PRESS BRIEFING ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PANEL

Press Briefing

PRESS BRIEFING ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PANEL

Access to information and communications technology provided immediate, positive and dramatic benefits to developing countries, Chuck Lankester, the organizer of an international panel of information technology experts, told journalists at a Headquarters press briefing today, as the expert panel presented its report and action plan on addressing the information technology lag in developing countries.

The expert report, produced at the request of the General Assembly, offers recommendations aimed at making the already-important contribution of information technology to development more powerful. It makes a series of recommendations about how the United Nations system and the international community can support access to, and parity in, information technology to further development.

Information technology, and the report itself, will be discussed at this year's high-level segment of the Economic and Social Council, at the Millennium Summit, and at the Millennium Assembly itself, said Sarbuland Khan, Director of the Division of Economic and Social Council Support and Coordination, Department of Economic and Social Affairs. It was also a key topic at the recent South-South summit in Havana, and will be a priority theme at the impending European Union Summit in Lisbon and at the Group of Eight (G8) Summit to be held in Okinawa.

In addition, the Economic and Social Council and the expert panel's interaction with the business sector and civil society had revealed a tremendous willingness to contribute, and a strong conviction that information technology could be used to speed up development and to improve the integration of developing countries into the global economy, he said.

The report from the expert panel -– described as straightforward and uncluttered -– presents a challenge to ensure universal connectivity by the year 2004, Mr. Lankester explained. That, of course, did not mean a computer in every house, but rather that reasonable access would be available to all, perhaps through local government administrative offices, or the offices of agricultural extension programmes or schools. A great deal of work would be needed to meet that goal, but it could be met.

The panel's recommendations for the United Nations system included the establishment of a post of Chief Information Officer, better coordination of United Nations activities in the area, and the creation of a forward-looking strategic plan of action on information technology for development, he continued. Its recommendations for action outside the United Nations included the establishment of an international expert task force, and also the contribution of $0.5 billion to finance progress. Mr. Lankester said he was very confident that donor contributions would be matched dollar for dollar by business and foundations, and that, should the additional aid be forthcoming, matching business funds and contributions from developing countries themselves could mean that some $2 billion could be mobilized to meet information technology-based development goals.

Information Technology Briefing - 2 - 19 June 2000

Within every region there were both success stories and failures, Mr. Lancaster explained in response to a journalist's question. Brazil, Costa Rica and Cuba had made innovative use of information technology. For India, information technology was now a substantial source of income, and there had been an explosion in the use of mobile telephones in China. However, other countries clearly lagged behind.

Asked whether the Internet itself must change to be of interest and use to the developing world, Mr. Khan explained that local content was the key to utility. However, the net was changing with the United Nations system playing a role in that change. For example, the United Nations University was currently running a project on software for translation, in the hope of making the Web easily accessible in local languages, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was working to encourage the development of local content.

Asked whether any relationship between additional aid funds and States imposing limitations on access to the Internet had been explored, Mr. Lankester said that it had not. He noted, however, that some States had legitimate concerns about the impact on their societies of a World Wide Web dominated by Western culture, and those concerns would have to addressed. In addition, many States referred to in the Western press as repressive had actually embraced information technology and were using it to great benefit. He cited Cuba's use of the information technology to improve its citizens access to medical treatment, and China's embrace of the cellular telephone, as examples. "The genie is out of the bottle", he said, and the number of countries that were opposed to widespread use of information technology had fallen to "close to zero". Indeed, the Internet provided the possibility of greater understanding among peoples who did not share political and economic views, and could lead to a technological peace dividend, he concluded.

[The high-level panel of experts report is contained in United Nations document A/55/75-E/2000/55, available on the Web at . Additional information on information technology for the world is available from the Development and Human Rights Section of the United Nations Department of Public Information at 1-212-963-5851.

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