UN goes wireless to reach 'information have-nots'

By PETER GRIFFIN

The United Nations will try to bridge the global "digital divide" by setting up wireless networks in developing countries.

Auckland lawyer Elizabeth Longworth, who attended a recent Unesco forum in Paris, said the UN agency was backing its ambitious plans with investment of about $US350 million ($846 million) for information and communications projects.

One example of wireless internet and cellphone technology bringing the web to the "information have-nots" was a health network catering to the dispersed population of Mongolia.

"Rather than worrying about copper in the ground, Unesco is concentrating on wireless technology," said Ms Longworth.

"It's that next generation of technology that will make the difference."

Bigger projects were under way in parts of Africa. Unesco eventually wanted to provide every village with internet access, but that would not necessarily mean a huge deployment of computers.

"They're not talking about putting computers in the home where they are still using the village well," Ms Longworth said. "A schoolroom in a village would provide just one common point of access."

Unesco would push for multilingual web portals and search engines, and online translation services.

The development of a Unesco information portal was also discussed, as were means of getting more intellectual property into the public domain free of charge.

She said New Zealand initiatives such as computers-in-homes programmes and setting up Maori language websites were in line with Unesco goals.

Draft recommendations about universal net access and multilingualism will go before a Unesco general conference in October. If passed, member countries will be asked to enact them.

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