A Dialogue on ICTs and Poverty: The IDRC-Harvard Forum

As part of the WSIS Geneva 2003 pep process, IDRC and Harvard held their first groundbreaking forum on ICTs and poverty in September 2003, - 30 experts from around the world gathered at Harvard University to discuss how information and communication technologies (ICTs) can help to reduce poverty. The participants included members of the Harvard faculty, educators, academics, and engineers from developing countries, and Nobel prize winning economists. 


Some quick facts:



Their objectives were:

• to discuss the connections between diffusion of ICTs, and poverty, in developing countries of different kinds; 
• to consider ways which ICT policies, management and investments can be more effective for poverty reduction; 
• to consider priority areas for action and research, for increasing the contribution of ICTs to poverty reduction.

Highlights:

You can access the summary of the forum here. A summary video, interviews with participants, and an extensive background survey of ICTs for Poverty Reduction, can be accessed at the IDRC site here. This is a really new and multidisciplinary field, with much more to be learned for sure. I'm surely excited to be at the forefront of this movement in ICT4D!