperation Statement issued last month, it was noted that, "[b]oth governments will continue to take a leadership role with other countries to prepare for the transitions to the year 2000 and will continue to cooperate multilaterally in the G8, the UN, the OECD, APEC, the World Bank and other related fora." By working regionally and internationally, Japan reinforces its leadership position in the world economy. After all, as the world's second largest economy, Japan has much influence. The United States and Japan, along with other nations, have an opportunity, an obligation, to put our leadership positions to good use. This is where so many of our public diplomacy goals can come to fruition on this issue and others in the future. By taking on the leadership role on Y2K, our countries can continue to lead the way in information sharing and building trust between governments.

Japan and the United States have taken many positive steps along the road to January 2000. Yet, in the remaining months, there is still much work ahead of all the world's nations. By working in close coordination with each other as trading partners and as world leaders, we have the potential to do a great service for our peoples as well as other citizens around the globe.

Worldwide Efforts

The working groups that I mentioned earlier are actively engaged in dealing with Y2K issues internationally. They are working with international sector organizations such as the International Telecommunications Union, International Civil Aviation Organization, International Atomic Energy Association, International Maritime Organization, and others. In the U.S., we have been coordinating with other countries such as Japan. The joint Y2K cooperation statement made last fall between our two countries has been an important step in our efforts to work with other members of the global community.

We have continued our bilateral efforts with other countries as well. We have been working quite closely with Canada and Mexico with whom we share borders. As our closest neighbors, we have a keen interest in their Y2K efforts and in working together. Not only have we been working closely with each of these two countries, but we began trilateral efforts at the last United Nations Conference which have continued on. I realize that as an island nation, Japan doesn't have cross-border issues the way we have in the States, but your neighbor's Y2K activities will certainly affect you. Each country relies on all the other members of this worldwide community, which is so strongly bound together by technology.

We feel that regional organizations offer a viable mechanism to engage all the players in forming a cohesive plan to deal with whatever scenarios might play out as a result of Y2K.

Each country in a region depends on the others for everything from maritime shipping to financial transactions to food distribution. Working together regionally supports a sense of commonality in combating whatever may happen on January 1, 2000, and affords us an opportunity to make contingency plans and share information. Japan's leadership role in this region of the world will be crucial to global success in dealing effectively with Y2K.

The United States, along with several other countries, has been active in helping to form and support the International Y2K Cooperation Center which has a mission of helping regions and countries work together. The IYCC offers countries a clearing house where they can share their knowledge and learn from others. This is particularly important when it comes to contingency planning for Y2K. Never in our histories have we faced an event like Y2K. Therefore, sharing knowledge makes everyone's job a little less formidable.

International Public Diplomacy

We are concerned that the problems associated with Y2K can marginalize countries economically and disrupt the flow of goods and services worldwide. In an effort to minimize potential disruptions, the Working Group for International Public Diplomacy under the President's Council on Y2K Conversion has been moving forward in ways to share knowledge and possible solutions. We have been linking experts up through the magic of technology. Through digital video conferencing and satellite hook ups, we have connected Ministry officials in Moldova with people in the US; we have linked energy sector experts with multiple countries in Latin America, and we have made it possible for journalists in Russia to ask questions of Mr. Koskinen who also appeared at the recent APEC event in Singapore through video conferencing.

We have been sending specialists abroad to offer examples of what they know as well as to learn from the host countries. This spring, a high level, professional staffer from our Congress traveled here. Mr. Joseph Pinder spoke of our efforts to master the Y2K problem; but he also listened and learned from those he met. This type of exchange, an information exchange, is one of the highlights of my work at USIA.

Recently, my boss traveled to Brazil to discuss small and medium enterprises or SMEs. These are a problem worldwide. This is why our Department of Commerce has developed a CD Rom for SMEs, which my colleague Tim Miles will demonstrate shortly. The CD Roms are another attempt by our government to reach out to others and help in dealing with a problem that can seem overwhelming. These CDs are available domestically for Americans as well as internationally in different languages. In fact, I personally lugged 1,000 Japanese-language versions here with me.

Later this summer, USIA will be putting out its third pamphlet on Y2K; this one will focus on contingency planning; it will discuss such issues as smart buildings among other things. It, too, will be available in several languages in an effort to convey the necessity of planning for contingencies and minimizing possible disruptions to people's every day lives. We have been producing articles and providing transcripts of much of what transpires in the U.S. regarding Y2K. We do this not to say this is how it should be done, but to offer one example of possible actions. It is part of our goal to provide information to others countries. And, we are also actively engaged in learning from others. This fits into our approach to highlight international public diplomacy as a cornerstone of U.S. efforts for the coming date change.

Conclusion

Let me conclude by saying that the United States Government's activities have, to date, been fairly effective, but that in the 196 (193) days remaining until January 1st, there is much work ahead of us. We look forward to continuing to work with your country to prepare ourselves and others. Conferences like this serve us all well in allowing for the free flow of discussions on ideas and contingency planning. Hopefully, our efforts should lead to Y2K being nothing more than a bad dream, but not a nightmare.

Meanwhile, during my stay here I will relish the chance to see a country of my dreams.

Thank you.

(end text)

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), June 29, 1999