Key Issues Raised by Participants

Some participants felt very strongly that ICTs were a luxury and that poor people had much more pressing needs (clean water, access to education and health services, etc.), while others were equally adamant in arguing that ICTs could facilitate access to knowledge and information that would help poor people to improve their lives and even to gain access to some of the needed services. As part of this debate, there was also much discussion about the role of "information intermediaries," i.e. NGOs or educated individuals in the rural area who could help poor, illiterate/semi-literate rural people to access and use ICTs. Again, there were divided opinions, with some being very enthusiastic about the role of intermediaries and others saying that information intermediaries have had mixed success and/or that they simply became another barrier or gatekeeper between rural people and information.

2. Language was considered to be a critical barrier.
People who are not fluent in English are at a serious disadvantage in using the Internet and use of the Internet is especially difficult for people who are fluent only in local languages.

3. The definition of what is included in ICTs was discussed at length.
Many participants mentioned that it was necessary to think beyond computers and the Internet and also to include mobile phones and other communications equipment and techniques.

4. It was generally agreed that there is no single appropriate approach to capacity building.
Some participants urged that efforts should be concentrated in working with youth and educated women while others argued that this would alienate and further marginalize poor women. Instead, they said that ICTs should be seen as offering an opportunity to help poor illiterate women gain access to information and knowledge.

5. There was discussion about the efficacy of ICT-based training
and it was generally agreed that while it was useful for the transmission of some types of knowledge and skills, there was still a need for human contact. Related to this, there was also discussion about the tendency for women to avoid studying technical subjects in science and technology.

6. It was generally agreed that cultural contexts, while different from one place to another, are extremely important everywhere and any efforts to introduce ICTs to rural communities must be made within existing, acceptable cultural frameworks.
This factor is not always taken into consideration by international organizations that set up ICT projects in rural areas.

7. ICTs have had a substantial impact on the quality of work environments and women have been affected both positively and negatively.
Although many women have acquired employment in call centers or in other ICT-based firms, there is still a tendency for the best-paid and most prestigious jobs to be held by men. Moreover, the actual number of women who have found good employment through outsourcing is relatively small and most of them come from elite backgrounds.

8. It was generally agreed that efforts should be made to ensure that gender issues receive a high profile at WSIS-Tunis
and that women work jointly with men to sensitize policymakers in their own countries, as part of the preparatory activities for Tunis.