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STATEMENT BY Rinalia Abdul Rahim,
Executive Director, Global Knowledge Partnership
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Global Knowledge Partnership
continued its mission of sharing knowledge and building
partnerships at WSIS Tunis 2005.
Members of the Global Knowledge
Partnership discussed and developed new ideas for
collaboration; identified workable opportunities; and
devised concrete steps forward - such as online learning
and connecting rural communities in Central Africa.
The Global Knowledge Partavillion
showcased 100 member institutions at WSIS Tunis,
innovators in ICT4D, from every sector and every global
region.
The Global Knowledge Partnership was a
partner in the organisation of the 2nd World
Electronic Media Forum and the BBC World Production "Digital
Dividends" watched by millions worldwide.
At WSIS Tunis the Global Knowledge
Partnership organised 41 Forum panels in four areas of
focus: Poverty Reduction, Access to Knowledge, Education
and Resource Mobilisation.
Highlights included the following:
On the theme of Poverty Reduction:
Mission 2007 – India, potentially
the largest scaling-up programme in the
history of ICT-enabled development;
the launch of Telecentres.org, an
ambitious initiative to address the issue of how to
sustain telecentres after they have
been established;
and a special session
on ‘Financing Knowledge in Africa’.
On the theme of Education and
Youth:
We catalyzed partnership
opportunities on our panel ‘Empowering Young African Social
Entrepreneurs’. Gbenga Sesan, a Nigerian youth leader,
reminded us that "Youth is not just a thematic issue – we
are the bridges to tomorrow".
Our 3 panels on innovation in Education
offered solutions, to transition, from traditional
teaching methods, to e-learning environments - in order
to ensure that opportunities exist for children in the
developing digital world.
And on the theme of Resource Mobilisation
and Multi-stakeholder Partnerships:
We report that 3 members of the Global
Knowledge Partnership from Cambodia, India and Phillippines
announced they will partner to train start-up IT businesses
from other developing countries.
On Tuesday 15th the Global Knowledge
Partnership launched a new publication "Access, Empowerment
& Governance: Creating a World of Equal Opportunities with
ICT". Authored by ‘hands-on’ ICT4D experts, it
strongly advocates harmonization, leapfrogging,
and more tangible measurement of the impact of
ICT in development.
Here in Tunis the Global Knowledge
Partnership presented its own Strategy 2010.
We will build more
multi-stakeholder partnerships between Government, Business
and Civil Society; and we will continue to
consolidate the diverse and deep experience of our members
through publications, projects, programs and events focused
on ICT4D.
It is my privilege to convey thanks from
every member of GKP to the Delegates, Participants and
Visitors at WSIS Tunis 2005; and to the gracious hospitality
of the Government of Tunisia.
Thank you. |
