PRESS CONFERENCE BY SECRETARY OF STATE FOR HERITAGE AND CULTURAL DECENTRALIZATION OF FRANCE

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE BY SECRETARY OF STATE FOR HERITAGE AND CULTURAL DECENTRALIZATION OF FRANCE

The digital divide would not be reduced by magic or the action of market forces alone, the French Secretary of State for Heritage and Cultural Decentralization told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference yesterday afternoon. Ensuring the access of all countries to information technologies required colossal efforts at the local, national and international levels, Michel Dufour told journalists.

Mr. Dufour, who is also the head of the European Union's delegation to the opening session of the Economic and Social Council's high-level segment on information technologies, said that the digital divide referred to the unequal distribution of the benefits of information technologies and communications. In that regard, the Economic and Social Council could play an important role in limiting digital exclusions.

The Economic and Social Council was also faced with the challenge of how to ensure that information technologies benefited developing countries rather than accentuating their marginalization, he said. The evolution of information technologies had led to some positive developments, especially in the areas of education and training. It had also made possible direct access to distant resources in the areas of trade and commerce and had greatly facilitated access to the world markets. In the cultural sphere, information technologies had presented immense opportunities for dialogue among civilizations. Modern information technologies were also conducive to participatory democracy and had led to improvements in the public and private management of business affairs, he said.

While the evolution of information technologies had resulted in some positive change, information technologies presented the international community with rare and complex challenges, Mr. Dufour said. The benefits of information technologies were unequally distributed, not only among the countries of the North and South but also within States themselves.

Three main obstacles to equal access to information technologies must be overcome, he continued. One such obstacle was the quantitative and qualitative need for infrastructure and equipment. Without electricity or access to networks, a computer was worthless. Access should also be permitted to literacy and training programmes to permit real dissemination of knowledge. Information courses and software should also be made more available at reasonable prices.

Difficulties in access to technical knowledge and information should not, however, lead to fatalism, he said. The example of some developing countries that had profited from information and communication technologies despite their limited financial resources had proven that a "volunteerism" policy could make it possible to overcome most handicaps. For many developing countries, particularly the least developed countries, international assistance would be necessary to disseminate new technologies.

Many initiatives had been launched to fight the digital gap from both donor countries and multilateral organizations, Mr. Dufour said. The World Bank, the United Nations Educational and Scientific Organizations (UNESCO) and the World

Dufour Press Conference - 2 - 6 July 2000

International Property Organization (WIPO) had all acquired well-recognized competence in the information technology field. The digital gap would also be the theme of the upcoming summit of world leaders in Okinawa, Japan.

The Economic and Social Council could also contribute to narrowing the digital gap, he continued. One function of the Council would be raising public awareness and mobilizing public opinion to create greater recognition of the importance of reducing the digital divide. There was also a need for a greater exchange of experience so that mistakes were not repeated. The high-level segment had proven the Council's capacity to build new partnerships not only in the business sector but also with non-governmental organizations.

Mr. Dufour said that the Economic and Social Council must carry out the central role of coordination. While that did not mean the creation of a new body, it did mean that the Council could adopt a global strategy, which would set forth the main principles for United Nations action in information technology and communication. Those principles must be based on a list of objectives understandable to every citizen. The strategy should also define the role of each intervening party in achieving its objectives. Part of the coordination role of the Council would be to mobilize private funds, through foundations in particular, for the development of information technologies in developing countries. France, like its European partners, was ready to shoulder its full share in that endeavour.

What concrete measures was France ready to take and what role could France play in the Economic and Social Council or in terms of bilateral measures? a correspondent asked. Mr. Dufour said that on the bilateral level, France had had a plan in effect for some time. For instance, France had been very active in the health sector. There had also been bilateral efforts to reinforce connectivity and to train technicians. Among the French-speaking countries, France played a great role. France had also made considerable contributions to multilateral activities. It was one of the strongest supporters of UNESCO.

At the same time, however, there were many supplementary activities that France would like to develop, Mr. Dufour said. France could do a great deal more to develop information and communication technologies in Africa. Within the European Union, France agreed to cheaper and faster Internet access. France would also like to have a coordinated policy to strengthen the security of computer networks.

In response to another question, Mr. Dufour said that the problem of the digital divide also existed in France. There were, for example, differences in terms of access to information technologies according to income and age. France had drawn up a plan of action in that regard. While the European Union was focusing on the problem of digital gaps, it did not want to remain focused on internal affairs only. The Union wanted also to concentrate on the problem of the North-South schism in the area of information technologies. It should be noted that France favoured the development of free software.

Also in response to a question, he said that the text of the ministerial declaration to be adopted at the conclusion of the high-level segment was not yet finalized. He was not expecting many surprises. The creation of a task force had been envisaged, which would bring together not only governmental actors and multilateral institutions, but also the private sector, which had a clear interest in the dissemination of information technologies.

Corporations had made clear that they were ready to contribute financially to develop technologies in the field, he continued. That was a course that seemed worth exploring. In the end, what was important was reducing the digital divide and combining efforts to ensure that the digital revolution did not accentuate the marginalization of developing countries, but was instead an opportunity for them to catch up. It might be possible for developing countries to move quickly from the computer stage to the mobile telephone stage.

Asked to explain European partnerships, Mr. Dufour said that France's initiative had been an important part of European partnerships. To borrow from a statement made by the Prime Minister last August, a modern State was a State that could give impetus without putting itself in the place of societal actors. Based on that, France wanted to see a strengthening of the governmental presence in the next months and years. Several government ministries were involved in the issue and they would work to better harmonize their interventions. The Government had not tried to go it alone. That was the spirit in which France would work.

On the idea that there was no magic recipe to bridge the digital divide, he said that there was a whole chain of causes for the divide -- from the most basic to connections of the most sophisticated level. In the developed countries, the whole chain must be looked at from the very base, starting at the point of connection. Access to the information was needed. Many partners from both the private sectors and non-governmental organizations must be involved. Non- governmental organizations were often the basis for concrete projects in the areas of education and sanitation, for example. It was also crucial to define what a "good project" was.

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