Global Alliance for Information & Communication Technologies launched
20 Jun '06
3 min read
The Alliance recognized ICT as a vital tool for development, Mr. Badawi said, “and with the lead given by the United Nations to this Alliance we hope to be able to see more widespread applications of ICT where poorer nations will benefit through greater access to technology and to knowledge.”
Craig Barrett, Board Chairman of Intel Corporation and the Alliance's first Chairman, said the initiative was “about people and ideas.” He said four conditions are needed to accelerate the opportunity for nations and their citizens, namely access and ownership, content, connectivity, and skills.
Welcoming the creation of the Alliance, Kim Hak-Su, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), said ICT had brought “tremendous benefits” to the peoples of many countries of the region. Outsourcing and the establishment of high-tech research and development facilities were benefiting India, China, the Philippines, Viet Nam and other countries, also spawning new industries such as microelectronics and textiles. The challenge was now to reduce the “very wide digital divide in Asia and the Pacific” through the “speedy and thorough implementation” of the decisions countries had adopted at the World Summit on the Information Society.
The Alliance's Strategy Council also met for the first time in Kuala Lumpur today. The 60 members of the Council, from the fields of ICT, development, public policy, education, health and other spheres, will establish priorities for the Alliance's work.
The Alliance will seek to stimulate dialogue on formulating policies and exchanging experiences on ICT for development. It will operate as a decentralized network, complementing the work of existing networks and institutions.
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