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The Bilbao World Summit tackling the digital divide opens with a message of solidarity urgin the removal of the obstacles to Internet access

Sarbuland Khan, the director of the United Nations' Division for Economic and Social Council, stated that the general secretary of the UN, Kofi Annan, told him of his belief that the Summit will help combat poverty in the world by promoting the use of the new information technologies

The 2nd World Summit of Cities and Local Authorities on the Information Society began today in Bilbao with an opening session featuring a call for solidarity and cooperation between the cities and regions of the world in recognition of their capacity to champion the crusade against the digital divide. Over the next three days in Bilbao, over 2,000 representatives from local authorities from all over the world will draw up a plan of action aimed at consolidating a truly international and inclusive Information Society.

The Summit’s opening session demonstrated the global dimension of the event. Mauri Lazkano, the director general of the Basque Development Agency (SPRI) attended on behalf of the Basque government, and representing the UN was Pakistan’s Sarbuland Khan, the director of its Division for Economic and Social Council. Kicki Nordström from Sweden spoke of the advantages the Internet offers to the handicapped, and France’s Elisabeth Gateau, the secretary general of the UCLG, the world’s largest organisation of local authorities, analysed the roles of cities and regions in combating the digital divide.

Representing Latin America were Ernesto Samper, the former president of Colombia, and Argentina’s Julio César Pereyra, the president of FLACMA, an association that represents most of the continent’s local authorities.

Mr Lazkano spoke of the work the Basque government has conducted in conjunction with the UN to develop a global Information Society “for everyone, from the countries of the Third World to the most disadvantages sections of society in the developed world.” CIFAL Bilbao, the training centre for local authorities, is organising the Summit and has been working hard to promote the IT4ALL Internet platform, which is used by 20,000 cities and regions around the world to exchange knowledge and information. The director general of the SPRI pointed out that this is the first time that cities and regions can make their voices heard as part of a global process.

Sarbuland Khan conveyed a message of hope following on from September’s special summit of world leaders, which resulted in a wide-ranging agreement on global solidarity-based development. Khan added that the new information technologies are a strategic instrument in this process. The UN director also read out a message to the assembled mayors and local leaders from the secretary general, Kofi Annan: “This particular world summit is very important because it will set out a plan of action to be presented to the heads of state.” These heads of state will be meeting later this month in Tunis to assess the future of the Information Society. Speaking of the importance of cities and regions in winning the fight to bridge the digital divide, Khan concluded by saying, “Although we are thinking globally, we must find local solutions.”

Elisabeth Gateau, the secretary general of UCLG, an organisation made up of local authorities representing over half the world’s population, stated: “The construction of an Information Society does not just involve the provision of universal access to the Internet. This is vital as an initial step, but it is essential that we then strike a balance between promoting IT and supporting the innovation plans of local authorities, as it is they who can convey these changes to their citizens.” Gateau went on to say that the new information technologies cross borders without difficulty and are a management aid for authorities that have to cooperate with one another to augment the information exchange.

Julio César Pereyra, the president of FLACMA, an association representing the cities and local authorities of Latin America, spoke of the technological limitations afflicting the continent and added that international summits such as this can help South America make progress in this area. To highlight the problem, Pereyra spoke of the many municipalities in Argentina where thousands of citizens do not even have a fax service.

Also in the opening session, Kicki Nordström, the ex-president of the World Blind Union, drew attention to the vitally important role local authorities can play in tackling the social exclusion of youngsters with sight disabilities. Their proximity to the situation on the ground means “they can look into the eyes of these disabled people” and come up with solutions. She went on to describe the handicapped as “the poorest of the poor in the Third World” and added that IT must be used to improve the quality of life of everyone, without exclusions. When asked if Internet would eventually replace the Braille system, she replied that when people stop using paper it may disappear, but that as long as people continue to use their eyes to read, the blind will have to continue reading with their fingers.

Finally, Ernesto Samper, the former Colombian president and a participant in numerous attempted peace processes in his country, gave his views on the digital divide stating that some countries “know and can” with regard to IT, whereas others “do not know and cannot” (such as most Latin American countries). In his opinion, a significant dimension of the digital divide is that only 10% of Latin America homes are connected to the Internet, whereas in the USA and some European countries 70% of households have access to the Net. As regards investment in the new information technologies, there are also alarming variations between certain parts of the world. Samper warned that globalisation could well become “a game between the excluded and the included” and pointed out that the challenges involved in erasing the digital divide were those of equality, identity, competitiveness and governability. He added that in these particular areas local authorities have a prominent role to play and must not be sidetracked by “sterile debates on levels of resources or competencies”. Samper concluded by saying that the Internet can help bring about peace and solidarity in the world (“the Zapatistas of Mexico and the indigenous movement of Latin America have their own websites to spread their messages”), but that it can also be a factor in social fragmentation, as seen in the recent disturbances in France.