Mission : to create communitarian centres of access in rural and urban disadvantaged areas of the planet, with initial specialist support, in order to promote development through the use of Information and Communication

The beginning : in 1997 OCCAM was created by UNESCO as Observatory on communication, as central point of the programme.

1997-1999 – Research

OCCAM initially worked as observatory for the Mediterranean Area, with actions on audiovisual communication in more than 15 countries, mainly during film festivals, and studies on communication, online creativity, researches on wireless-solar power supplied connectivity, digital cinema, virtual museums, services for development

1999-2001 – Experimentations

After Hurricane Mitch hit Honduras, and following the Solar Programme by UNESCO, a pilot project was realized in the villages of San Ramon and San Pedro, in collaboration with the local Ministry of Science and Technology and with the support of many international organizations (such as OAS, IADB, CABEI and others) and the direct participation of many ICT companies (Gateway Computer, OnSatNet, Microsoft, IBM and others) and the consultancy of the University of Oklahoma.

In the villages of Honduras 2 big sites were realized, power supplied by solar energy and able to receive and transmit data by broadband wireless connectivity (108 Mb/sec). In San Ramon and San Pedro e-learning was started, promoting alphabetisation of the whole communities, which was followed by the training of the youth to new jobs, and the same time by the reviving of traditional activities, such as agriculture and craft (with products traded at a national level). Connectivity also made possible first forms of tele-consulting, telemedicine and e-government.

Due to the interest in those pilot experiences, among the first ones as for scientific value and completeness of data, OCCAM – which had obtained by UNESCO the validation of its activity and the constitution as autonomous organization – activated a new phase and in 2003 was formally associated to the United Nations (DPI)

2001 – Dissemination of the results achieved

In 2001 OCCAM received mandate by the European Parliament and other international institutions to launch the I Infopoverty World Conference, on the theme “Possible Solutions”, held in Milan in 2001 at the presence of 40 international institutions.

The Final Declaration approved by the Conference states the establishment of the Infopoverty Network, as a platform for the creation of a programme of actions in order to start new experimentations, based on the original model set by the digital villages in Honduras and in partnership with participating institutions

2002 – Launch of the Infopoverty Programme during the II Infopoverty World Conference: “From possible solutions to action”

The Programme is based on the following items:

Improve the Solar.net Villages project, in order to optimize its application as standard COMUNITECH development model, and extend it on a worldwide basis, according to the different needs of disadvantaged populations.

Define implementing procedures, technological aspects, community processes, cooperation management, new rurality policies, supporting the actions through a continuous assistance via Internet, thanks to the realization of a web portal, gradually able to connect all initiatives in the World, give specific services to all wireless connected rural villages, share research activities online, promote distant learning initiatives, start system incubator for new rurality policies, update activities and pilot experiences, disseminate information among members and public.

Institute a Research and Development Center, able to elaborate user friendly technological kits, affordable for disadvantaged communities, exceptionally innovative in: alternative energies (solar photo voltaic, biomasses, compound), telecommunications (satellite, wireless Internet, cellular phone and rural phone) information and audiovisual hardware (12v DC supplied, affordable and easy to use computer; TV, radio, VCR, etc.), software (stable and secure, freeware, highly reliable, universal standard).

The Programme, implemented in collaboration with local Governments and Public and private Institutions, will involve numerous countries in Latin America, Africa and in the South-East Mediterranean area: at present the action in South Lebanon has begun, in partnership with the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, while some new villages will be shortly realized in Honduras and Central America, and different actions will be carried out in Mozambique and Somalia.

2003 – III Infopoverty World Conference : “New tools and best practices for development”

The Infopoverty Programme is being reinforced, both in terms of participating institutions and as platform to know what is happening in the field of ICT for development, due to the exponential growth of actions in various countries. The III Infopoverty World Conference is an event where all experimentations, programmes, realized actions were presented, as well as the theme of fighting Infopoverty as a way to combine the need to spread ICT in developing countries with the possibility of enlarging ICT market opportunities.

Now – Infopoverty Seminar @ the WSIS

The need to transfer knowledge and interrelate experiences, activating a wider process of participation, (also coming from the business sector, as envisioned in the global compact) and the need to give a prompt reply to the great urgencies of our times have induced the Infopoverty Network to focus its attention on the nature and application of broad band services (which have to be facilitators of development), and also on the real capabilities of the satellite systems to guarantee global access at reasonable costs, in order to make plausible and operative the aim of connecting all villages of the planet by 2015 as stated in the WSIS Plan of Action.

The Infopoverty Seminar – taking place on Dec. 12 in the framework of the WSIS, and with the specific focus on the goal envisioned in the Plan of Action to connect all villages by 2015 – is preparatory to the IV Infopoverty World Conference, which will take place on April 29 and 30 2004 in Milan and in different locations connected by videoconference