VITTORIO MACCHITELLA Deputy Secretary General of UNIONCAMERE UNIONCAMERE Genel Sekreter Yardımcısı The Internet Makes it Possibleto Reach Every Country and Region In the age of the information and technology society, a new feature has emerged to characterise relations between industrialised and developing countries. This is the so-called digital divide - the rift created by varying conditions of access to information technologies that penalises less evolved systems and provides richer countries with competitive advantages. Today's global market offers enormous opportunities. The Internet makes it possible to reach every country and region of the world in real time and allows people to find the goods and services they need at the best conditions. There are movements that are opposed to the new market and they are right to protest against an encroaching globalization without rules. However they are wrong when they refuse to recognise its positive aspects. In fact, globalization is an irreversible and fundamentally positive phenomenon, though rules still need to be made. We must all work towards transforming the system that stems from the Information Society into a permanent situation with the capacity to express its true potential in terms of increased wealth and better living conditions.The Information Society's benefits are not yet distributed equally and the road ahead will be long. No doubt, the context in which the digital divide operates is far more complex than the one in which relations between industrial and evolving countries have traditionally developed. It is weighed down by traditional differences of wealth, demographics, education and culture, yet a fundamental role has now been assumed by state organisations. Linked to the technological revolution are changes in cultural and social models and these are destined to cause deep-rooted changes in the relations individuals have with institutions and economic systems. The public sector therefore plays a role of key importance firstly because it is responsible for organising the rules that must govern competition on the Internet between individuals and businesses; it must ensure freedom of access in a context of security. Unfortunately most developing countries do not possess justice and administration systems capable of preventing the development of abuses of power by the stronger. Freedom of access, confidentiality and security are fundamental elements for the development of e-commerce. Consumer protection, privacy, the availability of foolproof firewalls and authentication and certification systems for firms, are all part of the strategic field of security.There is a strong demand for international co-operation to ensure electronic commerce can operate in a climate of trust and security. This is also accompanied by a keen need for learning and know-how: the right mental conditions must be created for individuals to master the new technologies effectively. Teaching people basic elements to approach internet is not enough if the background needed to let them achieve the benefits is lacking. The issue of education should also include another fundamental element: namely that technologies are not ends in themselves but rather they are tools that can produce results only if they are subservient to a strategy. The plans for e-government drawn up by a number of governments and the European Commission represent the first draft of a strategy. These aspects have been seized on by the governments that make up the G8. At the Okinawa summit in July 2000 a Charter on the Global Information Society was adopted and a commission set up known as the Digital Opportunity Task Force or DOT Force. Its task is to build a common heritage out of the challenges and opportunities that spring from the new information and communication technologies and the role they can play in promoting compatible and shared development processes with the aim of improving relations among states, companies and individuals, creating wealth and helping to strengthen a sense of community that includes the weaker groups. As a result of the DOT Force, a frame of consistency has been established for projects spearheaded by governments and international bodies; resources have been made available to handle these challenges and opportunities. No fewer than 43 countries have contributed and the results of the DOT Force will be presented as part of the programme under discussion in Genoa in July 2001. Proposals revolve around the creation, by the end of 2001, of an International e-Development Resource Network involving the participation of both interested governments and the private sector. They will work to define appropriate rules and strategies to safeguard equal opportunities of access to the global network. The necessary resources will be made available. The strategy's objectives are the enhancement and diffusion of knowledge, the reduction of Internet costs (access, surfing the web and site hosting), the exchange and diffusion of the best practices, measures geared to reduce the isolation of rural and periphery areas, research and development and the creation of a network of help and assistance centres. Europe's Chambers of Commerce fully support these objectives. For the last few years they have been committed to fostering co-operation between firms by organising drives and programmes as well as transferring and sharing institutional know-how and best practices throughout their own network. VITTORIO MACCHITELLA: "INTERNET TÜM ÜLKE VE BÖLGELERE ERİŞİMİ MÜMKÜN KILIYOR" Dijital eşitsizlik, bilgi ve teknoloji çağında sanayileşmiş ve gelişmekte olan ülkeler arasındaki ilişkileri tanımlayan yeni bir özellik. Gelişmiş ve gelişmekte olan ülkeler arasındaki bu eşitsizlik, bilgi teknolojilerine farklı düzeylerde erişilebilmesi nedeniyle, daha az gelişmiş sistemlerin cezalandırılarak, daha zengin ülkelerin rekabet avantajı elde etmesinden kaynaklanıyor. Kuralsız küreselleşmeyi haklı olarak protesto eden hareketler var. Ancak küreselleşmenin temelde olumlu bir olgu olduğunu göz ardı etmek de yanlış olur. Teknolojik devrim beraberinde kişilerin kurumlar ve ekonomik sistemlerle olan ilişkilerine köklü sosyal ve kültürel değişiklikler getiriyor. Bu konuda kamu sektörüne çok önemli bir rol düşüyor. Erişim özgürlüğü, mahremiyet, gizlilik ve güvenlik e-ticaretin gelişmesi için gerekli olan temel unsurlar. Eğitim sorunun bir başka temel unsuru da, teknolojinin kendi başına bir amaç olmayıp, sadece bir strateji dahilinde kullanıldığında sonuç üreten bir araç olduğu öğretisi. Temmuz 2000'de yapılan Okinawa Zirvesin'de, Küresel Bilgi Derneği Beratı'nın kabul edilmesiyle birlikte, açılımı Dijital Fırsat Çalışma Kolu olan DOT Gücü adlı bir komisyon kuruldu. En az 43 ülkenin katkıda bulunduğu bu komisyonun elde ettiği sonuçlar Haziran 2001'de, Cenova'da görüşülecek olan programın bir bölümü olarak sunulacak. 2001'in sonunda hem ilgili hükümetler, hem de özel sektörün katılacağı bir Uluslararası e-Gelişim Araçları Ağı kurulması doğrultusunda öneriler var. Avrupa'daki Ticaret Odaları da bu amaçları tam olarak destekliyor.