Nascent GAID vows to narrow digital divides in the world

The newly-born Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies and Development (GAID) Tuesday vowed to narrow the digital divides between the rich and the poor around the world.

"The Alliance will strive to overcome the social and digital divides by promoting policies and partnerships ......" GAID said in a statement issued at the end of its inaugural meeting at Putrajaya, the administrative center of the Malaysian government.

Translation of the commitments made at the World Summit of the Information Society into action would really make a tangible and sustained difference in the lives of billions of people who currently do not share the benefits of the information revolution, GAID said.

"The irony of the present situation is that those who are currently with the least access to technology are precisely the ones who would benefit the most if wonders of modern information and communication technologies become indeed accessible and relevant to all of humanity," it said.

The Alliance vowed to put the problems and needs of the majority of humanity onto the "radar screens" of thinkers, business executives and government decision makers by supporting and initiating ICT for Development (ICT4D) activities.

The launching of GAID was the new initiative by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. More than 700 participants attended the two-day inaugural gathering of GAID, during which the framework and principles for the Alliance were also set.

"The multi-stakeholder approach should be a key principle of GAID and that of all ICT4D programs," the Alliance said in the statement.

The potential of ICT as a transformative development tool was widely recognized, it noted.

Some new initiatives were proposed at GAID's inaugural meeting as well, including establishing a Cyber Development Corps under the umbrella of the UN, based on the multi-stakeholder approach and with the south-south collaborative dimension.

As the next step, the Steering Committee of GAID will review inputs from the meeting and establish a business plan for the Alliance.

Source: Xinhua