In its fourth year, the Information and Communication Technologies Task Force, through its core activities, working groups and regional nodes, made a substantive contribution to the preparations for the Tunis phase of the World Summit on the Information Society by sponsoring several regional meetings, organizing a series of global forums, producing several publications and participating actively in events organized by other stakeholders; organized three high-level round tables linking inform ...
Issues Notes by Klaus W. Grewlich
Technical communication is a major condition for lifting the “bottom 1 billion” out of poverty. It is vital to push the frontiers of connectivity “further South”. Reaching this objective means achieving greater involvement of the private sector. Access for all to appropriate communication technologies will contribute to growth dynamics and the formation of a middle class, which will help create the conditions for eradicating poverty in large parts of the ...
Since the goal of integrating technology into society in effective and sustainable ways remains "a work in progress," strong political will is necessary to ensure that people can use the information revolution to improve their lives, a key United Nations task force on technology and development says in a new report.
Practical measures to bridge the 'digital divide' -- the socio-economic gap between communities that have access to computers and the Internet and those that do not -- were the focus of a meeting of organisations involved in implementing the Commonwealth Action Programme for the Digital Divide (CAPDD).
Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Winston Cox, who chaired the meeting, highlighted the Report of the Commonwealth Expert Group on Information Technology for the Commonwealth High-Level ...
Italy's innovation and technology minister, Lucio Stanca, has today been named as a member of the United Nations ICT Task Force, which is to investigate the possible applications of technology in advancing development.
The minister will be joined by Mauro Masi, chief of the country's Information and Publishing Department and vice secretary general of the Presidency of the Council of ministers.
The two politicians are to participate at the UN Global Forum, from 19 to 20 November in Berl ...
The United Nations has proposed a global IT alliance to help boost technology investment in the world's poorest countries.
At a meeting this week, representatives from the public and private sectors and other non-governmental organisations agreed to submit a proposal for the new alliance to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in the hope of having the initiative adopted by delegates at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) gathering in Tunisia in November 2005.
Sarbuland Khan ...
A United Nations meeting in Berlin this week proposed a global alliance to spur investment in communications technology in the world's poorest countries.
At the meeting, representatives from the public, private and non-governmental sectors agreed to propose the new alliance to UN secretary-general Kofi Annan in the hope of having the initiative adopted by delegates at the World Summit on the Information Society next year in Tunisia.
"The idea is to keep the ball rolling after next year ...
Participants at a United Nations (U.N.) meeting in Berlin has proposed creating a global alliance that would spur investment in communications technology in the world's poorest countries as a follow-up to next year's World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).
At the meeting, representatives from the public and private sectors and other nongovernmental organizations agreed to submit a proposal for the new alliance to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in the hope of having the initiat ...
Sometimes the U.N can seem very remote. Our activities take place in conflict zones you will rarely if ever visit; in impoverished areas far from major tourist sites; or behind-the-scenes, in clinics and classrooms where progress occurs without bells and whistles and is measured steadily but slowly.
The World Summit on the Information Society, which took place in December 2003, requested the Secretary-General of the United Nations to setup a task force to review the adequacy of existing financial mechanisms to meet the challenges of ICT for Development by the end of December 2004.
At the request of the Secretary-General, the United Nations Development Program is leading this effort in collaboration with key partners. The Task Force was recently launched on the 4th of October 2004 at ...