Transforming the digital divide into digital opportunities

ITU–D’s challenge over the next four-year period

Tony Zeitoun

Canadian International Development Agency

The technological progress in information and communication technologies (ICT) continues unabated, generating the creation of “networks” of individuals and communities. The power of these networks is their ability to “connect” these communities by allowing them to access and exchange information and knowledge so crucial for their socio-economic development. Increasingly, we are becoming dependent on ICTs — from radio and television to telephony and the Internet — to obtain our information needs, be it the daily news, the market, weather, education, health or tourism.

Unfortunately, the availability of ICT infrastructure is not evenly distributed in the world and a “knowledge gap” has developed between the information rich and information poor countries. Providing “connectivity” within and between countries will contribute greatly towards narrowing that gap: the digital divide, as it is now called. This divide is already affecting the opportunities for developing countries’ economic growth and wealth distribution. By inhibiting the equal sharing of knowledge, the digital divide is promoting “information and knowledge poverty” amongst certain groups. If left unaddressed, some countries will reap the benefits of ICTs while others will lag behind, thus exacerbating disparities between developed and developing countries.

The digital divide is an issue of such importance that in recent years, major institutions around the world have risen to the challenge and launched concerted initiatives in a bid to bridge it. These initiatives range from the G8 Dot Force, the UN ICT Task Force, the OAS Institute of Connectivity, development agencies activities to the upcoming World Summit on Information Society led by ITU. A common characteristic running through all these initiatives is the recognition that partnerships between government, private sector and civil society are needed to successfully bridge the digital divide, with the developing countries playing a pivotal role in identifying their ICT requirements.

But ICTs cannot be seen as a panacea for development. They are merely enabling tools, which can facilitate knowledge transfer if they are used effectively. Misuse or misapplication of ICTs can lead to further marginalization of groups. For instance, women in particular, are potentially marginalized by the ICT revolution in some societies. The use of the wrong technology to serve a certain community can potentially discourage them.

The report of the Maitland Commission, The Missing Link, released in January 1985 had noble goals “…to bring a telephone within easy reach of every citizen before the turn of the century…” Much has been accomplished to date, but a lot remains to be done:

• As of 2000, some 70 per cent of the world’s poor live in rural and remote areas where access to ICTs, let alone to a telephone, is often scarce.

• Over one-third of the world’s population has never made a telephone call.

• As of 2000, the developed world had 49.5 telephone lines per 100 people, compared to 1.4 lines per 100 people in developing countries.

• Most of the information exchanged over global networks such as the Internet is in English, the language of less than 10 per cent of the world’s population.

The challenge facing ITU

For many years now, but particularly since the establishment of the Development Sector in 1992, ITU has contributed towards enhancing the capabilities of developing countries in narrowing the digital divide that separates them from industrialized countries. This was evident at the first World Telecommunication Development Conference in 1994 where the Buenos Aires Action Plan (BAAP) was developed, followed by the Valletta Action Plan (VAP) in 1998, the basic elements of which are: policy and regulatory reform; new technologies; rural development and universal access; finance and economics; private sector partnerships; and capacity building through human resources development and management.

One of the anticipated results of WTDC-02 is the adoption of an ITU–D four-year action plan aimed at bridging the digital divide. The synergy that exists between these plans and other recent international initiatives such as the G8 Dot Force, and the UN ICT Task Force is no accident. They all deal with the essential issues facing any administration committed to developing the ICT sector in their country.

As a member of the G8 Dot Force and the UN ICT Task Force, ITU has a lot to offer based on past experience and lessons learned.

However, for ITU to be considered a key player in these international deliberations, it needs to adapt to the evolving environment and start working in partnership with other stakeholders such as governments, private firms and various civil society groups working at the grassroots level. ITU–D should pride itself in having such a large constituency of private sector Members. This begs the question: Is it not time for ITU to broaden its constituency and initiate discussions with voluntary sector organizations such as non-governmental organizations and academia? At WTDC-98 in Valletta, an historic resolution was passed regarding the establishment of a Task Force on Gender Issues (TFGI), which was later adopted unanimously at the Plenipotentiary Conference in Minneapolis. One of the main objectives of TFGI is to harness ICT applications as a tool to empower women and lead them on the path of socio-economic development.

The whole world is now focusing on the role of ICTs as an essential tool for socio-economic development. ITU has been chosen as the lead agency in organizing the World Summit on the Information Society in 2003 and 2005. The fact that it is a Summit is already a big stride in obtaining the commitment of government leaders to start building their knowledge-based societies. ITU, and in particular ITU–D, has a golden opportunity now to transform the digital divide into digital opportunities. It can do so by getting actively involved in the work of the G8 Dot Force and the UN ICT Task Force. This will not only demonstrate ITU’s willingness to work in partnership with other stakeholders, but will also provide these stakeholders with the fruits of its past experience. In return, ITU would gain their confidence so that together they can work as full partners in devising value-added substantive initiatives as they prepare for the World Summit on the Information Society.