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Opening Remarks New York, 6 July 2000
Honorable President of Mali, Honorable Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus, Honorable Ministers, Cabinet Members and Heads of Delegations, Distinguished Heads of the International Financial and Trade Institutions and of the U.N. Funds, Programs and Specialized Agencies, Ladies and Gentlemen.
Let me begin by saying how delighted I am to welcome you each and all to this historical and unique high-level segment of ECOSOC, a uniqueness derived not only from the Council’s decision to embark on one of its most forward-looking missions ever by striving to harness the most powerful technological revolution of our time in the service of development, but also due to the high level delegations present including at the level of Head of State. Your combined presence here today is highly indicative of your belief in this mission and your commitment to the Council as being in a key position for the successful deliberation of such critical global issues. Since we first set the theme for this High-level Segment of ECOSOC 2000, and gave it top priority, the Council has helped organize and initiate a whole range of activities to seek deeper understanding of the phenomenon of information and communications technologies (ICT) and to explore ways and means to harness its tremendous power in the service of development. These included expert panels, workshops, presentations, seminars and regional meetings and they brought together a wide range of stakeholders including governments, the private sectors, NGOs and multilateral organizations, who covered a broad spectrum of issues related to our theme. These meetings yielded many insights, suggestions and recommendations, that I’m certain will serve us well in our quest to forge the necessary coalitions for action and results-oriented policy measures particularly at the global level. It is to this overarching challenge, that we must direct our energies and our resolve over the next couple of days. For unless there is affordable and equitable access and connectivity, prospects for integrating into the knowledge economy are dim. Without requisite human and institutional capacities, the framework and skills required for the use and application of ICT would most certainly be lacking. Moreover, without linguistically and culturally diverse digital content and material, a large portion of people, especially in developing countries may be unable to understand and digest what is being offered. Also, concerns about security and privacy, about cultural identity, and about loss of revenues to e-commerce, as well as cost factors that inhibit the spread of ICT and their universal usage must be addressed. Clearly therefore, radical and decisive action is necessary if the differential access to information and knowledge is to be effectively redressed and the worsening digital divide successfully bridged. With the emergence of a borderless world, our collaborative efforts must be inclusive of all relevant actors, governments, multilateral and bilateral donors, the private sector, civil society and other stakeholders to foster information flows for development. Only through such partnerships in this era of interdependence can we hope to successfully move forward. Before I conclude I would like to briefly point to some of the general questions raised, recommendations forged and insights generated over these past six months to help us achieve a tangible and meaningful outcome to this High-level Segment and to strive for greater collaborative efforts and new partnerships for the purpose of successfully delivering the promise of the information and digital revolutions. In this High-level Segment we should therefore seek to answer a number of the following salient questions: What are the characteristics and structural features of the new knowledge-based economy and what are the implications and possibilities for the economies of developing countries? How can access and connectivity to global information networks for all could be ensured? How could the experience and know-how of certain developing countries that have made considerable strides in the area of information technology be emulated by other developing countries and how can we ensure beneficial linkages to other sectors of the economy within these countries? How can explicit linkages be elaborated between an ICT development strategy and poverty eradication efforts? What innovative approaches to resource-mobilization can be devised and what incentives could be provided to attract private sector investment for ICT infrastructure in the developing countries? How can cultural and linguistic diversity be assured in cyberspace and how the local knowledge and perspective of particularly the marginalized groups of society be included in the substantive content of the Internet? How can the United Nations system further develop well-coordinated responses to the compelling new challenge of bridging the Digital Divide? This High-level segment of ECOSOC for 2000 will provide an important opportunity and arena for discussing these challenges and opportunities posed by globalization and information and communication technologies and it should also serve the purpose of forging consensus and mobilizing cooperation. In the end I hope that we can launch a viable global campaign to effectively bring ICT to the developing countries, thereby empowering them. That, I believe, is our overwhelming challenge for the next two days in this High-Level Segment of ECOSOC 2000. If we succeed, it could represent a beacon of hope that would illuminate our path into the 21st century and bring higher standards of living to all humankind. But, if we fail to bridge the divide, we run the risk of loosing this precious opportunity and of squandering its promise. Let us therefore dare to be successful in seeking to bridge the divide and harness the powerful tools of ICT in the service of development. Thank you.
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