Honorary President of the Digital Solidarity Fund (President of DSF 2004-2007)

From digital divide to digital solidarity !

More than 75% Internet users are concentrated in the part of the planet that contains less than 15% of world’s people. In other words, the great majority of men, women and children have no access to the knowledge accumulated by humanity.

This is what we call the digital divide – it involves disparities in the distribution of networks and equipments, as well as in contents, languages, etc.

Despite all the efforts, the digital divide is not narrowing. On the contrary, it is becoming broader and deeper. It is thus essential to find new financial mechanisms and new modes of intervention against it.

This is the goal of the Digital Solidarity Fund. Launched by H.E. Abdoulaye Wade, President of the Republic of Senegal, the Fund puts forward three innovative features :

• first, it relies on funding from cities and local authorities worldwide, who, in their calls for tenders, may introduce a clause requiring that a contribution of 1% on contracts obtained by private businesses in the field of ICTs is made to the Fund;
• second, its activity is mainly based on cooperation projects between the emerging South and the least advanced countries, an approach which is generally more respectful of local knowledge and often better suited to the realities and daily life in cities and in rural areas;
• finally, in its mode of intervention, the Fund will ensure that priority will be granted to women, who are the pillars of the community and the economy, while also representing the main providers of food, education, health and cultural values.

By ultimately aiming to improving the sharing of knowledge, information dissemination and universal access, the Digital Solidarity Fund represents an important means in the fight against ignorance and destitution.

Guy-Olivier Segond
Honorary President of the Digital Solidarity Fund