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Seminar on Accessibility
for All : Statements :
International co-operation for development and the Internet
Opening remarks to the United Nations Seminar on "Internet Accessibility for
All"
Mr. Sarbuland Khan, Director
Division for Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Support and Coordination
Thursday, 6 May 1999
I would like to express my sincere appreciation to His Excellency Ambassador
Felipe H. Mabilangan of the Philippines for taking time from his busy schedule
to open our seminar today. I recall with pleasure working with His Excellency
when he served as Chairman of the Group of 77. His great experience, wise
leadership and vision have contributed significantly to the policy dialogue on
development.
I would like to comment briefly on how we can better bring the policy process
together with developments in the technology field. Efforts to promote
accessible information services should not lose sight of the fact that these
first will require development of basic economic and social infrastructure in
countries. Accessible information technologies for development also are premised
on certain basic levels of literacy, shelter, health and secure livelihoods
among all members of the population.
The economic and social development of countries is the principal concern of
the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. The Council serves as a
forum for discussing international economic and social issues and formulating
policy recommendations addressed to member States and to the United Nations
system.
The Council also has been examining the role of new information technologies
in promoting social progress and better standards of living for all. To that
end, the Council convened an Ad-hoc Open-ended Working Group on
Informatics, chaired by His Excellency Mr. Ahmad Kamal of Pakistan, to study the
question. On the basis of findings submitted by the Working Group, the Council
has adopted a number of resolutions on the role of information technologies in
bringing countries into the development mainstream, and on harmonisation and
improvement of United Nations information systems to ensure optimal utilisation
and accessibility by all States.
One lesson emerging from the activities of the Working Group is the need for
the United Nations system to assist developing countries to "leapfrog" into the
twenty-first century and reduce thereby the time required to be in the
development mainstream. Experience suggests that this will not only involve
international co-operation in information technologies but a broad cross section
of services to Governments, on request, by the Organisation to build national
capacities to further the social and economic objectives of development and
promote thereby opportunities for improved well being and secure and humane
livelihoods for all.
A challenge for the Organisation in efforts to assist countries, on request,
to further the economic and social objectives of development now and in the
twenty-first century is to ensure that due attention is directed to what
Professor Jeffry Sachs (Harvard Development Institute) has termed the social
software of development. Professor Sachs uses the term to underscore the
importance that countries invest not solely in traditional economic and social
infrastructure - health, education, shelter, communications and transport, for
instance - but in establishment and development of institutions of civil society
as well. Such investments are important since they both build national
capacities and institutions and provide new and improved opportunities for full
and effective participation by all in social life and development.
The Working Group on Informatics of the Council have identified the Internet
as the principal vehicle for the delivery of information products and services
to countries. However, improvements in information services and accessibility
are of little practical value - nor sustainable - in the absence of
complementary investments in national capacities, institutional capabilities and
basic social and economic infrastructure for development, particularly among
low-income, least developed countries, countries in transition, and countries
experiencing especially difficult circumstances.
Thus, the theme of our seminar is timely, relevant and a substantive response
to recommendations of the Working Group on Informatics to facilitate information
access to all countries. I look forward to its results, since these will enable
us better to implement our programme mandates. The results of the seminar also
shall provide us with useful insights about new and non-traditional
constituencies for our work in support of the international economic and social
policy dialogue of the Council
Thank you.
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