International conference for digital solidarity

 

LYON, France, November 20, 2008/African Press Organization (APO)/ — An international conference for digital solidarity is being held in Lyons on 24 November, 2008.

The conference in Lyons will bring together the main actors working to reduce the ever-growing, global digital divide. At the invitation of President Nicolas Sarkozy, on a proposal from the President of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade, and under the aegis of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, some 300 key figures are expected to attend, including several Heads of State and Government and senior officials from territorial authorities, international organisations, NGOs, companies and foundations.

It is important that the different initiatives in the area of information and communication technologies (ICT) for development are federated at international level to enable united worldwide action in response to the new challenges posed by this key sector of development.

To facilitate this networking, interactive round tables will focus on identifying common solutions to issues in several priority areas such as education, health, reuse and recycling of digital waste and connectivity in remote areas.

Plenary sessions will address the strategic issues of partnerships and financing operations which must be set up to sustainably bridge the global digital divide, and the decisive commitment of local authorities, European local authorities in particular, through their decentralised cooperation projects.

This conference follows on from the World Summits on the Information Society (WSIS) of 2003 and 2005 in Geneva and Tunisia, which led to the creation of the World Digital Solidarity Agency.

This conference is being jointly organised by the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, the Rhône-Alpes Region, the Greater Lyons District Council, the World Digital Solidarity Agency and the Global Digital Solidarity Fund.

 

 

SOURCE : European Council