Nov. 2005 -- The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) – hosted under the auspices of the United Nations – opens in Tunis this week with calls for improved universal access to the emerging information society. Less than 20% of the world’s population has access to a personal computer and the Internet.
As one of the world’s leading IT companies, with more than one billion customers in 178 countries, HP is well positioned to help meet the goals set at WSIS. A team of experienced HP executives is attending the summit.
Speaking before the summit convened, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said “We are going through a historic transformation in the way we live, learn, work, communicate and do business. We must do so not passively, but as makers of our own destiny. Technology has produced the information age. Now it is up to all of us to build an Information Society.”
WSIS is welcoming 10,000 participants from UN agencies, governments, the private sector and civil society, including heads of state and political leaders from 45 countries, and delegations from 120 nations.
Under the overall theme of ‘Overcoming Boundaries,’ HP is sharing information on innovative solutions, education and community development programmes, and eGovernment projects that support the objectives of WSIS.
The forum places a global spotlight on strategies to bridge the digital divide and harness the power of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to spur progress towards the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals. HP has projects under way in 53 countries across six continents, touching hundreds of communities that would otherwise be excluded from the benefits of the information revolution.
HP’s Stand (number 1324) is located in the ‘development and partnership’ quarter of the ICT4all exhibition. It is showcasing solutions that contribute to ‘overcoming boundaries and crossing borders.’
Education is the foundation for every development objective and a primary government concern, especially in emerging countries. HP offers a wide range of solutions for K-12, higher education and lifelong learning. The Government of Northern Ireland Classroom 2000 (C2K) initiative, for example, is based on a public-private partnership that will connect the largest number of students, teachers and administrators in the world.
Visitors are invited to explore HP’s Virtual Room – it allows students to study from anywhere in the world via a standard or satellite Internet connection – and peruse Elearning Nuggets, a solution for those who need just-in-time e-learning in Microsoft Windows, Internet and Office applications.
Innovative prototype solutions from HP Labs India demonstrate how technology can help to meet the education challenges of emerging and other countries. Only a fraction of India’s 15,000 colleges have broadband Internet but India does have a communication satellite dedicated to educational TV and channels. HP’s new ‘video-lessons-on-demand’ system captures and stores educational broadcasts from satellite television and delivers them in the form of a Digital Library that can serve dozens of simultaneous users – students and faculty – on PCs through a LAN.
The NEPAD e-Schools Initiative, led by e-Africa Commission, is a priority continental undertaking aimed at helping African youth graduate from school with skills that enable them to participate effectively in the global information society. HP is participating in the Workshop: ‘Leveraging global partnerships for practical progress towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).’
UNESCO and HP are jointly presenting their ‘Alleviate-Brain-Drain-Programme’ for South East Europe at the UNESCO booth. The project is connecting the region’s university scientists to resources abroad via grid computing – the linking of PCs and servers via the Internet – to encourage them to stay in their home countries.
Through its World Global Citizenship strategy, which embraces communities from India and South Africa to East Palo Alto, HP is working to close the gap between technology-enabled and technology-excluded communities.
The forum offers visitors the chance to learn more about HP’s Digital Community Centres in Europe, Middle East and Africa, which provide ICT infrastructure to underserved communities. The HP Microenterprise Acceleration Program provides microenterprises in marginalized communities with access to technology and training.
HP is creating new IT solutions to help its customers meet the challenges of the 21st century: The HP National Identity System (NIS) allows governments to build and quickly deploy an affordably priced infrastructure that meets their changing needs for security and identity management, while allowing citizens to access e-government services and conduct secure transactions.
The United Nations Development Programme is the UN’s global development network, an organisation advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP and HP will jointly present the White Paper on ‘An e-Government Primer: How to design and implement e-Visa solutions, Partnership-based e-Governance Innovations from Armenia and Saudi Arabia.’ HP is also participating in a UNDP workshop focusing on PPP (Public Private Partnership) at the UNDP Pavilion.
“HP’s is collaborating with the international development community and governments to realize the power of ICT to stimulate economic growth,” says Ingo Juraske, HP’s Public Sector VP for Europe, Middle East and Africa. He expects HP to find new markets and customers among the four billion people in the world who lack IT access. “By empowering people in developing communities, we enhance our own competitiveness.”
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