Digital divides & Inclusion

Claire Poppino

The discussions in France covered various topics related to digital technology and internet connectivity. One significant area of focus was the reintegration of detainees and the role of digital technology in achieving this goal. It was argued that digital technology and the internet are crucial factors for the successful reintegration of prisoners. The French prison law of 2009 aims to reintegrate prisoners, and the increase in e-administration requires detainees to have access to digital tools. It was noted that online procedures can aid prisoners in returning to a normal life after release.

Conversely, it was highlighted that there is a shortage of people employed in the digital sector in France. In 2022, there were 945,000 digital sector jobs available, but 85,000 remained unfilled. Furthermore, it is expected that the number of digital jobs will increase by 100,000 per year by 2030. This shortage of skilled workers in the digital sector poses challenges for France’s economic growth and development.

Barriers to integrating digital technology and the internet in prisons were also discussed. Technological, social, and educational barriers were identified as hindrances to the successful implementation of digital technology in prisons. Issues of security need to be addressed to ensure connectivity in prisons, and there are currently only a few actions being taken to address the digital and internet needs of detainees. Additionally, social issues such as ‘electronisme’, issues surrounding illiteracy, and the ability to learn also need to be tackled for successful integration.

However, it was argued that the benefits of integrating digital technology in prisons outweigh the potential security issues. It was suggested that a balance needs to be struck between prison security and the long-term goal of reintegration. It was noted that detainees who receive training during their detention experience a significant drop in recidivism rates.

The INSERP project was highlighted as a positive initiative that empowers and reintegrates prisoners through work and professional training, including digital professions. This project is designed with a specific network for all access by detained individuals, and it offers value-added work opportunities to improve their skills.

The need for increased multilingualism on the internet was emphasized. It was suggested that an event like the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) should have more multilingual representation and inclusivity.

The impact of internet accessibility during the COVID-19 pandemic on students in France was discussed. It was noted that many students had limited access to the internet and relied solely on smartphones for connectivity during this time, which posed challenges for their education.

France Connect was mentioned as a solution implemented by France to address the issue of internet accessibility. It provides necessary equipment and support for students to connect to required services. However, it was also acknowledged that France Connect is not the entire solution, and there is a need for broader efforts to tackle internet accessibility issues faced by students.

The gender issue in technological studies was raised, highlighting the barriers and stereotypes that prevent women from entering the field. It was argued that addressing these gender biases in schools is crucial to encourage women’s participation and combat stereotypes.

Furthermore, the utilization of Internet Universality Indicators to compare various countries on their internet usage was discussed. It was mentioned that these indicators are presently used to frame internet usage in a single country but could also be used for comparative analysis across countries.

In conclusion, the discussions in France highlighted the importance of digital technology and internet connectivity in various aspects, including the reintegration of detainees, economic growth, education, inclusivity, and gender equality. While there are challenges and barriers to overcome, the potential benefits and positive impact of integrating digital technology were underscored. The INSERP project and the efforts made by France Connect were recognized as positive steps towards addressing these issues. However, it was noted that a comprehensive approach is needed to ensure widespread and equitable access to digital technology and the internet in all areas of society.

Naza Nicholas Karama

The analysis reveals several significant issues related to connectivity in rural Africa. One of the main challenges is the stark difference in accessibility between rural and urban African areas. Naza Nicholas Karama, a prominent voice in the discussion, highlights the rampant connectivity issue in rural Africa and emphasises the need for improved infrastructure and connectivity options in these areas. This issue of connectivity forms the basis of the argument that there is a digital divide in rural Africa.

Furthermore, the analysis points out the language divide in digital content, particularly in Tanzania. Despite having more than 120 tribes, the majority of internet content in the country is available only in English. Kiswahili, a widely spoken language in East Africa and Central Africa, is notably absent from the digital content. This language gap constitutes another aspect of the digital divide, limiting access to information and opportunities for those who do not speak English.

Another important issue highlighted in the analysis is the lack of accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities. The data shows that there are around 1.3 billion disabled individuals worldwide, with a portion of this population residing in Africa. However, existing technologies often discriminate against people with disabilities, making it harder for them to access and benefit from digital resources. This exclusion further exacerbates the inequality divide in accessing essential education and services.

In addition to the language and accessibility issues, the analysis identifies a gender digital divide in Africa. According to a report by GSMA, the gender digital divide in Africa stands between 12 to 13 percent. This disparity means that women are disproportionately affected by limited access to connectivity, hindering their ability to participate fully in the digital world and access its associated opportunities.

The findings also highlight the lack of uniform policies, contributing to another form of digital divide. Karama draws attention to the absence of policies that enable small-time operators or community networks. These discrepancies in policies create further disparities in connectivity and hinder efforts to bridge the digital divide.

Despite these challenges, the analysis also offers a positive perspective. It suggests that collaboration with tech companies like Google can play a significant role in addressing these issues. For example, Google has been working with individuals to translate Kiswahili, providing a potential solution to the language divide in digital content. The analysis proposes that finding individuals who speak different languages and approaching Google for translation assistance can help bridge this gap, making digital content more accessible and inclusive for diverse populations.

Overall, the analysis underscores the pressing need to address the various forms of digital divide in Africa, including connectivity challenges, language barriers, accessibility issues, gender disparities, and policy discrepancies. By collaborating with tech companies like Google and advocating for inclusive policies, it is possible to make significant progress towards reducing these divides and creating a more equitable digital landscape in Africa.

Zina Bouharb

The discussion centres around the significance of digital inclusion and the need to bridge the digital divide in Lebanon and the Arab region. The recently implemented digital transformation strategy in Lebanon aims to close the digital divide and increase internet accessibility for marginalized groups, such as women and disabled individuals. This strategy is part of the broader Arab digital agenda, which focuses on enhancing internet penetration in rural areas, among women, and improving accessibility for disabled persons.

Efforts to bridge the digital divide emphasize the importance of increasing physical access and reducing the costs of internet services. Currently, 84% of the Lebanese population have access to the internet. The Arab digital agenda recognizes the need to prepare capacity building programs for women and initiate initiatives for the protection of young internet users.

Additionally, it is highlighted that bridging the gender digital divide requires more than simply ensuring access to technology. It is essential to provide digital skills training and workshops for women. For example, the Arab network of women has partnered with Ogero, a telecom company, to organize workshops on digital skills for both local and remote women.

The sentiment expressed throughout the discussion is positive, with an agreement that internet access is an opportunity, and digital skills are essential in harnessing that opportunity. The power of digital skills is recognized in achieving the Quality Education and Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure goals outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals.

The need for partnerships and a multi-stakeholder approach is emphasized as the way forward in addressing the digital divide. Collaboration between government entities, private sector organizations, civil society, and academia is deemed critical for effectively tackling this issue. This aligns with the Partnership for the Goals, one of the Sustainable Development Goals.

In conclusion, the speakers express a positive stance that the internet should not be a privilege and should be accessible to everyone, promoting inclusivity and reducing inequalities. By implementing the digital transformation strategy, increasing physical access, reducing costs, providing digital skills training, and fostering partnerships, Lebanon and the Arab region aim to bridge the digital divide and ensure that nobody is left offline.

Julian

The internet penetration in Asian countries varies greatly. India has a penetration rate of 48.7%, Bangladesh has 39%, Pakistan has 54%, Sri Lanka has 66%, Nepal has 39%, and China has the highest penetration rate at 76.4%. However, there is a negative sentiment regarding the meaningfulness of internet penetration in Asian countries.

In rural India, out of a total population of 908 million, only 106 million people are able to make online payments. This highlights the significant gap in digital payment accessibility in rural areas. It reflects the challenges faced in accessing and utilizing digital technologies in these areas.

The digital divide is causing low-income families and women to be left behind. Both groups have less access to essential digital technology and the necessary information, which hinders their opportunities for growth and advancement. This exacerbates existing inequalities in society.

However, there is a positive sentiment regarding the potential of the internet to empower women. It is believed that greater access to education, employment, and entrepreneurship through the internet can open up new avenues for women. Additionally, technology can help challenge and break gender stereotypes and biases, contributing to gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Increasing internet penetration in rural areas is seen as a positive step. Inadequate infrastructure and limited technological resources are the main reasons for the low penetration of the internet in these areas. Addressing these challenges and expanding internet access in rural regions would help bridge the digital divide and ensure equal access to digital technologies for all.

Overall, while the internet penetration in Asian countries varies, there are concerns about its meaningfulness. However, there are also opportunities for the internet to empower women and promote gender equality. Increasing internet penetration in rural areas is important for bridging the digital divide and ensuring equal access to digital technologies for all.

Bhanu Nipayan

The analysis underscores the importance of enhancing digital inclusion and universal acceptance to reduce inequalities and promote access to digital tools and content. It highlights the need for multilingual and locally relevant content to be promoted, as well as the development of economically viable and accessible digital technology and content.

One argument focuses on the necessity of enhancing digital inclusion by making digital processes accessible to people with diverse abilities. According to the ITU website, only 5.7 billion people are currently online. Achieving universal acceptance requires integrating it into the entire ecosystem of digital tools, processes, and content.

Another argument emphasizes the importance of promoting multilingual and locally relevant content to achieve universal acceptance. It is noted that only 14 languages represent almost 92% of the content available online, while there are nearly 7,000 languages still in use. This highlights the need to ensure that digital content is accessible and relevant to individuals from different linguistic backgrounds.

The third argument highlights how universal acceptance promotes the development of economically viable and accessible digital technology and content. By eliminating the need for expensive and more recent technologies, digital tools and content become more accessible to a wider population.

Furthermore, the analysis stresses the significance of multi-stakeholder partnerships in fostering universal acceptance. Cooperation between governments, private sector entities, and civil society organizations is necessary to promote inclusive digital processes.

However, a majority of countries do not integrate universal acceptance and inclusion in their policy frameworks. Only 32 countries have reported on their actions towards the promotion of multilingualism and universal access to cyberspace. This lack of integration is seen as a negative aspect of the current situation.

The analysis also raises concerns about the lack of universally agreed-upon indicators to measure the digital divide. Different regions have varying aspects of the digital divide, including access, usage, skills, content, affordability, gender, generation, and multilingual divides. This lack of agreed-upon indicators hampers efforts to effectively measure and address the digital divide.

In conclusion, the analysis calls for the development and mainstreaming of universally agreed-upon indicators to measure the digital divide in different digital policies worldwide. It also highlights the indispensable role of digital skills in advancing disadvantaged communities and the need for special provisions and policies to include them. Additionally, the internet is viewed not only as an economy for providing services but also as a platform for bringing goods and services to people. The analysis suggests that the internet should be guided by the Rome principles, which assert that it should be rights-based, open, accessible to everyone, and guided by a multi-stakeholder process.

Osamah

The issue of the digital divide continues to be a major concern, affecting a significant proportion of the global population. Approximately 2.6 billion people worldwide still lack access to the internet, highlighting the persistent imbalance in connectivity. This negative sentiment surrounding the issue stems from the fact that a substantial number of individuals remain excluded from the digital realm.

Furthermore, the digital divide not only applies to individuals who lack access to the internet entirely but also extends to those who have access but cannot afford internet services. This financial barrier prevents meaningful usage of the internet and exacerbates the divide between those who can fully participate in the digital world and those who cannot.

Moreover, legislative measures aimed at the digitalization of transactions have inadvertently contributed to the exclusion of individuals without a digital identity. These individuals are deprived of various services, further magnifying the consequences of the digital divide. The negative sentiment expressed in relation to this issue reflects the serious implications associated with exclusion in the digital age.

The digital divide is a multifaceted problem that requires immediate attention. It encompasses not only issues of exclusion and deprivation but also inaccessibility and the lack of meaningful connectivity. Addressing this deep-rooted issue necessitates a comprehensive and multifaceted approach.

The digital divide is particularly notable in Asia, with India specifically experiencing significant disparities in terms of internet penetration. While internet penetration in the region varies, countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and India struggle with low connectivity rates. This lack of quality internet services in rural areas hinders the ability of individuals to utilize and benefit from the internet.

In terms of online content, the importance of language diversity is emphasized. The adoption of video content and oralization of technology have emerged as effective ways to promote linguistic inclusion. By incorporating diverse languages through these mediums, greater accessibility and understanding can be achieved.

The dominance of a few internet platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, has led to increased noise and reduced diversity in online spaces. This negative sentiment reflects concerns about the limited breadth of content available online and the concentration of power in the hands of these dominant platforms.

Positive developments have occurred in India, where community networks and policy changes have resulted in a more liberalized approach to internet distribution. The shift towards a community-driven model has positively impacted access to the internet in India. This demonstrates the potential for change and improvement in bridging the digital divide.

In conclusion, the digital divide remains a serious and urgent issue that requires collective action. The lack of internet access, affordability, meaningful connectivity, and language diversity all contribute to this divide. A multi-stakeholder approach, inclusive of gender perspectives, can play a crucial role in bridging the gap and creating a more equitable digital landscape.

Mahim

The digital divide between the developed and developing world is widening, with several factors contributing to this trend. One key factor is the lack of coordination in regional and local digital policies, which leads to disparities in the availability and accessibility of digital technologies and services across different regions.

Government censorship also plays a role in exacerbating the digital divide, as it not only restricts access to certain information but also hampers the development and adoption of digital infrastructure in developing countries. These restrictions hinder people’s ability to fully participate in the digital economy and acquire the necessary digital skills.

Another concern is the issue of cybersecurity. Developing countries often face greater challenges in establishing robust cybersecurity measures, making them more vulnerable to cyber threats. This not only affects people’s confidence in using digital platforms but also slows down their efforts towards digital transformation.

The monitoring of media platforms and online activities related to citizens is also crucial in addressing the digital divide. Without proper monitoring, misinformation, hate speech, and other harmful content can proliferate, further marginalizing certain groups and impeding their access to and participation in the digital realm.

Despite these challenges, there is a positive stance and belief that a network of NRIs (Non-Resident Indians) covering around 160 countries and nations can help bridge the digital divide. Working together, these NRIs can leverage their knowledge, expertise, and resources to support initiatives aimed at addressing this divide. Collaboration could involve sharing best practices, providing technical assistance, and advocating for policies that promote digital inclusion and access.

In conclusion, the digital divide between the developed and developing world is a significant issue that requires attention. Factors such as the lack of policy coordination, government censorship, cybersecurity concerns, and the need for effective monitoring contribute to the widening gap. However, the existence of a network of NRIs presents an opportunity to mitigate this divide through collaboration and inclusive policies. Ensuring equal access and participation in the digital age is crucial, and concerted efforts are needed to bridge this divide.

Levi Sianseke

The analysis uncovers two main issues in terms of digital inclusion. The first concern relates to the cost of broadband connectivity in rural areas, which is significantly higher and perpetuates the digital divide. This increased cost presents a barrier to accessing the internet and its associated benefits for individuals living in rural regions. Conversely, urban areas typically have greater access to affordable broadband services, thus exacerbating the inequality in digital access between rural and urban populations. While satellites and other forms of connectivity are suggested as potential solutions to bridge this divide, the high costs involved in implementing such technologies in remote areas pose implementation challenges.

The second issue identified in the analysis revolves around Zambia’s lack of policies that promote low spectrum connectivity. Low spectrum connectivity, including community networks, can play a vital role in expanding internet access and reducing inequalities. However, the absence of suitable policies has hindered the development and implementation of community networks in Zambia. This limitation hampers the progress of digital inclusion efforts in the country. Therefore, policy interventions focusing on increasing spectrum availability and encouraging community network development are recommended.

In light of the above, the argument concludes that governments should take proactive measures to ensure digital inclusion. By adopting policies that facilitate the allocation of more spectrum and promote the establishment of community networks, individuals and communities that have historically been excluded from digital opportunities can gain access to the benefits of the digital age. The positive sentiment is supported by the recognition that community networks have a positive impact on promoting digital inclusion.

Overall, the analysis highlights the significant challenges posed by the cost of rural broadband connectivity and the absence of policies promoting low spectrum connectivity. It emphasizes the importance of government intervention in promoting digital inclusion and recommends policies that enhance spectrum availability and facilitate community network development. By addressing these issues, governments can foster greater digital inclusion, reduce inequalities, and contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals related to industry, innovation, infrastructure, reduced inequalities, and peace, justice, and strong institutions.

Carla Velasco

The issue of digital inclusion and the persistent digital divide in Mexico and Latin America is a pressing concern. The lack of accessibility, availability, affordability, quality of services, and digital skills contribute to this divide. It is noted that there has been no significant change in the situation over the past seven years.

One notable aspect of the digital divide is the disparity in internet connectivity between rural and urban areas. Rural areas, in particular, fare poorly in terms of internet access. This creates a further divide between different regions and impacts the ability of rural communities to fully participate in the digital world. Indigenous peoples, who are often located in remote areas, are particularly affected by this disparity, exacerbating their marginalisation.

Community networks have emerged as innovative solutions to bridge the connectivity gap, especially in rural and remote areas. These community-led initiatives focus on building common infrastructure and encouraging local involvement. In addition to improving connectivity, these initiatives also promote the creation of local content, often in local languages. Community networks have started working with internet service providers and are striving to gain access to backbone infrastructure for stronger networks.

In Mexico, there has been success in addressing connectivity issues through Indigenous virtual mobile operators. These mobile virtual networks, owned by Indigenous communities, have played a significant role in improving connectivity in those areas. This serves as a testament to the power of innovative solutions and the importance of community involvement in tackling the digital divide.

Despite progress, there remains a gender digital divide that presents additional challenges in connecting women and girls to the internet. Efforts must be increased to address this divide and ensure that all genders have equal access to digital resources and opportunities. Women and diverse genders also face online violence, which silences and censors them. It is crucial that research is conducted on national contexts, and that tech companies and platforms address language barriers and online violence against women.

Some argue that government intervention is necessary to ensure compliance with safety and gender equality regulations. In Australia, the government has taken steps to force tech companies to comply with these regulations, which serves as an example for other countries to follow.

There is an ongoing debate about whether internet connectivity should be considered a human right or a public good. Some question the purpose and impact of connectivity, raising concerns about the right to unconnectivity or the choice not to be connected. These discussions prompt us to reflect on the value and implications of connectivity for different demographics.

The importance of partnerships with governments, internet service providers, and civil society is emphasised as a way to address the digital divide and promote digital inclusion. National, regional, and global Internet Governance Forums provide spaces to engage in these discussions. Continued collaboration between these stakeholders is vital in moving towards a more inclusive and connected society.

In conclusion, the digital divide and digital inclusion are significant challenges in Mexico and Latin America, particularly in terms of rural-urban disparities and the impact on marginalised groups. Community networks and Indigenous virtual mobile operators have shown promise in bridging these gaps. However, gender inequality and online violence continue to hinder progress. It is essential to address these issues through research, government intervention, and partnerships to ensure equal access to digital resources and opportunities for all.

Ayita Gangavarpu

In certain communities and among certain individuals in India, there is a sense of hesitation or disinterest towards the internet. This reluctance is attributed to cultural barriers, apprehension, or a perceived disruption to their way of life. However, despite this hesitance, some individuals or communities still use cellular networks to stay connected, indicating a certain level of technological engagement.

Based on her experience working with young people and communities in India, Ayita observes the limited access to the internet and the missed growth and benefits that result from this. Ayita’s concern highlights the importance of changing the perception of these communities and individuals towards the internet, encouraging them to see it as a valuable resource.

To bring about this change in perception, it is crucial to emphasize the positive aspects of internet access and how it can enhance their lives. Ayita also emphasizes the significance of partnerships and collaborations (SDG 17) in facilitating this change. By highlighting the connection between the internet and key Sustainable Development Goals such as Quality Education (SDG 4) and Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (SDG 9), Ayita illustrates the substantial opportunities that internet access can provide.

Despite the apprehension expressed by these communities and individuals, evidence shows their engagement with technology through the use of cellular networks. This indicates a recognition of the importance of staying connected. By building upon this existing technological engagement and addressing cultural barriers and apprehension, it is possible to change their perception towards the internet.

In conclusion, Ayita’s insights into the hesitation and disinterest towards the internet among certain communities and individuals in India highlight the need for a shift in perception. By making these communities realize the potential benefits and opportunities that come with internet access, it is possible to unlock growth and bridge the digital divide. Collaboration, education, and addressing cultural barriers are all crucial components in enabling this change and ensuring that these communities do not miss out on the positive impacts of the internet.

Poncilet

Bridging the digital divide in Africa is a complex challenge that requires involvement across multiple sectors and stakeholders. One crucial aspect is the need to bring broadband connectivity to smaller communities, with telecommunication companies often hesitant to invest in these areas. Community networks play a pivotal role in demonstrating the demand and feasibility of broadband services in these communities.

To accelerate progress, municipal councils and local entities are key contributors. By providing necessary infrastructure and partnering with companies committed to their corporate social responsibilities, the collaboration between local government and the private sector facilitates more efficient and effective initiatives in narrowing the digital divide.

However, the cost of internet access remains a significant barrier in some parts of Africa, notably in The Gambia where internet rates are among the highest on the continent. This affordability disparity limits access to information and constrains socio-economic development opportunities. To address this issue, engagement from the private sector, particularly telecommunications companies, is essential. By leveraging their capabilities and collaborating, these companies can reduce internet costs, making it more accessible to all Africans.

In addition, the collaboration between telecommunication and FinTech companies in Africa has yielded innovative e-commerce solutions, underscoring the potential for digital inclusion and emphasizing the importance of prioritizing efforts to bridge the digital divide. However, the involvement of local government stakeholders in decision-making processes remains limited. Increased engagement with local governments and telecommunication companies is necessary to leverage their expertise and local insights, facilitating the bridging of existing digital divides.

Additionally, addressing the lack of coordination among stakeholders is imperative. While infrastructure is present, better coordination is needed to ensure aligned and synergistic efforts. Improved coordination would enable more targeted and effective strategies to address the digital divide in Africa.

In conclusion, bridging the digital divide in Africa requires involvement across multiple sectors and collaboration among municipal councils, local entities, and telecommunications companies. Infrastructure provision, internet cost reduction, and innovative solutions development are key focal points. Enhanced engagement with local governments and telecommunication companies, alongside improved coordination, are critical for tailored solutions and effective progress. The urgency of bridging the digital divide is underscored by the limited time remaining to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By collectively addressing these challenges, Africa can unlock the potential of its population and fully embrace the benefits of a digitally inclusive society.

Claire

The existing language limitations on digital platforms in Uganda greatly impede access to content for refugee communities. Uganda is a linguistically diverse country, with ten different languages being used. However, only four of these languages are supported by the digital platforms, leaving the remaining six languages unsupported. This limitation creates significant challenges for refugee communities who primarily speak these unsupported languages.

One of the key issues arising from this language divide is the increased expense incurred in hiring translators for content development in the six languages not supported by the platforms. This additional cost poses a significant burden for both content creators and the users who rely on the platforms for information and communication. It is worth noting that these translators are essential for ensuring that the content is accessible and culturally relevant to refugee communities.

The argument put forth by the advocates is that tech companies should diversify the languages they support to address the language divide in African countries, specifically Uganda. They highlight the fact that countries outside of Africa, with similar digital projects, do not encounter the same language problem, as their languages are supported by the platforms. This observation underscores the need for tech companies to prioritise language diversity and inclusivity to bridge the gap and ensure equal access to digital content for all users, including marginalized and refugee communities.

The sentiment surrounding this issue is largely negative, as the current language limitations on digital platforms hinder the ability of refugee communities to access vital information and participate fully in the digital world. By diversifying the languages they support, tech companies can play a crucial role in reducing inequalities and ensuring that refugees have equal opportunities to access and benefit from digital platforms.

In conclusion, the existing language limitations on digital platforms in Uganda present a significant barrier for refugee communities in accessing content. The need for translators to develop content in unsupported languages adds an extra financial burden. The argument put forth suggests that tech companies should broaden their language support to address this issue. The observation that countries outside of Africa do not face the same language problem emphasizes the importance of prioritising language diversity and inclusivity in digital platforms. By doing so, tech companies can contribute to reducing inequalities and ensuring equal access to digital content for everyone.

Shamima Akhtar

The digital divide is a global issue that affects various groups, particularly women, youths, and students from low-income families. These individuals face significant barriers in accessing the information they need due to factors such as inadequate infrastructure and technology resources. This problem is particularly prevalent in developing countries, where there is low penetration of the internet in rural areas.

One of the key issues contributing to the digital divide is the lack of access to necessary technology resources. Low-income families, especially women, youths, and students, often cannot afford the devices and services required to connect to the internet. This limited access to technology hinders their ability to fully participate in the digital world, which is increasingly essential for education, employment, and social engagement.

Another contributing factor to the digital divide is the lack of adequate infrastructure in many developing countries. These areas often lack the necessary infrastructure, such as broadband connectivity and reliable electricity, making it difficult for individuals to access the internet. This lack of infrastructure disproportionately affects rural areas, further exacerbating the digital divide.

To address this issue and ensure inclusion for all, measures must be taken to reduce the digital divide. One approach is to improve education, particularly in digital literacy skills. By providing adequate training and resources, individuals from low-income families can acquire the necessary skills to effectively use the internet for educational purposes and access vital information.

Additionally, there is a need to invest in infrastructure and technology resources in developing countries. By improving connectivity and expanding access to the internet, more individuals will be able to bridge the digital divide. This includes expanding broadband connectivity in rural areas and providing affordable internet services.

Reducing the digital divide not only promotes greater equality but also has broader socio-economic benefits. Access to information and the ability to participate in the digital economy can enhance educational opportunities, improve job prospects, and empower individuals to actively engage in society.

In conclusion, the digital divide is a significant global issue that affects various groups, particularly women, youths, and students from low-income families. It is crucial to address this issue by improving access to technology resources and infrastructure, as well as promoting digital literacy. Measures should be taken to ensure the inclusion of all individuals in the digital world, as reducing the digital divide has far-reaching benefits for society as a whole.

Pexi Xu

The analysis of the provided data highlights several important aspects of the digital divide and its impact on global understanding. In China, the internet divide is primarily age-based rather than gender-based. While 51% of internet users in China are men and 49% are women, it is revealed that 13% of internet users consist of older people who lack representation online. This indicates that the elderly population in China faces challenges in accessing and utilizing the internet, creating a digital divide based on age.

Beyond China, the analysis also sheds light on the transnational divide and its effect on global understanding. The transnational divide contributes to biases and discrimination. For example, the misrepresentation of regions, as seen in the dominant portrayal of Africa for its wildlife through BBC documentaries, is influenced by the transnational divide. This indicates that the unequal flow of information due to the transnational divide can lead to biased perceptions and limited understanding of different regions and cultures.

To bridge the digital divide and promote equal access and understanding, certain solutions are suggested. These include the need for options, awareness, and content policies. Providing users with the option to pay by cash or use ID cards instead of relying solely on digital alternatives can help address the barriers faced by those who may not have access to digital payment methods or prefer traditional forms of payment. Additionally, implementing digital literacy courses in schools is crucial to ensure that students understand how to effectively use their digital devices and navigate the online world. It is also highlighted that websites and platforms need to take responsibility for the content they provide, indicating the importance of content policies to ensure that information shared online is accurate, reliable, and inclusive.

Furthermore, the analysis identifies the unequal global flow of information as another aspect of the digital divide. It is observed that certain country domains, such as .us, .de, and .in, are more frequently visited compared to others like .tz for Tanzania and .vn for Vietnam. This disparity in online presence creates an imbalance in the representation and visibility of different countries, which contributes to the overall unequal access to information and limited global understanding.

In conclusion, the analysis emphasizes the significance of addressing the digital divide and transnational divide to promote global understanding. It highlights the age-based internet divide in China, the biases generated by the transnational divide, and the importance of options, awareness, and content policies in bridging the digital divide. Additionally, it underscores the need to address the unequal global flow of information to ensure equal representation and access to information from different regions. By addressing these issues, efforts can be made towards reducing inequalities and fostering a more inclusive and informed digital society.

Osamah:
Thank you very much for everyone who is here. The name of our session or the topic is overcoming barriers to bridge digital divide. I think this is a 30-year-old topic, which is quite challenging because we are still tackling with this one, and when internet had come to our life, the divide started since then and we are still … I was looking at one of the statistics that ITU had posted saying that 2.6 billion people still do not have access out of the 7 point some billion, which is like one third of the world is still not have connectivity. And when this proposition of this session was done, it was not only meant for that digital divide is only limited for those people who do not have access, but we also wanted to discuss about how do we redefine or how do we define digital divide? What is digital divide? Because it is not that those people who do not have access are divided, but those people who are having access sometimes cannot afford it, and sometimes it’s not meaningful, sometimes they cannot do transactions, sometimes they do not have literacy to use it. So if we claim that we have more than 5 billion people connected, I am sure almost half of them will not have meaningful connectivity. They may be part of the data who may have used internet once in a while. And then there is a third category, which is the most important category, is that because of the digital divide, are you excluded? And it’s not only that not included, but excluded, because there are legislation which says, there are rules which says that you can only do transaction online. Then there are rules that says that you can only make your payment online. Then there are rules that says that you can only have, you know, entitlement when you have a digital identity. So we, in the last 30 years, I think we have also progressed in such a way that legislation, rules, regulations have become almost like mandatory where digital is given. And that is a big challenge that we are facing. So therefore, the topic of digital divide is multifaceted. Digital divide does not only not include, but it also exclude, it leave people alone, it leave people inaccessible, it leave people deprived, and so on and so forth. And just to go on, we have this NRI session has six speakers, right, in the first part of the session. And just to be, you know, comfortable that everybody shares their part of intervention, I would request if you can share all the speakers that if you can share your intervention in the first part, three to four minutes, or maximum five minutes, that will be really nice. And we have been all the speakers from different parts, we have African part also to hear the story what is happening there, we have Asia, we have Europe, we have Latin America, and we have Arab also, MENA region. And although our list says that I should have gone first to Poncelet, who was representing Africa, but he is not here, he will come. We will go first to Asia, and may I request Mr. Pexi Xu from China IGF to share your thoughts.

Pexi Xu:
Thank you very much, Osamah, right. So my name is Pexi Xu, I’m a professor of the Communication University of China. And I think at the beginning I would like to introduce to you two types of digital device that I’m very much interested in. One is domestic, in China that is called the divide in terms of age. The other is kind of transnational divide, which is very important globally. So among all these different kinds of device, gender divide, right, connection divide, or quality of use divide, or kind of urban rural device, among all these device, perhaps in China the most obvious one is this divide in terms of age. We do not have a kind of gender divide, fortunately, which means 51% of internet users are men, and 49% of users are women, so that doesn’t make a difference. And the most prominent divide is this divide in terms of age, and that we have, for example, 13% of the internet users are old people, and they don’t have a voice somehow online, which led to potentially a phenomenon that I call it bad old people phenomenon. So the old people online are considered to be, I describe it to be rather bad. If they, for example, fall down on the street, you should never go and help them, because they are going to somehow charge you that you are responsible for this kind of stuff. So there is a kind of bad old people phenomenon. The fact is that the old people are very devoted, actually, they do a lot of things. They help their sons and the doctors to take care of the babies and the kids and so forth, but they don’t have a good image online. That is also a phenomenon that is called bad mother-in-law online. So the mother-in-laws are considered to be bad online, because they don’t have a voice. Only young women are online. So that is one thing in China that is a dominant one. Globally, I think there is also a transnational divide, which is, again, very important. And so this divide, I think, is important to improve some global understanding. For example, I have this kind of poll, sometimes also in the classroom, the kind of a classic poll or research, asking what does it remind you when talking about a region, when talking about China, when talking about Africa, when talking about the United States. And there is one answer, particularly from my students from my classroom, is that when talking about Africa, it reminds her of a lot of animals. And what was the reason? The reason is that she watched too many BBC documentaries about the animals in Africa. However, she does not pay a lot of attention to the people, to the life, to the prosperity over there. So that has somehow also created some biases, discriminations are created out of this kind of divide. And the most important of all, I think, is this country a good country? Or is this country free? Or is that country not free? Is this country democratic? Or is that country not democratic? And that is somehow also, we can find the reasons from this transnational divide. So in that case, I think it is very important to tackle, please. And you have mentioned that we have been talking about this topic for like 30 years, many years. But the kind of symptoms are now surfacing, are appearing, and are showcasing, I think, measures are needed. Maybe we can come back to it later. Thank you.

Osamah:
Thank you very much. I think it was very interesting to note that you have no gender divide, because most of the other Asian countries is a serious gender digital divide. And so much so that the percentage is very, very low. Thank you very much. We can go to Europe, and I would like to hear Ms. Claire Poppini. Is that the right pronunciation?

Claire Poppino:
Poppino.

Osamah:
Poppino? Yeah, from the French IGF. Your turn, please.

Claire Poppino:
Thank you. Bonjour to the two. I am Claire Poppino, Senior Director at French Ministry of Justice, and in charge of the INSERP project. I have a title for my intervention, Digital Inclusion Behind the Walls. Because in France, by principle and for obvious security reasons, French prisons are part of the inconnected places. Thus, detainees do not have access, with some exceptions, to digital technology and Internet. However, one of the mission of the prison administration, as defined by the prison law of 2009, consists of reintegration. And the Internet and digital technology are very important factors in this reintegration, and for several reasons. First of all, the increase in e-administration requires that detainees be able to have technical access to the set of administrative interfaces, social security, insurance, etc. Likewise, for any daily procedure which will allow a detainee person once released to return to a normal life context, online procedure to find housing, to find a job. And allowing access is often hardly enough. I will review this point a bit later. Secondly, why connecting detainees is necessary in order to reintegrate. In France, digital professions are in tension. It lacks of people. I will give you some numbers. In 2022, 945,000 jobs in the digital sector were available, but 85,000 were not filled. It is 10% of them. In 2022, 70% of digital companies in the Hauts-de-France, French region, cannot find recruits. And by 2030 projection, the number of digital jobs is expected to increase by 100,000 per year. So a balance of interests needs to be done between the question of security in prisons and the question of reintegration in the security in the longer term, with the strong opportunity that lies in digital skills. Furthermore, any detainee who receives training during their detention sees the rate of recidivism drop very significantly. So we cannot let outside internet world see those detainees. But on the point I left for a minute, there are obstacles in prison. First of all, technological issues to guarantee security, the connectivity. Only a few actions actually exist toward detainees regarding digital and the internet world. And there are several issues which meet the social issues surrounding what in France is called electronisme, issues surrounding illiteracy, issues surrounding the ability to learn, and the question of self-censorship and how to make training courses that seem technical and cut-edge yet accessible and attractive. That is where the INSER project intervenes. INSER for in French, Insérer par des structures expérimentales de responsabilisation et de réinsertion par l’emploi. It means innovate through experimental structures of empowerment and reintegration through employment. Just a few words about this project and the aspects already publicly known. There are small structures which will accommodate voluntarily convicted persons in which 100% of the detained persons will work or be in professional training. These structures will aim to offer value-added work, allowing them to improve their skills. So work will therefore be strongly coupled with professional training and even schooling. And digital professions should hold an important place. Thus, the INSER establishments are being designed as connected by design with the deployment of a specific network for all access of detained persons in the personal dimension, for example, video with family, or in the learning and professional dimension. Thank you.

Osamah:
Thank you very much. Thank you for broadly elucidating the France scenario. I hope that also was the broader scenario of the entire Europe. Now let’s go to Latin America. And I would request Carla Velasco to elaborate the situation in that side.

Carla Velasco:
Yes, thank you very much for the invitation here, Osama, and the rest of the panel. It’s a pleasure to be here. I have been working with access projects as part of civil society now, and also with the government in Mexico for seven years now. And the things haven’t changed that much, right? The situation on digital inclusion is a very important one in Mexico and in the rest of the region, in the Americas region. And the main problem still remains to connect the people that are unconnected. We’ve been working together with regulators and with the governmental offices, not only from Mexico, but from different Latin American countries. And we see that the digital divide does not reflect sometimes the other type of digital divides that are accessibility, availability, affordability, quality of services, and digital skills. So these are other divides that need to be tackled. And also the differences that exist between rural and urban areas. So one of the main issues is that in urban areas you get to have a good connection, people are connected, it is somehow affordable for the people to connect, but then in rural and remote areas the situation is complicated. And the situation gets even more complex when you have different marginalized groups that are living in these rural and remote areas, like is the case of indigenous peoples in some cases, and in the case of Mexico, for example. So this is a very, very important issue. In Mexico it has been also raised, the issue of connecting women and girls, because they are also affected by the digital divide, and there’s also a gender digital divide. And one of the things that we have been working together with the government in order to bring better connectivity, and even connectivity to some of the rural and remote areas, is the work through community networks. So in Latin America the community networks movement is a very strong movement. We have been working together with different governments in the region, regulators as well, and together with CITEL, which is the Inter-American Commission of Telecommunications, of the organization of the American states. And through this commission we have been pushing very hard to put access as a main priority. And this was reflected as well in the World Telecommunications Development Conference last year of the ITU, where as a region we worked together to bring this topic as a priority, not only for the Americas region, but also the rest of the regions at this world conference. And we managed to mention the importance of this problem in some of the resolutions, and also to include the importance of community networks. So for ones that might not know, community networks are community-based initiatives, led by the communities in some of the cases. These are a solution and not a replacement of Internet savers for others, but rather an innovative solution in order to build common infrastructure and for the people of the communities to be in charge of the network. This means that there are different training programs that are given. and that are done together with the communities for there to be community technicians and also not only to talk about the technical part but also the sustainability part, how the network is going, how the community is going to be involved in the network and this sometimes transitions to the creation of local content in the communities with the language of the same communities. So these community networks have become a very, very important agent. Community networks are also now working with internet service providers, with companies, community networks are trying to get access to backbone which is also very important to make network stronger and to have, yes, to make the networks stronger and to have a better connectivity, to have more megabytes in the network and to be able to have a better quality for the network. And in Mexico, another case that has been very interesting is the creation of an indigenous virtual mobile operator which is an MVNO, Mobile Virtual Network Operator. And in this case, the owners of the mobile virtual network are indigenous communities. So this has also been a very innovative solution as a way of looking forward and connecting the unconnecting. So yes, just to summarize, this remains one of the biggest problems for the Latin America region. We are trying to find different solutions and as parts of civil society member in Latin America, these are some of the solutions that we are working with which are the community networks but companies and governments are also included and we are all worried about closing the digital divide. So thank you, Osama.

Osamah:
Thank you, thank you. I think just to break the monotony, we also go from on-site to off-site and go a little online and catch Bhanu Nipayan from UNESCO to request his intervention. Bhanu, are you online?

Bhanu Nipayan:
Yes, I am, Chair. Thank you so much. With your permission, it’s quite interesting some of the intervention which have been made. That provides a very interesting and a perspective that there is a major, say, segment of the world and a major segment of the population are still not connected. I was just looking at ITU website and they actually say that only 5.7 billion people are online right now. So this means it’s shared by the rule of exclusion. There are 2.7 billion people who are still not on internet. So this is, I think, a grave concern for all of us and given the fact that many of the services that government provides have gone online. So we have been working since 2003 when UNESCO’s member state adopted a recommendation on content in the cyberspace. So in fact, the multilingual content on the cyberspace. So I think my pitch here will be to talk and give you a slight roundabout of what we are doing as far as universal acceptance is concerned. So the fundamental principle of digital inclusion is to provide all individuals, regardless of their background, wealth, language, and abilities an equal opportunity to participate in digital processes. Nevertheless, there are formidable obstacles that impede this objective. And ICANN and UNESCO are talking about universal acceptance which promotes inclusive design and the dissemination of accessible digital content. It serves as catalyst for development of digital services and platform that appeals to an inclusively diverse audience, including people with disabilities. This transformation results in a digital environment that is accessible and accommodating to people with diverse requirements. Here I wish to note that universal acceptance needs to be integrated in its widest connotation and must include the whole ecosystem of digital tools, processes, and contents. Because sometimes what we do is we narrowly define and only talk about content that is available. And then somehow we tend to forget that the processes and tools are also equally important when we start talking about universal acceptance or universal inclusion. Here I would like to use the word universal inclusion, which was the recommendation that was made by this year’s EuroDIG meeting, which starts talking about validation of the representation of multilingual and locally relevant content. By stimulating the uses of an area of language, script, and character sets, it facilitates the accessibility of digital resources to individuals with different abilities and those coming from different linguistic backgrounds. Quite interestingly, only 14 languages represent almost 92% of the content that is available online. And this is a very interesting reality that there are almost 7,000 languages which are still spoken by different people. So this expands and effectively broadens the scope of digital content and increases its relevance to a wider audience. So I think we have to do a lot of effort to somehow make the internet experience as well as internet interface go in a multilingual way if we start talking about digital inclusion. So moreover, universal acceptance, which we normally advocate, facilitates an enhanced user experience as well. It mandates the uniform functionality of digital services across a wide range of devices and technological platforms, including integrated and more cost-effective hardware, which I think another 2 billion people in the world essentially possess. This effort eliminates the need for most recent and frequently more expensive technology, thereby creating a digital ecosystem that is accessible and affordable to all. Here, universal acceptance transcends the technological domain. It also promotes global cooperation and adherence of international standard. For UNESCO, we understand that universal acceptance is part of the 2003 recommendation concerning the promotion and use of multilingualism and universal access to cyberspace. This issue has also been advocated by WSIS process. Action Line 3 normally talks about access to information. So these are landmark provisions which provide a framework for member states to develop and adapt legislation and other policy measures conducing to the promotion of multilingualism in cyberspace, thereby bringing this 1 billion people which are yet to be shared with Internet. This advocacy promotes a cohesive framework for digital services, thereby reducing fragmentation and boost interoperability, which is a major concern for all of us. The outcome is a streamlined process for the creation of economically viable and accessible digital technologies and content. But here I would like to stress the need for a multistakeholder partnership, which are needed to foster universal acceptance. It needs cooperation between governments, private sector entities, especially digital service providers and civil society organizers. Some of these stakeholders have already spoken during this town hall meeting. These partnerships have potential to produce policies and initiatives that promote affordable access and ensure digital content appeal that appeals to a larger audience. Finally, and this will be the last point that I’d like to make, is universal acceptance is a driving force behind digital inclusion in advocacy. We recently undertook, and member states every four years, they report back on 2003 recommendations, and only 32 countries reported on what they are doing in their country. So that means almost 160 countries did not. So there is a lot to be done. We talk about universal acceptance and universal inclusion across the board, but it looks like these are not properly integrated in the policy milieu that we essentially argue for universal inclusion and digital divide in our countries. So we have to do a lot on this one, and I think this is a very complex undertaking and requires a multi-stakeholder partnership, as I already said. From UNESCO’s side, we assure our full participation in the processes to create a digital ecosystem for all individuals, regardless of their diverse linguistic background and abilities. So thank you. And if there are questions, I’ll be more than happy to respond.

Osamah:
Thank you so much for highlighting the universal inclusion. I hope we do not take another three decades to connect the rest of the 2.5 billion and extended SDG kind of phenomena. Thank you. We come to Zina. Zina Bouharb from Lebanon. Let’s hear from you in the Arab scenario or the MENA scenario.

Zina Bouharb:
Good morning, everyone. My name is Zina Bouharb. I’m the coordinator of the Lebanese IGF. At the same time, I work at Ogero Telecom, which is the incumbent operator in Lebanon as head of international cooperation. In our digital world, inclusion means leaving no one offline. And barrier to this inclusion can start with the lack of ICT infrastructure, but also there are a lot of other barriers like the lack of skills, like the cost of the services, and even in different countries, there are different scenarios for this digital divide. In Lebanon, the currently, the lately adopted digital transformation strategy aimed to closing the digital divide in general. I mean in general means starting with increasing the physical access through the ICT infrastructure. And the result was that currently 84% of the Lebanese population have access to the internet. In the Arab region, the internet penetration rate for women was 56%, and 68% of men in 2020, which is a good number compared to the global average then in that year, which was 55%. Especially that there are a lot of Arab countries that are classified as least developed with penetration rate of 19% only. And this was taken into consideration while drafting the Arab digital agenda. That set as one of its objectives to increase the rate of internet penetration among women in all Arab countries, as well as to increase internet penetration rate among users in rural areas, and to enhance digital accessibility for persons with disabilities to enable them to access electronic services. And this year in January, this agenda that we call Arab digital agenda was adopted by the council of Arab minister of telecommunication and information technology. It’s a framework for the years 2023-2033 to ensure that all Arab countries can benefit from digital technology and use it to achieve sustainable development. Among the list of action within this strategy was the preparing capacity building programs for women on internet use with a focus on women in rural areas. And also preparing awareness and training programs on digital accessibility with developing national policies for digital access and establishing national committees to prepare programs and initiatives that enable the protection of young people on the internet along with preparing integrated programs to educate and empower them. On another side, we know that ITU has a history in bridging the gender digital divide, and one of the latest milestone in that regard was the establishment of the network of women with different regional chapter. In our Arab region, the regional network of women for the Arab region was established in 2021. This platform was aimed to promote the effective participation of Arab women in the activities of the union in general and give visibility to women and empower them to assume greater responsibilities within the delegation in different conferences. So, it encourages women just to guide their other colleagues and to empower them and to create a stronger base for women from the Arab region in the digital space. Returning to Lebanon, at Ojeiro, we also know that bridging the digital gender divide requires digital skills, along with other skills. That’s why we partnered with the Arab network of women lately to hold a series of capacity building workshops organized by Ojeiro in which Lebanese women can participate on site at the premises of Ojeiro and other Arab women join remotely. The first workshop was held on October 4 or 5, just a few days ago, and it was a huge success. We have a list of topics that are in this series of workshops, let’s say. But we hope that after the success of our first workshop, other women will be more encouraged to join.

Osamah:
Thank you so much, and thank you for highlighting just not Lebanon, but the entire Arab area. That gives a very good picture of the entire region. Is Poncelet here? Can you also take your name? Since Poncelet is not here, you can take your name.

Naza Nicholas Karama:
Yes, my name is Naza Nicholas Karama, and I am currently the coordinator for Tanzania IGF. Essentially, I would like to take off from where Mr. Banu left from UNESCO. Really, the language divide, or if I may say, I would like to divide what you have as digital divide into six sets of divides. Number one is infrastructure or connectivity divide. You will find in most rural and urban Africa, the connectivity is really the issue still. This is very rampant in the rural area as compared to the urban areas. In urban areas, you will find there is not only a connectivity divide. So there is an issue of connectivity divide, but also the quality divide. You connect to the Internet, but the services that you are getting from the telecom operators is not up to par. So there is that issue of quality divide as well. So we have the language divide, for example, in Tanzania, where I come from, we have more than 120 tribes. But as you know, 75% of all content on the Internet is on English. And 5.3% is in Russia. So it’s not up to par, but it’s not up to par, but it’s not up to par, but it’s not up to par, but it’s not up to par, but it’s not up to par. Russia, Spanish is 4.3%, and French is 3.4%. Even the language that which is widely spoken in East Africa and Central, including Democratic Republic of Congo, does not feature anywhere. So I think that’s a big issue. So I think that’s a big issue. But I also find that, you know, universal acceptance today is as important as, you know, connectivity itself. Because if you are connecting people in the rural areas, and most of them, you know, speak, for example, either Kiswahili or some other language, like I come from Kilimanjaro, where we speak Chaga. We speak a lot of other languages, like Kikuyu, and all these other languages. So even if you connect them, you provide connectivity to the village, there is still an issue, a big issue of language divide. So that is also an issue as well. Number three, we have the issue of accessibility, digital accessibility divide. So, you know, I think that’s a big issue. So, you know, apart from the connectivity, most of these technologies that we use, either locally, also, they are not inclusive enough to include people with a disability. Because according to the statistics that are available, 1. 3 billion people are disabled in Africa. So, you know, we have a lot of people around the world, people with disability. So, you will find that even in Africa, the portion of 1. 3 billion also resides in Africa. So there is also that issue of accessibility divide, where technologies actually tend to discriminate people with disability. So, you know, we have a lot of people with disabilities. So, you know, if I were to give an example in Tanzania, we don’t even have a number. Our population is about 62 million people. But there are no statistics to show how many, how much, what percent of the population is digitally, you know, literate. So, you know, we have a lot of people with disabilities, but we don’t have enough statistics to address those challenges. Number 5, the gender digital divide, according to GSMA, in sub-Saharan Africa and in Africa in general, the percentage of gender digital divide stands at between 12 and 13 percent. So, you know, the percentage of gender digital divide in Africa is between 12 and 13 as compared to females who are accessing the Internet. Number 7 is the issue, number 6, sorry, is the issue of quality divide. Like I said at the beginning, you will find there are great efforts, you know, to connect people, especially in the urban area. But there are also a lot of policies that are not uniform. The last one is really the policy divide where policies are not uniform. In each country, you’ll find there are no policies to enable, like, small-time operators, like community services, community networks are provided to have spectrum allocation that is not uniform, and so on, and so on, and so on. So that’s the first intervention. Thank you.

Osamah:
Thank you. Thank you so much, and that was wonderful intervention from Africa. I will just take one and a half minute to highlight some of the Asian part also, considering that I personally come from one of the highest populated country in the world. So I have to be very precise, India’s internet penetration is 48%. And that’s not meaningful. If we exclude, like, you were saying that most of the people, the quality issue, the meaningfulness issue, and I was just jotting down the countries from Asia, Bangladesh has got 39% penetration. India has got 39%. Pakistan has got 54%. Sri Lanka has got 66%. Nepal has got 39%. India has got 48.7%. China is the highest, with 76.4% internet penetration, and considering that you have more women connected, it’s great news that, I mean, the 50-50 is there already, more than 50% is already there, but India is not in that situation. And then there is a, I would like to also reiterate, that if you are not connected, that is clearly that you are not connected, so you are excluded. And then those who are connected but unable to do anything. And one indication that I can share with all of you, especially because India is talking about exporting many of its technology at a policy level, like payment system, I have done India very well, like UPI, universal payment, I think it’s called. And according to the calculation, about 336 million people used in India, UPI, to make the payment, the payment system, which basically work also orally, I mean, you QR code, you just take the code and you can make the payment. Out of 336 million people who made online payment, only about 1. 5% of them made online payment, and that’s a huge number. So out of 336 million people who made online payment, only 122 belong to rural India. And rural India’s population is 908 million. So out of 908 million people, only 106 million people were able to make online payment. If I consider online payment as a benchmark of quality connectivity or, let’s say, meaningful connectivity, because you cannot do payment without connection, you cannot do payment without connection. So I think that’s an important thing, that are we connecting people just like that, or is it something like giving electricity without power, you know, line without power? Are we connecting without buffering, or we are connecting only with buffering all the time? And your data is coming and going, but you are not really meaningful. So those are some of the issues I just wanted to highlight. So I think that’s it. So the next step is to go on inviting people around the table and online to get questions. Just being a better host, we would like to go online first since they are not here. So there is at least one or two we’ll take online and then we’ll take offline. I count about three hands here already, and we would like to come back to you for sure. We have enough time to come back to

Julian:
you, but we have a request from the Bangladesh remote hub. They want to place a question to the panelists online, so if we can, please, give the floor to them. Thank you.

Shamima Akhtar:
Thank you. Go on, please. Good morning. Good morning. Honorable speaker, honorable moderator and speaker. I’m Shamima Akhtar. I’m from Bangladesh. I’m a member of the Bangladesh digital divide. Thank you very much for giving opportunity to me for the question platform. So my question is the digital divide, my question to the honorable moderator, my question to the is the digital divide in our society is not only for women, but for all the women in the world. Thank you. Is that all do you want to make? Yes, it’s living low income families, especially women, youths and students have less access to the information they need. But they need access to necessary digital technology. So I think the digital divide is not only for women, but for all the women in the world. Because in most developing countries, educated infrastructure and technologies resources for the low penetration of the Internet in rural areas are two major factors that need to be taken into consideration for the inclusion of all people to reduce the digital divide. Thank you.

Osamah:
Thank you very much. Thank you, Ms. Shamima, and thank you for initiating the women IGF in Bangladesh. That’s a great initiative. And thank you also for bringing women in your room to show the solidarity that they want to be online and they are online. Thank you very much. I’m sure in the next half an hour in the room there will be a lot of questions. So I’m going to ask you to go around the room. Can I go around the room? Thank you. Can I go around the room to ? Yes, please. Please introduce yourself and ask the question. Thank you very much.

Claire:
My name is Claire, and I’m from Uganda. I’m working on a project to ensure information access for refugee communities in Uganda, and our biggest challenge when it comes to content moderation has been language. So we are trying to make sure that the content that we have in the country is diverse, and out of the ten languages we use on the platforms, only four are supported by the digital platforms. So that means that when we have to develop content in the rest of the six languages spoken by refugees, that means we have to hire translators to translate this content for us. So we are trying to make sure that the content that we have in the rest of the six languages is diverse, and that the language divide, especially in African countries, because countries working on the similar projects in other countries outside of Africa do not experience that, because their languages are supported by the tech companies. Thank you.

Osamah:
Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Is there anything that the panel would like to address, this language thing you would like to? Yeah?

Carla Velasco:
Yes, I can take both questions, because I think they are somehow related. The issues that women face when going online, and I think it’s important to mention that even though numbers and statistics show that in many places the gender digital divide is getting better and, for example, in the Americas region, the score that we have for gender parity in access is actually quite good. But when you get to see the context and you get deeper in the problem, you see that there are questions that are not being asked. The main problem of how access is being measured is that it doesn’t reflect many of the realities that we face as women and also people of diverse genders and sexualities. This crosses very important gaps and inequalities that women and gender-diverse people face in the social, labour, health, economic, and political spheres. So it’s something that goes beyond that. And what we have seen is that once you get to analyse access and the participation of women in the online life, you see that there are many complexities around our participation, and there are acts of online violence that even may force women to retreat from the online space. So there is research that indicates that 28% of women who had suffered ICT-based violence reduced their presence online. So you see this is a big issue, because even when women get online, we get to face violence that makes us silenced and censors us, so this is also a very important issue. In that sense, we have been also working with tech companies and platforms, because there is a lot of platform accountability there. When you get to analyse better the access of women and girls online, you get to see that there are other complexities, which are, for example, technology-facilitated gender-based violence, gender disinformation, hate speech, and so on. So we have been working with civil society organisations that are trying to get closer to governments, and also work together with big tech companies in order to see what we can do better. So the first thing that we have realised is that we need more research on national contexts. We need to have a specific context, and I’m also relating it to it because it also has to do with language. Many women that want to report online don’t speak English, so they also face this language barrier, so that’s why I’m relating it to the second question. And what we’ve seen is that in some countries, for example, in Mexico, yesterday I was in a session with a Mexican senator, and she told me how difficult for her as the gender lead of the Mexican Congress, it has been very difficult for her to approach big tech companies, because normally it is very hard for them to comply. And one of the things that we have seen, the e-safety commissioner of Australia was in the same panel. And what I really enjoyed from the commissioner of Australia’s participation is that in Australia, the government has forced the companies to comply. So it is, as we can see, a multi-stakeholder thing. We need the government, we need the big tech companies to also comply, and also to make them accountable. And we also need the participation of civil society, academics, and researchers, because we also need a lot of information. So I think this would be my answer. Sorry for taking this long. Thank you, Osama.

Osamah:
Thank you very much. I have one quick line in response to your linguistic diversity issue, and an online content issue. It is that a script is no more written now. If it is the technology or realisation is enabling more and more people to read it, then it is not a script anymore. It is a language. It is not a script anymore. It is a language. It is not a script anymore. more languages to get online. So we don’t have to find a script, then we find a writing, then we find it going online. Video-based content generation and oral content generation or oralization of technology is also enabling a lot of inclusion of what you call the indigenous languages or the written, because India is also among the same. We have hundreds of languages who are spoken by diverse community, and none of those content are available online, but those people are now adopting video as a method to get content online, and also oralization of technology and visual. You want to make a point? Looks like that you are.

Claire Poppino:
Maybe a bit disruptive, but if I may say so, if the IGF, a big event like that, is more multilingual, it will set a good example for the rest. I think it’s a symbolic gesture for increase the case of the multilingualism in internet. Maybe a bit disruptive, sorry for that.

Osamah:
Thank you very much. Do you want to, let’s be very precise and short so that we have more questions.

Naza Nicholas Karama:
I wanted to respond to Claire’s question on the refugees, the languages issue. I know in Tanzania, Google has been working with some individuals to translate Kiswahili through the voices. I think what I would suggest is that you find individuals, different languages, and then you can also approach Google, and they can do that for you as well.

Osamah:
Yes. Thank you so much. We have some questions from this side. Yeah.

Ayita Gangavarpu:
Hello, good morning, everyone. Thank you so much for the opportunity. I’m Ayita Gangavarpu, the coordinator of Youth Internet Governance Forum India. So from my experience back in India, working with young people and also some certain communities, I’ll go back to the very basics. Communities or even individuals who are using, tend to use cellular networks to stay, talk to their families and just stay connected that way. But when it comes to the internet, I have come across individuals and communities who are not interested in having internet in their lives because they find it as a big change in the way that they’re living their lives. So it could be cultural barriers, just apprehension or low interest. And this is something I’ve come across personally. So I just wanted to understand how can we change this kind of a perspective? And if you have experienced something similar, and if there are any suggestions on changing this narrative and getting them to look at internet as a resource when this kind of a strong perspective is there, that this is not something we immediately require in our lives.

Osamah:
Thank you, that’s a perspective. Interesting, I would come back with, is there more questions? Yeah. That side, corner.

Mahim:
I’m Mahim from Sri Lanka. My perspective is a little bit against something that we have discussed almost. Even though we have discussed the same topic for three decades, the digital divide is getting bigger and bigger. The digital gap between developed world and developing world is increasing, due not only to AI emerging technologies, but also with the digital policies creating regionally and locally without coordinations. Example is a GDPR that happened a few years back. The government censorship can also contribute to the digital divide. In many countries around the world, nowadays they are taking cyber security and safer internet as a topic for this divide. So there are a lot of issues had happened regarding media platform monitoring, online activities regarding citizens, and arrest and imprisonments through these legal actions. I believe as a network of NRIs, which covering around 160 countries and nations, we need to work together. I think this is a good platform to be together to work towards inclusive internet. Thank you.

Osamah:
Thank you. Very good intervention. Thank you for highlighting that even if you are connected, you are internet shut down or cyber security, national security, there’s so many issues that is dividing you. Yes, sir.

Levi Sianseke:
I’m Levi Sianseke from Internet Society Zambia chapter and the youth IGF in Zambia. There’s one thing I think I’ve come to be of concern for me. I understand satellite and broadband connectivity as a way to try and bridge the digital divide in a sense. However, it’s come to my attention in a way that it’s actually a bit more costly for those especially in rural areas to access broadband connectivity, which again has become a way of increasing the digital divide when it’s supposed to actually reduce it. I’ve noticed in my country, for example, we don’t have policies that are pushing for low spectrum connectivity like community networks. So my question then comes in to the panel and probably those that have worked on community networks and so on, how then do we engage governments to promote policies that ensure digital inclusion by allowing for more spectrum but also increasing development of community networks in, for example, my country or those nearby? Because I think community networks in a way promote a lot of digital inclusion. That’s my understanding and based on my brief reading, how then do we engage policy makers to ensure that this becomes a reality? That’s my question.

Osamah:
Thank you, thank you very much. Bonsalit, you want to make some point? Or you want to respond to him?

Poncilet:
Sorry for coming a bit late. I have my asthma disturb me in the morning. That’s why I’m here a little bit late. But I would just directly answer your question. In most cases, trying to bridge the digital divide, you have to play it in a multisectoral way. The telcos have to be involved and there’s always a buy-in usually. When telcos are involved, discussing with governments and discussing with the regulatory authorities to really create a situation whereby, because you talk to an average telco, they will tell you that, okay, you want us to give, take it to the last mile with broadband connectivity. And oh, okay, we have only 15 villages there with less than 500 people living in the community. What do you do? And that is where community networks come in. And community networks brings in a lot of players. But at the same time, what I’ve realized also is that when you get in even the municipal council involved at local level, you achieve a lot. Because usually the municipal council will say, okay, you want to set up this community network in this area, we are going to give the building where it’s going to be located and sell companies to come to do corporate social responsibilities. But the only way to do it, because we still have a number of countries that are facing a situation whereby the cost of internet, like in the Gambia, is $5 per, for one gigabyte of data, which is one of the most expensive in Africa. I think Ghana has about the lowest on the continent. The average in the continent is about $2 for all of the data for one GB. So how do we bring down this cost? The only way to bring it down this cost, a lot has been done on getting more submarine cables around and investing on last-minute connectivity. And we have to make sure we engage the private sector better in this process, because they have to also be included, especially the telcos. I mean, 80% of the continent is on voice. You should know that. So we have done well on voice. Why can’t we do it on data? It’s still the same players. Thank you.

Osamah:
Thank you, Poncilet. We have three interventions waiting. One, Carl want to say something, and we have two people online who want to say something. And before that, I just want to respond to that Indian intervention, Indian Youth IGF, is that by saying that, you know, if many people, even if the internet is available and they don’t want to get into, and there is a version or whatever, they don’t have motivation. I think it is also because the internet has become socially very noisy in the last 10 years. And that news is coming all the time. If you remember last 30 years, you’ll remember initially everybody wanted to see internet that I want to go there and I find something, research something, you know, resource as a resource. But now most of the people are thinking, okay, internet means Facebook and Instagram and Twitter and YouTube and only five platforms or six platforms are taking all the attention of all the consumers. And that is also reflecting that, is it too noisy, insecure, whatever, is also something that is subject of digital divide itself. You know, why are we looking at like a shopping mall where it’s so crowded that I can’t do and do shopping myself there? So that’s one aspect that is there that we need to all collectively work. Coming to community network, for my two cent is that in India, community network has created a legislation change. Now, in India, we have a policy called PM Wani, which is the Wide Area Network or something like that, name after PM, is that anybody can buy internet and sell internet. So whether you use community network as a framework or you do point to point, or you do like a community development, or you do as a telco or a small telco or a local telco, you can do that. There is no licensing fees required. So totally liberalized. You take a backhaul and start distributing unless you lie into those 40,000 villages out of 600 villages where there is no tower at all, then it’s a different matter, then you can build it. So I just wanted to respond and, Karl, can I come to you after I go online so that they are waiting for a long time? Bhanu, yeah.

Bhanu Nipayan:
Yes, thank you, Chair, for again, giving me an opportunity to speak a few things. In fact, in a very interesting discussion that is going on, both online as well as offline, I basically wanted to touch upon a couple of things. It looks like when different regions presented, they were in fact, they had their own take on divide, a digital divide. Some of them were talking about an access divide. Some of them were talking about uses divide, skill divide, content divide, affordability divide, gender divide, or generational divide even. And then finally, maybe multilingual divide, which actually took the center stage in today’s discussion. But it looks like we still do not have a set of effective indicators to measure divide across the world, the globe. We’ve been talking about divide for a long time, and it looks like this set of indicator has never been established by IGF, ITU, UNESCO, which are a couple of main players. And even I look at the Secretary General’s message to the new digital commons that he presented. Even in that one, we do not talk about a set of, say, universally agreed indicators that measure divide in their different forms and shape. So perhaps what this panel could communicate to the responsible stakeholders, which will, as a takeaway message from this panel, is to come up with a universally agreed indicators to measure divide that exists in different forms and shape. So I’m not too sure that is something that is already available and that we can take. And given the fact that the new, say, the AI revolution and data revolution, that has brought in a new dimension to this divide. So perhaps we first need to look at how these indicators can be developed and also can be mainstreamed in different, say, digital policies across the world. Thanks so much.

Osamah:
I think we need a digital divide index. I think there is one more comment from online, right, Julian?

Julian:
Yes, it’s from the Bangladesh Remote Hub. They are making a few questions that we can take them so the speakers can refer to them in the next session that we are about to start. So the question is that the digital divide in our society is leaving low-income families behind, especially women. Jutes and students have less access to the information they need, but they need ample access to necessary digital technology. So how we can ensure the reduction of the digital divide and digital access for an inclusive society? In addition that, in most developing countries, inadequate infrastructure and technological resources for the low penetration of the internet in rural areas are two major factors that need to be taken into consideration for the inclusion of all people to reduce the digital divide. And the internet can open up new avenues and opportunities for women, providing them with greater access to education, employment, and entrepreneurship. Technology can also help challenge and break gender stereotypes and biases. How we can ensure digital access for all, especially women?

Osamah:
Okay, I think it was the same, almost like the same comment. Karl, you want to go ahead with your pending comment that you wanted to make? I can do it later. Yeah.

Claire Poppino:
Just regarding the low income in France during COVID, we observed that students were just connected through their smartphone and not through computer, et cetera. So it’s not just a response for them, but some places called France Connect were implemented. There are places you can find all the equipment you want, and also people who can help you with skills to connect to the necessary services. You have to go. It’s just one solution, it’s not all the solution.

Osamah:
Thank you very much. Yeah, so we are in the now last stage, although we have only 10 minutes left, but I think since the lunch is coming, nobody’s going to push us out of the room. We can take at least couple of minutes. So for all the six speakers, I think the next step is to go ahead and get what is next. What are the things that we can do to as an NRI and going forward, maybe actionable items. So I’ll start from, since Poncelet is already here, I will go to Poncelet. Can you take one, one and a half minute and tell us what are the action points and going forward from here?

Poncilet:
Moving forward, I think one of the things we have to do is in bridging the gap and bridging this divide is we have to preach about more on digital inclusions, really bottom top and engage our municipalities more in the processes. You know, because in most cases, we forget the local players at governmental level in what we do. We just want to take actions without contacting those stakeholders that their lives are going to be impacted. And I think it’s always good to hear from them. And it’s also very good that we shouldn’t ostracize our telcos who are one of the biggest players in terms of making money in the continent. A lot of them have come up with a very loads of innovative solutions on e-commerce and everything. And even our FinTech companies in the continent. So not that things as an African, not that things are not happening, but we have to know that all players to bridge the digital divide, we have to do it rightly and we have to engage local. We start local and the infrastructure is. there but the coordination is not there and I hope we can do it right. We have seven years to meet the SDGs. We have a lot of things coming up and the best way to do it is engaging properly at local level to hear their problems and providing solutions for them that will bridge that inclusion that is greatly needed. Thank you. Thank you very much Professor Pexi.

Pexi Xu:
Thank you very much. I would like to say a few words about the possible solutions. I think solution number one is to have options for example that to say if you take a taxi and if you use your mobile phone you should somehow be allowed to pay by cash and also if you go into the university you should be allowed to go in with your card and ID instead of using facial recognition. So I think I have had some problems with my my phone about this Apple Pay so the facial recognition has to be activated in order to use it conveniently. So the first thing is to provide options and secondly is to create awareness. It is needed to have this awareness of this device and also their consequences. So basically now digital literacy courses have already started in primary school and high school which are extremely important for the young students know about the possible stereotypes that can be produced from the device. And number three is about the content policy. A few of our colleagues have touched upon something about the content. I think for so far I agree very much with my with Sri Lanka colleague by saying that the situation has gone somehow worse from the traditional media to the digital area that to say you have never visited a website for example under .tz for Tanzania. Have you visited? No? Okay. That is for Tanzania and possibly have visited a website under .us, .de and even .in for India. But you have never visited a website under .vn like for Vietnam. So we need to have this kind of awareness and also perhaps we have to implement the content policy to give a relevance to UN IGF. I think that is about very significant thing that to say the global flow of information remains and equal. So under such circumstances under the circumstance that the global digital wide cannot be bridged very soon. So we have to ask the platforms to be responsible for the content. For the content especially about for example religious hatreds, about racial hatred, about ethnic hatred. Sorry. So we have the global digital compact here but unfortunately the content part, part 5 was dropped. Part 5 is about exactly content of misleading misleading content and accountability. So it’s important to handle this content area by incorporating the terms of service and then by implementing them.

Osamah:
Thank you. Thank you. Ms. Claire. Thank you. Maybe the first step is to

Claire Poppino:
address the gender issue in school because for example in France it states this kind of stereotype women are not getting in technological studies. So I think this is a very important divider. This is the first step. And maybe in the methodological point of view we can, because I had worked on the internet universality indicators, maybe one step regarding this project of UNESCO is to once a lot of countries will have ended the project to look at these indicators and to think at how we can use it to compare countries because they are not, actually they are not used to compare countries but to make a frame of a country on the way internet is explained in one country but not to be compared one another. So maybe at the end of the project we have to reflect on how they can be used for action. Thank you. Can we go to Carla? Yes, thank you. In

Carla Velasco:
our region it has come an important, we have an important question that we are asking ourselves because we know that connectivity is coming and eventually many people are going to be online. So what’s going to happen when we are all connected? And the things our colleague from China was saying are very important in the sense that we are not asking the question on why we want to be connected. What do we want to take out from connectivity? And I think this is an important question. Today we have a session at 2.45 that is called what is the nature of the internet? So we’re going to address this question if internet should be a human right, a public good, and in that sense I really love in Latin America we really push the reflection that community networks bring because community networks in a sense ask themselves okay it is important to be connected but why is it important for us to be connected? Why do we want connectivity as a community? Why do we want connectivity for the younger people? Why do we want connectivity for the elders? And in some of the communities they have realized that they don’t even want to be connected. They want the right of unconnectivity, of not being connected. So I think this is a very important conversation. It’s one of the things that is right now happening to us and it’s an ongoing discussion and I think having the national IGFs, the regional IGFs, these global IGFs, they are also very important spaces for us to ask this question. So I think this is what is next for us and also keep working with the government, keep working with the internet service providers, with the companies and together at civil society and yes just also pushing this community networks point of view because it also includes the different levels and different members of the community. So I think that’s what is next for our region. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Carla.

Zina Bouharb:
Dear Zina. Yes, thank you. In summary, I think that the internet access is an opportunity and the digital skills are the power. We need the skills with the opportunity to have these powers. So my opinion is that in partnerships and in a multi-stakeholder approach, everybody should be on this mission to bridge the digital divide, not only the government, not only the private sector or the civil society. We all need to collaborate. We need to find a link in order to serve the community or in order to make the internet accessible for everyone. It should not be a privilege. Everybody should be able to benefit from internet for a better living. So partnerships and multi-stakeholder approach, I think this is a way forward to deal with the digital divide. Thank

Osamah:
you very much. I like the word that you use that you know access is an opportunity which requires a skill and all of us has responsibility to participate to make that happen for those who are not. Can we go for a quick way ahead to Mr. Bhanu and then we will close. Thank you very much. It has

Bhanu Nipayan:
been a very engaging discussion and I learned a lot from this one. A couple of things which I think could be a way forward from this interesting conversation that we just had was that digital skills are now, they have become indispensable to advance communities. And if you see all the questions that the Bangladesh Women’s IGF had posed, they all talk about how can we utilize digital skills to advance some of these disadvantaged communities. So this is one thing which has become extremely important from this one. So the other thing is that we really have to care for this 15% of the global population which somehow are being left out from the digital dialogue, let’s put it. Not even take it into consideration like digital engagement. Even from digital dialogue, they have been left out. So I think we’ll have to find special provisions, special policy, and a lot of things for them. The third point that I would like to say is that internet has now become not only an economy to provide services, but at the same time, it has also bringing a lot of goods and services to the people. So this digital divide can not only, I say, keep them in the dark from the information explosion that is taking place around us, but also devote them of services and goods that the governments are providing. So that is extremely important. One of our colleagues essentially talked about Rome principles. So this is something that UNESCO has said. So internet essentially should be ride-based, it should be open, it should be access to everyone, and also guided by multi-stakeholder process. So I think that is a very strong message that UNESCO has provided. So perhaps we should somehow think about utilizing the Rome framework and come up with an indicator that will actually measure the level of divide that exists around the world. Thank you so much, Chair. Over to you.

Osamah:
Thank you. Thank you very much. We are absolutely on time to end it. I will take my two minutes to close it. Just to summarize, what we discussed mainly is that if I can divide that into two parts, one issue on digital divide is typical physical digital divide, which is like people connected, people not connected. And then the other part is that division within those who are connected, you know, how deep that connect divide is. And that is based on various level that is based on language, content, quality of access, internet shutdown, control of internet. Also, if not controlled, there is a market level overpowering, you know, influence on like how platform has become internet, almost like internet. So internet is just about using four or five platform and searching on the Google and that’s about it. And then you are, of course, searching those content which is available on that and 75% of that has no language diversity. And if it is not language diversity, it is also no cultural diversity. If it is not cultural diversity, you don’t have a depth of the content also, you’re not listening or seeing. And if I look within IGF, and I made a tweet yesterday saying that there is not a single person who is not connected is here. I mean, if we are talking about IGF, we are not even inclusive ourselves, this platform itself is not inclusive. We haven’t made an effort to bring those who are unconnected to listen to them. We haven’t brought those who are suffering from connectivity. Also, maybe internet shutdown like in India, there is a region which is in under internet shutdown, which is Manipur, I’m sure at any point of time, they are not here. So we also do not make those efforts. So digital divide is a very deep issue. It’s a very, I would say it’s a very emotional issue also. And I would in my conclusion, I would also reply to the Bangladesh intervention. And a way forward if I can make is that the only way digital divide can be overcome is to look at internet or digital from gender perspective, perspective. It’s something like if your house is not complete, without gender inclusion, how can you be your colony can be complete? And therefore, how can we internet be complete without them. And if you start looking at internet and digital from gender perspective, you immediately become inclusive, you immediately become them as a as a as a front runner of the internet. And therefore you have more inclusion, you have more content inclusion. Also, you have more diversity inclusion also. And this is my personal experience working in India is that when we go to work in villages, we first give the connectivity devices or or access to women first. And whenever we give to women, it is utilized better, it is saner, it is peaceful, it is also good business. And also the business outcome goes to the family, you know, rather than go somewhere else. Seriously, and we have seen that one. And I would say the women are the best proof that if you want meaningful connectivity, give the connectivity to women. There will always be meaning. That’s what we have seen in the in the at least in India. And I would like to end there by saying that the way forward is that all of us sitting here on the panel are responsible for fighting digital divide and also taking the access as Zena said, taking the access to those people who are not connected with the skills and honor. Thank you very much for everybody’s participation and patience. Thank you, dear panel and my co-moderator Julian, who has silently been managing the online.

Julian:
Yes, I just want to say thank you to the government of Japan to host this meeting and also to the NRIs that has been participating in organizing the collaborative sessions. It’s an effort behind this and I wanted to highlight that that it’s important to continue working together addressing these issues as well as all the technical stuff that everything works smoothly because they are also supporting us in bringing this session to the remote hubs like in Bangladesh and people online. Great, thank you Julian. We will end with those

Osamah:
note of thanks. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.