First Summary of the Contributions to the “Governance and Development in the Knowledge-Based Society” Virtual Forum.

This material presents recommendations and reflections from the organizations of the Civil Society that participate in the “Governance and Development in The Knowledge-based Society” Virtual Forum, from the period of May 15 th to 19 th . This forum will be open for discussion until Friday May 26 th . Your contribution is expected.

Investing in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) does not imply subtracting from investment in basic issues, due to the fact that ICTs are demonstrating that they are powerful tools in the advancement to the knowledge-based society. ICTs help in education, health, life standards, well-being, security, and public service administration. The importance of ICTs as a cross-cutting tool for achieving equitable and sustainable development and strengthening good governance and the promotion of human rights is emphasized, as well as the need to work intensely to ensure that every person in the Americas, in particular those in situation of vulnerability, in disadvantage and with special needs, may participate in the benefits generated by the knowledge-based society.

There is a need to count on tools and mechanisms to provide information on a massive scale to populations. That is why the use and access to new ICTs must be part of an integral development strategy. Nevertheless, ICTs must adjust to local needs within a process of social inclusion. The sustainability of these strategies is essential, both in financial terms and in the dimension of creating cultural sustainability through the means of education and training. ICTs are successfully implemented when there is a process of community empowerment. This means that they develop within the framework of community involvement.

The interconnection of the Americas , including the Caribbean is an essential step for breaking the great divide in our societies, which will be possible if education is provided since very early age for those that are presently excluded from knowledge society, as well as if those excluded have access to computers and Internet.

It was emphasized one of the phrases used continuously by civil society during the preparation of the IV Summit of the Americas , that in the 21st century, it is impossible to create employment, reduce poverty, and strengthen governance without an extensive contribution from science and technology. Adequate technology must be applied at the local level and innovation must be introduced at all levels of society while quality in education is constantly improved. ICTs are an essential component, to reach these objectives.

Some contributions point to the adequate use of scientific information and ICTs to train citizens and create jobs. ICTs are required, but also other technologies, modern and not so modern, as well as an education focused on the improvement of learning skills with the aim of generating knowledge for the construction of a knowledge-based society. However, in order to “learn to learn,” a fundamental issue is access to information, which should be a constitutional right in all the Member States. If information is public and readily-accessible to citizens, in either documental or digital form, then it will be possible to envision a knowledge-based society.

It is the ability to learn that truly defines a knowledge-based society, because only when we learn we are capable of creating knowledge. This forces an analysis of what type of education is required so that society can “learn to learn” and learn to produce solutions-oriented knowledge that can have positive impact on poverty reduction and decision-making participation, all this enhances democratic governance.

It is important that development in our peoples be equitable and constant, avoiding the socio-cultural discrimination that lead to high levels of education desertion. Self-sustaining ICTs centers are essential as platforms for the use of ICTs in training and education, these can also help in programs to develop professional faculty, through the development of tele-collaboration projects to enhance learning between national and international schools, and also in the implementation of community school-based tele-centers.

It is important to make sure that the connection efforts reach the Caribbean region in order to reduce the digital divide. These efforts must be paired with policies oriented to fostering education from an early age, especially to those who have been excluded from the knowledge society and do not yet have Internet access.

The important contribution of the tertiary education sector of the Americas has been recognized, specially related to governance, development, and the knowledge-based society, as well as in the building of human resources and technical training. The role to be played by this sector should be well considered in the Declaration of Santo Domingo.

It is also mentioned that all these efforts must be made in the framework of democratic governance. This implies social inclusion in the broad sense of the concept (gender, race, less-favored groups, etc), respect to basic rights such as access to information, and also wide participation and supervision mechanisms based on the agreed commitments (agreements, charters, etc). ICTs are essential as support tools for all this.

A call is made to integrate the principle of gender equity in the construction of the knowledge-based society. Digital breach issues are not only technological but also gender-dimensional within the science and technology researchers. The scarce quantity of women researchers and women-produced content at the highest level of the ICTs sector can be improved with research, training programs, among others.

We all participate in the efforts of sustainable development. Not only governments must play an important role but also the private sector. This will open the possibility to public-private partnerships and to a catalyst role for the universities. These efforts must focus on result-oriented issues such as education (general, scientific, training, etc.), employment, health, and should use ICTs as tools.

Regional and global cooperation between different sectors has been mentioned, however, it must be noticed that in many countries local realities are quite different. Apart from the declarations, the creation of an ethical charter, methodological tools, and supervision processes, are recommended.

Some technology development policies followed by Latin America and the Caribbean have been labeled as too state-oriented, which could explain the technological gap with other regions. It was mentioned that the Declaration of Santo Doming provides opportunity for the private sector as generator of dramatic improvement. Those who questioned the policies acknowledged this, yet insisted that policies seem to make the private sector a beneficiary of technology policy and not a main player.

As to the issue of regulations, their importance was emphasized, not only as a mechanism to generate standards and norms, but also because they are embedded in specific development policies. With this in mind one of the paths is the development of instrumentation for normative harmonization.

It is important to remember that some regional efforts are on the march and these efforts can join national and local initiatives and create synergy. This is where the recommendations to include the financial multilateral institutions could come in, to harmonize the OAS commitments with WSIS, CLARA, the region's and nations' digital agenda, etc.

Taking into account the Lisbon Declaration from the Information Society Summit, it is suggested that the OAS urgently find the way to finance its priorities, perhaps establishing agreements with the IADB and other financing sources, allowing the implementation of specific goals stated in the declaration project. A special focus should be put on those activities that have significant scale efficiencies at the regional level. The efforts made by the European Union in the development of advanced networks for research and education in the Americas, such as CLARA and its expansion to the Caribbean should also be analyzed. The Member States should be committed to develop each a national digital agenda for the knowledge-based society. The OAS could measure comparatively each member's progress using the adequate indicators and then proceed with ample diffusion and publication of the respective results.

It is very important that international multilateral financial entities like the IADB, consider the financial support of the Member States in their pursuit of the implementing the resolutions and commitments adopted within the framework of the General Assembly.

A message of hope and optimism was provided to the forum, signaling that some of the fundamental mandates of the Declaration of Mar del Plata (IV Summit of the Americas ) pertinent to this issue that are in the making:

- The recognition of the importance of access to scientific information for all citizens, corner-stone, emblematic of our millennium and of our knowledge-based society.

- By stating for “all citizens,” we imply that we have to recognize the gender gap, especially in scientific professions. Ignoring that dimension is blocking women's ability to participate in the Knowledge Society and, strangely, is also accepting to deprive a society of a significant portion of its intellectual force, a sure way to weak-en the National Scientific Capacity.

- National scientific capacity must be built in each society through the teaching of science, technology, and engineering. It must be recognized that national experts are in the best position to transfer new knowledge, favor innovation, and meet the needs of our citizens, especially those who practice their profession.

- An understanding that the science and technology factor, associated with a scientific self-critical factor, are inseparable from the decision-making process in any institution. Science and technology are also essential for governance, mainly because of their capacity to visualize and quantify the socio-economical effects of government decisions.