CONNECTIVITY, CAPACITY, CONTENT -- KEY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGES FACED BY DEVELOPING WORLD, DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS

Press Release
DSG/SM/99
ECOSOC/5894

CONNECTIVITY, CAPACITY, CONTENT -- KEY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGES FACED BY DEVELOPING WORLD, DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS

Following is the text of Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette’s address today at Headquarters at the High-level Segment of the Economic and Social Council on Information and Communication Technologies and Development:

It is a great pleasure for me to address so many distinguished participants at the opening of a very promising session. This coming together of government representatives, heads of financial and trade organizations, and business leaders is truly heartening. It shows the United Nations is making real progress in creating new partnerships, and it underlines the relevance of this revitalized Council as a universal forum for discussion on current economic and social issues.

Let me start on a positive note. After several years of financial turbulence, as well as increased hardship for many people in 1997-1999, the world economy is at an advanced stage of recovery. Most Asian economies, which were hit the worst, have solidly recovered.

But we should not forget that in many countries, these gains have not yet been sufficient to compensate for the losses suffered by the poorest people and most vulnerable groups. In addition, because they are still largely excluded from globalization, many developing countries, especially in Africa, are not sharing in the gains at all. We must therefore continue our efforts to make globalization work for all, and to ensure that its inevitable costs are not borne only by the poorest.

This is a task in which the United Nations can play a leading role. Each year, the Economic and Social Council session, and especially the High-level Segment, provides a unique opportunity to reflect and exchange ideas on some of the most pressing issues facing the international community. The theme of this year's High-level Segment -- Information Technology for Development -- is even more than a pressing issue: it is an absolutely critical one.

The digital revolution holds great promise for economic growth, poverty eradication and development. It has already brought extraordinary benefits to the developed world. And it could improve the chances for poor countries to leapfrog some long and painful stages in the development process, thereby saving considerable time and resources.

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In Latin America, Africa and Asia, local entrepreneurial efforts, supported by market forces, conducive governmental policies and international aid, have increased the use of information technology, generating employment and wealth.

Access to the Net provides more than economic opportunities. Indeed, its major impact in poor countries will be in the area of social development. Information technology can facilitate distance learning at low cost. Telemedicine can provide access to up-to-date health and medical information to even the most remote facilities throughout the world. This is what the Health InterNetwork initiative, suggested by the Secretary-General, aims to do. Information technology can also help empower civil society, strengthen democratic institutions and make governments more transparent and accountable.

Having said that, let me hasten to stress the words "facilitate" and "help". Information technology is not a magic formula that is going to solve all our problems. It can never replace schools, hospitals, sound economic policies, democratic institutions and the rule of law. It is a wonderful tool, but it is not an end in itself.

This, however, does not make the widening digital divide any less worrisome. Unfortunately but not surprisingly, those countries and communities that need the information technology boost the most are precisely those which are least able to take advantage of it. Sub-Saharan Africa, the poorest region in the world, is also the least connected.

Bringing the benefits of the information technology revolution to the developing world is a formidable task. It faces major difficulties in three key areas: connectivity, capacity and content. Let me address these issues in more detail.

First, connectivity. Information technology is empowering only when it is easily and cheaply accessible. So the question is how to ensure information technology access for the poor. There are no simple solutions. With an appropriate regulatory environment, the private sector can provide efficient information technology services at acceptable cost in the major cities of the developing world. But in the countryside, poverty and the costs of connecting remote and under-populated areas mean we cannot rely only on market forces.

If universal access is the long-term objective, the near-term information technology goal for the rural poor in the developing world must be to connect communities rather than individuals. This can be done via village telecentres -- also referred to as telecabinas, cyber-kiosks and cyber-cafés -- or with a single village cell phone, as in the successful Grameen Phone Programme in Bangladesh. By providing the resources needed to invest in digital infrastructure, the donor community can make a vital difference.

The second problem is capacity. This means not just the computers to connect to the Internet, but the technological skills needed to use information

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technology facilities and service them. Technological literacy is a must. We should, however, be clear that there is no leapfrogging when in comes to education. Traditional literacy remains a prerequisite for development. First and foremost, we must be committed to the goal of basic education for all.

Meanwhile, technical assistance can make a difference in developing the human capital needed to capitalize on the information technology revolution. In his Millennium Report, the Secretary-General suggested one concrete way to do this. He announced the creation of a United Nations information technology volunteer corps -- UNITES -- which will train groups in those countries in how to use and apply information technology.

I take this opportunity to appeal to our guests from the high-tech business world to respond to this initiative. But I also want to emphasize that if technical assistance of this kind can help, it should not be limited to North-South transfers. India, for example, has much to teach others about how it is bridging the digital gap.

The third obstacle is content, which must be relevant to local needs. Because the majority of hosts are located in the developed world, the information available reflects the interests of the population in that part of the world. In addition, 80 per cent of the material currently on the Internet is in English, a language that 75 per cent of the world's people do not speak. The creation of both local content and automatic translation technologies must be encouraged.

Unless we act urgently on all these fronts, the potential of the information technology revolution for advancing socio-economic development will not be realized. Bridging the digital divide will require global leadership and a major commitment of resources. Only the developed nations have the influence, resources and expertise necessary to play this role. But, if it is to succeed, the process must engage all stakeholders: donors, the private sector, civil society organizations and, of course, governments, not least those in the developing world.

The broad United Nations family is extensively involved in different aspects of information technology. The World Bank and the International Telecommunication Union are the most important actors in terms of financial outlays and expertise to achieve connectivity. But other United Nations agencies are working to extend the reach of the new information technologies. To make real progress in this direction, we must make information technology an integral component of all our development programmes.

The international community as a whole must come up with concerted strategies. With its universal membership and its ability to act as a global interlocutor, the United Nations is uniquely placed to help forge the coalitions we need. In his report to Economic and Social Council, the Secretary-General proposes to set up a "Task Force" of experts who would provide practical advice on the role of information technology in development. I urge you to give serious consideration to this proposal.

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We also need innovative approaches to resource mobilization. In particular, we must explore incentives to attract private sector investment. To this end, we might consider establishing a "Digital Bridge Fund" to serve as a vehicle for channelling resources and equipment from donors.

With strong partnerships, appropriate resources and political will, the digital divide can and will be bridged. This High-level Segment gives us an opportunity to think creatively about ways in which information technology can advance the development goals agreed at the conferences of the nineties. The follow-up to these important conferences is also high on your agenda. I am sure your discussions will highlight the many ways in which information technology can impact on development issues, from poverty eradication to health, education and the advancement of women.

I wish you a very fruitful session. Thank you very much.

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