AFRO-NETS> UN volunteer corps is to bridge the technological gap

[Debra Guzman <debra@OLN.comlink.apc.org>]

UN volunteer corps is to bridge the technological gap
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TECHNOLOGY-UN: Bridging The Technological Gap
By Ramesh Jaura

BONN, Apr 12 (IPS) - The Bonn-based United Nations Volunteers pro-
gramme (UNV) will help coordinate a 'high-tech corps' which will 
share with developing countries the benefits of the worldwide infor-
mation revolution.

UNV's Executive Coordinator, Sharon Capeling-Alakija, told IPS that 
this was part of a new initiative proposed by the UN Secretary Gen-
eral Kofi Annan.

In his Millennium Report, which identifies challenges and priorities 
of UN member states to consider at the Millennium Assembly in Septem-
ber, Annan stresses the importance of keeping pace with the " digital 
revolution".

One of the four initiatives spelt out by him involves the creation of 
a global programme for information technology (IT) volunteers, which 
Annan proposes to call the United Nations Information Technology Ser-
vice (UNITeS).

This will be a consortium of high-tech volunteer corps, including Net 
Corps Canada and Net Corps America, which the UNV will help to coor-
dinate, said Capeling-Alakija.

UNITeS will train groups in developing countries in the uses and op-
portunities of information technology, and stimulate the creation of 
additional digital corps in the North and South, she said, referring 
to Annan's report.

External sources of funding to support the UNITeS are being explored.

Capeling-Alakija said the UNITeS initiative highlighted the role 
given to IT volunteers in the global challenge to extend the benefits 
of the information revolution worldwide, to close " the digital di-
vide".

"UNV is responding to this challenge with a strategy focusing on ways 
to connect with people in the developing world," said the executive 
coordinator of the programme.

According to Capeling-Alakija, UNV is already working with Net Corps 
Canada in a pilot programme to field volunteers with Internet skills 
in developing countries.

The Bonn-based programme also prepared an online volunteering module 
for the NetAid website <http://app.netaid.org/OV> - a joint initia-
tive of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Cisco 
Systems - to fight poverty through voluntary service.

Cisco Systems is based in San Jose, California, USA. According to its 
mission statement posted on the Internet <www.cisco.com>, it aims at 
shaping " the future of the Internet by creating unprecedented value 
and opportunity for our customers, employees, investors, and ecosys-
tem partners".

UNV will join with other organisations from both South and North over 
the coming weeks in the design of a structure for the programme." 
Through its involvement, UNV hopes that UNITeS will become a model 
for volunteering in the new millennium," Capeling- Alakija said.

UNV was created by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1970 
to serve as an operational partner in development cooperation at the 
request of U.N. member states.

It is unique within the UN family and as an international volunteer 
undertaking. It reports to the UNDP and works through the agency's 
country offices around the world.

According to a UNV fact sheet there are about 4,000 qualified, ex-
perienced and motivated women and men of over 140 nationalities annu-
ally serving in developing countries as volunteer specialists and 
field workers.

Since 1971, more than 20,000 UN Volunteers from some 150 developing 
and industrialised nations have worked in about 140 countries. Cur-
rently, 70 per cent are citizens of developing countries while 30 per 
cent come from the industrialised world. (END/IPS/raj/sm/00)

--
Debra Guzman
mailto:debra@OLN.comlink.apc.org

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