Digital Divide

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Digital Divide
Public FTAA.ecom/inf/110 October 25,
2001 Original Spanish Translation FTAA
Secretariat

• DD Discussion Group and the Ecuadorian experience
• brecha-digital_at_yahoogroups.com
• www.corpece.net

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The discussion group

• Created from the FTAA CEEC.
• Over 120 participants throughout the world.
• Purpose To stimulate discussion grounded in the
  theme of the Digital Divide, generate working
  material, conclusions and recommendations to
  address the DD.

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Expected Results

• Definition of the digital divide.
• Nature of the digital divide.

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Expected Results

• Different views of the Divide.
• Preliminary conclusions and recommendations.

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Definition

• The Digital Divide
• Substantive differences in the development, use,
  application and exploitation of Information, and
  Information and Communications Technology

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Definition

• 1 Actors and 0 Actors.
• The digital universe consists of 1s and 0s.
• 1s are information, 0s are absence of
  information.

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THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
1 Threshold
1 Zone
0 Threshold
0 Zone
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1,1 Countries
Capacity and Capability
Deficiencies and Weaknesses
Potential and Weaknesses
-1,0 Countries
1,0 Countries
Deficient and Difficult
-1,-1 Countries
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Characteristics

• It exists.
• It is not an isolated concept.. It is the outcome
  of a complex set of social, economic, cultural,
  educational and political conditions.
• Several of its components are measurable (PCs per
  no. of inhabitants, Internet access, technical
  infrastructure, etc.)

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Characteristics

• It is tricky to overcome because it often
  impinges on areas sensitive for 1 actors, such as
  state-of-the-art technology and various
  constraints of a legal, political or commercial
  nature.

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Characteristics

• It relates not only to the capacity to produce
  ICT goods and services, but also to the capacity
  to apply and benefit from them, and to be
  self-sufficient in ICT. It is not a question of
  technology.

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Characteristics

• It is not limited to the poorest countries. It
  also exists among minorities in the rich
  countries. The difference lies in the
  availability of means to address it, and the
  degree of impact of the divide on overall
  development. These are the factors that
  differentiate 1 countries sharply from 0
  countries.

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Characteristics

• In the digital world imbalances increase more
  quickly over time, and every day they become
  harder to remedy.

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Effects

• It has a determining influence on international
  relations among countries and regions. It
  creates further imbalances in international trade
  negotiations.

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Effects

• In processes like the FTAA
• It puts 1 countries at an advantage.
• It puts 0 countries at a disadvantage.

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Effects

• It impinges on several areas, such as the social,
  commercial and educational spheres.
• It engenders a continuous and escalating
  imbalance in levels of access to and use of
  information. It is not a static condition, but
  grows exponentially in internet time.

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Effects

• It governs the level of development and
  adaptation of countries to aspects of the new
  economy.
• It creates and intensifies vicious circles, such
  as No investment in RD for lack of resources,
  which in turn makes resources more scarce...

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Effects

• It acts to potentiate already existing
  differences in levels of development.

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Conclusions

• 1 countries are characterised by
• The divide exists in them.
• They possess all the resources necessary to
  address it.
• They can control the impact of the digital divide
  on their overall development.

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Conclusions

• It cannot be addressed exclusively from the
  technological point of view, nor is it related to
  technology. It will have a determining influence
  on all aspects of trade negotiations and
  international relations.

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Conclusions

• It is clear that the future will be determined by
  technology and the ability to use it and benefit
  from it. Biotechnology and Privacy and Security
  are the main challenges of the immediate
  future.We must be prepared to manage them
  adequately or risk losing the chance of profit
  for ALL in processes of negotiation.

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Recommendations.

• The key points are
• It is not enough to build bridges across the
  digital divide. This does not eliminate or
  narrow it. It is only a means of avoiding it in
  specific places.

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Recommendations.

• The key points are
• Genuine transfer of technology and support for
  education must be the priorities if we are to
  overcome the divide.

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Recommendations.

• The key points are
• It calls for concerted actions international
  community, government, universities, business,
  civil society.

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Recommendations.

• Start with what is possible
• Develop practical measures to identify common and
  individual characteristics of the divide.

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Recommendations.

• Give effect to statements such as
• FROM DIGITAL DIVIDE TO DIGITAL OPPORTUNITYA
  GLOBAL CALL TO ACTION. July 22, 2000. Pres. Bill
  Clinton USA.

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Recommendations.

• Give effect to statements such as
• "The challenge before us is to enable the
  currently excluded 4 billion of the world's
  population to participate in and benefit from the
  information revolution," states the report. It
  notes that harnessing the potential of ICT for
  development, the reduction of poverty and the
  empowerment of those who are currently
  marginalized is a "monumental" challenge. "At the
  same time, it is an extraordinary opportunity to
  make a tangible difference in the lives of the
  vast majority of people on the planet.
• A high-level panel led by the former President of
  Costa Rica that issued a strategy for the
  proposed United Nations Task Force on Information
  and Communications Technology (ICT) which aims to
  bridge the "digital divide. February 2001.

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Recommendations.

• Motivate countries to develop processes (in
  keeping with their needs, resources, priorities,
  etc.) of
• E-procurement. (Public purchasing by electronic
  means).
• E-Government.(Provision of a variety of services
  by electronic means).
• Development of connectivity agendas.
• Human development with ICT support.
• Strengthening institutions that can contribute to
  reduction or elimination of the divide, such as
  employers organisations, universities, NGOs,
  etc.
• Support for processes of genuine transfer of
  technology.
• Investment in RD.

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Recommendations.

• Solutions cannot come from outside. They must be
  indigenous. To fail to seek solutions is to
  maintain the divide. The dozens of extraneous
  solutions that have been proposed in this area,
  as in many others, are useless.

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Recommendations.

• Spread the word. Let countries know what each of
  the actors is doing. Motivate the actors (WITSA)
• Pool resources. There are initiatives like
  Comunidad Eñe..
• Support consumer and business participation in
  areas such as electronic commerce by providing an
  appropriate legal framework.

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Recommendations.

• Solutions are not market solutions
• FREE PEOPLE. FREE MARKET.
• Donald L. Evans. U.S. Secretary of Commerce.
• Before the Latin American/Caribbean.
• E-Commerce Summit April 4, 2001 Buenos Aires, Ar
  http//www.mac.doc.gov/nafta/sp-apr5231.htm

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Recommendations.

• MAKE COOPERATION PRACTICAL.
• WE ARE NOT EXPERTS IN WRITING APPLICATIONS.
• PLANNED ICT EVENT IN 1 YEAR NAMES OF
  PARTICIPANTS REQUESTED...

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The Ecuador experience
TALK TRAIN TOOLS TIME TIMING TRANSFER OF
TECHNOLOGY
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The Ecuador experience
TALK To all levels. To government,
universities, business, etc. TRAIN Stimulate
potential. Education and specialised training.
MICIP-World Bank TOOLS Proyecto PKI
CORPECE-NNUU. CONATEL Multi-purpose telecentres ,
Connectivity Agenda, Universal Access, Flat
Charge, FODETEL. ESPOL Technology Park, Internet
education Edufuturo.com, maestr_at_s.com,
CONTRALORIA Start talking about e-procurement.
Legislation. PKI Banco Central.
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The Ecuador experience
TIME We have already started work on this. It
cant be put off till tomorrow. CORPECE since
1998. TIMING In synch. International Community,
State, Business, Universities, Civil
Society. TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY Every project
implemented must develop machinery for transfer
of technology and facilitate RD investment.
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GET INVOLVED.

• Brecha-digital_at_yahoogroups.com
• www.corpece.net
• Put a link to the discussion group on your
  website.