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OAS’ RAMDIN URGES ACTIVE INVOLVEMENT OF AMERICAS IN INFORMATION SOCIETY

The citizens of the Americas must become active participants in the information and knowledge society in order to take full advantage of its benefits. Assistant Secretary General Albert R. Ramdin of the Organization of American States stressed this view while addressing the Fourth Assembly of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL), in San José, Costa Rica, on Monday. He said member states and stakeholders must ensure that the peoples of the Americas do not to miss the opportunity to play a leading role in the emerging Innovation Economy.

Information and communication technologies, being so pervasive—cutting across nations and politics and transforming all economic and social sectors—bring drastic changes in professional and private life on a global scale, said Ramdin, who argued that the practice of governance, economic development, security, social and political interaction must adapt to this new environment. “Access to ICTs has an enabling effect on knowledge creation and dissemination, empowering people and communities, regardless of their physical location and levels of income” and has begun to drive sustainable economic development and growth.”

Participants in attendance included Costa Rica’s Minister of Science and Technology Fernando Gutierrez Ortiz; other ministers, member state representatives, Executive Chairman of the Costa Rican Electricity Institute Pablo Cob Saborio, Chairman of CITEL Permanent Executive Committee Mario Guillermo Moreno and CITEL Executive Secretary Clovis Baptista.

The Assistant Secretary General told them that information technologies also promote more effective use of development resources and foster transparency. “In the information age, we can no longer see economic development simply as the intermingling of capital, labor, and material. It is increasingly clear that successful companies and communities “are those that recognize and incorporate information, knowledge and technologies as critical ingredients of economic and commercial activity.”

Ramdin noted that the CITEL Assembly will be crafting a plan of action to move the discussions from the digital divide to the knowledge society, adding that this means an increased focus on the specifics of implementation and on ways to promote and expand digital opportunities. “We must be steadfast in moving from principles to action.”

Emphasizing that "capacity building" in the use of technologies is indispensable to the formation of a truly inclusive information society, he said this involves programs jointly created and implemented by governments, the private sector and civil society and include continuous updating of the educational actors. Ambassador Ramdin pledged the support of the (OAS) and CITEL to efforts to tackle the challenges and to provide the forum to bring together valuable partners in generating innovative thinking and creative activities in the field of ICTs and maintain a continued policy dialogue on these issues.

While in San José, the OAS Assistant Secretary General was honored with the “Keys to the City,” presented by the mayor, Johnny Araya.

Reference: E-037/06