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Closing Statement July 7, 2000
Cabinet Members and Heads of Delegation, Mrs. Deputy Secretary General, Distinguished Heads of the International Financial and Trade Institutions and of the United Nations Funds, Programmes and Specialized Agencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, As we come to the end of this historic High-level segment of ECOSOC, I wish to summarize and reflect on our deliberations on the theme "Development and International Cooperation: The role of information technology in the context of a knowledge-based global economy". This segment was marked by the extra-ordinary high-level and broad participation by all the stakeholders in the area of economic and social development including Heads of States, Ministers, high officials, the private sector and civil society. Their active participation both in the high-level policy dialogue, general debate and the roundtables has undoubtedly imparted greater leverage in the deliberations and in the deliberations and in determining the political weight attached to the Declaration. The Council is also meeting at a time of unprecedented challenges and opportunities. The most significant challenge is the continued persistence of widespread poverty. Poverty persists in spite of the considerable degree of wealth creation that we have witnessed in the world economy. But there exists also a significant opportunity through the convergence and increasing affordability of information and communications technologies which have rendered distance and geography irrelevant in human interaction. The theme of ECOSOC therefore allowed us to reflect on how we can grasp the opportunity offered to us by information and communication technologies in order to deal with the challenge of advancing socioeconomic development and poverty eradication in the context of the new networked knowledge-based global economy. This High-level segment is merely the beginning of our consideration on how we can harness knowledge and ICTs for development. We have heard many new ideas and proposals for action at the national and international level. We have achieved a broad and important policy consensus reflected in the Ministerial Declaration, which the first document on this issue adopted at a high political level at the United Nations. From here is Okinawa, where G8 countries 'II be meeting and in September there will be the Millennium Summit. Hopes have been expressed that a global facility for ICT for Development akin to the GFF will be establishes to make available needed resources and to focus on harnessing knowledge and ICT for the development process of many countries and peoples that risk marginalization in the new economy. As has been noted in our deliberations, money itself is not enough, nor is ICT a magic wand for the problems of underdevelopment and poverty. Political will and a national vision and programme of action that clearly identify knowledge and ICT as instruments within a coherent development effort, are critical to the beneficial integration of countries in the new global economic and to our efforts at poverty eradication. In this regard, we heard an inspiring address from President Konare of Mali. President Konare demonstrated to us the opportunities that are available to a least developed country willing to embrace the information revolution. His personal leadership to bring African countries together through ICT in order to address their common challenges and in Mali's efforts to connect its boroughs showed us how countries could adopt proactive ICT strategies to advance their own development. He showed us how information and communication technologies are helping the world to know Africa better, so as to support the continent's efforts more effectively. However, he also reminded us of the importance of addressing external indebtedness, a necessary condition to free up resources towards supporting human and infrastructure development in the developing countries. He further cautioned us that accepting Africa's marginalization and the exclusion of a large number of developing countries from the benefits of the new global economy would only result in the destabilization of the world. Council Members emphasized the UN's unique role in promoting global development and international cooperation, and of the need for further strengthening the UN by ensuring that it adapts and usesctively in the emerging global economy. Mr. President, Honorable Ministers, Excellencies, The role of the United Nations system is obviously a critical one for the developing countries in this globalized era. Market forces alone cannot ensure connectivity and integration for all countries. Thus, to fully integrate the developing countries into the networked knowledge-based global economy, the United Nations facilitates the needed assistance for the provision of secure and reliable connectivity, including development of human and institutional capacities and the development of content. In this regard, the United Nations should continue to play a central role in mobilizing resources from development agencies, multilateral organizations, countries and the private sector in ensuring access for all to ICT and ensuring its full use in the service of development in all countries. The United Nations system is well positioned to build partnerships for the purpose of fostering knowledge flows for development based on principles and objectives agreed upon by its member countries. The various bodies of the United Nations system should also continue their work in serving as a global intergovernmental forum to accelerate and promote universal access to knowledge and information and to contribute within their respective mandates and to provide global leadership and in adopting a coherent system-wide ICT strategy in order to ensure coordination and synergy among programmes and activities of the individual organizations within the UN System and to transform the UN system into a knowledge-based system of organizations. Mr. President, Honorable Ministers, Excellencies, The commitment of the international community to bridge the digital divide and to foster digital opportunities as well as to put the ICT into the service of development and for eradicating poverty should be followed by concrete actions by all. In this regard, a new global campaign should be launched so that the information and communication technology revolution will indeed become a powerful engine of the 21st century for economic and social development for all countries. Our deliberation and discussions for the next two days hold great promise to enable us to prepare the ground for a new beginning to bring to the poor majority of the world the benefits of a growing and prosperous world economy. In conclusion, I look forward to the achievement of a substantive outcome, fortified by high-level commitments containing recommendations to promote accessolders together, it also sought to increase awareness and to engage world public opinion in the task of promoting development through utilizing state-of-the-art ICTs in the press and media coverage of the session and the world-wide live broadcast of the High-Level segment through the internet. Modern ICT such as films, video conferencing and power point presentations were also employed throughout the session to optimize interactions and to increase the impact of our proceedings. I believe that the work and activities of this High-Level Segment demonstrated an excellent spirit of collegiality, cooperation and constructive engagement by all the members of the Council. This was accompanied by the full and dedicated support of the secretariat without which we could not have accomplished this great undertaking. We could not have reached a consensus on such complex and difficult issues addressed in the Declaration without such untiring work and commitments. Finally, let me express my profound thanks and gratitude to each and all of you, members of the Council and participants both from within and outside the Organization. I thank you.
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