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ICT - An Important Development Tool for the Commonwealth

11 August 2005

CAPDD
"You can't keep up in the information age unless you have the proper policy framework and infrastructure to take full advantage of ICT." - Winston Cox 
No Commonwealth country should be left behind in the information age, said Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Winston Cox, at the opening of a two-day meeting of the Co-ordinating Committee of the Commonwealth Action Programme for the Digitial Divide (CAPDD), being held from 11 to 12 August 2005 at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, UK. 

Mr Cox emphasised that information and communication technology (ICT) serves as an important tool for development, particularly for developing countries in the Commonwealth.

"You can't keep up in the information age unless you have the proper policy framework and infrastructure to take full advantage of ICT," he pointed out.

Some 25 delegates representing Commonwealth-related organisations involved in ICT and civil society groups were convening at the Secretariat to discuss the final draft of the CAPDD to be presented for comment at a High Level Forum involving Commonwealth ICT Ministers at the margins of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation Forum in Cameroon in September 2005. Following their review of CAPDD, the recommendations will be presented to Commonwealth Foreign Ministers and to the Heads of Government Meeting in Malta in November this year.

Mr Cox encouraged the delegates to give their input on the final draft of the CAPDD and share their experience and expertise on ICT issues in the spirit of consultation and consensus "so that the ownership, transparency and consistency, which are fundamental ways in which we work in the Commonwealth, are observed." He stated that their contributions in the formulation of the CAPDD will benefit the people of the Commonwealth.

The CAPDD is targeted at building policy and regulatory capacity; modernising education and skills development; entrepreneurship for poverty reduction; promoting local access and connectivity; and enhancing regional networking for development.

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