The term “digital divide” refers to the gap between individuals, households, businesses and geographic areas at different socio-economic levels regarding both their opportunities to access information and communication technologies (ICTs) and to their use of the Internet for a wide variety of activities. At a basic level, the participation of citizens and enterprises in the information society depends on access to ICT, i.e. the presence of electronic devices, such as computers, and internet connections. The term digital divide explicitly includes access to ICTs, as well as the related skills that are needed to take part in the information society.
The United Nations recognises that the digital divide and the associated inequalities in technology diffusion affect people’s access to the benefits of technologies and risk further exacerbating social divides. The UN has stressed that developing countries should cultivate and empower local research and innovation ecosystems by providing local actors with the necessary knowledge resources and creating an enabling institutional and regulatory environment.
Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), the largest grouping of the developing world, has been stressing the need to bridge the digital divide. NAM reiterated its position during its 19th Summit held in Kampala, Uganda, on January 19-20, 2024. NAM recognises that the digital divide has been taking new dimensions, including a growing gap in broadband connectivity between and within developed and developing countries in terms of the availability, affordability and use of information and communications technologies, and access to broadband and Internet, which must be bridged if developing countries are to benefit from the globalization process and of the enormous potentials of ICTs as important tools for economic, social and political development. At the 19th Summit, NAM reiterated its conviction that a people-centered, inclusive and development-oriented Information Society based on information and communication technology could contribute to the achievement of internationally agreed development goals, including those contained in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and address new challenges faced by humankind.
NAM also underlined the importance of removing barriers to bridging the digital divide, particularly those that hinder the full achievement of the economic, social and cultural development of the countries and the welfare of their people in developing countries. Further, NAM called for an end to the use of information and communication technologies, including social networks, in contravention of international law and in detriment to the interests of the Member States. NAM underlined that States may, as appropriate, also consider ways and means with a view to making the private sector with extra-territorial impacts, including platforms, accountable for their behaviour in the ICT environment.
The Final Outcome Document of the Kampala Summit reaffirmed that in order to transform the digital divide to digital opportunities, these activities should ensure the imperative of universal, inclusive and non-discriminatory access to information and knowledge related to ICT, and should result in supporting national efforts in developing countries in the area of building, improving and strengthening capacities to facilitate their genuine involvement in all aspects of the information society and knowledge economy. The document encouraged all the States to contribute actively to ensuring that the Information Society is founded on and stimulates respect for gender equality and women empowerment, cultural identity, cultural, ethnic and linguistic diversity, traditions and religions and ethical values.
NAM also called for increasing cooperation to promote a New World Information and Communication Order, based on universal, inclusive and non-discriminatory access to information and knowledge relating to ICT, as an essential requirement to reduce the growing digital divide between developed and developing countries and to achieve the internationally agreed development goals including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
