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UN Report: open source software key to bridging digital divide
In short:
In the third edition of its E-Commerce and Development Report, the UN
Conference on Trade and Development identified the implications of the
growth of the digital economy for developing countries.

Brief news:
The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) published its
228-pages "E-Commerce and Development Report 2003" on 20 November
2003. The report highlights opportunities and problems as regards the
growth of the Internet and the development of information and
communication technologies (ICT) for the developing countries. The
report is also designed to contribute to the debates at the World
Summit on the Information Society which will take place in Geneva from
10-12 December 2003.

Key messages of the 2003 annual report are as follows:

the gap between developed and developing countries (the 'digital
divide') in the use of ICT remains wide;
around 50 per cent of all email messages in circulation by the end of
2003 could be unsolicited emails (commonly known as spam), costing the
world more than 17.5 billion euro in wasted technical resources;
the use of free and open-source software offers many benefits to
developing countries and can be "a means of bridging the digital
divide";
business process outsourcing from developed to developing countries
such as India, Brazil, China and others is a growing market and offers
large economic opportunities for developing countries;
the Internet can be used by developing countries to market their
agricultural exports;
the developing countries should also promote and facilitate online
dispute resolution as an alternative to national litigation.
Links:


Official documents:

UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD): Press release
"Open-source software could boost ICT sector in developing countries,
says UNCTAD report" [FR] (20 Nov. 2003)
UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD): E-Commerce and
Development Report 2003 (Nov. 2003)
UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD): E-Commerce and
Development Report 2003 - overview (Nov. 2003)

IMPORTANT REMARK
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