Integrating information and communication technologies for the reduction of poverty
Bern, 09.12.2003 - The State Secretariat of Economic Affairs (SECO) will present its development policy activities in the field of information and communication technologies at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva. The presentation will be given in the context of the Information and Communication Technologies for Development Platform (ICT4D), which will be held 9 - 13 December 2003 as a «side event» at the Palexpo site in Geneva.
The WSIS is the first world summit to deal with the opportunities and challenges related to the information society. The ICT4D platform includes an exhibition and a conference programme, and is also open to the public. In the context of this platform, seco and its partners will jointly present 25 projects in the field of information and communications technologies with a focus on e-business, e-waste, e-security and e-procurement.
On 9 December, State Secretary David Syz opened the annual infoDev Symposium, which is jointly organised by seco and the World Bank. The infoDev programme, which is cofinanced by Switzerland, has been supporting developing countries in their implementation and use of modern information technologies since 1995. seco and the International Trade Centre (ITC) are jointly organising a two-day interactive workshop with a focus on e-business on 11 - 12 December 2003. The workshop is intended to show how small export firms from developing countries can increase their competitiveness with the help of ICT instruments and bridge the existing digital divide. Two manuals, which can be found on the Internet, on the recycling of electronic waste and electronic safety will be presented for the first time. seco will give concrete examples of how to approach the challenges of the information society in terms of sustainability.
The following website provides further information on seco's activities at the WSIS:http://www.seco-cooperation.ch
Photos of the WSIS/Geneva see on our online photo data base
Berne, 9 December 2003
State Secretariat for Economic Affairs
Communications
For further details:
Christian Hofer
Public information officer for economic development cooperation
Tel. 079 328 74 72
Publisher
State Secretariat for Economic Affairs
http://www.seco.admin.ch
