Mr. Guy-Olivier Segond, President of the DSF, comments on the challenges posed by the digital divide 

Is the digital divide an urgent problem?

Yes, because 80% of the world’s population has no access to the net. Some say that more urgent needs should be addressed first. But when you realize that 80% of planet has no access to the vast knowledge produced by humanity, you can easily see that by bridging this gap, a majority of people will have at their disposal a powerful tool for development. Information technologies are not gadgets. They can help solve problems linked to food, health or education. 

Who is affected by the digital divide?

The least developed countries are the main victims. They are isolated from the new economy – that of information and knowledge. Moreover, they cannot contribute their cultural share to a globalizing world where the information society is a reality. Information technologies will empower them to step directly into digital era, bypassing their industrial delays. But the digital divide also concerns industrialized countries, where this gap separates cities and rural areas, the young and the elderly, women and men. Our criteria of resources distribution is clear: we allocate 60% of our financial support for projects in least developed countries, 30% to developing countries and 10% to countries in transition and developed countries.

It is a political or a technical issue?

Of course, it is about access to knowledge. Digital solidarity must ensure that all the world’s citizens can access the knowledge they need in order to realise their potential. The information society enhances the development of networks to facilitate communication. All actors concerned with these networks – the public sector, the private sector and civil society – must cooperate. We expect much from the participation of local authorities and the private sector, who are the first to benefit from these networks. Through the DSF, they have the opportunity to promote an information society based on solidarity.

Your financing mechanism relies on public-private collaboration...

This new financing mechanism means that public and private entities that buy IT-related material or services request the supplier to transfer 1% of the transaction to the DSF. Businesses engage directly in the development of the information society. They should also be involved in supporting populations who cannot compete on these markets. In fact, their participation in the one-percent digital scheme represents an investment to give a lift to new markets.