The National Government "committed to bridging the digital gap in Panama announced an ambitious program of literacy and digital inclusion through “Senacyt Infoplazas 220”, that from now they will provide free Internet service around countrywide for the benefit of all Panamanians. The announcement was made by the president, Ricardo Martinelli during an event organized in the framework of the celebration of World Telecommunication and Information Society.

Ruben Berrocal, National Secretary of Science, Technology and Innovation said "we have reformed the management model and created a grant Infoplazas, an associated incentive plan based on productivity rates, which will allow Infoplazas Senacyt provide free Internet throughout the country".

The National Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation in compliance with the National Strategic Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation (PENCYT 2010-2014) has opened 90 Infoplazas in the last two years. Berrocal added, "We are working to double the number of facilities in Panama for the year 2014".

The Infoplazas Senacyt are community centers for public access to information and knowledge through the use of information, training programs, and Internet access available to facilitate public access to new Information Technology and Communication (ICT ), particularly those with limited resources and are located in areas of difficult access, helping to bridge the digital gap and incorporating the knowledge society.
 
Eduardo Jaen, general manager of the National Authority for Government Innovation, said that "the country makes strides to close the digital gap with the announcement of this ambitious digital literacy program that includes free Internet access through the Infoplazas Senacyt National Network and the Internet For All. Starting today, all Panamanians will have access to a computer with Internet to process electronically with the government and businesses, raising the country's competitiveness".

The National Internet Network with more than 120 thousand registered users who use it regularly to access web pages, email and instant messaging services for free. Current access 655 sites in 22 cities are located in places of concentration of people such as schools and municipalities, libraries, community clubs, museums, health centers and hospitals. It was announced that there will be 1,000 National Internet access points by the end of 2011.

(Source: Presidence - Panama)

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ITU announces significant new landmarks in the fight against cyberthreats

ITU has cemented new global partnerships designed to make cyberspace a safer, more secure place to be for consumers, businesses, and – most crucially – children and youth.

A Memorandum of Understanding signed between ITU and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) at this year’s WSIS Forum event in Geneva will see the two organizations collaborate in assisting ITU and UN Member States mitigate the risks posed by cybercrime.

The MoU will enable the two bodies to work together to make available the necessary expertise and resources to establish legal measures and legislative frameworks at national level, for the benefit of all interested countries. It is the first time that two organizations within the UN system have formally agreed to cooperate at the global level on cybersecurity.

“This new alliance with UNODC is a major milestone in implementing a coordinated global approach to an increasingly serious global problem. Together, our two agencies will generate powerful synergies that will help all interested countries fight the scourge of cyberthreats and cybercrime and create a safer online environment for all”, said ITU Secretary-General Dr. Hamadoun Touré.

In line with its long tradition of public-private partnership, ITU has also signed an MoU with Symantec, a leading provider of security, storage and systems management solutions. ITU will use Symantec’s security intelligence, in the form of its quarterly Internet Security Threat Reports, to increase understanding of and readiness for cybersecurity risks.

By distributing this report – which captures data from across Symantec’s Global Intelligence Network – to interested Member States, ITU aims to help better prepare governments in developing and developed nations alike to respond to the ever-growing risk from malware, cyber attackers and information thieves. This will facilitate awareness raising and knowledge transfer, complementing the work of ITU and strengthening its effectiveness as a global forum for governments and private sector to build confidence and security in the use of ICTs.

Commenting on the partnership, Enrique Salem, President and Chief Executive Officer of Symantec, said: “Over the past year and a half, the researchers that make up Symantec’s Global Intelligence Network have noted a dramatic increase in the number of cyberattacks, as well as the growing sophistication and impact of threats. The partnership between ITU and Symantec will facilitate an increased understanding of cybersecurity risks and how they can be reduced, increasing confidence in new and emerging technologies and facilitating the evolution of the digital world”.

(Source: ITU Newsroom)

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Anar Foundation will expand its helpline to young people Quechua´s speaker who live at risk, thus they expected to be available to population of 1 million 270 thousand children, adolescents and youth, in most excluded areas of the country.

Under the slogan "Your voice will protect you", the foundation Anar expand its service line from Friday May 20th to all calls in Quechua to be made from landline or public telephone, conducted at national level, free of charge and confidential from Monday to Saturday (from 09:00 to 21:00).

Germán Guajardo, president of Telephone Anar said that the Quechua service arose from the need to expand the practice of counseling psychology with an inclusive approach that benefits the most excluded populations in the country, figures that come to 850 thousand children 420 thousand adolescents and young people, according to statistics from INEI (2007).
He noted that from July 1998 until April 2011, 342.478 calls were received nationwide.

The most recurrent problems reported by children and adolescents are physical violence, psychological and sexual problems; and difficulties with their parents as well as psychological problems.

These cases are treated with due confidentiality, they receive support and guidance that they need to strengthen personal aspects of the victim by promoting a culture of peace and good deal with zero tolerance for violence.

Finally, Mr. Guajardo said that any request, advice or guidance needed by children and young people can also be performed via email, entering in the www.anarperu.org website, in the link: “Need help?”.

(Source: Andina News)

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 The Minister Errazuriz said "it will be a real transformation, a connectivity revolution".

With a commitment to have all educational establishments connected to broadband in March 2012, the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Pedro Pablo Errazuriz, with his pair of Education, Joaquin Lavin, visited the School República of Paraguay in Recoleta, where they shared with students and where they have seen the areas with some technological advances.
 
The Minister Errazuriz stressed the objective of this initiative: "We want everyone in Chile have these same tools and time to reach the knowledge revolution. This is a true transformation, a connectivity revolution". "I opened the bidding that will allow us to fulfill this presidential commitment. Reaching this year with high-quality broadband to 90% of students in the country and complete 100% by 2012", said Errazuriz.

Minister Lavin said that "for the Ministry of Education this is very important because it means that in March 2012 all schools in Chile will have broadband internet. And when we say all, is all, even some school of the rural or more remote areas with satellite connection”. The Education Minister noted the work that they have being done through links, asserting that "Chile is reaching a level of 10 children per computer. There are 3 and a half million students and 350 thousand computers in schools. In all, notebooks, netbook, and a standard of 10 children per computer for a computer is quite reasonable compared with other countries".

Currently, 5,600 schools have some connection to the Internet but without quality guaranteed, through this program will raise the standards of these schools, also the schools without connectivity, will be connected, and reaching a universe of more than 11,600 establishments.

For the implementation of this project will be used in 2011 about $ 7 billion and a similar public investment figure in 2012, through the Global Telecommunication Development. 
"Additionally, we will have for the first time the online system monitoring and control to ensure full compliance with the quality of broadband service contract, which will connect all schools. So we can ensure that resources invested by the State and the objectives of this initiative are effectively met", concluded the Minister Errazuriz.

(Source: Subtel - Chile)

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The American Community of Nations held on May 17th the seventh edition of the World Internet Day with over 300 activities and events in 23 countries. The event already has more than 800 developers worldwide who join all kinds of organizations with a common goal: to bring new technologies to the unconnected and develop the use of the Internet to the public.

The Seventh Internet Day Edition puts its focus on the debate about how the Internet and new technologies affect human rights. The Senate will host the main events of Awards and plenary discussion that will be attended by leading figures such as Eduard Punset, science writer, Rosa Conde, President of the Fundación Carolina, Jordi Sevilla, former government minister and the journalist Nacho Escolar, among others.

The debate will be broadcast live over the Internet. To guide the conversation, the speakers will leave the more than 300 contributions that users around the world are stuck in the wall of Rights, the wall that will remain open to encourage citizen participation and may enter the conversation by using the tag #Internet Day in Twitter.

Internet connects us with Latin America. Latin America is also very present in this edition of Internet Day with activities aimed at using social networks as a meeting point among all Spanish-speaking countries.

Fundèu BBVA Foundation celebrates anniversary with an open debate on the use of Spanish in new media from www.manualdeestilo.com work. This portal is the embryo of what will be the 'Manual of Style for new media' that BBVA Fundèu prepared with contributions from Internet users. The workshop will be led by Mario Tascon (@mtascon), and will be attended by Antonio Fraguas (@forges), the content director of Hypertext, Marilín Gonzalo (@ marilink) or the Mexican writer Cristina Rivera Garza (@criveragarza).

(Sources: diadelainternet.org and Ahciet)

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In northern Ghana, a “bottom-up” approach to improving the health and environment of rural villages is logging positive results. ICT interventions relying on mobile technology and e-learning play a big role in implementation.

A project in Ghana seeks to improve the lives of rural villagers by marrying information and communication technologies with the use of “change agents” – selected community members who receive special training. Operating out of their head office in Kumasi, near the middle of the country, the eCAP Ghana Foundation works in the northern villages of Niliyungdo and Nagbi. The project focuses on topics related to health, the environment, microfinance and education.

The transformation of one of the participating villages has been “remarkable”, according to Eva Kagiri, who works for eCAP’s international partner, the Swedish NGO MKFC. In an April interview with ICTWorks , Kagiri described how eCAP trained three young men to be change agents. They then taught village residents in Niliyungdo how to clean water using the “solar disinfection method”, and about waste disposal and environmental issues to avoid spread of diseases. To convey information to residents in an engaging manner, the young men used using role play, pictures and videos.

“We learned how to clean our water,” a female resident of Niliyungdo later told the eCAP team. “We also learned to keep our water covered. Some of us who did not believe what we were doing would make a difference now believe. We are no longer going to the hospital because of the sickness from the water“. Explaining their approach to implementation, Kay Obiri-Mainoo, the Project Coordinator of eCAP Ghana, says they try to establish a close bond with community members so that they feel comfortable opening up and talking about anything that might be bothering them. Obiri-Mainoo also emphasized that his organization believes in the “bottom-up approach,” where they target and train individuals and later scale up to the larger community.

The goal of the project is not only to encourage positive change in the lives of community members themselves. The project also prepares these communities to become agents of change and pass knowledge on to other communities within their district. One of the project’s biggest challenges, says Obiri-Mainoo, has been language barriers. Facilitators often do not speak the local dialect of the communities where they are working, thus forcing them to rely on an interpreter which sometimes complicates the flow of communication.

In addition to video, mobile phone technology is central to the project. In between visits to the village, team members stay in touch by communicating with community leaders, chiefs, teachers and opinion leaders through mobile phones. Typical mobile correspondences are done by either text message or voice calls. The project also uses mobile phones as a broadcast mechanism for sending out regular reminders. For example, text messages are sent to the community to remind them to disinfect their water using the solar method. Mobile phones invariably save project facilitators time and travel costs.  

(Source: AudienceScapes)

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People living in the poorest countries in the world are benefiting from a ‘mobile cellular miracle’ which has seen access to voice and simple data connectivity rise from an LDC average of 1.2% of the population to almost 30% in just ten years, according to figures released by ITU at the LDC IV conference this week.

This steep rise in phone connectivity far exceeds the targets set out in the LDC III Brussels Programme of Action, which called for average telephone density in LDCs to reach 5% by 2011.

The democratization and rapid spread of mobile cellular technology – which, in 2001, was still considered the province of people in wealthy countries – has transformed the ICT landscape in the world’s 48 UN-designated Least Developed Countries, bringing connectivity to almost 250 million people in LDCs.

ITU’s latest analysis of strategies to boost ICT penetration and leverage this to accelerate development in other economic and social sectors was also released at the conference, in the form of two new reports: ICTs and Telecommunications in Least Developed Countries and The Role of ICT in Advancing Growth in Least Developed Countries.

ITU figures confirm that while the number of fixed lines has barely risen in LDCs over the past decade, reflecting global trends, mobile access has mushroomed, with cumulative annual growth rates over the past five years of 42.6% in LDCs compared to just 7.1% in developed countries.

In 2009, only a tiny handful of LDCs – Myanmar, Kiribati, Eritrea and Ethiopia – still had mobile penetration below the LDC III target of 5% – and that number is expected to shrink further by mid-2010.

But still far too few Internet users in LDCs

The past decade has also seen significant progress in getting people in LDCs online, with 2.5% average Internet penetration by the end of 2010, compared to under 0.3% in 2001. But that is nothing like enough, according to ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Touré, and remains well below the Brussels III target of 10%.

“People ask me if Internet penetration is really such a high priority for people who, on a daily basis, face a lack of safe drinking water, rising food prices, and a chronic shortage of healthcare,” said Dr Touré. “My answer is a resounding ‘yes’. Because the Internet – and especially broadband – is an extraordinary enabler which has potential to massively expand the effective delivery of vital services, such as healthcare and education. Nowhere is this more important than in countries where people are chronically deprived of these services”.

(Source: ITU Newsroom)

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The purpose of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) is to help raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICT) can bring to societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge the digital divide.

17th May marks the anniversary of the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention and the creation of the International Telecommunication Union.

This year, World Telecommunication and Information Society Day highlight the theme “Better life in rural communities with ICTs”, which was adopted by ITU Council in 2009 and follows up on the theme for 2010: “Better city, better life with ICTs”.

ICTs are increasingly in demand to meet the Millennium Development Goals. In the rural context, ICTs provide enhanced opportunities to generate income and combat poverty, hunger, ill health and illiteracy.

Half the world’s population resides in rural districts and far flung communities. This half — three billion people — represent the poorer, less educated, and more deprived cousins of our urban citizens. Indeed, latest figures indicate that as many as 70 per cent of the developing world’s 1.4 billion extremely poor people live in rural areas. They are also among the least connected to the benefits of ICTs. We cannot allow this situation to continue.

As the leading specialized agency of the United Nations for information and communication technologies (ICT), ITU looks towards its Members to raise awareness of the role of ICTs in creating fresh opportunities for a better life through long-term, sustainable development, not least among the most vulnerable sections of our society.

ICTs and related e-applications are key instruments in improving governance and rural services, such as providing community health care, safe drinking water and sanitation, education, food and shelter; improving maternal health and reducing child mortality; empowering women and the more vulnerable members of society; and ensuring environmental sustainability. As ICTs increasingly dictate lifestyles and behavior patterns and power the growth of trade and commerce, rural communities must not be allowed to fall behind cities in their quest for connectivity.

Source: ITU Events)

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Social networks like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and the chat will help from now to prevent and address violence against women as part of the campaign “if they love you, they should love you well”, developed by the Ministry of Women and Social Development (Mimdes)of Peru. The Minister of Mimdes, Virginia Borra, today launched the preventive campaign against violence through electronic means, considering the large influence that those have among youth.

"Currently, in Peru there are over three million users of Facebook, of which the majority is composed by young and just 30 percent of cases of violence treated in emergency centers woman is young victims aged between 13 and 25 years old".

Borra explained that from now is available to enter the on the ministry's website and link to the “Chat 100” section, where you can anonymously seek help from a specialist.
"Here there will be no records of names, so this means you can go to calmly explain your situation to the professionals who attend from 08:00 to 22:00 hours", explained the minister.

Also, if you prefer contact through Facebook and Twitter can be added or follow “sitkiernktkieranbien” account to access communication and receive professional advice on the subject to exit or overcome any situation of violence.

You can also find news, prevention messages, pictures and videos on the subject, which aims to raise awareness about the need to combat violence against women. "Do not forget that the whole issue of violence starts with stressful situations, with small disagreements and minor conflicts unresolved, which may come to physical and verbal aggression and lawlessness".

Borra insisted that it is important that when you start a process of violence, this has to be reported immediately to avoid extreme cases, as many femicide and attempted killings that happen in the country.

(Source: Andina News)

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Senior United Nations officials today stressed the need to promote the participation of women in decision-making, noting that democracy and gender equality are interlinked and mutually reinforcing.

“While women’s political participation improves democracy, the reverse is also true: democracy is an incubator for gender equality,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his remarks at a roundtable held at UN Headquarters on gender equality and democracy.

“It provides public space for discussion of human rights and women’s empowerment. It enables women’s groups to mobilize. It makes it easier for women to realize their political, civil, economic and social rights.”

He told participants at the event, which included representatives from various UN departments and entities, as well as the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, that one need look no further than the daily headlines to see the timeliness of today’s gathering.
 
“Women were among those who marched in Côte d’Ivoire to uphold the democratic will of the people – with several of them killed for making that stand,” said Mr. Ban. “In Egypt, Tunisia and elsewhere, women have been among those in the vanguard demanding change, rights, dignity, and opportunity.”

Noting gender inequality in decision-making remains a great impediment to democracy, the Secretary-General said more must be done to address the gender gap in democratic participation.

(Source: UN News Centre)

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Based on the AudienceScapes nationally representative survey of Tanzania, conducted in July 2010.

The report focuses on how people of different social groups in Tanzania consume, share and assess information on key health issues including HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Maternal and Child Health. Specifically, the report helps development organizations to identify health information needs for Tanzania adults and ways to share such information with key demographic groups.

There is inequitable access to health information in Tanzania - with significant differences between rural and urban dwellers and among socioeconomic groups. As in most developing countries, the rural residents or those of lower socioeconomic status are disadvantaged in terms of access to communication tools and health information in general. This report provides insights into how development practitioners should craft their health campaigns.

Read Chapters

Chapter 1 The General Health Landscape: an overview of self-reported health status and level of access to health services, and variations by socioeconomic groups;

Chapter 2 Health Information Gathering and Sharing: general access to and use of health information, as seen through the prism of the rural-urban divide and the gender gap in Tanzania;

Chapter 3 HIV/AIDS Education: A Demand for Better Information, with a focus on vulnerable populations;

Chapter 4 Malaria Education: Tapping Into All Means of Outreach, exploring the rural-urban divide and the gender gap;

Chapter 5 Family Planning And Maternal And Child Health: The Need for a Holistic Approach, with a focus on reproductive-age women;

This report draws from a nationally representative survey of Tanzanian individuals, conducted in July 2010. The survey included modules on access to information sources generally as well as access to information about health-related issues, plus questions about trust in various information sources and use of word-of-mouth networks to stay informed about health issues. The survey was based on face-to-face interviews and covered all regions of the country.

Full Report

(Source: AudienceScapes)

The FAO-Dimitra Project, a participatory information and communication initiative whose goal is to improve the visibility of rural men and women, recently launched “Communicating Gender for Rural Development: Integrating Gender in Communication for Development.” This handbook is designed for all development practitioners (not only communication/ information specialists) and was born out of the observation that all too often, gender is overlooked in the design of communication initiatives for development in rural areas and that rural populations, women particularly, are rarely viewed as primary sources of information. This has an impact on the action of communication with consequences that vary from reduced efficiency to adverse results.

The publication reviews the concepts and approaches of gender and communication and the reasons for including gender in communication for development initiatives in rural areas; it also provides practical guidance on achieving this successfully.

Unlike conventional communication initiatives that often deliver top-down messages to a sometimes passive audience, communication for development initiatives are based on a dialogue process that aims to achieve sustainable changes within a community. They are implemented on the premise that change will take hold only if the community takes ownership. Therefore, this type of initiative promotes a participatory process that involves all the members of the target population from the start and empowers them to shape the project as it unfolds.

Rural populations face serious challenges in accessing information and means of communication: they are geographically isolated with very limited access to services and infrastructure, have low rates of literacy and no possibility to seek out information, and their knowledge and skills are for the most part undervalued and unsolicited. Rural women, particularly, are disadvantaged. Customary practices often prevent them from accessing education and participating in public life, farmers’ organizations, and decision-making authorities such as village councils.

(Source: FAO - Gender)

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The UN Programme on Youth (UNPY) is hosting a briefing session on Empowering Disadvantaged and Vulnerable Girls and Young Women, in the context of the International Year of Youth. Kicking off the session will be the presentation of a video followed by a panel discussion with young people, civil society and UN experts. The panel, which will be moderated by Ms Susana Vas Patto from the Permanent Mission of Portugal to the UN, will discuss the root causes of disadvantage and vulnerability in girls and young women and will explore mechanisms for improving their participation in society, through active leadership, education and access to basic services.

Please join us in discussing the importance of enhancing opportunities for girls and young women:

Ms. Susana Vaz Patto, Moderator, Permanent Mission of Portugal to the UN

Ms. Sylvia Wong, Technical Specialist on Adolescents/Youth, UNFPA

Mr. Jimmie Briggs, Executive Director, Man Up Campaign

Ms. Itzel Delgado, Teen Advisor, Girl Up Campaign

Video Presentation and Monologue Readings, V‐Girls, V‐Day

Investing in adolescent girls and young women is key to development and a priority of the UN system. Furthermore, ensuring the participation of girls and young women at all levels is central to the International Year of Youth. Girls and young women can face disadvantage and vulnerability for a multitude of reasons, including poverty, lack access to education and health care, violence and conflict. These factors serve to limit the chances of girls and young women to actively participate in society, exposing them to greater vulnerability and marginalization. Through education, awareness raising and enhanced participatory opportunities, young women’s role in society can be greatly improved. The promotion of education for girls and young women as well as the development of young women as leaders are some of the tools which ensure young women role and visibility in society is strengthened.

(Source: International Year of Youth - IYY)

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ITU and the Telecom Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) have inaugurated a project to connect 25 schools in Akuressa, Southern Province of Sri Lanka. Under the “Connect a School, Connect a Community” initiative, ICT tools such as computers and printers as well as Internet connectivity will be provided.

Within the framework of a public-private-people’s partnership (4Ps) model, telecommunication operators, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and NGOs have joined the project as partners to assist in providing access to education through ICTs in the rural schools of Sri Lanka, ITU and the Telecom Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) have inaugurated a project to connect 25 schools in Akuressa, Southern Province of Sri Lanka. Under the “Connect a School, Connect a Community” initiative, ICT tools such as computers and printers as well as Internet connectivity will be provided.

Within the framework of a public-private-people’s partnership (4Ps) model, telecommunication operators, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and NGOs have joined the project as partners to assist in providing access to education through ICTs in the rural schools of Sri Lanka, some of which are located in remote communities. This project aims to transform these schools into connected community ICT centres. Their long-term sustainability would provide a vital link to marginalized and vulnerable groups including children, women, indigenous people, persons with disabilities and those living in rural, remote and underserved areas of Sri Lanka.

In addition, Intel plans to offer training for 62 teachers at 31 schools through the Intel Teach programme, which helps teachers to be more effective educators. The programme entails training teachers to integrate technology into their lessons and to promote problem solving, critical thinking and collaboration skills among their students.

Appreciating the partnership and assistance extended by ITU, TRCSL, Intel and ADB, which funded a project to promote ICT education in rural areas of the island, the Secretary in the Ministry for Education of Sri Lanka, Mr H.M. Gunasekara said, “This initiative provided our school system with much needed ICT equipment, know-how and teacher empowerment to reach our national ICT goals.”

(Source: ITU Newsroom)

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New recommendations calling for an unprecedented level of accountability to save the lives of more women and children in developing countries were agreed today by the United Nations Commission on Information and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health which met in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. These new approaches will help ensure that pledges are honoured and resources spent in the most effective way to save lives.

The ten recommendations include specific approaches to:

    * Help countries develop better ways of gathering important health data to improve understanding of health needs and where resources should be focused
    * Develop a coordinated system for tracking health spending on women and children
    * National and global oversight to establish a feedback mechanism that supports continuous improvement in delivery of health services for women and children

To better understand the current situation and impact of efforts, the Commission advised monitoring progress based on specific indicators, such as the number of women who have access to skilled care during childbirth and the number of children treated for pneumonia.

“All partners are mutually accountable for the promises they make and the health policies and programmes they design and implement,” said Jakaya Kikwete, President of the United Republic of Tanzania and co-chair of the Commission with Stephen Harper, Canadian Prime Minister. “Tracking resources and results of public health spending is critical for transparency, credibility and ensuring that much-needed funds are used to save the lives of women and children.”
The recommendations, which come after more than five months of in-depth discussions and work across a high-level group of global leaders, were delivered at the conclusion of the second and final meeting of the Commission. The goal is to improve transparency, ensure consistency in reporting and more effectively track resources spent on reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health.

(Source: ITU Newsroom)
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Community Technology Centers (CTCs) of the Office of the First Lady (DPD) developed various activities to mark the international day of the Girls in ICT, established by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to encourage participation of women in information technology and communication (ICT).

Throughout the day, in the Favidrio CTC community were conducted dialogues with girls and young women, where it was explained what is a computer, the benefits of information and communication technology and the risk that have the use of Internet.

Also, more than 500 children and adolescents conducted a guided tour of various areas of CTC, they manipulated the computers and explored on Internet topics of their interest. This action encouraged them to learn more about the wonderful world of technology.

At the meeting, the student and volunteer of Favidrio CTC, Ivel de los Santos, guided the "Women and Technology" discussion group, which served to explain that technology is present in everyday life and is used in various areas, including health, business, communication, education, among other daily activities.

"The technology is easy, fast and effective and makes women can work better in society and working life" said de los Santos who are students of St. Rita Parish School of San Cristobal.

(Source:Despacho Primera Dama - DPD)
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Greater efforts to support girls and young women to acquire skills in information and communications technologies (ICTs) could help address projected shortages of manpower in those professions, the United Nations telecommunications agency said today, marking the first “Girls in ICT Day.”

“With many countries now forecasting a shortage of skilled ICT professionals within the next ten years, it’s vital that we attract young women into technology if we are to sustain healthy growth rates for the industry overall,” said Hamadoun Touré, the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), in a statement announcing the launch of the Day.

“With excellent employment opportunities and very good remuneration, a career in technology represents an excellent choice for girls in every country worldwide,” Mr. Touré added.

The Girls in ICT Day will be observed on the fourth Thursday of April every year to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women through the use of ICTs. It results from a resolution adopted at ITU’s Plenipotentiary Conference in Guadalajara, Mexico, last year. 

Under the resolution, ITU pledged to incorporate a gender perspective in the implementation of all its programmes and plans, following which the Global Network of Women in ICT was established.

The network is designed to encourage girls and young women to choose technology careers by providing mentoring resources, high-profile role models and toolkits that help national authorities and organizations promote technology careers to women. It is supported by ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT), which, through its Gender Unit, is working on a range of strategies to use ICT to improve the livelihood of women worldwide.

(Source: UN News Center)

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On April 28th will be held International Girls in ICT Day in Colombia, which started as an initiative of the Global Network of Women ICT - WITNET of the ITU (International Telecommunication Union).

This celebration is held with the aim of fostering an inclusive environment for the empowerment of girls and women through personal development, academic and professional careers related to Information and Communication Technology.

The ICT Ministry joins to the celebration of International Women in Technology by the official launch of Squadron #BrigadaDigital#"GeekGirls" of Colombia. The launch will take place in the context of a virtual seminar with the participation of representatives of the Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications, the Ministry of Education, the International Telecommunication Union and the UN in Colombia. During the launch will feature testimonials of Colombian women who develop and use ICTs.

The event organized by the #"GeekGirls" will be an opportunity to reflect on the impact of ICT on gender and challenges to harness and enhance the opportunities and advantages that these technologies offer to improve the quality of life, educational processes, economic and social women.

The digital meeting will be held on Thursday April 28 from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm and will be seen through one of the collaborative spaces of the #BrigadaDigital: http://pio.la/platforms/brigadadigital.

Regarding to this event, Paolo Rosa, ITU Regional Officer for the Americas commented that on behalf of ITU Secretary General Dr. Hamadoun I. Touré and the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau Director Brahima Sanou, he is delighted to join Colombia’s first celebration of Girls in ICT Day.  ITU salutes Colombia as one of the first countries to celebrate Girls in ICT following the ITU call for action on this initiative.

Through Resolution 70, ITU seeks to promote and increase the interest of, and opportunities for, women and girls in ICT careers. This Resolution also established the new Global Network of Women in ICT Decision Makers (http://witnet.org/index.php), which was launched by Serbia’s Minister of Telecommunications and Information Society, Ms Jasna Matić, with the support of the ITU Secretary General and UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet during the 55th session of the Conference on the Status of Women this February.
 
ITU believes that support for girls in ICT is especially timely, in light of the predicted shortage of skilled ICT professionals within the next ten years.  A career in technology promises excellent employment opportunities for girls and women around the globe.

(Source: Mintic - Colombia)
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The Dominican Republic will held in the school Fabio Mota the "World Day of Girls in ICT", taking the call from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) which launched the initiative to encourage greater participation of girls in the field of Information and Communication Technology  (ICT).

The information was given today by Amparo Arango Echeverri, Coordinator of the Technical Support Unit of the National Commission for Information Society and Knowledge (CNSIC). She said that to celebrate this day, the Dominican Telecommunications Institute (Indotel) through CNSIC and the Research Center for the female Action  (CIPAF), institution that is "implementing a project on Gender and ICT: Gender Equity and Equality E-Dominicana", are organizing a panel-meeting in the high school, Fabio Mota aimed to young students (especially women) in the third and fourth grade of high school.The event will take place on Thursday April 28th.

Indotel, CNSIC and CIPAF will held this meeting-panel to discuss integration of women into the technology. "This new Day of the Girls in ICT will provide a much needed boost to the participation of women in the ICT sector", said Dr. Hamadoun Touré, ITU General-Secretary. "At the time when many countries are planning a shortage of ICT professionals over the next ten years, it is essential to attract young women into technology to maintain healthy growth rates for industry as a whole. A career technology, which offers excellent employment opportunities and a good remuneration, represents an excellent choice for girls of any country in the world", said Touré.

(Source: Indotel)
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Family planning and Maternal and Child Health (FP-MCH) are key components of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals, given their central role in healthy and productive populations. Tanzania has made some progress in these areas in recent years - for example, mortality rates among infants and children under five have declined. However, Tanzania has lagged in maternal health, with the UN MDG Monitor declaring that the country’s goal of reducing the maternal mortality ratio and increasing access to reproductive health is “off track”.

The 2010 AudienceScapes survey of Tanzania included a module to measure people's access to information in general, and access to health information in particular, as well as access to health services. The data yield some helpful guidelines for public health professionals seeking to educate the Tanzanian public about FP-MCH:

• Mass media, particularly radio, continues to play an important role in delivering FP-MCH information to vulnerable groups. Community word-of-mouth campaigns delivered by public health workers have the potential to be just as important, particularly among socioeconomically constrained populations with low levels of access to media outlets.
• A large proportion of Tanzanians across the country said they have access to clinics and medical doctors. However, only between a quarter and a third of respondents listed medical doctors as sources of information about FP-MCH.
• There is a clear demand for more information about FP-MCH. Over half of all respondents, including young women, said they would like more information about FP and 41 percent wanted further information on MCH.
• Health professionals must be aware of not only what are the key information gathering tools for general target groups like young women and men, but they also need to be aware of the limited reach of some media platforms among disadvantaged sub-groups.

(Source:AudienceScapes)
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Telefónica España and the Association Community  of Telecentre Networks signed an agreement to publicize Ciberescuela, a project that disclose the use of new technologies among the groups at risk of digital exclusion - housewives, elderly, immigrants, etc. - through the provision of basic Internet courses in the Telecentre. The goal is that no one would be outside from the Information Society.

This is a self-study course to learn Internet "at your own rithm", with a virtual teacher. It is almost 3 hours in the given notions about browsers, search engines, email management, electronic banking or ethics and network security, using multiple examples and providing an opportunity for the student to continue practicing through links to other pages. The contents have been designed jointly by Telefonica Spain and Telefonica Foundation.

The courses require no prior knowledge of computers by students and are taught in the regions that are involved in the project and previously signed a specific agreement.

Telefónica España is committed to providing information about the project "Ciberescuela" and makes this course compatible with supports of Windows, Linux and Mac as well as to offer subtitled versions of the same in Galician, Euskera, Catalan and Valencian.

For its part, the Association Community Network of Telecentres, State association for the development and dissemination of new technologies comprised of 18 members of the autonomous communities, provinces and insular authorities and foundations; which represent about 8,000 telecentres and have 4 million users,  has to disseminate among its members, the contents and objectives of the project Ciberescuela, and present the initiative to the different local authorities, promoting the signing of agreements with these entities to implement the project.

(Source: Telefónica España)

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The diferent public policies generated by the institutions of State should have a gender focus, to guarantee rights of vulnerable populations such as women, children and elderly, and more if they are in a disabilities position .

The vice Minister of Women, Ana Maria Mendieta, who was in charge the inauguration of the Second National Women and Disability Congress, reaffirmed that the State is obligated to provide better conditions for their development to people with disabilities, saying that a Women with disabilities suffer double discrimination, and a disabled girl from triple discrimination.

She commented that it must be differentiated policies aimed at men and women, and considered as paramount the coordination between the State and the Civil Society to promote better public policies.

In the event it was discussed issues such as decent employment and disability, job placement, importance of software for inclusion of persons with disabilities, job training, the importance of rehabilitation in the labor market, among other topics.

The event was held at the headquarters of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in San Isidro, and was attended by the President of the National Council for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities (CONADIS), the Director of the ILO for Andean Countries , Carmen Moreno, the representative of the National Labor Promotion Office for Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Labour, Felipe Celi Ato and the Permanent Representative of the Organization of American States in Peru, David Morris.

(Source:MIMDES - Peru)
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Only 23% of the UK’s tech workforce is female, but this figure might change in the future thanks to the arrival of Apps for Good to the Central Foundation Girls´ School (CFGS) in East London.

The Apps for Good course inaugurates its second location in the UK at the Central Foundation Girls’ School on 15th September, after launching its first CDI Community this March at the High Trees Community Development Trust, in Tulse Hill, South London.

Apps for Good is the new programme by CDI Europe where young people learn to create apps that change their world. It is focused around solving real life issues that matter to young people or the communities they live in. During the course, young people work together to find out what issues they want to tackle, and how best to solve them with mobile and web applications. Apps for Good encourages young people to use their creativity to develop the problem solving and design skills which are extremely valuable not only in the mobile app industry, but also in today’s complex information society.

Ben Cole, Head of Community at CFGS, assures: “This is the perfect project and we are the perfect place to develop it. All the girls who applied for the course want to achieve something and they see this programme as a real opportunity for them. They see themselves as privileged kids because they are getting an education and Apps for Good has given them the chance to put their passion for technologies to the service of the community in a practical way by developing apps that will solve specific problems around them.”

More than 40 girls applied for a place on the Apps for Good course, but only 20 of them will be able to attend the course, where some of the former Apps for Good students will now be working as educators.

“It was really difficult to make the selection of students”, explains Cole, “because all of them showed a great interest, and in the end we tried to come up with a mix of skills, abilities and attitudes.”

The lessons will take place twice a week as part of the Central+ programme. Central+ is an activity project for after school hours developed by CFGS, which offers the girls the opportunity to follow different activities such as learning street dance, joining a cinema club or going horse riding, among others. “All we want is for the girls to enjoy the same opportunities as any other student in the UK”, explains Cole.

(Source:Central Digital Inclusion - CDI)

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Mobile and social networks have become a tool for defence the human right, which has allowed instantly, denounce violations and abuse of power by governments and help in case of natural disasters, experts said today.

"Thanks to the mobile technology, people can embarrass governments when they intend to do one thing diferent what they say", said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, in CTIA Wireless conference that ended in Orlando (Florida).

During the three-day event with the slogan "Get Goin la vida móvil, 2011" the main leaders discussed the needs of industry and sector social impact, allowing communications over natural disasters, by intensifying the democratic spirit
stifling governments and even triggering revolutions.

Roth also highlighted the performance of social networks as "Twitter" in the instant disclosure of "abuse that otherwise could be hidden or could take days before be known, while generating social change and political, as never before possible".

John Stanton, director of Trilogy International Partners, highlighted the important role of social networks on transmit messages during natural disasters in Haiti earthquake last year.

(Source: RPP Radio News)
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The First Lady of Dominican Republic (Dr. Margarita Cedeño de Fernández) presented the Community Technology Centre (CTC) “Villa Mella”, a world of knowledge where municipalities may acquire all the necessary information to be updated and develop income-generating projects that will enable a better quality of life of the population.

With this new center totaled 69 CTC delivered by the First Lady throughout the national territory for municipalities boost their dreams, improve their skills and be motivated to initiate new productive and educational activities.

As an innovation, this center includes a classroom called "tecnochic @ s", where teenagers from 12 to 17 years may be inserted into the world of technology in a responsible, efficient and competitive, promoting academic and professional development for the purposes of improve their living conditions.

The new center has a modern network of 30 computers connected to the Internet, through which residents of the area can access to quality educational programs, as well as books and encyclopedias. It also has a documentary and several virtual library, a reception, offices and an information area.

In addition, it offers digital literacy, access to databases, fax, educational programs on the network, sources of information about jobs, conference room and multipurpose room for meetings to help plan educational, cultural and actions that benefit community.
 
For the very young people, with ages ranging from three to five years, the CTC has a children's area known as Space of Hope, where children receive comprehensive education potentiates their full cognitive, motor, and socio-communicative, with the approval of the Ministry of Education.
 
Like all communities, “Villa Mella” has its community Frequency Modulation Radio, called CTC. It is a space for dialogue, integration and participation of all people, whose aim is to guide and address issues of local interest.

(Source: CNSIC)

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International tender was won by Global Consortium Systems Chile SA which must deliver a platform of national coverage that will operate at, no cost to users, the five mobile companies in the country. Emergency alerts received on mobile handsets with compatible format will be similar to an SMS text message, targeted by geography, by location and type of emergency determined by ONEMI.

All Chile remember to Martina Maturana, the girl who ran to the square of the Robinson Crusoe Island in the morning of 27F, to alert their neighbors to the tsunami by ringing a bong. Thanks to this timely warning thousands of life could be saved. Beyond the heroic act of Martina, for the Government is a social duty that security people do not depend only of the luck. In this context, the Department of Telecommunications awarded today the international tender for the implementation of the massive warning system for cell phones that ONEMI will use massively to warn people how to act in cases of emergency.

Emergency alerts received on compatible mobile handsets will be similar to the format of an SMS text message, targeted by geography, by location and type of emergency determined by the ONEMI. One of the major strengths of this technological system, which sends messages of 93 characters, is that operates in RF channels that are not directly affected by congestion, giving greater security at the reception of messages.

"This is a very important step to meet one of the commitments of the President in emergency issues. That families may have a mechanism for timely information that will help save lives before a natural disaster", said the Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter.

Pedro Pablo Errazuriz, Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, said that this development is part of joint efforts made by the SUBTEL and ONEMI: "2010 was succeeded in establishing a new emergency communications system of the State that has multiple backups, and the task this year is to have a communication system operating automatic with the families which will be useful to inform people on time".

For his part, the sub secretary of Telecommunications, Jorge Atton, stated that "this system of massive messages to compatible phones, that will operate from December 2011, may be used in a second stage of gradually in television, as the Free digital TV reception will be deployed in the country, another reason to accelerate the adoption of digital TV law that sets a deadline for TV channels to carry digital coverage areas. In three years 85% of the country will have digital coverage and in five years 100%, after regulatory approval".

(Source: Subtel)

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ITU Activities in Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Relief

Disasters disrupt national economies, severely weaken the poor and vulnerable and are recognized as major impediments to sustainable development and reduction of poverty especially in poor countries. The impact is even worse for those living in remote and isolated areas with no access to basic information and communication facilities that are essential to providing vital alerting information.

In order to mitigate the impact of disasters, timely dissemination of authoritative information before, during, and after disasters is critical. ITU’s activities in the field of radiocommunications make invaluable contribution to disaster management as they facilitate the prediction, detection, and alerting through the coordinated and effective use of the radio-frequency spectrum and the establishment of radio standards and guidelines concerning the usage of radiocommunication systems.

ITU’s telecommunication technical standards also play a strategic role in ensuring global interconnection and interoperability of telecommunications networks for monitoring and management at the onset and during emergency and disaster situations. A number of Recommendations have been developed for call priority schemes that ensure that relief workers can get communication lines when they need to, whether using traditional or next generation communications networks. Complementary to the need to provide call priority during emergencies is the ability to deliver warnings to users, and standards are fundamental to ensure that warnings are timely delivered uncorrupted from the source to the end users – no matter how they can be reached.

(Source: Emergency Telecoms - ITU)

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The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is organizing the “ITU Asia-Pacific Regional Forum on “Digital Inclusion for All” which will be held at Suntec Convention Centre (Room 303 - 305) in Singapore on 22-24 June 2011. The Forum is kindly hosted by Singapore’s InfoComm Development Authority and the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), with the support of the Government of Australia through the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have the potential to enhance the quality of life for persons with disabilities, elderly persons and disadvantaged women, men and youth and support them to enjoy independent living and participate in and contribute to society. However, for ICT-enabled solutions, barriers such as accessibility, availability and affordability need to be addressed.

The Forum is organized and designed to contribute to global activities related to ensuring that people with special needs are targeted by efforts to bridge the digital divide in line with Programme 4 of the 2010 ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) Hyderabad Action Plan, WTDC Res.58 (Hyderabad, 2010): “Access to ICTs for persons with disabilities (PwDs), including persons with age-related disabilities”, Res. 55 (Doha, 2006): “Promoting gender equality towards and all-inclusive information society”, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD). The focus will be on ICT accessibility and the use of telecommunication/ICTs for the social and economic development for all, including persons with disabilities, the ageing society, women and girls, and other disadvantaged people. The Forum is essentially targeted at senior officials from policy makers, regulators, industry and international organizations that are involved in ICT policies, regulations, operations, strategies and development activities promoting digital inclusion for all.

The Forum will be conducted in English only and will be paperless.

(Source: ITU - Regional Office for Asia-Pacific Region)
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Initiative aims to encourage more girls into the ICT field.

ITU welcomes the establishment of an international ‘Girls in ICT Day’, which will be held every year on the fourth Thursday in April, beginning this year.

The new ‘Girls Day’ is the direct result of the adoption of Resolution 70 by ITU’s Plenipotentiary Conference in Guadalajara in 2010. The Resolution, ‘Gender mainstreaming in ITU and promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women through information and communication technologies’, resolved to incorporate a gender perspective in the implementation of all programmes and plans of ITU, and established the new Global Network of Women in ICT: http://witnet.org/index.php.

The network is designed to encourage girls and young women to choose technology careers by providing mentoring resources, positive, high-profile role models and toolkits that help national authorities and organizations promote technology careers to women. It is being supported and promoted by ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT), which, through its Gender Unit, is working on a range of strategies to leverage ICTs to improve the livelihood of women worldwide.

A toolkit designed to provide all the information and resources needed to run a national ‘Girls in ICT Day’ is now available at: http://witnet.org/documents/girlsday-toolkit.pdf. ITU actively encourages its Member States and Sector Members to get involved and organize local, regional and national events designed to showcase ICTs and technology careers to young female students. It also invites Ministries of Education, Ministries of Communications and other government entities to support the initiative by partnering with private sector companies to reach out to young girls through schools, tertiary institutions and in-house mentoring and shadowing programmes.

“This new Girls in ICT Day will provide a much-needed boost to female participation in the ICT sector,” said ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Touré. “With many countries now forecasting a shortage of skilled ICT professionals within the next ten years, it’s vital that we attract young women into technology if we are to sustain healthy growth rates for the industry overall. With excellent employment opportunities and very good remuneration, a career in technology represents an excellent choice for girls in every country worldwide.”  

(Source: ITU Newsroom)

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At the Third Global Forum telecentres, April 5-7, 2011, Santiago, Chile, during the Global Telecentre Leaders Forum attended by over 200 representatives of various countries, organizations and institutions involved in telecentre movement, developed the first version of the declaration, which covers some important issues relating to telecentre work, such as:

1. To encourage the use of ICT in creating opportunities for social, economic, and civic participation for the poor and undeserved;

2. To establish collaboration, support, and sharing among the different regional and national telecentres worldwide in order to come together as a united force working towards the improvement and sustainability of the telecentre movement;

3. To promote the role of telecentres in harnessing information technology for development and serving as community resources that facilitate employment, productivity and community empowerment, especially at the grassroots level, specifically to those living in remote and undeserved communities, through skills development, empowerment and pro-poor services.

4. To promote the inclusion and participation of women in all telecentre programs and support initiatives that aim to bridge the digital divide, providing women with ICT skills and resource mobilization to empower themselves and others, in particular, the Telecentre Women: Digital Literacy Campaign, which aims to provide for wide-scale digital literacy training for women at the grassroots level and recognition of women achievers in the telecentre movement.

5. To establish a platform for sharing knowledge among members of the global telecentre movement and various actors and organizations working towards the achievement of social development through the use of information and communication technologies.

This draft declaration is provided for your consideration. All constructive comments, corrections and recommendations are welcome,  for improvements and to have  all inclusive document. Download the full text of the declaration Here.

(Source: Telecentre.org)

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Partnership with telecentre.org will extend access to basic ICT training to more than one million disadvantaged women worldwide

ITU launched a digital literacy partnership with Philippine-based NGO telecentre.org Foundation that over the next 18 months will train one million unskilled women to use computers and modern information and communication technology (ICT) applications to improve their livelihoods.

The new Women’s Digital Literacy Campaign will leverage the combined reach of telecentre.org Foundation’s global network of 100,000 telecentres worldwide and ITU’s 192 Member States and 700 Sector Members to deliver training in ICT use following a ‘train the trainer’ model.

Between now and end 2012, training courses will be offered in at least 20,000 telecentres in countries around the world, each of which is expected to train at least 50 women – for a total of one million women trained.

“We hope this joint campaign with telecentre.org Foundation will have an enormous impact on improving the condition of women, wherever they may live, and whatever their circumstances”, said ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Touré. “With technology now widely recognized as a critical enabler for socio-economic development, this campaign will further reinforce ITU’s global efforts to promote the digital inclusion of women, and will be a key element in achieving Millennium Development Goal 3 on gender equality”.

Basheerhamad Shadrach, Executive Director of telecentre.org Foundation, said that offering digital skills to over one million women at the grassroots will help reverse the paradigm whereby, in many countries, technologies most often benefit men more than women. “These telecentre women, once trained to take advantage of the power of technology, will help their communities to access locale-specific information, time-tested knowledge, market opportunities, enhanced skills for employment and productivity, and more importantly, participate in the modern knowledge era, not only as mere consumers, but also as providers and producers of knowledge assets", he said.  

(Source: ITU Press release)

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Relying on a strategy of community input and participation, a community radio station in Uttar Pradesh, India is changing the lives of villagers. The experience of City Montessori School radio illustrates the challenges and rewards of involving listeners in community radio.

Like many other villagers in Malhaur, Anil Kumar and Ramesh Yadav normally listen to one of the many commercial FM channels that are broadcast from Lucknow, the largest city near them. Yet it was a community radio station that not only discussed their nagging problem on the air, but also raised it with the authorities and got it resolved. This is the kind of tangible change that the City Montessori School community radio station is bringing to villages in Uttar Pradesh.

During a phone-in program,‘Community Baat Cheet (Community Conversation),’ Malhaur residents complained that filthy roads were causing them a lot of problems and the authorities’ response had been apathetic. The community radio team presented the issue to officials from the District Rural Development Authority, inviting them to respond on air. A few days later their village roads were cleaned up.

The City Montessori School (CMS) Community Radio Station, 90.4 MHz, was launched by Jagdish and Bharti Gandhi in 2005. Based in Lucknow, the Montessori school became the first educational institution in Uttar Pradesh to have a community radio station (CRS). Since its inception, the station has primarily broadcast educational programs with a focus on serving the urban community of Lucknow.

Beginning two years ago, however, the CMS radio team began working in communities around Lucknow. This outreach helps the station produce and broadcast community-based programs alongside educational programs. Currently, the broadcast is two-and-a-half hours long with repeat broadcasts in the evening. Its reach is a mix of urban and rural areas.

Neelima Deepak, the station’s media coordinator, says when they got the license there was no clarity about the kind of programming they would produce. During a regional workshop of community radio station managers in New Delhi, Deepak says she realized that community participation in programs was an approach that CMS station should immediately adopt.

(Source: AudienceScapes)

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The Minister of Information and Communications Technologies, Diego Molano Vega, will kick off the international agenda of the "Plan Vive Digital", with a visit to Washington DC The official will meet with multilateral agencies, universities and representatives of the telecommunications sector, in order to establish partnerships to strengthen international connectivity through the Pacific and to achieve cooperative agreements for the financing of social programs in the ICT sector in Colombia.

The Minister of ICT, Diego Molano Vega, will hold a series of meetings with representatives of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank and American operators in Communications and Information Technology.

In this way, the minister will meet with Julius Genachowski, director of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), to review issues concerning the regulatory framework to the challenges facing the region, which will be deepened later in the World Symposium Regulators International Telecommunication Union - ITU, which will take place from 20 to 23 September this year in Armenia, Quindio.

As part of the agenda, the ICT Minister will attend the Leaders Forum of the Public Sector, where he will participate in the plenary sessions of participatory democracy and preventive health, computing and regulation.

During his stay in the U.S. capital, the official will present the "Plan Vive Digital", the technology plan that seeks to give Colombia a technological leap, thanks to the mass use of Internet. The great goal is to multiply by 4 times the number of Internet connections and develop a digital ecosystem in the country in the following dimensions: infrastructure, services, applications and users.

(Source: Mintic - Colombia)

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In an interview with The Newspaper “Telégrafo”, the Minister of Telecommunication and Information Society, Jaime Guerrero Ruiz, highlighted the importance of advances in technology, based on statistics provided by the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC), which from 2006 to 2010 show, remarkably, the level of implementation and access to information and communication technologies (ICT) in the country.

Without doubt, advances in telecommunications services and use of ICTs at the national level, improved dramatically, as three of every 10 Ecuadorians use the Internet, in two years this figure increased by more than half a million people, so the Minister Guerrero called the developments in the field of telecommunications as a "true technological revolution".

The use of Internet in Ecuador increased by 3.3 points, it means 29% of Ecuadorians used the Internet in 2010 compared to 25.7% in 2008. According to Minister of Telecommunications, the state investment was 400 million dollars for the implementation of Internet networks and all services in telecommunications and information technology.

Until 2013 it will be invested $ 900 million, only in the public sector to achieve connectivity, added the Minister.

 The increase in the use of the Internet responds the Government's policy of providing communication technologies to rural sectors, as well as public schools nationwide. Similarly, Mr. Guerrero noted that Internet access costs were reduced to eight times what it did in previous years and so is "democratizing" access to ICT.

(Source: Mintel – Ecuador)

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Creating an ethical and open government is a goal with which every country struggles. Armed with information and communication technologies, a diverse array of projects are sprouting in developing nations to make government more responsive to its citizens. A prime example of how ICT is being used to improve government accountability is the emergence of “e-government” projects: Countries around the world are making government services accessible online. Some are also creating digital procurement processes to reduce corruption in contract awards.

 In this issue of the AudienceScapes Field Blog, our fellows report on two very different approaches to improving government. In Zimbabwe, Tawanda Karombo describes a new campaign using social media to expose and confront corruption, whether committed by public officials or private citizens (More). Dinfin Mulupi reports on a Web-based platform that encourages Kenyans to post reports about how well the government is functioning (More). While both projects aim their resources at slightly different targets, the ultimate goal is to put pressure on governments to serve the public.

(Source: Audiencescapes)

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Women remain second-class citizens in too many countries, deprived of basic rights or legitimate opportunities, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, calling on universities to help in the fight to overcome discrimination and change perceptions about what women can and should do.

Speaking to the Global Colloquium of University Presidents, held at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Mr. Ban said universities can play “a significant role” in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment.

“They can provide the training in critical thinking that a functional democracy needs,” he said. “They provide a foundation for the economic and medical research that is so essential to society’s well-being. And they supply graduates to the workforce.

“So it is essential that this issue of women’s rights and women’s representation is reflected in your curricula, your appointments, your practices and your partnerships.”

Mr. Ban said it was vital to give girls and young women the inspiration and tools so they have the opportunity to achieve, citing as an example the recent introduction of an all-female unit of Indian police officers to the UN peacekeeping force in Liberia (UNMIL).

“There was an immediate practical benefit – women felt safer and they felt more empowered to complain about the abuse they were enduring. But there was another, unanticipated consequence. Liberian women queued up to join their own police service. Because they saw it, they knew they could be it.”

Earlier this year a new UN entity known as UN Women came into being to replace four separate organizations working to advance the rights of women worldwide.

(Source: UN News Centre)

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The Ministry of Communications of Brazil (minicom) has launched a tool of communication for the society: WikiCom, a kind of virtual encyclopedia. Access to http://wikicom.mc.gov.br.

The new tool will be consulted through the Internet in terms of the most diverse areas of knowledge related to the Ministry of Communications and its services, for example, electronic communication, telecommunication, digital inclusion and postal services. Anyone with a computer connected to the Internet can access the this channel.

The system works like an encyclopedia where entries are added, are consulted and can be modified by users. The contribution of Internet is one of the key differentiators of the mechanism, which is developed from collective constructions.

What is wiki?
Wiki is a collection of many interlinked pages; each of them can be viewed and edited by users, following certain safety measures to prevent the publication of incorrect information. One feature is the ease editing and the possibility of writing in a collective free group, as is done in Wikipedia, one of the most known systems.

(Source: MiniCom - Brazil)
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The Dominican Telecommunications Institute (Indotel), in partnership with the Attorney General's Office and the General Director of Prisons, has installed more than 20 technology rooms in many correctional centers nationwide.
 
The information was provided by the chairman of the board of Indotel, Dr David Perez Taveras, and the Attorney General of the Republic, Dr. Radhames Jimenez Pena, during the inauguration of a new Computer Training Centre (ITC) in the correctional center of Liberty Bani-Men, located at 1 Kilometer from the road Sánchez in the town of Bani, Peravia province.
 
Perez announced that Indotel will install virtual rooms in all new places of deprivation of freedom that the General Attorney’s Office will build in the near future.
 
Perez Taveras said that in addition to the installation of more than 20 virtual rooms in the prison correctional systems in the country, it was also installed 27 Computer Training Centres (ITC) by Indotel in the province of Peravia, which he said has great value, not only economical for the investment made in the acquisition of these modern equipment, but the message that this institution and the government sent trough the installation of these rooms is social benefits of these projects.
 
"However, I think the greatest satisfaction we will have is when you reap the fruits of intellectual training that can be acquired in this project", said the official.
 
He said that each of the interns will be responsible for the use they give to these technological tools that the Attorney and Indotel put in their hands, so they can be formed, mainly in information technology and communication technology (ICT) a branch of knowledge that the inmates need "at the time of return to society that demands that kind of knowledge in a global world we live".
 
He urged to the interns to take this opportunity to train in the use of this technological tool, and said that it will depend on the success of each intern training.

(Source: Indotel – Dominican Republic)

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UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet together with El Salvador’s President and First Lady on 28 March inaugurated the first “Ciudad Mujer” service centre in Lourdes, Colón.

An El Salvador government initiative with support by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the centre is the first of its kind in the Latin America region to offer comprehensive services to economically and socially empower women. Services include healthcare access, support for survivors of violence, daycare and job training.

The centre will serve the municipalities of Armenia, Maple City, Columbus, Jayaque Sacacoyo, San Juan Opico, Talnique and Tepecoyo, in the west. The IDB is considering a loan proposal to support six additional centers in El Salvador.

(Source: UN News)
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The “One Laptop Per Child” program, which aims to provide modern laptops and internet to public schools, covers already 100 percent of the primary educational institutions nationwide, reported yesterday by the Ministry of Education. Oscar Becerra, director of the Educational Technology sector said that from 2007 up to date they acquired 840 000 laptops for children in state schools. From that total, 300 thousand are already in use and the difference in distribution.

During the international forum “towards a first world education: Education Agenda 2011-2016”, it was noted that public school students can use these machines for at least four hours per week, two in the classroom and two in their free time.

The last purchase of these laptops for school was made in December last year and comprised 500 000 laptops. The investment up to date in this technology exceeds 155 million soles (around US$ 54 millions). "There is possible to get this program including high school, but because lack of time it will be not possible before the end of the current government. At the moment we are loading the software and training teachers in using this technology", said Becerra in the Chamber of Commerce Lima (CCL).

The low-cost computing and technological skills in the classroom help to advance the knowledge of the people, improve the access to information, creating opportunities for students and bridge the digital gap between schools in rural and urban areas of the country, he added.

According to Becerra, lack of electricity in some rural areas is not an impediment to ensure the functioning of these children use laptops, because for this it has solar panels that help generate energy. He added that in the case of areas where there is no chance of internet access, connectivity tools are implemented offline, letting you access and navigate the most important American educational portals through a USB memory.

"We have also acquired and are in the process of delivery, multimedia projectors for each school with more than 100 students, so that more students can access educational content and that all students will be familiar with computers", he said.

The vice president of the Lima Chamber of Commerce (CCL), Jorge von Wedemeyer, said that in 2021 the budget allocated to education in Peru could rise 3 to 5.9 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). For this the government needs to increase each year, gradually and continuously, around 0.25 percent of GDP to this education sector. This will allow Peru to achieve high levels of education.

(Source: El Peruano News Paper)

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The technological system that Japan used during the recent earthquake and tsunami will be used in Chile. This system let sends a massive message to cell phones and televisions in a short time, informing the population how to act in case of disaster.

Subtel will award in April to the company that will implement the mass technology alert system, which will be technically operating for mobile phones at the end of 2011. In a second stage, they can use it in televisions gradually, as the deployment of free digital TV reception in the country will be real.

The Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan, Tetsuo Yamakawa, the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Pedro Pablo Errazuriz, and the subsecretary of Telecommunications, Jorge Atton, highlighted that this platform is one of the potential of Digital Television ISDBT standard adopted by Chile and 11 other countries.

No family is without information in an emergency, is the purpose of massive alert system which is bidding for the Government of Chile, to have a technology platform similar to that is in Japan. Just to show the advantages of early warning system in the Nippon country arrived to Chile the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications, Tetsuo Yamakawa, to participate in the 4th International Digital Forum on TV ISDBT which brings together the twelve countries that adopted the International Japanese digital television standard.

The Japanese government authority and the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications of Chile, Pedro Pablo Errazuriz, and the Undersecretary of Telecommunications, Jorge Atton, presented a demo of the technological model of emergencies that Japan used to inform the people during the recent earthquake and tsunami that struck their country.

Both governments highlighted that one of the potential of Digital Television ISDBT standard, adopted by Chile, is implement over this protocol on a mass alert platform that lets the people to send an emergency message to cell phones and televisions, in a short time informing the public how to act in disaster.

"The experience of Japan in the development of digital technologies and their effective use in emergency situations is a reference for us and we see in this multilateral opportunity to continue learning from them", said the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Pedro Pablo Errazuriz.

(Source: Subtel Chile)

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The Provincial Government announced today what will be the Strategic Digital Plan. In the presentation, the Governor considered that this plan should be complemented by an agreement of solidarity between cooperatives and the communication companies with the provincial government for the benefit of all Las Pampas.

In a meeting among mayors, provincial officials, representatives of solidarity organizations and business chambers, the governor said that this is the continuation of a state policy that the Government of La Pampa was drawn and began the investment in infrastructure, specifically 1751 km of optical fiber network to continue with the technological upgrading of the southern provincial network, to obtain a license to provide telecommunications services in Aguas del Colorado, up to now that we are in advanced measures for the development of the province.

Among the measures announced today, include the creation of the Superior Provincial Tecnicatura Computer (tertiary level), the payment of Internet unified for every household in 50 pesos for 1 megabyte, to be offered by providers that adhere to this Call Plan; and Provincial telephone calls between towns in the province will be also free for those under the plan. Expanding on the theme, the governor gave details about the Strategic Digital Plan: "in all those places that you cannot provide the service proposed by a reason of scale or other, the province will develop the home connection service with the necessary technological level, arranging where is possible the cooperative agreements with key strategic local service".

In the context of this plan, they have already been carried out various programs for implementation, other are under way and finally there are those who will be implemented in succession (network, data center connectivity). Also they worked on infrastructure and licensed as a telecommunications service provider, and signed cooperative agreements with Silica and Cordoba digital network comprising the south of the province.

The governor said emphatically that the Provincial Government policy has been defined as the development of Pole Computer. For this and to have a presence in the new global economic environment, the provincial leader said the need to consolidate four new core strengths, adequate connectivity, telecommunications services provided in an efficient and accessible to the community and government agencies, training intensive capital  human, specializing in software and computer services, attracting investors in information technology, computer services and digital content development and advanced e-government, continuing with the digitalization processes and management.

With this objective they have invested heavily, resulting in 1751 km of optical fiber network, connecting 54 towns and thus reaching over 90% of Las Pampas which involves an investment of around 55 million pesos.

In addition, this new plan will bring new benefits for the purposes of the state. For example in education will be improved the ability to access to distance learning tools, video conferencing and the possibility that children who receive the program netbooks "Connect Equality" are guaranteed on access to the Internet, in health may be carried below the digitization of medical records, remote diagnostics, consultations with various advanced health centers (such as the Hospital Garrahan with which agreement has been signed), among others; also it will favored on other hand the development of the economy through the promotion of IT companies. Regarding to security, it will be possible to make video watching and access to online stations and be connected between the province and neighboring provinces.

Finally, the governor said that "La Pampa must incorporate new capabilities in its students and professionals if they want to remain competitive in the challenging world of the future. This will ensure first of all Internet access and telephony, generating the critical mass users to incorporate the Web to its personal and professional development”.

(Source: Government of La Pampa)

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The Auto parts Industry Association (Asopartes) and the Program "Computers for Schools", from the Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies, agreed to bring forward a strategic alliance to help with the massive and appropriation of ICT and the use of e-waste.

The popularization and appropriation of ICTs are part of the Plan “Digital Living”, which is promoted by the Minister Diego Molano Vega, and which will contribute with the Plan Quality Education which being conducted by the Ministry of Education.

"As well as all Colombians we support the appropriate use of technology and, above all, help to bring these tools to the most needy, we will contribute to collective prosperity",  said the  President of Asopartes, Tulio Zuloaga.

The strategic partnership was signed between the Executive Director of the Program Computers for Schools, Martha Castellanos, and the group president (Tulio Zuloaga), who committed to get donations of equipment to promote the program among its 1,500 members across the country.

In this year,the program Computers for Schools seeks to provide education to 7,800 offices, libraries and cultural centers with technological terminals. The goal is to bring 89,000 computers (including laptops) for boys and girls, located in different regions of the country.The program, which celebrated 10 years of operation, has reached 6 million school users, and has managed 4,400 tonnes of electronic waste, thus allowing protecting the environment.

"The social content of Computers for Schools is a major concern for us", said Zuloaga, also he said that the sector is committed to corporate social responsibility policies.

 In this year, Computers for Schools has finalized strategic alliances with business groups as Andi, SAC, Acoset, Fenalco, Analdex, and Asopartes, to support the most needy rural school community. This year, the ICT Ministry Program will train 12,000 teachers in educational appropriation of technology, to replicate this knowledge among their students.

(Source: MINTIC - Colombia)
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The Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Society shared yesterday the experiences of Brazil in the project "Digital City". The presentation was made by Mr. Marcos Biazotto, representative of the company “Trópico”, who explained about the need to walk hand in hand with technology in this digitized world.

The telecommunications market has significant changes, as every day the IP networks is developing, they are the platform or protocol that is currently used to carry information.

This standard of communication, that is independent of the physical connection, such as wire network, to provide services such as broadcast television to consumers, can also be used to send emails, surf the Internet and even to monitor a network camera, sending live images from another part of the world.

Moreover, these features are also available to other physical networks, for example, telephone network, the mobile telephone, the satellite and computer networks, without needing another platform, because it transforms the information and leads to different sectors society, with ease and safety, reducing costs to the state and the user.

It is unthinkable to conceive of the society without an efficient network that converges on the digitalization, which occurs on a global scale and change the way they communicate with both people and devices. It is for this reason that Ecuador is prepared it and runs a macro project "Strategy Digital Ecuador" implemented by the Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Society, which seeks to eradicate the digital illiteracy, including the citizens in this process exchange. The Convergence is here and its benefits are real, said the Minister Jaime Guerrero Ruiz.

(Source: Mintel Ecuador)

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This report uses AudienceScapes data from a nationally representative survey of Tanzania to describe how people of different social groups gather, share and access information through mass media – radio, television and newspapers. They also focus on whether the presence of mobile phones can further augment information dissemination using SMS and mobile radio. Media access and use trends are broken down by region and they profile both national and regional media outlets.

Notably, this report assists development professionals in crafting their communication strategies through mass media conduits. With knowledge of not only how much access to information Tanzanians have, but also what information sources they rely on and trust the most, development practitioners are better equipped to create strategies suited to the local context of their target audience.

The data presented in this report are based on a nationally representative survey conducted in July 2010 among Tanzanian adults age 15 and older. Using the 2002 Tanzanian National Census as the sampling frame and a stratified random sampling design, a nationally representative probability sample of 2,003 respondents was selected. The estimated margin of error is +/-2.2 percent with a 95 percent confidence interval. The survey was administered through face-to-face personal interviews; the data are weighted by gender and age groups.

(Source: AudienceScapes News)

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Re-establishing communications vital for search and rescue in tsunami-affected areas

ITU has dispatched emergency telecommunications equipment to areas severely affected by the tsunami that struck the coastal areas of Japan following Friday’s devastating earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale.

ITU has deployed 78 Thuraya satellite phones equipped with GPS to facilitate search and rescue efforts along with 13 Iridium satellite phones as well as 37 Inmarsat Broadband Global Area Network terminals. An additional 30 Inmarsat terminals are also ready for dispatch. The equipment can be charged by car batteries and are also supplied with solar panels to enable operations during power outages.

In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré had communicated with the Government of Japan, expressing profound sorrow at the loss of life, injuries and human displacement as well as the extensive damage to property and infrastructure. With the deployment of emergency telecommunications equipment, Dr Touré said, “ITU is prepared to help the Government and people of Japan in every way possible in their hour of need and to deal with the colossal tragedy that has overwhelmed the country with unimaginable loss of life and property. I hope the deployment of emergency telecommunications equipment will assist the Government of Japan in search and rescue operations and re-establish vital communication links”.

Re-establishing communications is a critical tool particularly in the immediate aftermath of disasters to ensure timely intervention and support for the victims and to assist in rescue and rehabilitation efforts.

(Source: ITU – Newsroom)

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This initiative builds on the base that everything depends increasingly on access to information and communication technologies.

Digital inclusion could be inserted in the list of social rights enshrined in the Constitution. The poor Internet access that low-income residents in Brazil have led to members of the Senate to face this reality through a proposed constitutional amendment pending in front of the Committee on Constitution, Citizenship and Justice.

Despite advances in telecommunications networks, in 2008 Brazil ranked 69th position among 193 countries with access to the Internet according the information of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). This put Brazil far from countries like Australia, Holland, Sweden and Iceland, where they connect from 70% to 90% of the population world wide web.

While Brazil, with only 17.2% of its population that is inserted into the virtual world, also lost position in relation to neighboring Argentina (17.8%), Uruguay (20.6%) and Chile (28, 9%).

This situation was also supported by the study "Pencil, Eraser & Keyboard ", conducted by the researcher Julio Jacobo Waiselfisz. The survey found that between 10% poorest, only 0.6% had a computer with Internet access, a rate that reached 56.3% among the richest 10%. Deep inequalities are also in the school. It shows, for example, that there is a considerable distance in digital inclusion among public school students (37.3%) and private schools (83.6%).

Senator Rodrigo Rollemberg (PSB-DF), which is who is taking this initiative, argues that this situation could put on risk the future of the country to reduce educational opportunities, social and professional of Brazilian, victims of this digital gap. "The enjoyment of many rights of citizenship, such as information, education, decent work and wages, increasingly dependent on the access to new information and communication technologies. Hence the need for the inclusion of such access as a constitutional right", said Rollemberg.

(Source: Casetel - Venezuela)
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The survey was conducted by Ipsos-Napoleon Franco in the top ten cities in Colombia during the month of December 2010. The questions were about knowledge and use among the general public on the four screens: mobile, computer, Internet and television. Also, the 1,500 respondents were consulted about the on-line governance and regulation, public policy and control of ICT contents.

The survey analyzes the behavior of Colombians over the technologies of information and communications. This information will serve as input for the operations being conducted by the Plan “Digital Living” to build applications and digital content to fit the needs and interests of the Colombian consumers in a converged environment.

 "Knowing the interests of Colombians on information technology and communications will make us able to develop more effective actions to expand the use of the Internet", spoke on the theme the ICT Minister, Diego Molano Vega.

The study reveals that the fixed or mobile phone is the most common way to interact with others, even above personal contact, eight of every ten Colombians have a cell phone and even say they value more than any other medium. The computer is the medium that follows. Respondents say that they prefer those because of their convergence and communication capabilities.

Regarding the use of Internet, the study shows that the massive Internet is a primary concern for Colombians, the vast majority (75%) consider it a public policy priority of President Juan Manuel Santos. Six of every ten Colombians use the Internet between common and occasionally, children and youth are the most common users and the older, greater is the reduction in the use of Internet. Half of the users of Internet, they do it every day and in average of 3 hours a day surfing, the same amount of time that they spend watching television. Nine out of ten Internet users use it to communicate, four out of ten users generated content and three out of ten users made transactions.

The survey also revealed that the main reason why some people still are not Internet users is the ignorance in the use of the tool, but half of them would be very interested in using Internet, and to receive training to learn all about the web.

One of the conclusions of the study is the speed with which they seem to be changing certain trends and attitudes of Colombians face of Information and Communications Technologies. The advance of technology offering is very fast and the data suggest that the appropriation of it by the population is also growing at a significant pace.

Source: (Source: MINTIC - Colombia)

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From early morning, once they known the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and the alert to the possible implications in the coastal area of the country, the Minister of Telecommunication and Information Society, Jaime Guerrero Ruiz, made available immediately for increase the Internet capacity (bandwidth) in the main monitoring and control of the National Secretariat of Risk. Similarly, mobile operators modified their ability to give priority to the coastal sector.

Once determined by the President of the Republic, Econ. Rafael Correa, who runs the meeting with the Emergency Operations Committee (COE) in Guayaquil, to monitor, analyze and manage preventive evacuation operations along the coast and the island region, the Minister Guerrero decided to increase the capacity of the bandwidth at the offices of the entity.

This resolution was established in order to take advantage of the technological tools and be witness of the reports and the testimony from the governors and the commanders of the bases of Galapagos, through the technology that allowed reporting inmediatly to the president Correa and to the media about the real situation in coastal areas and the Galapagos Islands.

The efficient use of ICT was innovative because it was crucial to stay calm in the population; as it were instantaneous reports said the Minister of Telecommunications. "It is important to note that the country did not have these tools in the past and that with the presence of the National Government through the Ministry of Telecommunications, day by day we promote the access to information and communication technology tools that allow a radical redefinition of the functioning of society to improve the quality of life across the population", added the Minister.

(Source: Mintel - Ecuador)

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Noting that quality education and women’s full access to and participation in science and technology were imperative for achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment, the Commission on the Status of Women today urged Governments and relevant United Nations agencies to take appropriate actions to bolster women’s access to education and to specifically strengthen capacities to ensure that science education policies and curricula were relevant to their needs.  

Those were among the key observations and recommendations at the core of the Commission’s agreed conclusions (document E/CN.6/2011/L.6), reflecting the overall theme of the 45-member body’s fifty-fifth session, “access and participation of women and girls in education, training, science and technology, including for the promotion of women’s equal access to full employment and decent work”.  The Commission’s 2011 session, which opened at Headquarters on 22 February, had been originally scheduled to close on 4 March, but protracted negotiations on the agreed conclusions forced it to suspend its work until its closing today.

Among a host of vital priorities identified in the agreed conclusions, the Commission stressed that access to and participation in quality education, including in the science and technology fields, by women and girls of all ages, was an economic necessity and provided them with the skills, knowledge and aptitude necessary for life-long learning, employment, better physical and mental health, and full participation in social, economic and political development.

The agreed conclusions called for action on behalf of women and girls by Governments, United Nations agencies, and human rights and civil society groups, among others, in six key areas, including strengthening national legislation, policies and programmes; expanding access and participation in education; strengthening gender-sensitive education and training, including in the field of science and technology; supporting the transition from education to full employment and decent work; increasing retention and progression of women in science and technology employment; and making science and technology responsive to women.

Before the Commission adopted the text, Commission Vice-Chair Filippo Cinti (Italy) said it had been the result of “extensive and intense negotiations”.  Unfortunately, those talks had not been concluded by the deadline for the session’s final scheduled meeting, but agreement late that Friday night was a testament to the willingness of delegations to reach consensus.

In closing remarks, Michelle Bachelet, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for General Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), said that while the agreed conclusions indeed reflected the commitment of Member States, they were only a “first step” and must be implemented and followed up at the national level.  She called on all Member States to spare no effort to ensure that their aims and objectives were fully addressed, especially in the six key areas of ongoing concern, such as violence against women and the situation of rural women and girls.

(Source:United Nations -Press Releases)
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