Introduction
As clearly stated by the world leaders convened at the World Economic Forum in Davos and by the most
important scholars worldwide, poverty is the main issue to be tackled by the international community in the
near future. Only by eradicating poverty can the world population enter in a new phase of prosperity. As the
industrial revolution made possible widespread well-being in Europe and North America in the XIX Century,
the digital revolution can help all the people currently secluded from wealth reap new opportunities: it
is possible to fight poverty with profitability, as emphasized by C.K. Prahalad in his best selling book
“The fortune at the bottom of the pyramid”.
Since its first edition the INFOPOVERTY WORLD CONFERENCE, the first and most prestigious
conference on the digital divide, tried to highlight the positive role ICT can have to spur development in
disadvantaged communities, which can greatly benefit from using the communication technologies in an
innovative way. Moreover, the Infopoverty World Conference launched many initiatives in developing countries
such as Honduras, Lebanon, Mozambique, Peru, Tanzania, Tunisia which mirrored the above mentioned general,
favoring a wise use of the ICT in the communities.
The Conference - organized by OCCAM and the Office in Milan of the European Parliament, under the Patronage
of the President of the Italian Republic and the Presidency of the Italian Council of Ministers and in
partnership with the United Nations Information Center in Brussels, the UNESCO Mediterranean Programme,
the University of Oklahoma, the Università Cattolica and Politecnico di Milano – involves more
than a hundred international institutions.
WHO participates?
Decision makers from communitarian
and governmental institutions, regional and local authorities, content and service providers,
International Organizations, UN Agencies, NGOs, financial institutions, corporations, prestigious
universities and civil society.
HOW & WHERE?
The Conference will take place in simultaneous sessions
connected by videoconference with New York (UN seat) and other locations
home to the most important international institutions, at the presence of the most influential
protagonists of the digital revolution.
AIM OF THE CONFERENCE
To keep you updated on the most effective applications
in the field of sustainable development; to know in advance the breakthrough experimentations in the
fields of telemedicine, e-governance, distant learning, teleconsulting, e-commerce; to participate
in the programs and projects developed in the framework of the UN system, the multilateral cooperation,
the creation of new tools and services; to launch the model of ICT Village such as the one realised in
Borj Touil for the WSIS 2005; to meet the most influential international stakeholders and
reap the opportunity Infopoverty gives both to those participating – offering the possibility to start
concrete synergies with the operations discussed in the Conference and to those participating as
sponsors, granting high and prestigious visibility.
Quotations about Infopoverty
“The INFOPOVERTY Conference underlines the responsibility of information in facing
poverty in the world. There must be a definition - at an international level - a system of common
rules able to transform the present digital revolution in an opportunity to bridge the divide
between North and South.”
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, President of the Italian Republic (2001)
“All stakeholders - the private sector, national and international authorities,
NGOs - need to cooperate in fighting infopoverty. Only by cooperating in this way we can achieve
real, sustainable progress, tackle the needs of isolated people and communities, involve people
actively and achieve greater equality. For all these reasons, I want to thank you for your
contribution to this highly topical debate.”
Romano Prodi, President European Commission (2003)
“I consider the work of Infopoverty more important than ever. Your initiatives are at the
same time effective - with respect to the numerous projects already launched and in planning - and
opportune, because they intervene timely in the Summit preparations and they will contribute to
increasing the opportunities offered by the use of ICTs in numerous domains. I see your work as an
invaluable contribution to the take-up of the Information Society in a development context.”
Erkki Lükanen, European Commissioner for Enterprise (2003)
“OCCAM is to be congratulated for organizing this conference: Events such as this,
focused on identifying and developing concrete solutions to the urgent challenges facing humanity,
are a useful opportunity to share ideas and experiences concerning key international development
issues, especially those enshrined in the Millennium Development Goals.”
Koicïro Matsuura, Director General UNESCO (2004)
Program of the Conference
Final Declaration 2007
Press Releases
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