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News

At the forum in Senegal, Africa defines the plan of action it will present at the World Summit in Bilbao in favour of Digital Solidarity

At the Dakar Forum, taking place these days in the capital of Senegal, Africa is defining the plan of action that it will present at the World Summit in Bilbao in favour of digital solidarity. The meeting in Dakar has once again demonstrated that the President of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade, is one of the African leaders most committed to cultural issues. Wade has been one of the persons mainly responsible for the recent commitment of the G8, the group of most industrialised counties on the planet, who at their meeting earlier this month in Scotland announced that they will support the development of the continent of Africa. Moreover, Wade promoted the creation of the Digital Solidarity Fund to finance Internet–related investments in the Third World.

In another step forward in the fight against the digital divide, which is threatening to exclude thousands of millions of people from the Information Society, the President of Senegal has not only promoted the Dakar Forum, but will also be present at the “II World Summit of Cities and Local Authorities on the Information Society”, which is to be held in Bilbao in November. This meeting in favour of digital solidarity will bring together 2,000 persons representing cities and regions in all parts of the world next November.

The Bilbao Summit has been one of the centrepieces of the Dakar Forum. At the inaugural ceremony for the Forum, on 13 July last, the first speech was given by Josu Ocariz, General Secretary of the World Summit in the capital of Bizkaia, who analysed the possibilities of this meeting as a form of union between the local authorities of all countries in order to bring about an Information Society without exclusions.

The Dakar Forum, held from 13 to 15 July, is one of the four regional conferences being held to prepare the World Summit in Bilbao. In addition to Africa, meetings have been held on another three continents, always from a point of view of local authorities: Sao Paulo (Brazil), Leipzig (Germany) and Shanghai (China). Senegal is one of the promoters of the fight against the digital divide and its president, Abdoulaye Wade, was instrumental in the creation of the Digital Solidarity Fund, which finances investments related with the Internet in Third World countries.

Also taking part in the Dakar Forum on behalf of the Bilbao Summit is its Assistant Executive Vice-President, Juan José Duque, who in his presentation analysed the Basque Country Competitiveness Plan. The commitment of the Basque Country towards the Information Society has enabled more than half of Basque homes to be connected to Internet, while Basque companies have increased their operations by means of the Web.

This programme in favour of digital solidarity being discussed in Senegal has also received contributions by regional representatives from South Africa, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Tanzania, Mali and Kenya, among others.

The recent backing of the G8 for Africa has encouraged the cities and regions on the continent to join the international movement against the digital divide. The totality of these efforts will be expressed in November in Bilbao. A worldwide plan of action will emerge from the encounter, and will then received the backing of all the states.

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