Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Presents Universal Plan to Bridge Digital Divide Globally
27 Jun 2003Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Vice-Chair of the United Nations Information and Communication Technologies Task Force (UN ICT TF), stressed that the speed of universal changes in the areas of technology and economy demand a rapid response at the global level to transform the digital divide to a digital opportunity available for everyone.
These remarks came in an opening speech delivered by Abu-Ghazaleh at the Conference on the Wireless Internet Opportunity for Developing Nations which began its activities at the UN headquarters in New York yesterday, with the participation of an elite group of leaders in the IT, communications and economy sectors globally. He emphasized that the conference was a concrete step for positive bridge-building across the Digital Divide.
Abu-Ghazaleh explained that Wi-Fi Internet technologies offer vast development opportunities, particularly for people living in poverty and in rural areas and that connecting local communities in developing regions to the Internet will have a positive impact on the education as well as the health system in these regions, as it complements the locally available information and also improves and accelerates knowledge flows.
Abu-Ghazaleh said that the UN ICT TF has given priority to fulfilling the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs). He expressed his confidence that concrete ideas will be reached on how to promote the achievement of the MDGs through the use of ICTs.
Abu-Ghazaleh stated that he will present to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in September a global plan. This global plan would reflect the results of the wireless internet opportunity conference and make specific proposals on how key stakeholders can advance the international efforts to overcome the Digital Divide and promote Wi-Fi opportunities for the developing world.
He called for a donors’ conference to raise the financial resources required to support the elaboration and subsequent implementation of this global development plan, expressing his confidence in achieving this ambitious goal if the private sector joins hands with public, civil society, and multilateral stakeholders.
The conference is discussing a number of important topics such as scenarios of wireless internet proliferation, and development, in addition to holding workshops to exchange ideas on applications and executive plans for the future.
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