“Bridging the Digital Divide: Lessons from South East Asia and the South Pacific”. Internet to Equinet An Equitable Internet for the Next Billion

Outline of Workshop Welcome by Chaitanya Dhareshwar Introduction of the Workshop [1 min] Video Presentation [32: 32 min] containing perspectives from SE Asia and the Pacific Panel Discussion [7 min per panelist] Interactions

Panelist Speakers Mr. Chaitanya Dhareshwar, Head Technologist and Adviser at Doctor on Call and Pasifika Nexus Think Tank MemberChaitanya Dhareshwar Ms.Salanieta Tamanikaiwaimaro –President of South Pacific Computer Society, Member of SEARCC ExComm, Manager ICT Center, University of the South Pacific, Founder of Pasifika Nexus (Remote)Salanieta Tamanikaiwaimaro Mr. Satish Babu, Director, ICFOSS, IndiaSatish Babu Ms. Noelle de Guzman, Regional Programme Coordinator, APAC, ISOCNoelle de Guzman Mr. Benjamin Matthews, Alcatel Lucent and Pasifika Nexus (Remote)Benjamin Matthews Mr. Sakaio Manoa, USP ICT Outreach Coordinator (Remote)

Rural Schools in Indonesia

Digital Divide: By Definition The Digital Divide is the difference between those who have Access and those who DO NOT have access to: – Infrastructure Telecommunications networks Internationalised domain names (IDNs) etc – Services eg. ATMs, internet, educational material

Underlying Factors of the Digital Divide Lack of Infrastructure Limited Access High Cost Poor energy grids Poor Transportation Inadequate Speed Lack of Knowledge Challenges in channelling investments into underserved regions

Asia Pacific has a stark Digital Divide in various levels Urban and Rural Old and Young Men and Women Rich and Poor Persons with Disabilities and Those without Disabilities Literate and the Illiterate Access toPolicy Development Processes

ICT is an Enabler for Development. ICT empowers and transforms communities through revolutionizing access to: – Health care services eg. Telemedicine; – Education and Libraries and Research Networks; – Monitoring Climate Change Impact and Predicting Weather patterns, Tsunamis etc; – Enabling Businesses and Economies to accelerate trade; etc etc etc

ICT is Universal in its impact

“In Asia and the Pacific, what we call the ‘digital divide’ is in fact an income divide, a gender divide, an education divide and a knowledge divide,” – said Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), which released the maps jointly with the UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU). saidESCAPITU Digital Divide: Perspective

The "digital divide" has wider links and implications into our social structures, culture, education, knowledge, socio-economic factors, governance. Our perspective needs to evolve towards one that futuristic, entrepreneurial, developmental so that benefits the people in our nation.

The need to ENGAGE

New World of Digital Opportunities