Declaration on ICT for Development
World Congress on ICT for Development, 11 September 2009, Beijing
The 2009 World Congress on ICT for Development, WCID'09, held Sept. 10-12, 2009 in Beijing, was sponsored by the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO) and China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), co-sponsored by International Telecommunication Union (ITU), United Nations' Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nation's Global Alliance on ICT and Development (UN-GAID), and the International Center for Science-Technology-Innovation for South-South Cooperation (ISTIC), and organized by the WFEO Committee on Information and Communication (CIC). The theme of WCID09 was "ICT for Development". A number of issues of significance related to the theme were addressed in the Congress and the participants have reached the following understandings and agreements.
1, Millennium Development Goal, for Remedying the Unbalancing Boat
People, from every corner of the globe have same rights for seeking the happier life. We are in fact in a big village and sailing on the same boat.
Due to historical reasons, however, people have been in different positions, richer or poorer, stronger or weaker, well-educated or less-enlightened. Over-unbalance may lead to danger to the mankind.
To remedy the situation, the United Nations have set a Millennium Development Goal to at least halve the poor population before 2015. This is a loyal responsibility for all of us.
2, Information Age, New Stage of Human Society
Science and Technology as a whole is the major driving force for the development of human society.
Material Science and Technology has made it possible for human society to advance from nomadic age to agricultural age, Energy Science and Technology has driven the society from agricultural age to industrial age, and now Information Science and Technology is leading the society from industrial age to information age.
3, ICT, Effective Tool for Development in the New Age
Advancement of the human society depends on the new tools innovated by science and technology.
The typical new tool in information age is the information and communication technology, ICT, which has two stages to develop: the Primary stage and the Advanced stage.
The Primary ICT Tool supports the convenience of information sharing among people that will make better matches among sectors of the society and thus improves the social productivities.
The Advanced ICT Tool will support highest efficiency and creativity in social productivities and provide equal opportunity for people to use, leading the various kinds of gaps existed in society gradually diminished.
4, Education, Key to the Use of ICT Tool
To effectively use ICT Tool for making progress in economic and social development, people need to acquire necessary kinds of knowledge and skills. Education will thus play the most fundamental and indispensable role.
People in information age have the advantage of using ICT for receiving education. This has been proved by many appreciable cases presented during WCID'09.
5, Responsibility for Governments and Citizens
Government in any country should take on the responsibility to promote the national education for all people and place education as the top priority on the national development agenda.
Government should also take effective measures to encourage all stakeholders for building up and maintaining the national infrastructure as well as creating the variety of information resources so that people, including disabled people, can afford to use ICT Tool for learning, working and living.
Citizens should well be aware of the importance of learning and people are never too old to learn ICT.
6, Responsibility for International Organizations
To reduce the unbalance of development among nations, international cooperation between developed and developing countries should be strengthened. Developed countries have responsibility to provide assistance to the developing countries in this regards.
The international organizations have obligations to work together for promoting various kinds of cooperation among nations. Conference, e.g., WCID'09, is one of the approaches for this purpose.
7, Public Call
The participants of WCID'09 strongly appeal to all citizens, professions, governments and international bodies to take effective actions in promoting ICT for sustainable human, economic and social development.
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