Policy Statement
by
Mr. Patrick Casserly
Official, Pontifical Council for Social Communications
Vatican City State

Tuesday, 26 March 2002

The Vatican City State and the Holy See welcome the holding of the World Telecommunications Development Conference 2002 and support the International Telecommunications Union and its Telecommunication Development Bureau in their commitment to bridging the digital divide in telecommunications and related information and communications technologies (ICTs) between developed and developing countries, especially the least developed (LDCs).

Bridging the digital divide requires that measures be taken to end the unjust discrimination dividing the rich from the poor, both within and among nations, on the basis of access to the new ICTs. Another divide operates to the disadvantage of women, and it, too, needs to be closed.

The extension of basic telecommunications services to the entire population of developing countries is a matter of justice. Long an aspiration, it is still far from the reality in too many instances, and this threatens to render futile any discussion of the introduction of the new ICTs. Nevertheless, the principle of universal service in telephony should be extended to provide for access to basic on-line services at reasonable tariffs. As has been suggested, this may require the identification of non-traditional forms of financing for universal service/access for developing countries and particularly LDCs.

The ICTs propel and sustain the process of globalization, leading to a situation where commerce and communication are freed from the restraints of national frontiers. This can create wealth and promote development, but there has been an unequal distribution of the benefits. While some countries – as well as corporations and individuals – have greatly increased their wealth, others have been unable to keep up or have even become poorer. Worse, there is a perception in some countries that globalization has been imposed upon them and that it is a process in which they are unable to participate in an effective way.

While globalization has both positive and negative effects, we can only agree with those critics who have pointed out that, as regards the new ICTs, the result has been a widening of the digital divide between the developing and developed countries. It follows that individuals, groups and nations must have access to the ICTs in order to share the promised benefits of globalization and development and not fall further behind.

The transfer of technology is not merely a matter of making equipment available, but of spreading the necessary information and skills. The role of knowledge is fundamental in the development of telecommunications.

We agree that priority should be given to increasing the knowledge base of the inhabitants of the LDCs, and that the need for an investment in education goes hand-in-hand with the need for investing in the telecommunications infrastructure.

Starting with the sound teaching of mathematics, even in elementary schools, the ground can be laid for future technological expertise. On a more sophisticated level, the application of innovative distance learning techniques using the ITCs themselves is another solution. We support the creation of centers of excellence for technical and scientific education in developing countries, in which the activities of the public institutions should be matched by those in the voluntary sector.

We believe that development must be understood not solely in economic terms, but in a way that is fully human, concretely enhancing every individual’s dignity and creativity. Education for development should not merely fill heads with information, but ought to release the creativity of the human person.

The ITU has an indispensable role in reconciling divergent concerns regarding the transfer of technology, and development considerations should not be opposed to market considerations, and vice versa. Without unduly caricaturing attitudes, it can be said that developing countries wish to acquire the technological capacity for independent development while the industrialized countries aspire to maintain their technological leadership and seek to expand markets. Thus, on the one hand, there are those who consider that technology should be freely shared for the common good, while others see technology mainly as private property. In the international arena, it need no longer be a question of opposing camps: the opportunities for generous compromise and fruitful cooperation are available.

His Holiness Pope John Paul II, in an address to the UN Secretary General and to the Administrative Committee on Coordination of the United Nations (April 7, 2000) spoke of a "growing sense of international solidarity" that offers the United Nations system – including the ITU – "a unique opportunity to contribute to the globalization of solidarity by serving as a meeting place for states and civil society and a convergence of the varied interests and needs….. Cooperation between international agencies and non-governmental organizations will help to ensure that the interests of states – legitimate though they may be – and of different groups within them, will not be invoked or defended at the expense of the interests and rights of other peoples, especially the less fortunate".