At the same time, experience has demonstrated that if local content is made available, the spread of the Internet is greatly accelerated. Sometimes this even comprises the development of new character sets, for example, the Chinese character set that was completed in 1996.

While the importance of the "three C's" was widely recognized, other issues concerning ICT development strategies were more contentious. African delegates, in particular, highlighted how important it was to consider ICT development in a broader perspective that included the recurring issues between North and South. In his keynote address, the President of Mali, Alpha Oumar Konaré, denounced the international image of the continent. "Africa is only present through ethnic conflict, famine, disease", he said. "It appears as a sick person, suffering, only maintained by international aid." He went on to express his hope for a "rebirth of Africa through the Internet". Others, including Anne Konati of Burkina Faso, said debt was the "main handicap". She also drew attention to the long-time deterioration of the terms of trade, the fluctuation of commodity prices on the international markets, and tariff and non-tariff trade barriers that caused great trouble to African countries.

The prominence attributed to the issue of ICT is something new for the United Nations, but, as in most of the developed countries today, it has turned into an almost ubiquitous topic during the last months.

A recurring picture to be seen during the meeting in New York was the speaker waving a little blue booklet. Fresh from the press, a report from the Panel of Experts on ICT included very challenging and powerful policy proposals, most notably the call to link the whole world to the Internet by 2004. A May 2000 report of the Secretary-General to the ECOSOC had summed up the positions of the Organization on the "role of information technology in a knowledge-based society" and offered extensive strategies. Apart from these paperworks, the best preparation for the High-Level Segment were the experiences with ICT made in different countries and by a variety of actors. Exchanging and systematizing these experiences internationally was an important purpose of the conference.

Coming back to the Segment's unofficial leitmotiv, "bridging the digital divide", it is perhaps fair to say that bridges need a stable foundation on both sides in order to fulfil their purpose reliably. Or in the words of Anne Kristin Sydnes, Minister of International Development of Norway: "ICT is no magic wand. It is an instrument that does not clear us from taking the right political decisions."

IT in a Knowledge-based Global Economy Concluding the High-Level Segment of 2000 on 7 July, the Economic and Social Council adopted without a vote a Ministerial Declaration on information technology. Under the title "Development and International Cooperation in the XXI Century: the Role of IT in the Context of a Knowledge-Based Global Economy", the Ministers and heads of delegations stated that: Information and communication technologies (ICT) are central to the emerging global knowledge-based economy and can play an important role in accelerating growth and promoting social development. The majority of the world population still lives in poverty and will remain untouched by the ICT revolution unless access is broadened. All members of the international community should work cooperatively to bridge the "digital divide" and to foster "digital opportunity". The major impediments to a wide participation of the people in developing countries in ICT are a lack of infrastructure, education, capacity-building, investment and connectivity. The promotion of ICT should complement and enhance -- not replace -- the efforts to ensure development and modernization of the basic sectors of the economy. Innovative approaches and partnerships, such as community connectivity and private sector investment, are necessary to achieve universal access. Education, including basic and digital literacy, should be at the heart of any information technology strategy. The development of local content on the Internet will help foster a culturally diverse cyberspace and encourage broad use. ICT will help small- and medium-sized enterprises participate in international markets and accelerate economic growth. Market forcesv alone -- albeit fundamental -- will not suffice to put ICT in the service of development. Consistent and coherent actions at the national and local levels are essential for making ICT effective for development programmes. Developed countries should share with developing and transition economy countries their experience in promoting and establishing ICT sectors so that the repetition of mistakes can be avoided. A transparent and consistent legal and regulatory framework could foster ICT development. The United Nations, and the Council in particular, can play a key role in promoting synergies and coherence of all efforts. Stronger partnerships are needed among the donor community and between donor and recipient. The United Nations should create an ICT task force, following a proposal of the Panel of Experts. The full text of the Ministerial Declaration is available at http://www.un.org/esa/coordination/ecosoc/itforum/

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