IGF2008- WS87- Commonwealth Secretariat 01

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• published: 19 Apr 2013
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The Commonwealth Connects Programme is helping to bridge the deepening Digital Divide across the 53 countries of the Commonwealth. In an attempt to mitigate this increasing digital fragmentation, a collaborative effort of the Commonwealth Secretariat, Commonwealth partner agencies and member countries has formed the Commonwealth Connects Programme.It is a multi-stakeholder partnership aimed at tapping available Commonwealth resources to fast track positive change. It is a unique initiative that enables the transfer of technology and expertise across the whole Commonwealth. Five key aspects of Commonwealth Connects programme are: Building Policy and Regulatory Capacity Modernizing Education and Skills Development Entrepreneurship for Wealth Creation and Poverty Reduction Promoting Local Access and Connectivity Regional Networking, Local Content and Knowledge Topics Following major topics will be covered in the open forum: Building Effective Partnership to Address Development Goals There is no silver bullet to remove digital divide and there is no one specific easy path to address millennium development goals. However effective networking and partnership among multiple actors can definitely assist and accelerate the process. The aim of this section is to highlight benefits of building effective partnership to achieve Millennium Development Goals Importance of National ICT Strategies A National ICT Strategy provides the roadmap and will link the ICT Strategy to the overarching national goals and objectives. This section will therefore cover the significance of National ICT strategy as an imperative national development policy tool Success Stories across the Commonwealth Significant scale of work has been done in the area of ICT4D across the Commonwealth. Some of the success stories will be shared among the participants Moderated Round Table Partnership A moderated round table discussion will be facilitated with the main theme of ''Building multifaceted partnerships to bridge the digital divide' The Commonwealth Connects Programme is helping to bridge the deepening Digital Divide across the 53 countries of the Commonwealth. In an attempt to mitigate this increasing digital fragmentation, a collaborative effort of the Commonwealth Secretariat, Commonwealth partner agencies and member countries has formed the Commonwealth Connects Programme.It is a multi-stakeholder partnership aimed at tapping available Commonwealth resources to fast track positive change. It is a unique initiative that enables the transfer of technology and expertise across the whole Commonwealth. Five key aspects of Commonwealth Connects programme are: Building Policy and Regulatory Capacity Modernizing Education and Skills Development Entrepreneurship for Wealth Creation and Poverty Reduction Promoting Local Access and Connectivity Regional Networking, Local Content and Knowledge Topics Following major topics will be covered in the open forum: Building Effective Partnership to Address Development Goals There is no silver bullet to remove digital divide and there is no one specific easy path to address millennium development goals. However effective networking and partnership among multiple actors can definitely assist and accelerate the process. The aim of this section is to highlight benefits of building effective partnership to achieve Millennium Development Goals Importance of National ICT Strategies A National ICT Strategy provides the roadmap and will link the ICT Strategy to the overarching national goals and objectives. This section will therefore cover the significance of National ICT strategy as an imperative national development policy tool Success Stories across the Commonwealth Significant scale of work has been done in the area of ICT4D across the Commonwealth. Some of the success stories will be shared among the participants Moderated Round Table Partnership A moderated round table discussion will be facilitated with the main theme of ''Building multifaceted partnerships to bridge the digital divide' http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/workshops_08/showmelist.php?mem=148