Statement by
H.E. MR. HARRI HOLKERI
President of the General Assembly
To the UN World TV
Forum "The General Assembly and the Digital Divide"
16 November 2000
I am very pleased to be
able to address this opening session of the United Nations World Television
Forum. The issue before us, "the challenge of the digital divide", is one that
perhaps more than any other, epitomizes out times. The information and technology
revolution that the world has undergone in the last few years offers us possibilities
as never before, possibilities for development and prosperity that some are
already experiencing.
But for the majority of the world, the divide remains huge. Technology has not
yet benefited everyone and we face the prospect that it is becoming yet another
issue that creates fences between rich and poor nations.
We know that the digital divide is real: my own country Finland has more internet
hosts than all of Africa and, despite the ubiquitous cell phone, half the world's
population has yet to use a telephone.
Coming from Finland, one of the world's most "wired" nations, I know the impact
that education has on the technological prospects of a country. Education is
crucial if people are to be able to take advantage of technological opportunities.
That is why I have been emphasizing the importance of education, especially
for girls. Along with information and communication technology, education is
one of the priorities that I spoke about in my acceptance speech on 5 September
when I was elected President of the UN General Assembly. I have continued to
emphasize these inter-linked issues ever since.
Technology can improve knowledge: in Africa where one in 4 adults is HIV positive
and 40 per cent cannot read or write, technology, including through television,
radio and the internet, could spread knowledge about the AIDS virus and help
reduce illness or death.
Your Forum is a very timely: it offers a possibility of exploring ways that
the television industry can help ensure that technology will not speed further
divergence between the rich and poor of our world. I wish you every success
in this endeavor.