Bridging the Digital Divide Through Networking

"There is a need for the development of strategies and infrastructure to promote local access and connectivity. This encourages and supports regional networking."

While it is important to build the capacity of a country for the development of information and communications technology (ICT), it is equally crucial for governments to construct an enabling policy framework to achieve this goal. Devindra Ramnarine, the Commonwealth Secretariat Adviser in Public Sector Informatics, made this point at a Commonwealth Civil Society Consultation at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, UK, on 23 May 2005. The event was to promote dialogue between civil society organisations (CSOs), the Secretariat and the Commonwealth Foundation on ways to collaborate in preparing for the 2005 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta in November.

Mr Ramnarine said ICT is a useful tool in promoting modern education and skills development. He also pointed out that ICT can help facilitate entrepreneurship and reduce poverty. "There is a need for the development of strategies and infrastructure to promote local access and connectivity. This encourages and supports regional networking." He stated that the Commonwealth has comparative advantages in these areas.

Speaking later to CNIS, Professor Victor Ayeni, Director of the Secretariat's Governance and Institutional Development Division, said: "It is important for CSOs, the Secretariat and the Commonwealth Foundation to collectively devise programmes and projects to address the digital divide by building on the strengths of each party. Together, we can help to further the goals of the Commonwealth Action Programme for the Digital Divide."

At the meeting, Karen Banks from the Association for Progressive Communications stated that the development of ICT will have an enormous impact on the possibilities of working for social justice, empowerment and sustainable development. She said: "There has to be an enabling environment, with open and affordable access to electricity, infrastructure, knowledge and technology." Ms Banks advocated an intellectual property rights exemption for educational purposes, with the introduction of a new protocol for access to copyrighted works in developing countries that could be used to speed up the decision-making process.

Aimé Sangara of the Royal Commonwealth Society, who participated in the consultation, said ICT can broaden the network of Commonwealth organisations around the world. "We discussed e-conferencing, internet and video linkages that can be used to widen the communications network among us."

Sarita Sharma of Datamation Foundation in New Delhi, India, which uses ICT to educate and inform illiterate women in rural India about health and social issues, commented it was important to develop strong partnerships between CSOs and the Secretariat to share knowledge and ideas for application.

Josanne Leonard of the Commonwealth Journalists Association, who also took part in the meeting, said the availability of knowledge, information and data can be effectively used to deepen and strengthen the democratic culture in the Commonwealth. She felt efforts to promote people-to-people and information networks bode well for greater communication and co-operation within the Commonwealth.

 

CNIS - the Commonwealth News and Information Service Issue 236, 25 May 2005

Secretariat Links:

• Governance and Institutional Development