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Fighting rural poverty with information and communication technologies Geneva, Switzerland/11 December 2003: What can information and communication technologies (ICTs) do for the world’s 900 million extremely poor people who live in rural areas? This question is crucial to the fight to enable rural poor people to overcome poverty and will be the focus of a side event sponsored by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) during the World Summit on the Information Society, on Thursday 11 December 2003. The side event, Six years of bridging the rural digital divide, will be held from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm in Halle 2, Meeting Room Q, of the Geneva-Palexpo, Exhibition and Conference Centre, Chemin Edouard Sarasin, Grand-Saconnex, CH-1218 Geneva, Switzerland. The challenge of using ICTs to fight rural poverty is complex, and connectivity is only the tip of the iceberg. ICTs, such as radio and the newer digital technologies like computers, satellite, mobile phones and the Internet, have tremendous potential to bring about positive change in the lives of rural poor people in developing countries. However, to be effective they must be not only accessible, but also meaningful. ICTs in themselves do not guarantee benefits to rural poor people.
These and other related issues will be considered during the round table, and the results of the discussion will help IFAD develop a people-centred strategy for using ICTs to link social, economic and political empowerment to the efforts to bridge the digital divide in rural areas of developing countries. Expert speakers include: Alfonso Gumucio Dagron, communication for development expert and Managing Director of the Communication for Social Change Consortium Rodney Cooke, Director, Technical Advisory Division, IFAD Djiby Diop, Portfolio Manager, United Nations Office for Project Services Germán Escobar, Vice-President, International Farming Systems Research Methodology Network (RIMSIP) Shalina Kala, Coordinator, ENRAP, International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Renald Lafond, Team Leader, PAN Networking Program, International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Carl Greenidge, Director, Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), ACP-EU Cotonou Agreement, The Netherlands Chin Saik Yoon, Chief Editor of the Digital Review of Asia Pacific and Publisher and Managing Director of Southbound Anton Mangstl, Director, Library and Documentation Systems Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Dylan Winder, Rural Livelihoods Adviser, Information and Communication for Development Team, Information Division, United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) Michael Furminger, CISCO Education Specialist, CISCO Systems  IFAD is a specialized agency of the United Nations dedicated to eradicating poverty and hunger in rural areas of developing countries. Through low-interest loans and grants, it develops and finances projects that enable rural poor people to overcome poverty themselves. Since 1978, it has invested USD 7.7 billion in more than 630 rural development projects in 115 countries and territories around the world. These projects have enabled over 250 million small farmers, herders, fisherfolk, landless workers, artisans and indigenous peoples to make a better life for themselves and for their families. The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, on 10-12 December 2003. It is expected to adopt a Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action on the Information Society. The summit will be attended by representatives of 191 Member States of the United Nations, international organizations, civil society and the private sector. For more information: Sandra McGuire, Director, Communication Division, IFAD Rodney Cooke, Director, Technical Advisory Division, IFAD Roxanna Samii, Web Manager, Communication Division, IFAD Taysir Al-Ghanem, Manager, Media Relations Service, Communication
Division, IFAD
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