EU and Rio Group pledge to close digital divide
At a ministerial meeting between the Rio Group and the European Union in Santiago, Chile, on 28 March, ministers discussed how to benefit from the new economy in Latin America and the Caribbean, and how to bridge the digital divide. The meeting was held in the context of the new relationship being created between the two regions, which stems from the 'First summit of heads of state or government of the European Union and of Latin America and the Caribbean' held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 28 and 29 June 1999. This was the tenth ministerial meeting and was intended to facilitate dialogue between the two sides and make the relationship more dynamic. Ministers recognised that the opportunities provided by technological globalisation had been exploited by some countries and were mainly of benefit to a few firms and to highly skilled workers. For this reason, the technology divide between industrialised and developing countries and developing countries is even wider than differences in productivity and socio-economic welfare, delegates agreed. In Latin America, transition to an information society will require coordination between the public and private sectors, ministers agreed. This would reduce inequalities in the dissemination of the new information and communications technologies. Ministers noted the importance of broad and equal access to new information technologies, and pledged to further encourage bi-regional cooperation with a view to reducing differences in access and facilitating technology transfer to less favoured regions. Ministers also stated that they wish to see wider sections of society to benefit from new technologies. Governments undertook to develop cooperation programmes to design systematic policies of technology transfer and investment in areas such as telematics, the information society and distance education. The role for information and communications technology (ICT) in fostering democracy was also recognised by ministers. They noted that electronic devices can be used as an instrument in public administration to involve civil society in the policy debate.