New move to bridge Digital Divide
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The Commonwealth has launched a new initiative to take information technology to underdeveloped countries that need it most.
The initiative 'Commonwealth Connects' aims to bridge the digital divide that leaves large numbers of people in many vulnerable Commonwealth countries cut off from the information flow. The Commonwealth is a group of 53 nations that were once a part of the British Empire. Its members include some developed countries like Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, strongly developing countries such as India, South Africa and Malaysia, but also very small Pacific and Caribbean states struggling to be a part of the world economy and information network. The 'Commonwealth Connects' programme will seek primarily to ensure that "all developing countries have good ICT (information and communication technologies) policies," Devindra Ramnarine, head of the programme told IPS Friday. "It will seek to make sure that these policies are in line with national development goals, and can be implemented." The Commonwealth will also use its portal to "share intellectual capital among member countries" by making instances of best practice available to others, Ramnarine said. If, for example, there is already a good IT system on taxation developed within one country, it would be placed on the portal for others to benefit from. Both these are low-cost steps, and the Commonwealth needs them to be low- cost. The Commonwealth programme has been launched with very limited funds, no more than 200,000 pounds (375,000 dollars), with another 700,000 pounds pledged. But the programme also plans to use some of this money and to raise more funds to take on particular projects. The first project of the programme, 'Rebuilding After The Tsunami: Using ICTs for Change', "will create a web-based platform to provide greater access to vital information and encourage ongoing exchanges between numerous civil society organisations, governments and citizens," the Commonwealth said in a statement Thursday. "It will complement existing reconstruction efforts in India, Sri Lanka and other countries affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami," the statement added. Other 'Commonwealth Connects' projects will involve the provision of radio-based business training for women in Cameroon to help them engage professionally in micro enterprise, and training to refurbish computers donated by Caribbean governments and citizens for distribution in schools in other Commonwealth countries. "These programmes can directly address the digital divide, but also raise the profile of the programme and help us attract more funds," Ramnarine said. "These projects are intended to show how we can organise, and the kind of things we want to do." "This programme will provide concrete assistance for the development of ICTs in least developed countries of the Commonwealth," Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon said in a statement. "It will enable them to enter the information age fully equipped to compete effectively in the global marketplace." The initiative follows talks on the digital divide at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Malta last year where it was recognised that information technology offers opportunities "to overcome the constraints of remoteness, small size and other factors which have acted as obstacles to development," the Commonwealth statement said. The Commonwealth has instituted a steering committee to oversee the initiative. The committee is headed by Maltese Foreign Minister Dr Michael Frendo. Access to communication technology parallels advancement on the human development index, according to reports presented at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Malta last year. And though it has limited resources, the Commonwealth programme plans to use common connections by way of the English language and institutions to make a difference. An international summit to promote ICTs for development within the Commonwealth will be held in India early next year. Beside governments, the summit will draw the private sector. "We want the private sector involved, and find ways of developing programmes that can also be commercially attractive for them," Ramnarine said Source: IPS News More |
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