Digital divide attracts UN attention

United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan today launched a special taskforce to address the widening digital divide.

The UN is increasingly worried about the estimated four billion people worldwide with no access to computers or the internet.

The ICT Taskforce will draw its members from the public and private sectors, including industry figures, scientists and politicians. People already signed up include Carly Fiorina, CEO of HP, Nokia chief Jorma Ollila and John Chambers, CEO of Cisco.

Vint Cerf, Esther Dyson, Infosys chief Narayana Murthy and EU Enterprise Commissioner Erkki Liikanen have signed up to a special advisory panel which will work alongside the taskforce.

The taskforce's first actions will be to pool knowledge from developed and developing nations, and to encourage charitable donations by private industry, trusts and foundations.

The taskforce will also help UN member states develop effective policy and regulatory frameworks for information technology.