<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; ">Dear all,</span></font><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; "><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; ">For your information, here are our comments to the CSTD on the theme "Development-oriented policies for a socio-economic inclusive information society, including access, infrastructure and enabling environment".</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; "><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; ">Best,</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; ">Sophia Huyer</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div>--</div><div>Sophia Huyer</div><div>Acting Director</div><div>Gender Advisory Board, UNCSTD</div><div><a href="mailto:shuyer@wigsat.org">shuyer@wigsat.org</a></div><div>voice: 1-905-355-5124</div><div>fax: 1-647-723-5069</div><div><a href="http://GAB.wigsat.org">http://GAB.wigsat.org</a></div><div><br></div></div></span></span></font></div><div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="4" color="#000000" style="font: 14.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>From: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="4" style="font: 14.0px Helvetica">Sophia Huyer <<a href="mailto:shuyer@wigsat.org">shuyer@wigsat.org</a>></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="4" color="#000000" style="font: 14.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>Date: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="4" style="font: 14.0px Helvetica">April 9, 2008 10:51:56 AM GMT-04:00</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="4" color="#000000" style="font: 14.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>To: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="4" style="font: 14.0px Helvetica">UNCTAD - United Nations Commission on Science & Technology <<a href="mailto:un-cstd@list.unicc.org">un-cstd@list.unicc.org</a>></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="4" color="#000000" style="font: 14.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>Subject: </b></font><font face="Helvetica" size="4" style="font: 14.0px Helvetica"><b>Gender Advisory Board Comments on the Information Society</b></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div> </div><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Dear all,</span></font><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br></span></font><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Please find attached the Gender Advisory Board submission on the substantive theme "Development-oriented policies for a socio-economic inclusive information society, including access, infrastructure and enabling environment".</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">We have two main comments: </span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">1) A focus on broadband internet access for socio-economic inclusion is a positive goal. The concern of the Gender Advisory Board is that an exclusive focus on this by the CSTD will not necessarily promote socio-economic inclusion for the foreseeable future. Based on experience and analysis to date, current thinking on the use of ICTs for poverty reduction and social inclusion is that a range of technologies and strategies need to be used to ensure that all groups in society are reached. While broadband technology may one day in the future be universal, the time lag to get to that point as well as the higher costs of broadband will work against access for the poorest, rural and most marginalized groups in all regions, including in developed countries. </span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">The report makes two references to mobile phones, but the huge potential of this technology to contribute to economic development and poverty reduction in developing regions, especially Africa, is not adequately covered. </span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">In addition, the use of low-tech and affordable ICTs by small and medium enterprises in developing countries is one of the key leverage points for economic development, and also not included in the report.</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">We recognize that CSTD has identified broadband technology as an area where it can make a contribution, however, we feel that this focus will not be effective unless there is recognition of the need to combine introduction and use of broadband technologies with a range of other ICTs to achieve real socio-economic inclusion in the information society. Therefore we would like to see some reference to the value of developing a range of complementary internet/ICT strategies which include technologies such as mobiles. </span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">2) From a statistical analysis undertaken by Orbicom and Statistics Canada in 2005 of existing sex-disaggregated data on ICT access and use globally, we know that there are specific and cross-cutting gender trends. We also know from this data that unless specific and targetted actions are taken to include women, they will not have the same access or benefit to the same extent<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; "></span></span></font></div></div></div></blockquote></div></body></html>