The President of the Rhône-Alpes Council, French deputy Jean-Jack Queyranne, successfully championed the adhesion of his Region to the DSF as a founding member. Roger Vioud, Deputy Mayor of Annemasse and President of the International Relations Commission has rallied to his support in favour of the concept of digital solidarity. Interview.

What is the level of commitment of the Region towards the DSF ?

Our adhesion as founding member of the DSF was voted by the Regional Council in December 2005. However, the French public market code does not admit the one percent for digital solidarity principle, and so far we have been unable to adopt it. We have pointed out this anomaly to the Ministry of Finance in the hope that the new code will incorporate such a clause.

Why is the Region committed to digital solidarity ?

For the past fifteen years, Rhône-Alpes has conducted a policy of cooperation with the South, a widely acknowledged engagement. It was clear for Mr Queyranne that the work of the DSF was consistent with this policy and represented an additional initiative in the intelligent deployment of aid.

What form will your collaboration with the DSF take?

We have confidence in the global Digital Solidarity Fund to manage the concrete projects. It is important that a worldwide body such as the DSF be able to follow a coordinated digital solidarity policy. We shall propose projects to the Fund that complement the development programmes we are already undertaking in Mali and Burkina Faso.

To conclude, what do you think of the DSF’s work? What is your vision of the project as represented by the DSF?

For the cooperation programme of the Rhône-Alpes Region, this is an opportunity. More generally, the initiative is a very ambitious one, and it will not be easy to put it into effect. There is not yet sufficient goodwill between the actors of the South and the North to settle the problems that arise in the field. These problems may be technical, such as the absence of electricity or access to the Internet, or related to governance, such as the lack of a guarantee in respect of access to information and freedom of expression.