Taking an active role in bridging the global digital divide by Censu Galea
Information and Communications Technologies are now universally recognised as the most valuable and the potent instruments available for the promotion of development in the economic, as well as in the social and political fields. This fact is reflected in the large number of initiatives taken by many governments and NGOs at the local, regional and global levels.
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm), which Malta hosted late last year, are just two shining examples, manifesting the importance of the development of knowledge-based economies and societies. Let us therefore hope that the WSIS implementation plan and the Commonwealth Action Programme for the Digital Divide (CAPDD) adopted by the heads of government, as the Commonwealth ICT Roadmap, will effectively and meaningfully serve to address emerging development issues in the 21st Century.
The Doha conference held last week, proposed the adoption of a comprehensive action plan which will assist member states in the implementation of their national development strategies. It is certainly to the credit of the ITU Development sector to have successfully mobilised the six regional preparatory meetings to agree to strengthen the WSIS plan of action, in harmony with the already-established directions, thereby avoiding duplication of efforts and ensuring maximisation of resources.
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