ADDRESS BY
DR. BRENDA GAEL McSWEENEY
UNDP RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE &
UN RESIDENT COORDINATOR
IN INDIA
AT The 4th Mahbub Ul Haq Memorial
Inter-School Debate Competition
In Collaboration With
Rajiv Gandhi Foundation
23 OCTOBER 2001
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MRS. SONIA GANDHI, BIBEK, STUDENTS,TEACHERS, FRIENDS
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GOOD AFTERNOON ALL!
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I’M SO PLEASED TO BE WITH YOU THIS AFTERNOON.
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'PARTNERSHIPS TO FIGHT POVERTY' IS UNDP'S CENTRAL GOAL.
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LET ME THANK ALL OF
YOU HERE, THE STUDENTS AND RAJIV GANDHI FOUNDATION UNDER SONIAJI’S LEADERSHIP
IN PARTICULAR, FOR ACTIVELY PARTNERING US IN THE GLOBAL CAMPAIGN TO ERADICATE
POVERTY.
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AS A GLOBAL COMMUNITY, WE’VE SET OURSELVES THE GOAL OF
HALVING WORLD POVERTY BY 2015.
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THIS MEANS WE ALL
SHARE RESPONSIBILITY FOR BRINGING ABOUT THIS POSITIVE CHANGE.
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IT’S ALSO RECOGNITION
FROM ADULTS THAT WE NEED THE CREATIVITY AND SUPPORT OF ALL OF YOU YOUNG PEOPLE
HERE, IF WE’RE TO MAKE THAT CRITICAL DIFFERENCE, IN ORDER TO SUCCEED.
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YOUR TOPIC THIS YEAR FOR THE INTER-SCHOOL DEBATE FINALS -
'DIGITAL AGE DOES NOT WIDEN THE GENDER GAP' – DIRECTLY FLOWS FROM THE THEME FOR
THIS YEAR’S INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR POVERTY ERADICATION: 'THE ROLE OF
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY'.
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IT ALSO ILLUSTRATES
SOME OF THE REASONS WHY WE NEED YOUNG PEOPLE TO REALLY COME ON BOARD THIS FIGHT
AGAINST POVERTY.
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MANY OF MY FRIENDS
COMPLAIN THAT ONCE THEIR CHILDREN LEAVE HOME FOR UNIVERSITY, THEY LOSE THEIR
IN-HOUSE COMPUTER CONSULTANTS!
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THESE TECHNOLOGIES
ARE INTEGRAL TO YOUR WORLD; HOWEVER NOT ALL ADULTS HAVE COPED AS WELL WITH THE
CHANGE!
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IT’S ALWAYS
DIFFICULT TO MAKE A SPEECH AFTER SUCH A HIGH QUALITY DEBATE --- MANY OF THE
ISSUES I WILL RAISE WERE TOUCHED ON I
HEAR, IN YOUR EXCELLENT INTERVENTIONS.
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THE FEMINISATION OF
POVERTY IS ONE SUCH ISSUE.
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WE KNOW THAT WHILE
THE PROPORTION OF PEOPLE LIVING ON LESS THAN A DOLLAR A DAY HAS DROPPED BY SOME
PERCENTAGE POINTS.
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YET EVEN IF WE
SUCCEED IN HALVING THE NUMBER OF THE WORLD'S POOR BY 2015, THERE WILL STILL BE MORE THAN 900 MILLION PEOPLE LIVING
IN EXTREME POVERTY.
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IF CURRENT TRENDS ARE
NOT REVERSED, MORE THAN FIFTY PERCENT OF THESE WILL BE WOMEN.
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THERE ARE MANY
FACTORS AT PLAY HERE: UNEQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK, AND DISPARITIES IN OWNERSHIP
AND CONTROL OF THE MEANS OF PRODUCTION, FOR EXAMPLE.
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HOWEVER TODAY YOUR
DEBATE HAS RAISED ISSUES RELATING TO ACCESS TO EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY, SO
CENTRAL TO THE NEW KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY.
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I BELIEVE THAT IN THE EARLY 80s IT WAS PRIME MINISTER RAJIV
GANDHI’s VISION AND FORESIGHT WHICH SET THE COUNTRY ON THE PATH TO
COMPUTERISATION.
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UNDP IN PARTNERSHIP
WITH THE NATIONAL INFORMATICS CENTRE,
WAS HAPPY TO PLAY A ROLE IN SETTING UP THE COUNTRY'S MAINFRAMES - THE
FOUNDATION FOR TODAY'S INFRASTRUCTURE.
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INDIA'S LEADERSHIP
TODAY IN THE I.T. SECTOR OWES MUCH TO RAJIVJI'S PIONEERING ZEAL AND RECOGNITION
THAT IT IS A TOOL FOR DEVELOPMENT - A
CENTRAL MESSAGE OF THIS YEAR'S GLOBAL HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT, WHICH FOCUSES
ON 'MAKING NEW TECHNOLOGIES WORK FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT'.
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IN THE PAST, TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION AND ITS ROLL-OUT HAVE
SOMETIMES UNINTENTIONALLY DISEMPOWERED WOMEN.
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FOR EXAMPLE,
MECHANISED ACTIVITY TENDS TO FALL UNDER
MALE CONTROL, ESPECIALLY WHEN PREVIOUSLY UNPAID WORK BECOMES PAID.
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SO IN DESIGNING THE BIO/INFORMATION VILLAGES INITIATIVE IN
PONDICHERRY - AN INNOVATIVE PROGRAMME TO USE NETWORK TECHNOLOGY TO ACCESS
CRITICAL INFORMATION AT THE VILLAGE LEVEL, THE M.S. SWAMINATHAN RESEARCH
FOUNDATION TOOK VERY CAREFULLY THOUGHT-OUT STEPS TO MAKE SURE THAT WOMEN WOULD
HAVE ACCESS TO THE NEW TECHNOLOGIES BEING INTRODUCED.
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THEY TRAINED TWO
WOMEN TO RUN THE MAIN RELAY CENTRE, SO THAT WOMEN COULD SEE THIS WAS A
TECHNOLOGY THEY COULD CONTROL.
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THE TEAM THEN
PROCEEDED TO WORK WITH WOMEN TO SEE WHAT KIND OF CONTENT WOULD BE USEFUL TO
THEM, AND WHAT HOURS WOULD BE BEST FOR THEM TO COME FOR TRAINING ---
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GIVEN THAT WOMEN
EVERYWHERE FACE MORE RESTRICTIONS TO THEIR MOVEMENTS AND VERY OFTEN
NON-NEGOTIABLE DEMANDS ON THEIR TIME.
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AS PROF. SWAMINATHAN
MENTIONS IN THIS YEAR'S HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT, 'IF WOMEN ARE EMPOWERED WITH
TECHNOLOGICAL INFORMATION AND SKILLS, ALL MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY BENEFIT - THE
REVERSE MAY NOT HAPPEN'.
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HOWEVER EVEN WITH HIS
VISION AND CONSCIOUS ATTEMPTS TO GIVE EQUAL ACCESS AND CONTROL OF THESE NEW
TECHNOLOGIES TO THE DISADVANTAGED, ONLY ONE-FIFTH OF USERS ARE WOMEN, AND
ONE-THIRD FROM SOCIALLY UNDERPRIVILEGED HOUSEHOLDS.
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ANOTHER SUBJECT
STUDENTS CAN DEBATE!
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SO WHILE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES CAN BE A POWERFUL ENABLER
OF DEVELOPMENT ---
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FOR KNOWLEDGE
SHARING,
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FOR ENCOURAGING REAL
PARTICIPATION IN DECISION-MAKING ,
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AND SHARING OF GOOD
PRACTICE,
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WE NEED TO
CONSCIOUSLY MONITOR HOW THESE TECHNOLOGIES ARE ROLLED OUT SO THAT ALL MEMBERS
OF THE COMMUNITY ARE ABLE TO USE THEM TO TAP THEIR OWN POTENTIAL.
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IN BANKURA, A DROUGHT-PRONE AREA OF WEST BENGAL, THE
METEROLOGICAL DATA ON WATER BODIES HAS BEEN MAPPED USING GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY.
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THIS DATABASE HELPED
PLANNERS LOCATE LONG FORGOTTEN WATER BODIES.
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HEERA - A LOCAL WOMAN
EXPLAINED TO US THAT THIS HAS REDUCED THE DISTANCES WOMEN WALK TO FETCH WATER.
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STANDING BESIDE HER
WELL, SHE SHOWED US HOW THE CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES AND OIL SEED ARE NOW
GOING ON EVEN IN THE DRY SEASON.
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THE UNITED NATIONS VOLUNTEERS IS TAKING THE LEAD IN YET
ANOTHER INTIATIVE TO BRIDGE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE CALLED UNITeS – THAT’S THE UN
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICE.
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NATIONAL UN
VOLUNTEERS WORKING AT BLOCK LEVEL HAVE HELPED ENSURE QUICK INFORMATION ON
CHANGES IN THE WEATHER, CRITICAL IN CYCLONE-PRONE AREAS.
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AND FOR YOUNG PEOPLE,
THIS SERVICE PROVED INVALUABLE, AS THE COMMUNITY USED THE INFORMATION KIOSKS TO
INSTANTLY ACCESS MATRICULATION RESULTS THROUGH THE INTERNET.
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WITHOUT IT THEY WOULD
HAVE HAD EXTRA DAYS OF TENSE WAITING UNTIL THE RESULT BOOK ARRIVED.
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TO THE DELIGHT AT
LEAST OF THOSE WHO DID WELL(!), THE
UNITeS VOLUNTEERS WERE ABLE TO INSTANTLY PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH THEIR INDIVIDUAL
MARK SHEETS.
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MADHYA PRADESH'S GYANDOOT INTIATIVES ALSO COME TO MIND -
VILLAGE INFORMATION CENTRES ARE RUN BY TEENAGE I.T. EXPERTS.
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ONLY SLIGHTLY OLDER
THAN SOME OF YOU, THEY PROVIDE ACCESS TO MANDI PRICES AND OTHER CRUCIAL
INFORMATION.
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AND WHEN THE DAY'S
WORK IS DONE, KIDS QUEUE UP TO DOWNLOAD THE INFORMATION TO PREPARE FOR THEIR
EXAMS.
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A FEW WEEKS AGO WE WERE AT SIDALGHATTA ON THE OUTKIRTS OF
BANGALORE.
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WE SAW THE EFFORTS OF
THE HOME-GROWN IT GIANT WIPRO IN KARNATAKA.
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THE AZIM PREMJI
FOUNDATION HAS PLEDGED TO BRING E-LEARNING AND COMPUTER LITERACY TO THOUSANDS
OF VILLAGE SCHOOLS -BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE BETWEEN YOUNG PEOPLE IN RURAL
AND URBAN AREAS.
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THERE THE CHILDREN
ARE EAGERLY PERCHED AT THE COMPUTER TERMINALS, ONE AT THE KEY BOARD, ANOTHER
WITH THE MOUSE, STILL ANOTHER CALLING COMMANDS --- TOGETHER TACKLING MATH,
SCIENCE, AND LANGUAGE QUIZZES, MADE FUN THROUGH COMPUTER GAMES.
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ACCORDING TO THIS YEAR’S UNDP HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT, 76%
OF PEOPLE LIVING IN THE SO CALLED “INDUSTRIALISED” COUNTRIES ARE INTERNET
USERS, COMPARED TO ONLY 0.4 PERCENT OF THOSE LIVING IN SOUTH ASIA.
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SO THERE ARE SO MANY DIGITAL DIVIDES - GENDER, GENERATION,
RURAL VS URBAN, INDUSTRIALIZED VS DEVELOPING WORLDS.
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WE NEED TO WORK
TOGETHER TO DEVELOP CREATIVE SOLUTIONS TO BRIDGE THESE DIVIDES, SO THAT WE CAN
LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE AT LEAST YOU WILL BE ABLE TO TELL YOUR CHILDREN, HOW WELL
WE MANAGED TO DEAL WITH WORLD POVERTY IN OUR TIME.
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THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL SET UP BY WORLD LEADERS
- HALVING WORLD POVERTY BY 2015 ---
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SEEMS SO HUGE A
CHALLENGE THAT WE CAN FEEL POWERLESS.
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I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT
YOU WILL APPLY YOUR MINDS AND COMPUTERS TO THIS PROBLEM.
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I’VE GIVEN SOME
EXAMPLES OF HOW OUTSTANDING INDIANS, CHILDREN INCLUDED, ARE MAKING A
DIFFERENCE.
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WE NEED EVEN MORE VISIONARIES – TO HAVE MADE IT HERE TODAY,
EACH OF YOU HAS VISIONARY TRAITS!
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SO BRAVO --- AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH!