In September 2000, the Heads of State and Government gathered in New York for the United Nations Millennium Summit adopted the eight Millennium Development Goals, including the eradication of poverty and child mortality, universal access to education, the fight against HIV/AIDS and protection of the environment. The deadline set for attaining these goals was 2015.

Reducing the digital divide is part of the 8th goal of the Millennium Declaration. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are an essential tool for development. They enable access to knowledge and are key to the success of the other Millennium Development Goals.

Today, the means of providing universal access to ICTs are within reach. In other words, the digital divide can be reduced by 2015! We are no longer pursuing utopian dream.

This statement is based on three factors:

• New technologies at a more accessible cost are now available or are being developed;
• The private sector and public authorities now share the same determination and interests with regard to overcoming this challenge;
• There is a guarantee of a return on investment that will benefit all stakeholders.

To achieve this result, a "Digital Solidarity Pact" is open to the main stakeholders concerned:

• All public actors: International Organisations, nation States and local authorities;
• The private sector, particularly companies active in the digital sector;
• Civil society.

Financial arrangements can be set up very quickly through the application of the "1% digital solidarity" principle.

The success of the "Digital Solidarity Pact" depends on a commitment fully shared by the IT sector to take on the challenge of developing the best and most accessible technologies, and thus the best able to bridge the digital gap.


The "Digital Solidarity Pact" begins to take concrete form

Two major Swiss institutions in the field of health have decided to apply the "1% digital solidarity" principle. They are the CHUV (University Hospital of Vaud) in Lausanne and the HUG (University Hospitals of Geneva) in Geneva.