The Global Digital Solidarity Fund

1. The Global Digital Solidarity Fund

2. 2005 World Summit Declaration (MDG +5)

��We, Heads of State and Government, � recognize that science, technology, including ICT, are vital for the achievement of the development goals and that international support can help developing countries to benefit from technological advancements and enhance their productive capacity; � welcome, in this regard, the establishment of the Digital Solidarity Fund and encourage voluntary contributions to its financing.�� UN General Assembly, New York, 15 September 2005

3. Millennium Development Goals

Information, education and knowledge are the best tools to fight ignorance and poverty ITs give access to information, education and knowledge But� the Digital Divide and the Contents Gap are expanding!

4. What is the Digital Divide?

80% of human beings do not have access, through modern means, to the knowledge created by humanity The Digital Divide exists between: the North and the South cities and rural areas men and women young and elderly The Digital Solidarity Fund was born to fight the Digital Divide

5. What is the Global Digital Solidarity Fund?

The Fund was established in March 2005. The Founding Father is H.E. President Abdoulaye Wade (Senegal / NEPAD) The Founding Member States are: The People�s Democratic Republic of Algeria The Dominican Republic The Republic of Ghana The Republic of Equatorial Guinea The French Republic The Republic of Kenya The Kingdom of Morocco The Federal Republic of Nigeria The Republic of Senegal

6. The Founding Member Cities and Regions are: Curitiba (Brazil) Dakar (Senegal) Delemont (Switzerland) Geneva (Switzerland) Lille (France) Lyon (France) Paris (France) Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) Aquitaine (France) Rh�ne-Alpes (France) Basque Country (Spain) Piemont (Italy) Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF)

7. What are the Characteristics of the Fund?

The Fund proposes a new financing mechanism: 1% of public procurement contracts related to ITs is paid to the Fund by the vendor on his profit margin The Fund mobilizes new partners: local authorities (cities, regions, provinces...), joined by the private sector and NGOs The Fund promotes South-South cooperation: better adapted to local needs and local realities and more respectful of cultural diversity and local contents

8. What is the 1% Contribution?

The 1% contribution is a new financing mechanism to put IT at the service of development If the 1% contribution is clearly specified from the beginning in the public calls for bids, it is compatible with international treaties on public markets (no interpretation, no negotiation) The 1% contribution is not a donation. It is an investment in future markets. It gives the right to use the label� ��Digital Solidarity��

9. What is the Allocation of Funds?

As a financing Foundation, the Fund will allocate: 60% of its resources for least developed countries; 30% of its resources for developing countries; 10% of its resources for countries in transition and developed countries.

10. What Kind of Projects are Financed?

The Fund will finance: community-based projects (not infrastructures!) that address insolvent demand in order to create new activities, new jobs and new markets that respect cultural diversity and local contents that are easily replicable that are, when possible, managed by women�s organisations

11. What About South-South Cooperation?

The Fund will promote South-South cooperation better adapted to local realities and real needs more respectful of cultural diversity and local contents The Fund will also promote innovative and inexpensive North-South Cooperation (100$ laptop � N. Negroponte � MIT Media Lab)

12. What are the First Actions on the Ground?

At the WSIS (Tunis, November 2005), the Fund will publicly present 11 actions in 3 parts of the world: Africa: tele-education and telemedicine on 7 sites in Burkina Faso (4 sites) and Burundi (3 sites) Asia: informatization of the Municipality of Banda Aceh, Indonesia Caribbean: tele-education and telemedicine on 3 sites in the Dominican Republic

13. What is the political support to the Fund?

Cities and Local Governments World Summit of Cities and Local Authorities on the Information Society (Lyon, December 2003; Bilbao, November 2005) Association Internationale des Maires Francophones (Paris, May 2004) United Cities and Local Governments (Beijing, June 2005) Nation States Prepcom II � World Summit on the Information Society (Geneva, February 2005) UN General Assembly, MDG +5 (New York, September 2005)

14. What are the cooperation agreements with the Fund?

UN-ICT Task Force UNDP World Bank ITU United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) CITYNET Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF)

15. Conclusion

IT are not gadgets: they are tools for development. They are essential to fight ignorance and poverty The Digital Divide is not a technical question. It is a political question. It is about unequal access to knowledge across populations, countries and continents Specialists and experts have discussed the Digital Divide at length. In the meantime the gap is still expanding!

16. ��The Digital Solidarity Fund should be seen as a concrete manifestation of our efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and to seek the innovative sources of financing for development. It can help harness the potential of ICTs to empower poor and marginalized people. It embodies the spirit of partnership among stakeholders that is so essential for success. It builds on grassroots aspirations and recognizes the key role of local authorities. And it will help forge close and productive ties with the private sector. � Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations (DSF inaugural ceremony)

17. Action speaks louder than words: thanks to political will, the Global Digital Solidarity Fund is a reality!