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Symposium presentations will form the basis for a Conference Report, which will be published (book/CD-ROM), and serve as a basis for the WSIS debates in December 2003. Not only will the impact of ICTs on their work be illustrated, but also the impact their work on ICTs and how Volunteers are contributing to bridging the digital divide. Furthermore, participants will discuss a Volunteer Action Plan to be implemented between 2003 and 2005.
For further information, we invite you to visit www.worldwidevolunteer.org/isv2003.
By Viola Krebs, Focal Point of the WSIS Volunteer Family
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) —Geneva 2003 and Tunis 2005— will provide an opportunity to discuss issues raised by the emergence and current development of the Information Society. As pointed out the International Tele-communication Union (ITU), “the modern world is undergoing a fundamental transformation, as the industrial society that marked the 20th century rapidly gives way to the information society of the 21st century. This dynamic process promises a fundamental change in all aspects of our lives, including knowledge dissemination, social interaction, economic and business practices, political engagement, media, education, health, leisure and entertainment.”
The information society… a society for all?
Many of us find that the Internet has become integrated into almost all parts of our lives. We use it to look up phone numbers, carry out research and communicate with friends. Mobile phones are another very practical tool that have rapidly become a standard means of communication for many in the northern hemisphere. We communicate in an increasingly global and more rapid ways.
Yet, not everybody on our planet has the privilege –and sometimes also burden— to use these new tools. The so-called “digital divide” is at its most extreme in Africa, where the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) is still at a very early stage of development compared to other regions of the world. This divide not only separates the North from the South, but also rural areas from urban ones. It makes little sense to talk about computer networks in areas, where electricity is not yet available. Of the approximately 816 million people in Africa in 2001, it is estimated that only:
- 1 in 4 have a radio
- 1 in 13 have a television
- 1 in 35 have a mobile phone
- 1 in 40 have a fixed line
- 1 in 130 have a personal computer
- 1 in 160 use the Internet
[Source: Mike Jensen, Third UN Task Force Meeting, UN, 30 Sep – 1 Oct 2002]
To read more about these issues, please visit our online library on volunteerism and ICTs www.worldwidevolunteer.org.
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Writer Profile
Viola Krebs
I work with International Conference Volunteers (ICVolunteers), an NGO recruiting, training and coordinating volunteers for international projects, in particular social and humanitarian conferences. In the context of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), ICVolunteers is the focal point of the WSIS Civil Society Bureau "Volunteer Family".
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Comments
christopher bernardo | Oct 29th, 2003
nice article. Im Christopher. Pleaso do email me some of your other works. I am also a contributor in TIG. Keep it up, cmli_jc@yahoo.com
ICT Zainul Abedin | Feb 12th, 2008
ICT is reshaping he lifestyle of the peole.Let's make best use o this opporunity.
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