annual report of the global digital divide - Channeling Reality · 2009-03-10 · annual report of...

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annual report of the global digital divide initiative 2001/2002 in 2001 more information could be sent over a single cable in a second than in 1997 was sent over the entire Internet in a month e-mailing a 40 page document from Chile to Kenya costs less than 10 cents, faxing it is about $10, and sending it by courier $50 there are expected to be 1 billion Internet users in 2005 the Internet has grown exponentially from 16 million users in 1995 to more than 400 million users in 2000 COMMITTED TO IMPROVING THE STATE OF THE WORLD India's information and communications technology exports rose from $150 million in 1990 to nearly $4 billion in 1999 in Brazil a team of computer scientists, commissioned by the government, has designed a basic computer for around $300 industrialized countries, with only 15% of the world's population, are home to 88% of all Internet users Finland has more Internet hosts than all of Latin America 1.5 million people are online in Africa, 1 million of whom are in South Africa Norway has Western Europe's highest Internet penetration rate, at 49%, with Italy at the other end of the spectrum with 15% less than half of the US households with annual income under $15,000 (19% of the US population) will be online by 2005 on a regional basis, North America and Europe account for 89% of all Internet servers more than 80% of people in the world have never heard a dial tone, let alone sent an e-mail or downloaded information from the World Wide Web by 2003, Asia will have 200 million Internet users, surpassing North America and Europe the use of ICT contributed close to 50% of the total acceleration in US productivity in the second half of the 1990s

Transcript of annual report of the global digital divide - Channeling Reality · 2009-03-10 · annual report of...

Page 1: annual report of the global digital divide - Channeling Reality · 2009-03-10 · annual report of the global digital divide initiative ... Sony Corporation Sun Microsystems Telecom

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annual report

of the global digital divide

initiative

2001

/200

2in 2001 more information could be sent over a single cable in a second than in 1997was sent over the entire Internet in a month

e-mailing a 40 page document from Chile to Kenya costs less than 10cents, faxing it is about $10, and sending it by courier $50

there are expected to be 1billion Internet users in 2005

the Internet has grown exponentially from 16 million users in 1995 tomore than 400 million users in 2000

COMMITTED TO IMPROVING THE STATE

OF THE WORLD

India's information and communications technology exports rose from$150 million in 1990 to nearly $4 billion in 1999

in Brazil a team of computer scientists, commissioned by thegovernment, has designed a basic computer for around $300

industrialized countries, with only 15% of the world's population, arehome to 88% of all Internet users

Finland has more Internethosts than all of LatinAmerica

1.5 million people are online in Africa, 1 million of whom are inSouth Africa

Norway has Western Europe's highest Internet penetration rate, at 49%,with Italy at the other end of the spectrum with 15%

less than half of the US households with annual income under $15,000(19% of the US population) will be online by 2005

on a regional basis, NorthAmerica and Europe accountfor 89% of all Internet servers

more than 80% of people in the world have never heard a dial tone,let alone sent an e-mail or downloaded information from the WorldWide Web

by 2003, Asia will have 200 million Internet users, surpassing North Americaand Europe

the use of ICT contributed close to 50% of the total acceleration inUS productivity in the second half of the 1990s

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World Economic Forum91-93 route de la CapiteCH-1223 Cologny/Geneva - SwitzerlandTelephone (41 22) 869 1212Fax (41 22) 786 2744E-mail: [email protected]/digitaldivide

© 2002 World Economic ForumAll rights reservedNo part of this publication may be reproduced ortransmitted in any form or by any means,including photocopying or recording, or by anyinformation storage and retrieval system.

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message from josé maría figueres, managing director, world economicforum

The world has changed dramatically since our last Annual Meeting. Wewitnessed the bursting of the IT-driven stock market bubble. The globaleconomic momentum has drastically slowed, with the largest economiesslipping into or on the brink of a recession. The tragic events of 11 Septembertriggered a new sense of vulnerability, exacerbating the economic slowdown.

One thing, however, did not change. There remains the stark disparitybetween two types of world citizens: one empowered by access to informationand communication technologies (ICT) to improve their own livelihood; theother stunted and disenfranchised by the lack of access to ICT that providecritical development opportunities.

The Global Digital Divide Initiative reflects the high priority that the WorldEconomic Forum and its members place upon bridging this disparity. In 2001,member companies, working in collaboration with NGOs andintergovernmental organizations, focused their efforts in three areas:education, entrepreneurship, and policies and strategies. We have alsoreached out to other similarly oriented initiatives to coordinate efforts.

Now more than ever, ICT solutions offer powerful tools for poverty alleviationand the advancement of sustainable development. These tools can be appliedto a broad range of uses: providing better healthcare, expanding educationalpossibilities, supporting environmental efforts such as biodiversityprospecting, and linking rural producers to urban consumers.

Recognizing the tremendous potential of ICT to effect a positive difference inthe lives of so many people, we urge you to support the efforts of those in theGlobal Digital Divide Initiative. I would like to express my gratitude for thehard work and personal commitment demonstrated by all the participants inthe Task Force of the Initiative. I would like to thank personally our TaskForce co-chairs, Joao Roberto Marinho, Co-Chairman, Organizaçoes Globo,Brazil, Jean-Marie Messier, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, VivendiUniversal, France, and Maureen O’Neil, President, International DevelopmentResearch Centre, Canada. Our co-chairs have provided leadership anddirection throughout the year and their staff members have ensured seamlesscoordination. I would also particularly like to thank the Secretariat of theSouthern African Development Community (SADC), who initiated and guidedthe SADC-WEF consultation process.

Here at the World Economic Forum, our colleagues at the Centre for theGlobal Industries have worked hard throughout the year, coordinating andintegrating the Task Force efforts with the Forum’s member companies. Thehelp and encouragement of the Africa team, and in particular of FredericSicre and Nadine Bonard, were instrumental in several of our key activitiesover the course of the year. This publication would not have been possiblewithout the editorial input of Fabienne Stassen-Fleming and the creativedirection of Kamal Kimaoui. Finally, I would like to recognize Julianne Lee,Juliet Borton, and Julia Fisherman, who, as the secretariat of the GlobalDigital Divide Initiative, continue to coordinate and guide the work of the TaskForce with energy and enthusiasm.

Geneva, January 2002

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Among those companies and organizations participating in the Task Forceof the Global Digital Divide Initiative are

3Com CorporationAccentureAdvanced Micro Devices Africa Online HoldingsAfrican Rainbow MineralsAgilent TechnologiesAOL Time WarnerAxel Springer Verlag Bellanet International Secretariatbridges.orgCarnegie Endowment For International PeaceCommittee For Democracy In Information TechnologyComputer AssociatesEDventure HoldingsEndeavor GlobalFlag TelecomFoundation InfantiaGlobal Information Infrastructure CommissionHewlett PackardIntel CorporationInternational Development Research Centre (IDRC)JazztelKPMGMcGraw-Hill CompaniesMcKinsey & Co.Media Development Loan FundMicrosoft CorporationMIH GroupM-Cell/MTNMTV & VH1 EuropeNovellOne World InternationalOrganizaçoes GloboPirelli Ravisent TechnologiesRecife Center For Advanced Studies And SystemsRoyal Philips ElectronicsSchools OnlineSiemensSony CorporationSun MicrosystemsTelecom ItaliaToshiba CorporationUnited NationsVivendi UniversalWorld BankWorld Computer ExchangeWorld Links

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foreword from our co-chairs

Dear Friends,

The Global Digital Divide Initiative of the World Economic Forum wasestablished to advance the issue of creating digital opportunities on the globaland regional public policy agendas. During 2000, the World Economic Forumorganized a global and multi-sectoral community, which continues to grow. Onthe invitation of the Government of Japan, the Initiative’sTask Force developed a set of shared principles and anassociated stakeholder action plan which were presentedon the occasion of the G-8 Summit in Kyushu-Okinawa.Resulting from this successful G-8-level effort, the Task Force mandate wasincreased to include facilitation of the implementation of our G-8 proposals oneducation, entrepreneurship, and policies and strategies.

In addition to raising awareness, the global and multi-sectoral nature of ourcommunity provided an efficient basis for the Task Force to mobilize resourcesto help digital divide-related projects scale up. In pursuit of these twinactivities, we organized the Task Force into three Steering Committeesreflecting our new mandate. Within each of these groups, we worked to linkexisting projects on the ground with strategic partners in the private, publicand not-for-profit sectors.

The Steering Committee on Policies and Strategies was invited this year totake part in an e-readiness consultation process where the private sector fromaround the world exchanged perspectives with policy-makers on the “why,”“what” and “how” of e-readiness in Southern Africa. The Steering Committee

on Education conducted an international survey of existingeducation-related projects from which six were identified asindicative of a set of success criteria and suitable for Task Forcesupport for further expansion of their work. The Task Force is

working with these six projects to mobilize resources with thepurpose of scaling up the project or replicating it in other regions. TheSteering Committee on Entrepreneurship is building a framework to linkentrepreneurs with resources and expertise to stimulate local economicgrowth.

Each of us, as co-chairs representing different stakeholder communities, hasendeavoured to coordinate action, support concrete projects and exchangeperspectives on policies and strategies towards ensuring that our efforts aresustainable, effective and relevant. We look forward to building on themomentum from our efforts on the ground and applying the learning gainedthus far to guide our work for 2002.

...we worked to linkexisting projects on the ground

with strategic partners...

...coordinate action,support concrete projects and

exchange perspectives on policiesand strategies...

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This year, our programme will focus further on resource mobilization to helpeach of the committees implement and propagate projects with greater focusand efficiency. Our job is far from done. The Forum brings together multi-sectoral interests on the digital divide with a renewed understanding thatcommunities, civil society and many other stakeholders help to create theenvironment within which social and economic growth can take place. Ourselection of co-chairs from diverse sectors of the international communityunderscores a commitment to inclusion and broad involvement in our work onthe digital divide. It is only with your continued participation that we will beable to innovate and streamline our methods in the effort to transform thedigital divide into an opportunity for growth.

On behalf of the Global Digital Divide Task Force of the World EconomicForum, it is an honour to be associated with the many colleagues who havededicated themselves personally to this global issue. It is with a reinvigoratedsense of urgency and optimism that we pursue our programme this year. Wecall for your assistance as we move forward.

Jean-Marie Messier Maureen O’Neil Joao Roberto MarinhoChairman and Chief President Co-ChairmanExecutive Officer International Organizaçoes GloboVivendi Universal Development BrazilFrance Research Centre

Canada

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contact us!Get in touch with the Global Digital Divide Initiative and learn how to get involved.

E-mail: [email protected]/digitaldivide

Global Digital Divide InitiativeWorld Economic Forum

91-93 route de la CapiteCH-1223 Cologny/Geneva – Switzerland

Telephone: (41 22) 869 1212Fax: (41 22) 786 2744

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Industrialized countries, with only 15% of the world’s population, are home to88% of all Internet users. Finland alone has more Internet users than the wholeof Latin America. Internet access on its own does not ensure economic growthand prosperity; nevertheless it seems clear that those without connectivityand skills will be disenfranchised from participation in the informationeconomy. In 2000, the Task Force of the Global Digital Divide Initiativearticulated an action plan to address the digital divide in the internationalpolicy arena through the submission of a set of proposals to the G-8 Summit inKyushu-Okinawa. In 2001, the Task Force sought to translate these proposalsinto concrete actions in the areas of education, entrepreneurship, and policiesand strategies. This work will be propagated and further developed in 2002.

entrepreneurship: fostering development

The Entrepreneurship Steering Committee recognizes the key role successfulenterprises play in strengthening theeconomic and social fabric of adeveloping nation and the positive impactinformation technology can maketo help foster entrepreneurs and theentrepreneurial environment. Thecommittee has sought to create an entitythat will catalyse the creation oraccelerated development of enterpriseswhich stimulate local sustainableICT development and entrepreneurship in the disadvantaged areas.

This entity, named Enterprise Channelling Organization (ECHO), aims tochannel appropriate support from a range of Task Force member firms toselected entrepreneurs in developing nations. Support would typically take theform of advice, products, services and/or support for global networking andmarketing.

Over the course of 2001, the members of the Steering Committee refined theorganizational concept of ECHO, defined the potential contributions theCommittee’s member firms and organizations could make, and launched pilotprojects. The lead private sector companies for the pilot, Accenture, KPMGand Hewlett-Packard, are partnering with CESAR in Brazil and bridges.org inSouth Africa to help scale up the work of local enterprises and socialentrepreneurship organizations. Committee members led by CESAR, Accentureand Computer Associates are also working to create an online presence forECHO.

introducing entrepreneurship pilots

Tailored packages of support and advice are being provided to selected companies andorganizations in South Africa and Brazil. The first of these are:

“BuySouthAfricaOnline.com” (BSAOL), an award-winning online exchange that aims to providean easily accessible route to the export market for South African small- and medium-sizedenterprises.

Neurotech, a software company from Recife, Brazil, that develops advanced and innovativesolutions for credit risk analysis.

Students’ Health and Welfare Centres Organisation (SHAWCO), which is developing a sustainablebusiness model for Computer Resource Centres in underprivileged areas of Cape Town.

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year in review

“Digital opportunity initiatives areunlikely to succeed fully unless the wider economic

environment is healthy and conducive to privateenterprise.”

From the Global Digital Divide to the GlobalDigital Opportunity: Proposals Submitted to the G-8

Okinawa Summit 2000

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policies and strategies: creating a forward-looking policy environment

The Steering Committee on Policies and Strategies serves to mobilize itsnetwork to advance the issue of digital opportunities on the global andregional public policy agendas. The World Economic Forum approaches thiseffort in a systematic way by linking policy-making communities together toexchange good practices on ICT policy formulation.

Resulting from the successful reception by government officials of ourstatement, From the Global Digital Divide to the Global Digital Opportunity,an action framework requested by the Government of Japan for the G-8Kyushu-Okinawa Summit meetingheld in July 2000, the Task Forcewas encouraged to organize apolicy exchange process tofacilitate information sharing.

The World Economic Forum wasinvited by the e-Readiness TaskForce for the Southern AfricanDevelopment Community (SADC)to participate in its consultativeprocess on policy-making. Withthis invitation, the SteeringCommittee on Policies and Strategiesfocused its 2001 policy exchangeprocess on Southern Africa.

The first policy exchange was held in June during the Southern AfricaEconomic Summit in Durban. In October, the Department of Communicationsof South Africa, Accenture, AOL Time Warner and MIH Group co-sponsored thejoint SADC-World Economic Forum Consultative Workshop on e-Readiness inJohannesburg. Together, these conversations and online comment cycles

produced a shared listof e-readinesspriorities and anoutline for an action-oriented frameworkfor the criticalelements of e-readiness: policy,infrastructure andground-levelinitiatives.

The Steering Committee report, Better, Faster, Cheaper: Developing andLeveraging World Class ICT Networks for Social and Economic Advancement,serves to capture the essence of our year-long consultations on e-readinessand offers a shared set of proposals for Southern Africa. This report, draftedby bridges.org, a South African non-profit organization, and co-sponsored byAccenture, AOL Time Warner, MIH Group and Vivendi Universal, will bepresented at the Annual Meeting 2002 of the World Economic Forum in NewYork, USA.

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participants at the SADC-World Economic Forum Workshop

“While help is available from the developed world in a variety of forms, Africamust look internally to face the most difficult challenges. The African middle and

professional classes, and indigenous industries, have a key role to play. Innovation andinvention should be supported with competition, and home-grown research anddevelopment. And African nations need to think about how they can compete in

global markets beyond their borders....People, at all levels, need to be aware of howICT can empower them to help themselves. To conquer the digital divide,

governments, the private sector and civil society must work together. No one sectionof society can be singled out for attention lest others fall further behind as a result.”

Better, Faster, Cheaper: Developing and Leveraging World Class ICT Networks forSocial and Economic Advancement

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education: teaching for the future

The Steering Committee on Education aims to promote effective andinnovative use of informationtechnology for education and trainingin the developing world.

In planning their work programme in2001, the committee recognized thewealth of innovative and pioneeringeducation projects already inexistence around the world. Thedifficulty faced by these projects ishow to scale up and replicate theirwork in new regions or countries.The Committee, recognizing theopportunity to draw upon the WorldEconomic Forum’s unique network of member companies, governments andmedia, has undertaken to assist a number of those projects with provenimpact and sustainability to scale up their work.

This process has taken place in the following steps:

Surveying - A unique database of innovative education and training projects,hosted on the Forum’s Digital Divide website, was created. This database wasdeveloped collaboratively by Education Steering Committee members, whocommitted to researching and entering key information regarding theseprojects. The database was officially presented at the Forum’s Annual Meetingin Davos 2001.

Evaluation - Projects shortlisted from the database were carefully evaluated,using the key criteria of impact, sustainability, replicability, catalytic effectand risk mitigation. Members of the Steering Committee, led by Hewlett-Packard, gave considerable time and input to develop these evaluation criteriaand apply them to the short list of projects.

Showcasing and partnering - Six very different projects from around theworld, described in the following pages, were chosen as most highly rated andindicative of the criteria used. These projects address a range of the keychallenges of educational information technology. These projects wereshowcased at the World Economic Forum’s Mercosur and Southern AfricaEconomic Summits in Buenos Aires and Durban and have worked with the TaskForce to identify ways in which member companies and other organizationscan support their work.

In 2001, the Steering Committee on Education opened the door to newresources and opportunities to a group of exemplary projects. In doing so,they have promoted the importance of building sustainable projects withdemonstrated impact and results. The Committee’s work has helped to create

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“…Without well educated workers, nations cannotthrive in a globalized, knowledge-based economy…In manydeveloping countries access to quality education in general

and technology training in general is restricted to a minorityof the population…In the years ahead, technical skills will berequired for competitiveness not only in high-tech industries,but in more traditional ones as well…Only with mass access

to education and technical training can developingcountries take full advantage of the possibilities presented

by the distributed information revolution.”

From the Global Digital Divide to the Global DigitalOpportunity: Proposals Submitted to the

G-8 Kyushu-Okinawa Summit 2000

indicative projects of the steering committee on educationCommittee for Democracy in Information Technology (www.cdi.org.br)

Educarchile (www.educarchile.cl)Itrain (www.bellanet.org/itrain)

Schoolsonline.org (www.schoolsonline.org)World Computer Exchange (www.worldcomputerexchange.org)

World Links for Development (www.world-links.org)

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unique partnerships of public and private sector organizations workingtogether to bridge the digital divide.

In 2002, the Steering Committee plans to build upon this work, through aregional focus. The Steering Committee is working on mobilizing resources andsupport to promote educational technology in a group of target countries. Toview the country reports outlining the work currently undertaken andidentifying the gaps for further investment and resourcing, please visit ourwebsite at www.weforum.org/digitaldivide.

We would like to recognize and thank the following companies and NGOs fortheir work in researching and drafting the reports for each of these countries:

CountryBrazil

Ghana

India

Jordan

Mexico

South Africa

Vietnam

Company LeadSun Microsystems

Africa Online

Intel

Intel

McGraw-Hill

Microsoft

Siemens

NGO LeadCommittee for Democracy inInformation Technology

World Computer Exchange

World Links

World Links

World Computer Exchange

Schools Online

World Computer Exchange

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committee for democracy in information technology - cdi

CDI Mission: Bridging the digital divide; Promoting citizens’ rights

Brazil has one of the fastest rates of growth in computer sales and Internetusage in the world. Yet only 13% of the country’s population owns a computerand just over 5% has access to the Internet. The gap, already immensebetween the rich and the poor, is widening. The majority of citizens live onlow monthly salaries on the outskirts of large urban centres where most basicservices are lacking. Few youngsters complete the compulsory eight-yearschool course. The Committee for Democracy in Information Technologydemonstrates through its work that the availability of information technologyis fundamental to the integration of these individuals.

Working in low-income communities andwith institutions assisting individuals withspecial needs, including the physicallyand mentally disabled, the visuallyimpaired, homeless children, prisonersand indigenous populations, amongothers, CDI has found that learning newtechnologies not only creates jobopportunities, but also expands accessto knowledge and encourages socialexchange. This access directlycontributes to improving the quality oflife and community development.

Through partnership with community-based associations, CDI provides freecomputer equipment and software (collected in donation campaigns) for theInformation Technology and Citizens Rights Schools, implementing educationalstrategies for a continuous training of instructors, selected within thecommunity. CDI coordinators monitor the performance of the school andidentify key challenges and opportunities through periodic visits. Schoolscoordinators work together with CDI representatives to find creative ways ofaddressing problems, formulating and sharing solutions. Each school is anautonomous unit, self-managed and self-sustainable through a symboliccontribution. This fund covers the maintenance costs and the payment ofinstructors, creating social enterprises.

CDI has developed a socio-educational approach to teaching informationtechnology. Students learn how to use computers and software whilediscussing issues of particular interest to their community, such as humanrights, the environment, sexual education, health and non-violence.

Furthermore, the model is based on the conceptof helping people help themselves. CDI trains thefuture teachers of the schools who, in turn, willtrain others back in their communities. Thispedagogical methodology was developed by CDIin partnership with specialists from CampinasState University, one of the most reliable andcompetent in Brazil. CDI follows up with the

schools to evaluate the impact of the programme,and also works to establish a network among them.

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spotlight: 6 highly indicative education projects

“The credibility the World Economic Forumlends to social entrepreneurs and the connections itallows with other initiatives around the world notonly broaden the possibilities of new partnerships,

but also enhance the visibility of socialentrepreneurship.”

Rodrigo Baggio, Executive Director, CDI

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CDI is permanently seeking the financial support of donors and formingstrategic partnerships with the privatesector, foundations, internationalorganizations and individuals in order tofurther its mission and projects. TheWorld Economic Forum has played animportant role in this issue. Since RodrigoBaggio, CDI Executive Director, wasselected as a Global Leader forTomorrow, many doors were opened forthe project. Microsoft Brazil donated cash and software to support CDI’sactivities and will support CDI’s continued investment in Braziliancommunities.

Contact: www.cdi.org.br • Rodrigo Baggio, Executive Director • [email protected]• tel. (55 21) 2557 8440

educarchile

Educarchile is a national educational Internet portal in Chile. It is apublic/private initiative created by the Ministry of Education and FundaciónChile.

Educarchile responds to the learning demands and teachinginterests of the K-12 education community: teachers, schoolmanagers, students, families, and education researchers andpolicy-makers. The goals of the portal are to produce digitalcontent adequate to the national K-12 curriculum, encouragethe interaction between teachers, students and families, andimprove the information literacy skills of the population.

The portal offers students and teachers access to a wide range ofhigh quality educational materials that follow the Chileancurriculum, arranged by subject and student level, and includes aneducational website database, multimedia resources (images, sounds, videosand digital texts), reviews of educational software and articles on education.Students have individual workspaces on the portal where they can check

homework assignments and schedules. Also they canfind communication tools including e-mail andinstant messaging to interact with peers andteachers outside of class. There is access to chatrooms, message boards and newsletters.

The portal offers teachers a lesson plan matrixthat they can use to put together lesson plans quickly and creatively. Teacherscan search by grade level, subject or theme from a collection of more than500 lesson plans. There is a Web-based tool to create websites on which theycan post assignments, access recommended outside educational sites, etc. Theteachers have access to communication tools permitting them to consult withcolleagues throughout the country and the world on teaching practices andrelated issues. In addition, Educarchile is working on a distance-trainingprogramme to help Chilean teachers incorporate technology in education. Theportal also offers families articles and material on child development andeducation, and to educational researchers, studies on the most relevant topicsin the field.

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educarchile facts90% of enrolled students connected to the Internet

3.5m students served by Educarchile140,000 teachers served by Educarchile40,000 average number of visits per day

cdi facts346 schools in Brazil, 33 schools in Colombia,

Mexico, Chile, Uruguay and Japan170,940 youths have been assisted by the

programme86.5% of students evaluating their experience of

attending CDI schools said that their lives had beenchanged

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Partner companies and organizations of Educarchile include Microsoft,Compaq, Sun, Apple, Philips, Fundación Telefonica, Fundación Varsavsky, FordFoundation, Fundación Avina and Inter-American Development Bank.

Contact: www.educarchile.cl • Castor Toledo, Chief Executive Officer •[email protected] • tel. (56 2) 240 0489

itrain

ITrain is a collaborative network for creating manuals for computer andInternet training in developing countries. ITrain courses are developed using atemplate by trainers from around the world, working together informally inthe ITrain network. Since the project began in 1997, more than thirty coursemodules in five languages (English, Spanish, French, Russian and Chinese) havebeen developed and made available free of charge on the ITrain website atwww.bellanet.org/itrain

ITrain course materials cover all aspects on Internet use, from basic e-mail toWeb design. They form a unique resource for Internet trainers in developingcountries, from grassroots efforts such as the Women of Uganda Network(www.kabissa.org/wougnet), to IT faculties in developing country universities,to international agencies such as UNESCO, which recently used the materialsto train youth leaders in Samoa.

The project is stewarded by Bellanet, an international initiative based inCanada, which was created to help the international development communitywork together more effectively, especially using information andcommunication technologies (ICT).

The remarkable sustainability of ITrain was the theme of the presentation byBellanet at the World Economic Forum’s Southern Africa Economic Summit2001 in Durban. The support of the World Economic Forum has enabledITrain to make some important strategic links and gain internationalrecognition as a model of cost-effectiveness, sustainability and potentialfor replication using an innovative licensing system known as OpenContent.

Open Content is a copyright alternative modelled on the Open Sourcephenomenon. As is the case with Open Source software, anyone may copy,translate and adapt Open Content licensed works provided that the authorsare credited and – a key concept – all derivative works are also licensed OpenContent. ITrain is pioneering the application of Open Content in developingcountries.

The Open Content idea is catching on. US-based non-profit Bridges.org wasintroduced to ITrain at the Forum’s Durban Summit. Bridges was seekingappropriate training materials for “citi-bridges”, a technology outreachinitiative and resource centre in Cape Town, South Africa. Bridges will beusing ITrain materials in the centre, and it has also entered into a dialoguewith ITrain about collaboration on the evaluation of the materials. In addition,Bridges.org is making some of its own training materials available using theOpen Content license.

Now six international development organizations have adopted the ITrainapproach. ITrainOnline is an online resource centre in English and Spanish for

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people who want to learn how to use the Internet effectively for social justiceand sustainable development. By pooling energies and resources, the partnersin ITrainOnline reduce duplication, learn from each other and focus theirInternet training investments for greater impact. To find out more, visit thesite at www.itrainonline.org.

ITrain outputs high-quality, effective materials that are free to use, translateand adapt for any ICT training purpose, including Internet training in privatesector companies. ITrain’s participatory methodology is well established andoffers an extremely cost-effective option for companies seeking trainingmaterials that are appropriate for multi-cultural settings. In the ITrainnetwork, each participant’s investment in content development is effectivelyleveraged to benefit the entire network. ITrain welcomes new partners whocan contribute to the collection by writing or translating new modules basedon their areas of expertise.

Contact: www.bellanet.org/itrain • David Balson, Executive Director •[email protected] • tel. (1 613) 236 6163

schools online

Schools Online is a US public benefit 501(c)3 organization, whose mission is tohelp students use the communication and information resources of theInternet for learning and cross-cultural dialogue. This goal is accomplished byproviding schools with appropriate technology and Internet access, facilitatingteacher professional development and cultivating online cross-culturalprojects. In order to ensure their long-term sustainability, all programmes aredesigned with the participation of teachers,schools administrators, local communities andgovernmental agencies. Since 1996, over5,700 under-resourced schools in the UnitedStates and 378 schools in 32 other countrieshave received the equipment and/or supportnecessary to get online. SOL’s projects abroadhave benefited from the support of itspartner organizations.

Schools Online is a recognized leader inpromoting and implementing newmethodologies for delivering education andcommunication technology to classroomsaround the world. In addition to being namedby the World Economic Forum as one of six “highly indicative” education

projects, in early 2001 Schools Online was also chosenby the Technology Empowerment Network (TEN) as anoutstanding leader in bridging the Digital Divide. InOctober 2001, Schools Online was selected to be partof a consortium called Friendship Through Education,which is a nationwide effort that President Bush issupporting to build friendships and involve students indiscussions on issues facing them as future globalcitizens. In November 2001, Schools Online wasnominated as one of five finalists by the San Jose Tech

Museum of Innovation for using technology to improve the quality of life inplaces around the globe that have been by and large passed over by thedigital revolution.

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“Our goal is to give a higher level ofeducation to children, give them a window

to the world. We want to encourage thenext generation to get exposure to othercultures, get them to communicate with

each other so they won’t fight each otherwhen they grow up.’’

Kamran Elahian, Founder and Co-Chair ofthe Board, Schools Online

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Contact: www.schoolsonline.org • Touraj Rahimi, Chief Executive Officer •[email protected] • tel. (1 408) 501 0789

world computer exchange

WCE Mission: To act as a partner and ally in bridging the global digital dividefor youth, promoting cultural understanding between students in industrializedand least developed countries, and facilitating the use of technology andexperiential education in education reform.

World Computer Exchange (WCE) is dedicated to helping the world’spoorest youth bridge the disturbing global divide in information,communications technology and trust. WCE does this by keeping donatedcomputers out of landfills, giving them new life connecting youth indeveloping countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America to the Internet. The

computers and networking gear donatedby companies and individuals in countriesaround the world connect students totech-savvy sister schools for culturalexchanges to deepen the understanding oftechnology and of respective cultures andhistories.

WCE provides professional developmentconsulting to non-profit and governmentpartners to develop sustainable plans tonetwork, maintain and connect thesecomputers in local schools. WCE leveragesthe resources of businesses, strategic

allies, volunteers and youth communityservice programmes to provide its partners with the equipment, software,consulting, sister-schools and content they need. WCE helps them succeed inpreparing their schools, teachers and students to use the Internet as a bridgeto information, resources, educational materials and opportunities.

WCE Services: • Consulting in information technology, planning and sustainability to

strengthen local partner organizations• Connecting poor youth in developing countries to the Internet via computers

donated by companies and individuals in industrialized countries• Creating cultural exchanges between community service programmes in high

schools and universities in industrializedcountries and schools in developingcountries.

WCE Business Model:WCE seeks to continually improve so that itcan be brought to scale at the lowest possiblecost. WCE does this by (1) working throughlead partners in each interested developingcountry; (2) developing regional offices incities in industrialized countries to leverage

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“Our involvement with the World Economic Forum hasalready resulted in donated computers for our partners in

developing countries who are working to connect schools tothe Internet. The World Economic Forum has opened doors inmajor companies to us. We have met with industry experts

who have generously helped us develop creative solutions toproblems of system design, content, licensing and training

that our partners face. Our involvement with the Forum willbe key to our being able to come to scale so that we can

meet the demand for computers and for the consulting helpour NGO and government partners need to make the costs of

connectivity and maintenance sustainable for their localschools.”

Timothy Anderson, President, World Computer Exchange

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the virtual anddonatedresources ofbusinesses,strategicallies, adultvolunteers andyouth in highschool andcollege community service programmes; and (3) building a reputation withmajor donors for providing working donated equipment at the lowest cost.WCE strives to operate virtually, respectfully, with transparency, and in waysthat help strengthen civil society.

As a result of WCE’s involvement with the World Economic Forum, HoughtonMifflin, a division of Vivendi Universal, donated 300 computers in 2001 to theWCE.

Contact: www.WorldComputerExchange.org • Timothy Anderson, President •[email protected] • tel. (1 781) 925 3078

world links

What can education and technology do for populations that lack food, cleanwater and vaccinations? World Links’ answer is that education and technologycreate the foundation for improvements in basic infrastructure, healthcareand other human needs for developing economies.

World Links was established five years ago to bring youth in developingcountries into the Information Age and Global Knowledge Economy. WorldLinks helps youths develop the knowledge and skills they need to create, andtake advantage of, income-generating opportunities. This, in turn, leads tofaster, broader economic growth, which is the key to sustainable financing andthe delivery of basic needs. In addition, increased capacity in developingcountries to use information and communication technologies enables themore efficient and effective provision of social services, from both client andsupplier perspectives.

World Links was initiated by the President of the World Bank, James D.Wolfensohn, in 1997. Following two years of rapid growth and strong demand,World Links spun off from the World Bank as an independent non-profitorganization, with support from foundations, private sector companies,

bilateral and multilateral development agenciesand private individuals.

Since its inception, the programme hasexpanded to over 800 schools in twentydeveloping countries involving more than

160,000 students and teachers in thesecountries. Such global presence presents World Links with a tremendouschallenge: that of bringing together peoples of diverse cultural backgrounds,different educational systems, and technological infrastructures oftentimespoles apart. Yet each day World Links introduces hundreds of teachers andthousands of students to the unlimited educational wealth of the Internet, andengages those students in international collaborative projects which focus on

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world computer exchange facts1,540 computers shipped since May to Benin, Cameroon, India, Nepal and Nigeria 42 agreements signed with partners based on sustainable implementation plans

870 schools with 323,000 students in 24 developing countries recruited 22 strategic allies recruited to provide a rich variety of services to WCE partners

payment by the UN for WCE shipping to “sustainable development” countries 85 WCE volunteers in 22 countries helping partner organizations

WCE teams gathering computers in Boston, New Haven, San Francisco, Stockholm,Sydney, Tokyo and Washington DC.

world links facts22 total participating countries

130,000 teachers and students involved600 total participating schools1,800 collaborative projects

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the environment, HIV/AIDS, poverty, clean water, gender and many curricularsubjects.

By leveraging the most appropriate technology, World Links trains first-adopters to become their own country’s technology experts. For example,World Links has pioneered the use of VSAT and spread spectrum radio wirelessInternet connectivity for schools in Africa. ForMinistries of Education, World Links provides anarray of opportunities including pilot ICTprogrammes, nationwide programmes,monitoring and evaluation expertise, as well assustainable ICT solutions conducive to broadereconomic outcomes.

Contact: www.world-links.org • SamuelCarlson, Executive Director • [email protected] • tel. (1 202) 462 9664

spotlight: microsoft and world links team up to understandand fight hiv/aids in africa

More than US$ 1m worth of software was donated by Microsoft for an HIV/AIDSproject benefiting more than 2,500 students in schools supported by WorldLinks in Africa.

Of all the potential opportunities offered by technology, preparing youths tounderstand their environment and take control of their future is the mostfulfilling, albeit challenging mission to accomplish. One way to unleashtechnology’s power is through improved access to innovative learning toolsand adequate training programmes that maximize the benefits of newinformation and communications technologies (ICTs) for all. By teaming up inten African countries to offer youth an opportunity to participate in a uniqueand compelling tele-collaborative project about HIV/AIDS, Microsoft and WorldLinks are doing just that.

Using Microsoft software, African secondary students started learning aboutHIV/AIDS, and sharing with their peers their knowledge, ideas and actionplans to reduce its spread. Says a senior high-school student who isparticipating in the HIV/AIDS project from Accra Academy in Ghana, “We havelearned to show love and attention to AIDS patients. We also should stop AIDSand love life because AIDS is real... Therefore we have decided to concentrateon our books and also to advise, communicate and educate others about thedeadly disease AIDS.”

World Links’ commitment is tobridge the global digital divide,with a focus on youth, byimplementing and sustaininginnovative educational technology solutions adapted to the developing world.To accomplish this mission World Links relies on successful corporatepartnerships such as this one with Microsoft.

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10 Countries participating in HIV/AIDS Projects 2,500 Students participating in HIV/AIDS Project

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accenture

african virtual universityThe African Virtual University (AVU) was created in 1997 to help address theeducation crisis in Africa. In 2001, Accenture worked closely with the AVUBoard and management to build a strategic business plan and to design asustainable operating model for the organization. As a result of this work theAVU has moved from being a World Bank-managed programme to an entitywith greater African ownership and leadership. It has established itself as anindependent, non-profit organization headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, and isin the process of transitioning central operations from Washington. The AVUintends to create an environment in which African education institutions andstudents can participate in the global community of learning, but also tobecome a sustainable source of value creation and employment for the Africaneducation sector.

asean efarmers trading exchangeAgriculture is a vital source of wealth for ASEAN countries. Despite itsimportance, the sector suffers from serious inefficiencies due tofarmers’ lack of access to market information. In April 2001,Accenture worked with the ASEAN Secretariat to launch theASEAN eFarmers Project. The goal is to stimulate rapid growth inthe agriculture sector by establishing an Internet-enabled marketaccess mechanism. This will allow producers and farmers toaccess market information and services that will help them makesound and profitable business decisions. In support of theeFarmers concept, Accenture, in partnership with Agritani, iscreating the largest, most comprehensive online tradingexchange for agriculture in the Asian region. The eFarmerstrading exchange will be launched in Indonesia in January 2002 and there areplans to replicate the model in Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnamand Malaysia through 2002 and 2003.

the digital opportunity initiative The Digital Opportunity Initiative (DOI), a unique public/private/non-profitpartnership between Accenture, the UNDP and the Markle Foundation, offers astrategic approach to help foster entrepreneurship as an engine of social andeconomic development. The initiative was launched at the 2000 G-8 summit

and published its final report, Creating aDevelopment Dynamic, in July 2001. Thisstudy of national ICT policies and localenterprise initiatives argued thatcooperation based around four key elements– infrastructure, policy, locally relevantcontent and human capacity – is needed toignite enterprise development and realize

wider social goals. This can only be achieved if governments work togetherwith business and civil society to achieve sustainable outcomes. The findingsof the DOI Report informed the G-8 DotForce Action Plan to Bridge the DigitalDivide, which was endorsed by the G-8 heads of government at the Genoa G-8Summit.

vso business partnershipsVoluntary Services Overseas (VSO) is the largest initiative of its kind in theworld, having seconded more than 29,000 volunteers since 1958. Its mission isto tackle poverty and encourage sustainable development by sending

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recognizing our participants: good work around the world

“I believe that companies must stand up and becounted. The majority of their employees do care aboutdevelopment. It is up to business leaders to tap into this

energy and desire to help, by creating an innovativeenvironment where employees can balance career and

community.”

Gib Bulloch, Accenture volunteer in Macedonia

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professional people to work in poor countries. In 1999, Accenture agreed tosupport the VSO with a new initiative known as VSO Business Partnerships. Asa foundation partner in the scheme, along with Shell, Accenture secondsemployees for up to 12 months to act as advisers to small and start-upbusinesses in Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia. Since the launch of VSO BusinessPartnerships, Accenture has seconded business consultants to countries like

Nigeria, Gambia, Zambia, Tanzania and Botswana in Africa;Bosnia, Macedonia and Kazakhstan in Eastern Europe; andPakistan in Asia.

youth business internationalYouth Business International (YBI) aims to helpdisadvantaged youth become entrepreneurs. This is beingachieved through the creation of a global network of youthsupport organizations with a shared mission to providebusiness mentoring and funding opportunities to young

people. Together with British Telecom and other partners, Accenture hasdeveloped a total eSolution portal for YBI. Through the portal, YBI’s networkof partner organizations can now share best practices, conduct discussionforums, deliver training, and create simple websites for youth businesses.Since its inception, YBI has helped more than 50,000 young people to set upbusinesses. The Accenture solution is helping YBI to bring these opportunitiesto more young people and to reach more communities.

afrique initiatives

people@netAfrique Initiatives is dedicated to supporting local initiatives and SMEs thatrespond adequately to local needs, through equity investment. Its fields offocus are children’s and women’s health, nutrition andeducation, rural access to water, electric power,telephone and the Internet, and day-to-day use ofICT. Afrique Initiatives’ People@Net project, whichwill eventually be replicated throughout the Africancontinent, is being piloted in Senegal, where it hastwo components, Pesinet and Proxinet.

Pesinet is a response to heavy juvenile mortality rates(of up to 20% before the age of five) in the region. Itis a subscription service that allows a child’s health tobe closely monitored by a doctor. A child is weighed at home twice a week;

the weight chart is then made electronicallyavailable to a physician. If the chart shows adecline in a child’s weight, the child is called infor a visit. The data transfer and transformationinto charts and the charts’ accessibility by amedical doctor are allowed through Internet anddata processing technologies. Today, more than1,400 children are paying subscribers to Pesinet inSt Louis (100,000 inhabitants.)

Proxinet is a franchise system of small“telecentres” which are installed as Internet access distributors in popularareas. They are mainly single-access shops, deriving the majority of theirprofits from the offline operation of most of the services developed by

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“Afrique Initiatives have proven innovative,daring and persevering in

finding and enforcing efficient and sustainablesolutions to Africa’s

problems. Above all, they have been showingconstant confidence and

willingness to promote local solutions and developlocal capacities.”

Jean-Marie Messier, Chairman and CEO,Vivendi Universal

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People@Net, including mailboxes and sea weather forecasts. Today there areeight Proxinet franchisees in St Louis, making their living by selling Internetaccess and Internet-related services to the poor.

Afrique Initiatives is a privately funded European development tool for Africa,incorporated in Brussels in 1999 with an initial equity of 2,000,000 euros. Itscurrent shareholders include many major French companies, such as VivendiUniversal and Vivendi Environment, Bolloré, TotalFinaElf, EDF, Accor, Michelin,Renault, AGF, Eridania Beghin Say and Cfao (PPR).

endeavor

Founded in 1997, Endeavor is pioneering a non-profit model to spur economicgrowth by offering multi-pronged support to promising business entrepreneursin emerging markets. Endeavor does not make direct financial investments.Instead, Endeavor offers countries acomprehensive, high-impact andlocally adaptable methodologythat catalyses the process of newventure and wealth creation.Through Endeavor’s model,promising entrepreneurial leadersare identified then connected with global and local networks and capacity-building programmes designed to accelerate their companies’ growth. Theoverarching goal is to promote a fairer distribution of income and equitableaccess to markets in countries where Endeavor is active. Between October1997 and December 2001, Endeavor successfully piloted and replicated itsinnovative development model in four Latin American countries (Argentina,Brazil, Chile, Uruguay).

Endeavor’s international staff and professional business network screened over3,000 entrepreneur candidates from these countries and elected 100

outstanding entrepreneurs from 64companies into the EndeavorEntrepreneur Network. WithEndeavor’s support, thoseentrepreneurs have generated over6,000 new jobs and have grown at anaverage 20% in a period of economicdecline, increasing unemployment andrecession throughout the region. In2001, several prominent institutions

publicly recognized Endeavor as one ofthe world’s leading social change organizations. In November, the SchwabFoundation and the World Economic Forum invited Endeavor to a SocialEntrepreneurs’ Summit for forty-one top social entrepreneurs from around theworld. In December, Endeavor earned certification from a Bain & Company/PricewaterhouseCoopers auditing team, qualifying Endeavor as one of tencertified “intermediaries” for a soon-to-be-launched Global Social InvestmentMarket (other qualified intermediaries include the Soros Foundation,Rockefeller Philanthropic Advisors and the Robin Hood Foundation).

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“Endeavor has continued to deliver amazing results thatare having a fundamental impact on helping unleash the

entrepreneurial passion and talents of the emerging markets.”

Jason Green, General Partner, US Venture Partners; Member,Endeavor Board of Directors

“Through Endeavor, I have met the most fantastic peoplein both the technology and business sectors. But more

importantly, I have met people who believe in me and my ideasand who have supported me in the most difficult and challenging

moments of my life.”

Sergio Cabral, Endeavor Entrepreneur (selected in September2000) who recently started TAHO, a wireless solutions provider.

In Rocinha, the largest slum in Latin America, TAHOimplemented its wireless services as part of a government

e-inclusion initiative.

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intel

computer clubhouse networkIntel Corporation will spend US$ 32 million to establish a network of over 100Intel Computer Clubhouses in underserved communities around the world by2005. In addition to financial resources, Intel will provide technical, careerand volunteer mentor support. The Intel Computer Clubhouse Network is a keycomponent of the Intel® Innovation in Education initiative, a global, multi-million dollar effort to help realize the possibilities of science and technologyin education. The Intel Computer Clubhouse is both a physical location and aproven, successful learning model that was created in 1993 by the Museum ofScience, Boston, and the MIT Media Laboratory. The Computer Clubhouseprovides a safe, creative after-school environment where underserved youthare encouraged to “learn by doing” and develop meaningful skills creatingnew possibilities for their futures. Intel Computer Clubhouses are open orunder development in 14 states in the USA, India, Israel, Ireland, and thePhilippines and are planned for at least 10 more countries in 2002. The IntelComputer Clubhouses join the flagship Clubhouse at Boston’s Museum ofScience and 11 others across the world.

teach to the futureLaunched in 2000, Intel® Teach to the Future is a worldwide effort to helpteachers integrate technology into their classrooms to enhance studentlearning. To date, the programme is being implemented in more than 20countries, with further expansion planned for next year. Teachers learn how,when and where to incorporate technology tools and resources into theircurrent lesson plans. In addition, they are instructed on how best to createassessment tools and align lessons with district, state and national standards.The programme incorporates the use of the Internet, webpage design andmultimedia software. The training agencies receive a one-year, renewablegrant to administer the training programme in their areas, as well as a fullyequipped training lab. Intel’s commitment includes US$ 100 million in cash,equipment, curriculum development and programme management to trainmore than 400,000 classroom teachers in 20 countries around the world by theend of 2002. The programme is presented with support from MicrosoftCorporation. Current training locations include Argentina, Austria, Brazil,Canada, China, Costa Rica, Estonia, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel,Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Switzerland,Taiwan, the UK and the USA.

joko

jokoclubsIn August 2001, Youssou N’Dour’s Joko Project launched two pilot community-owned technology centres known as JokoClubs in Senegal. With significant

support from Hewlett-Packard’s World eInclusionprogramme, Joko is aiming to create a model for theworld’s least-developed communities to participate inand benefit from the global digital economy. The JokoPilot launch marked the transition from Joko’sincubation stage into its real-world testing ofinformation technology services and solutions,adapted to the needs and realities of the rural andurban pilot communities. Since August, both pilot

JokoClubs have achieved operational profitability. With this encouraging

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“Joko embodies our commitment to co-invent sustainable solutions for communitiesin Africa that help develop their capacities

and their entrepreneurial skills. The aim is toset up a replicable process that can stimulatethe development of an information economy in

all developing countries.”

Gilly Gordon, HP World eInclusion

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basis, Joko is preparing to launch 15 additionalJokoClubs in 2002, as well as numerous JokoTraining Centres, throughout Senegal.

The Joko Network provides Internet access atminimal cost to local community members,training (ranging from basic instruction for theilliterate to advanced Web development courses),and a website which emphasizes relevant local culture. In addition, to link theJokoClubs to the Senegalese diaspora, Joko stations will be established inmajor international cities that will allow expatriates to communicate via e-mail and low-cost videoconferencing in an affordable manner with familiesback home.

johnnic

ikageng community development trustThe digital divide which has created a new delineation between the “haves”

and the “have-nots” is being tackled in South Africa ina proactive manner. Traditionally, a lack of widelyavailable amenities, illiteracy and poor communicationinfrastructure hampered the country’s ability tocompete with the rest of the world. However,initiatives such as Ikageng, which means “Build

Yourselves”, are implementing new models in an effort to bridge the divide.

The Ikageng Community Development Trust is a joint initiative launched in2000 by Johnnic (Africa’s leading black-controlled media, entertainment andtelecoms group), Compaq and the World Bank in partnership with the SouthAfrican government, representing a true public/private partnership.

Ikageng helps communities through the awardwinning Eco-Village concept. Ikageng projectsprovide the foundations for the provision ofhousing, water, agriculture, banking andhealthcare, alongside the emergence of a viableIT infrastructure for communications, Internetaccess, education and job creation.

The initial pilot project will be completed at theend of June 2002 – in a sprawling community ofsome 300,000 families of Orange Farm, just south of Johannesburg. Others willbe completed by September 2002, in time for the World Summit inJohannesburg, which will be attended by 110 heads of state, and some 40,000delegates from all over the world. As M-Cell/MTN is sponsoring the WorldSummit, Ikageng will be given high visibility and world prominence at theevent.

The Ikageng model provides a holistic, integrated approach to the problems ofrural and peri-urban communities. Through a combination of self-sufficiencyand information technology, Ikageng will bring communities on the wrong sideof the digital divide into the mainstream. The project has already garneredconsiderable interest from other African countries eager to adopt it as well asto share many of their own successes.

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“Joko shows what we can offer to theworld through the popularization of new

technologies. Through this initiative, we aretrying to project another image of Africa,

dynamic and enterprising.”

Youssou N’Dour, Artist, Chairman,Joko International

“Ikageng means let us all work togetherto build one another… It is a responsibility of

companies to give something back.”

Cyril Ramaphosa, Chairman, Johnnic Holdings

“We travel 80 kilometres to go andprint a letter in our town, or to fax

something, or even to photostat. People thinkthat the people in a rural village cannot have

Technology Centres, but at our deep ruralvillage we have a Computer Centre where we

can communicate even with the people inWashington.”

Clara Masinga, Kgautswan Community Leader

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kpmg

In 2001 KPMG Singapore reconditioned 30 desktops before delivering them tovarious voluntary welfare organizations and community self-help groups. Theorganizations included the Hougang Community Development Council (for lowincome families), the Singapore Children’s Society, the Singapore CheshireHome and Touch Community Services.

junior achievement hungaryKPMG Budapest entered into a co-op with Junior Achievement Hungary (JAM),a Hungarian branch of an international association (originating in the US)which aids the economic education of secondary school students by offeringstudy material on business/entrepreneurial skills and organizing courses,summer camps and projects for the youth. In September 2001, within theframework of JAM’s computer programme, KPMG Budapest donated 50 laptopsto the foundation, which were then distributed to schools and tutors ofsecondary schools within Hungary. With this donation, KPMG aimed to give theyoung generation the opportunity to access new technology and catch up withthe challenges of the information age.

students in free enterpriseKPMG is helping the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), an organization whichnow includes 1,000 universities worldwide, with its expansion into Africa,where SIFE aims to help university students there educate people in theircommunities about the uses of the Internet. SIFE also showed producers oflocally made goods how to make their products available online via the Web.Based on the success of the programme, the State Governor of Akwa lbom inNigeria has commissioned the SIFE team to develop a webpage for theGovernor’s office and is donating two computers for future trainingprogrammes.

microsoft corporation

internet en mi bibliotecaMicrosoft Mexico made a grant of US$ 100,000 in cash, plus software, tocontinue its support of the Internet en mi Biblioteca (Internet in my Library)project. Microsoft will partner with UNETE, a non-profit organization thatraises funds to promote technology in education, who will manage the entireprogramme in coordination with the National Libraries System. Through thisprogramme, Microsoft partners with public libraries to bring access tocomputers, the Internet and digital information for people in low-incomecommunities in Mexico. This year the funds will be used to install five PCs andInternet access modules at each of 12 additional public libraries. Created by

Microsoft Mexico in 1998, this programme has benefited 58,000elementary and junior high school students each year.

digital villages, south africaA Digital Village is a local computer resource centre, equippedwith state-of-the-art technology, including computers, Internetaccess and the latest Microsoft software and books. Each centreis managed by members of the community who have beentrained in the necessary IT and management skills. By workingwith organizations and local communities across South Africa,Microsoft South Africa has been able to establish 28 DigitalVillages in the four years since Bill Gates initiated the project,

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with plans for many more to come. Digital Villages give the surroundingcommunities, schools, students and entrepreneurs the chance to develop theircomputer skills and take advantage of the power of the Internet.

virtual youth community, russiaIn the autumn of 2000, Microsoft made a grant of US$ 250,000 toimplement a computer literacy programme in Tumen (Siberia) and Lipetsk(Central Russia), two disadvantaged Russian regions. The aim of theprogramme is to help children acquire the knowledge and skills that willenable them to excel in school, careers and further education, as well asto adapt to a changing global community. Under the project, childrenaged 9-17 receive computer instruction at Kizhevatov’s Children CreativityClub in Tumen and in four rural schools inthe Lipetsk region.

polish youth foundation, polandAs part of the global partnership betweenMicrosoft and the International YouthFoundation, the Polish Youth Foundation receiveda two-year grant in 1999 to establish computerlabs in the rural communities of Barciany and Korsze. The initiative is creatingnew opportunities that will help to raise the quality of education and provideaccess to new technologies for children living in disadvantaged areas ofPoland.

microsoft electronic library, jordanOver 70% of Jordan’s population is under the age of25. However, economic conditions and social factorshave deprived many of them of what is now a part ofeveryday life for young people around the world –

information technology. Microsoft’s Electronic Library(MEL) was established in partnership with the Haya Cultural Centre in Ammanin July 2001 to provide children with access to computers and the Internet.With over 40,000 students visiting the Haya Cultural Centre’s facilitiesannually, the library is giving them a window to the information technology-rich world that is out there; a world that they will now be able to step intowith confidence.

mih – multichoice africa

shoma education foundationThe unforgiving landscape of Africa and the historic lack of infrastructure inrural areas have had an adverse effect on the equitable delivery of qualityeducational resources. In an effort to address this challenge, the ShomaEducation Foundation, a satellite-based learning programme, was establishedby MultiChoice Africa. Shoma supports theDepartment of Education to implementoutcomes-based education training to educatorsby streaming cutting-edge multimedia teacherdevelopment material to remote centres.MultiChoice Africa, through Shoma, contributesby funding and developing the content streamedto centres. In addition, it provides technicalexpertise relating to the configuration of thedigital satellite technology platform in training centres. The World Bank

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“This is our window to the world; thereis more information on the Internet than in

any of our newspapers. I feel that the wholeworld is now open to us…”

A high school student, reflecting on how hiscommunity’s new computer lab has made a

difference

“I never knew that there was so muchto know in the world.”

Ayah, aged 12, after her first visit to theMicrosoft Electronic Library

“It is clear that your programme willhave multiple effects in enriching ourteachers during the implementation of

Curriculum 2005.”

Prof. RH Nengwekhulu, SuperintendentGeneral, Northern Province Department of

Education, South Africa

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included Shoma as a case study in research conducted during November 2001.The preliminary results indicate that teachers involved in Shoma wereunanimous in their praise of it. All credited the Shoma training with helpingthem to understand and be able to implement the teaching strategies andphilosophy intended by the designers of the new national curriculum, and allclaimed that each of the training components (videos, computer-basedlessons, discussion rooms and Shoma facilitators) played an important role intheir increased understanding.

o globo

futura channelFutura is the first private television channel in Brazil exclusively dedicated toeducation. Its programming is designed for children, teenagers, workers,teachers and communities. Implemented by the Roberto Marinho Foundationand operated by Globosat, Futura is financially supported by 14 privateinstitutions, such as corporations, foundations, professional associations andfinancial groups that extend their scope of action by investing in education.The Channel was launched in September 1997. There are no advertisingrevenues and no charges whatsoever for the signal. In November 2001, Futurastarted transmissions through terrestrial free TV, now available in the state ofPernambuco, with plans to expand to Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in 2002,and then to the rest of the country. Futura is an educational project made bypeople who believe that knowledge is the fundamental element for building abetter society. To accomplish this mission and effectively contribute to theeducation and development of millions of Brazilians, Futura has put together ateam of top journalists, educators, scientists and celebrities who dedicatetheir talents to setting a new standard for educational television. Itsprogramming is designed to be useful for work and for everyday life and is notlimited to the television screen. To help bridge the digital divide, Futura hasfocused on training teachers and professionals for IT use in classrooms and atwork. So far, the Channel has produced five special series to this end: two fortraining youth in IT-related careers and three for preparing mainly public-school educators for the use of modern technologies in classrooms.

sun microsystems

cartão nacional de saúdeSun Microsystems do Brazil is taking part in theCartão Nacional de Saúde (Health National Card)project, which is part of the Braziliangovernment’s REFORSUS initiative, designed to

allow each Braziliancitizen to have a magnetic card to access the NationalPublic Health system. The project is designed tosupport medical service scheduling, individual healthrecord management and medicine distribution/logisticsplanning, providing much better control and leverageof health resources in Brazil. Sun Microsystems workedon the technical solution design with its partnerHypercom and provided the Servers and Storageinfrastructure to this mission-critical and highlyscalable system. The project’s goal is to allow moreefficient data collection and planning tools in order to

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“Besides leveraging the payment flow,by having the health [system] computerized,the organization of the expenses and health

services delivery will be more rational.”

Gerado Biasoto, Health Investment ControlSecretary, Ministry of Health, Brazil

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provide better health assistance, mainly to Brazil’s poorest. The alreadycompleted first phase has provided the magnetic access card to 13,000,000individuals. The project’s second phase, to begin in 2002, aims to cover theentire population.

vivendi universal

moroccoVivendi signed partnership agreements with the Ifrane Al Akhawayn University(1999) and with the Moroccan Ministry of Education (2000) to contribute to thebuilding of digital bridges by training teachers, professors or students and byproviding schools with educational CD Roms. As a major shareholder of MarocTelecom since February 2001, Vivendi has been supporting Maroc Telecom’sefforts and programmes to provide grammar schools, junior high schools andhigh schools with Internet access. So far, 560 high schools have beenconnected. A new programme was launched in November 2001 aimed atconnecting 1,000 junior high schools and 6,200 grammar schools.

hungaryVivendi Telecom International, through its wholly-owned subsidiary VivendiTelecom Hungary, has developed different projects that encourage childrenand adults to learn about the Internet and facilitate their access to newinformation and communication technologies. Vivendi Telecom Hungary hasbeen cooperating with the Hungarian government to launch programmesaimed at providing civil servants, teachers and students with computers andInternet access. Vivendi Telecom Hungary is a major contributor to the“Telehouse Movement” that helps disadvantaged villages connect to telephoneand Internet services. February 2002 will see Vivendi Telecom Hungary launcha cooperation agreement with all 12 Hungarian universities aimed at settingup Internet cafés. On the occasion of UNICEF International Children’s Day ofBroadcasting, on 9 December 2001, several Vivendi Universal Group companiesin Hungary launched a campaign to provide all children’s hospitals with freecomputers, TV sets and also access to the Internet and to the Minimaxchildren’s TV channel.

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educ.ar

Educ.ar is an effort of the Argentine Ministry of Education to create a nationaleducational Internet portal. Educ.ar also works to bring connectivity toschools in Argentina and to train teachers in the pedagogical uses oftechnology.

The portal includes high-quality interactive curricular educational material forstudents at all levels, lesson planning assistance and professional tools forteachers, as well as a host of other resources for the entire educationalcommunity. The portal permits students to communicate with teachers andother students outside of class time through e-mail, chat rooms andforums. Eventually it will allow teachers to create class websites on whichthey can post homework assignments, exam schedules, class calendars andrecommended links to relevant, outside educational Web content.

Lateral goals of the Educ.ar project include bringing Internet access (PCs,telephone connections, etc.) to every one of Argentina’s nearly 40,000learning institutions, and training the nation’s teachers to integratetechnology into their courses. The programme has begun to focus onsecondary schools so that students on the brink of entering the labour forcewill have some level of exposure to technology. A US$ 237 million loan fromthe Inter-American Development Bank has permitted the government to beginbuilding Internet infrastructure at these schools and the proceeds from anEduc.ar fundraiser at which President Clinton spoke are now being used toconnect several secondary schools in a pilot connectivity project. At the sametime, the Ministry of Education has undertaken to establish 200 TrainingCentres around the country to serve as bases for technology training and hasoffered salary incentives to encourage teachers to attend the training. Thetraining programme uses volunteers and trained teachers as instructors at theCentres.

The portal project was initially funded by a grant of US$ 11.2 million from theVarsavsky Foundation. It received donations in kind from several corporationsincluding Sun, Microsoft, Cisco and Oracle. Educ.ar has recently begun aneffort to become partially self-sustaining by developing revenue producingactivities including the production of educational contents for third partiesand consulting.

shiksha india

In 2001, five Delhi-based schools went online as a result of the joint initiativeby the Confederation of Indian Industry and the WorldEconomic Forum, as the first phase in a project toreach a wide-range of government schools acrossIndia, using a commercially sustainable model whichhas been set up by Shiksha India.

Shiksha India is a non-profit initiative, aimed atbridging the digital divide in India, launched at theIndia Economic Summit 2001. This project wasconceived by the Global Leaders for Tomorrow of theWorld Economic Forum and incubated by the

Confederation of Indian Industry. It is supported by leading Indian andmultinational companies and individuals. Shiksha India is focused on using

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spotlight: global leaders for tomorrow bridging the digital divide

“Shiksha India’s mission is computerliteracy — a basic skill that blue collar

workers like mechanics and rural citizens likefarmers will find useful in their daily lives. It

will substantially increase the earning capacityof mainstream India in direct and indirectways and also help in bridging the digital

divide that exists in India”

N. R. Narayana Murthy, Trustee of ShikshaIndia

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technology tools to improve the quality of education in Indian schools and, indoing so, helping India bridge the digital divide.

Shiksha India was conceptualized by GauravDalmia (GLT member) and his wife SharmilaDalmia during the Global Leaders for Tomorrow(GLT) Summit in Geneva in September 2000. Itwas inspired by the Educ.ar project inArgentina, which was founded by fellow GLTMartin Varsavsky.

In India, Shiksha’s vision is to provide a totalsolution to schools through the five Csapproach – using Computers, Connectivity,Coaching (teacher training), Content and Commercial sustainability models– with extensive participation from industry, NGOs, education bodies,technology companies and the government.

The detailed plan for the project has been put together by the BostonConsulting Group. Initial partnership commitment has been obtained from theTimes of India Group, Intel, Hewlett-Packard, NIIT, Boston Consulting Group,Hughes Satellite Systems, Bharti Telecom, Apollo Hospitals, Schools Online,NCERT, SCERT and the Ministry of Human Resources.

In the pilot project, which will reach 760 schools that already have many ofthe ingredients for a successful computer centre, Shiksha India will providethe missing links. In 500 Kendriya Vidyalayas (network of central governmentsupported urban schools), Shiksha India will provide content; in 200 NavodayaVidyalayas (central government supported schools for talented rural youthfrom underprivileged backgrounds), Shiksha India will provide content,connectivity and test commercially sustainable models. Intel will provideteacher training to these 760 schools simultaneously. Additionally, as a part ofthe pilot project, Shiksha India will provide a complete solution to 60 schoolsin partnership with Schools Online and has already set up computer centres inapproximately 40 schools. It has also organized Intel-sponsored teachertraining in these schools.

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“It was standard thinking that sucheducation issues were the realm of thegovernment. But hearing some of the

initiatives in other countries, I felt that if theright combination of private sector

participants, education specialists and thegovernment come together, it can be a potent

combination. We intend to bring businessefficiency to this social cause.”

Sharmila Dalmia, Managing Trustee of ShikshaIndia

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christopher ado, 34, physics teacher, ghana

Chris’s story goes back fifteen years to 1987 when he graduated from ateacher-training college in Ghana and took a job teaching. At that timeteaching meant working in an education system where: (i) school children andteachers were without textbooks and paper as a result of foreign exchangeconstraints; (ii) buildings, furniture and equipment had deteriorated due tothe lack of replacement and repair; (iii) enrolment levels had declined overthe years, while dropout rates from the school system continued to rise; (iv)there was an exodus of significant numbers of trained and highly qualifiedteachers; and (v) the government’s financing of education had been drasticallyreduced. For ten years that was Chris’s reality.

When World Links was launched in Ghana in 1997, Chris had just completed hisfirst decade of service as a Physics teacher. During his tenure in four differentsenior secondary schools across Ghana, Chris did just what was expected ofhim – teach his syllabus and make sure his students passed on to the nextgrade. Except for the first couple of years or so, Chris never updated hislesson plans. The routine of teaching the same lessons over several yearsresulted in Chris literally memorizing his entire lesson plans. Says Chris: “I hadbecome intellectually lazy, and now looking at how much my subject matterevolves day after day due to the technological breakthroughs, I really feelguilty…”. Then World Links introduced Chris to computers, the Internet andwhat he now calls, “all the good things of technology” for the first time in hislife. “The first search I ever ran on the Web was for the word ‘Einstein’”,recalls Chris. Since then, Chris Ado recollects the countless hours he spendssearching for up-to-date physics-related content, lesson plans and activities toimprove his teaching. Chris also considers himself a Good Samaritan. For twoyears now Chris has served as a devoted “resource person” for two of hisformer colleagues – one in a school located hundreds of miles away in Ghana’sNorthern Region with no telephone connection at all, and one in Takoradi,where only a few people can afford any use of modern telecommunications.For each one of his colleagues, Chris regularly prints hard copies of goodsubject matter resources that he then dispatches via the payroll pouch once amonth.

fatima ould minth, 29, english teacher, mauritaniaTeaching English in Mauritania is an uphill battle that very few teachers will

take on. For those who do, they live with therealization that English as a language in Mauritania isranked far behind French and even farther behindArabic, the official language of instruction. Readyaccess to English language pedagogical support is achallenge that compares only to the task of keepinguninterested students from dropping out of the classaltogether. But World Links changed all of that – atleast for Fatima Ould Minth.

“None of my studentshas a street address to

their homes, but they are all proud to own ane-mail address”. Ms Ould Minth is referring tothe hundreds of e-mail addresses madeavailable to World Links’s students andteachers in Mauritania through its partnershipwith the University of Nouakchott as the local

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spotlight: technology touches people’s lives

“We get our freedom from the Internet,since in our society girls are not allowed to go

wherever we want…the Internet takes us out toother people, places and realities…it is our way ofescaping from our closed society. It is vital to us,

it gives us liberty.”

(Mauritania)

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ISP for World Links schools. Indeed, Mauritania is a good example of how apartnership involving all stakeholders, starting with the government, can bebeneficial for a country’s education system. When the Ministry of Educationexpressed interest in becoming part of World Links in 1998, it also offered tocontribute its own resources to rehabilitate computer labs and to negotiate adeal with the national telecommunications company whereby all participatingschools were given free Internet connectivity through leased lines. For Fatima,World Links contributed a positive change in the English teacher’s life: “WhenI bring the students in the computer lab, I can see how eager they are to readtheir e-mail and converse with other students in English. I take advantage oftheir excitement and get them to do productive work online, read classicalplays from Shakespeare, access international current events and communicatewith others around the world.”

What Ms Ould Minth does not confess to publicly, however, is how access tothe outside world via the Internet has changed her personal life as a woman inher own country. Indeed, a recent study analysing the impact of the WorldLinks Programme on African girls and boys revealed that “70% of girls inMauritania put emphasis on the fact that the Internet provides freedom tothem as women, since they no longer need to limit themselves to thecontrolled information given by their societies and families.”

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around the world

Argentina

Benin

Bosnia

Botswana

Brazil

Cameroon

Chile

China

Costa Rica

Estonia

Gambia

Ghana

Hungary

India

Indonesia

Jordan

Kazakhstan

Kenya

Macedonia

Malaysia

Mauritania

Mexico

Morocco

Nepal

Nigeria

Pakistan

Philippines

Poland

Russia

Senegal

South Africa

Tanzania

Uruguay

Vietnam

Zambia

Countries where the Global Digital Divide Task Force members’ projects are in progress include:

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For the World Economic Forum, bridging the digital divide is an endeavour that ismore than linking everyone to the Internet. For us, for me, it is a larger development

issue: how can countries reach their optimal national capabilities? How can informationtechnologies be leveraged to address traditional social and economic development issues?

As developed countries have already seen, a flourishing IT sector can dramatically increaseindividual, corporate and national wealth which can, in turn, raise living standards in allsegments of the economy. While the fibre that travels beneath the earth to send digital

bits from one end of the world to another will not feed a child, it does provide aninfrastructure that can enable a brighter tomorrow.

Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and President of the World Economic Forum

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the cost of transmitting a trillion bits of information from Boston to Los Angeleshas fallen from $150,000 in 1970 to 12 cents today

a study of 68 economies accounting for 97% of global industrial activity shows that in1985-1997 high-tech production grew more than twice as fast as total production inall but one country

in two years from 1998 to 2000 Internet users increased from 1.7 millionto 9.8 million in Brazil, from 3.8 million to 16.9 million in China and from2,500 to 25,000 in Uganda

in 1999 the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras created a highspeed, low cost Internet access system that needs no modem andeliminates expensive copper lines

each computer in Africa with an Internet or e-mail connection usually supports arange of three to five users

there are now 1,300,000 dial-up subscribers in Africa. of these, NorthAfrica is responsible for about 250,000 and South Africa for 750,000,leaving about 300,000 for the remaining 50 African countries

there are 513.41 million Internet users in the world, of whom 4.15 million are inAfrica, 143.99 million in Asia/Pacific, 154.63 million in Europe, 4.65 million in theMiddle East, 180.68 million in Canada & USA, and 25.33 million in Latin America

currently, just over 50% of Internet users are native English speakers, yet76% of all websites, and 96% of e-commerce sites, are in English

the 1.3 million people online in Latin America represent less than 3%of the population; however, this is a 136% increase from 1998

India's online population is now approximately 4 million and will grow to 23million by 2003

there is one Internet user in 125 people for Latin America and theCaribbean, 1 in 200 for South East Asia & the Pacific, 1 in 250 for EastAsia, 1 in 500 for the Arab States and 1 in 2,500 for South Asia