Silicon Valley Executives Meet to Discuss Digital Divide

Press Release - March 5, 2007

United Nations officials met with the Silicon Valley business community last week to discuss the growing “digital divide” between the world’s wealthiest, most computer literate nations, and impoverished third world countries where internet access is not commonly available.

This first-of-its-kind conference was organized by Intel Corp. and the UN Global Alliance for Information and Communications Technology and Development. It was attended by over 100 executives and officials from more than 30 countries, who brainstormed low-cost ways of bringing broadband internet access to Africa and other developing regions.

“Silicon Valley is the world capital of innovation, and we are counting on its contribution,” commented the executive director of the UN technology alliance, Sarbuland Khan. “In the information and communication field, the melding of markets and social responsibility is bringing to life new solutions to age-old problems like poverty, disease, hunger and illiteracy.”

Intel Chairman, Craig Barrett, meanwhile, noted that his company was working with 60 governments throughout the developing world to bring low-cost personal computing equipment to more than 1 billion people.

“It’s what the world needs and governments want for their citizens,” Barrett said of public-private technology partnerships. “It’s the right thing to do and makes business sense.”