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Asia's regional authorities support the world summit in Bilbao against the digital divide
Shanghai has today hosted the Asian Regional Conference, where a delegation from SPRI and the highest level representatives from cities and regions in Asia have put together a plan of action for the Summit in Bilbao.
The Asian-Pacific local authorities have undertaken to share their knowledge on information technologies in order to strengthen the planet's electronic solidarity.
Entities from India, China, Korea, Malaysia, The Philippines, New Zealand and Mongolia have joined the plans for the Summit in Bilbao.
The Asian Regional Conference, which in the Chinese city of Shanghai today brought together representatives of the highest level from local bodies in Asia, has given its support to the II World Summit of Cities and Local Authorities on the Information Society, which will take place in Bilbao from 9 to 11 November.
Representatives from cities and regions in India, Korea, Malaysia and The Philippines, amongst other countries, have put together joint plans to promote the event to take place in the Basque capital. In November, Bilbao will become a world forum against the digital divide, which prevents billions of people throughout the world from having access to the social and economic benefits of the Internet.
A SPRI delegation attended the meeting in China today to represent the Bilbao Summit, which is sponsored by the UN and the Basque Government. Aitor Cobanera, general manager of SPRI and executive vice-president of the summit, stated at the conference in Shanghai that local entities play a key role in driving digital solidarity forward, because they connect directly with citizens and understand their real needs.
SPRI's representatives in Shanghai passed on the official invitation to the summit in Bilbao in November from Ana Aguirre, Minister for Industry in the Basque Government, to the vice-mayor of Shanghai, Yang Xiong. This Asian metropolis is one of the most dynamic cities on the planet at the beginning of the century. With almost twenty million inhabitants, Shanghai is the most graphic example of the boom hitting China's economy.
Oceania will be at Bilbao
The support gathered today in Asia has widened to representatives from Nepal and Mongolia. Even Oceania will be represented at Bilbao, as local representatives from New Zealand have given their support to the event in November, which is looking to bring together more than 2,000 representatives of cities and regions from all over the world.
The Asian Regional Conference has established the script for the world summit in the Basque capital in order to make it more effective in its fight against the digital divide. According to the agreements made in Shanghai, local institutions shall share their knowledge on information technologies in order to strengthen the planet's electronic solidarity. This commitment should encourage an atmosphere of constant exchange between cities and regions across the world.
The forthcoming regional conferences to bring together contributions from Europe, Africa and South America, will take place in June and July in the German city of Leipzig, in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, and in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo.
The UN and the Basque Government are part of the driving force behind IT4ALL, the Internet platform that brings together almost 20,000 regional bodies from all around the world representing more than 1.5 billion people. Via this electronic highway, institutions are able to share their knowledge and projects on health, culture and safety, amongst other topics.
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