Bridging The Digital Divide

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FORUM: 4th SIMUN Conference SUBMITTER: Malaysia COMMITTEE: ECOSOC Committee 1 THE QUESTION OF BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

The General Assembly, Recognising that proficiency in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is a key requirement for an individual, society or nation to progress in this highly Information Technology (IT) driven world, Fully aware that IT knowledge and skills are becoming increasingly indispensable for individuals in every aspect of their lives whether it is at home or at work but also for nations and their economies if they wish to achieve the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Realising that if any nation, society or individual is neglected or left behind on this path of technological advancement then that particular nation, society or individual will be highly disadvantaged and as a result will be unable to catch up with the developments taking place in the rest of the world, Noting with regret that it is the women, the aged, the poor and the population which lives in the rural and indigenous communities of the world who are being sidestepped in this Information Techonology(IT) Revolution, Noting further that this discrimination is mainly due to the high start-up cost involved, low government incentives which is either due to the lack of resources or the lower priority accorded to this section of society that prevents them from availing the benefits and comforts of the digital revolution, Deeply conscious of the need to focus efforts on three key thrust areas of accessibility, affordability and education when it comes to helping people participating in the digital revolution and bridge the digital divide, 1. Calls upon the member nations to work closely with Global Alliance for

Information and Communication Technologies and Development (GAID), an initiative approved by the United Nations Secretary-General in 2006 and recognized by the Economic and Social Council in our decision 2006/251; 2. Urges member nations to not only focus on developing their metropolises and cities

as ICT hubs but also to focus on rural communities and the sections of society specifically identified above;

3. Proposes to organize a extensive awareness and education campaign about the

advantages of tapping into the IT and e-commerce revolution piloted by the UN so

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that resources and directions are streamlined, shared and aligned to accomplish this purpose of common good; 4. Encourages the UN and member nations to tap the expertise of the private sector

and the community based organizations during this proposed campaign and collaborate with them to assist these target groups to leverage on ICT to generate economic value and improve quality of their lives; 5. Urges the member nations and the rich multi-nationals corporations, especially

those who have benefited from the IT revolution, to increase support for initiatives and programmes like the Cheap Laptop project to make the benefits easily available to people who truly need them; 6. Requests governments to subsidize personal computers and make internet services

accessible to all, invest in computer literacy programmes and most importantly target those groups who have so far remained deprived of the benefits of the digital revolution. 7. Expresses its hope that the member nations will consider this resolution seriously

and thereby, respond with overwhelming suppose to implement the suggested measures direly necessary for the welfare of people around the world, especially those underprivileged.