Infopoverty Network

Infopoverty network

Infopoverty is a common platform which aims to struggle poverty and promote a sustainable development through the innovative use of the ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies), able to provide broadband services such as telemedicine, e-learning, e-government, etc. to disadvantaged communities.

Infopoverty is a programme born in the framework of the United Nations and coordinated by OCCAM; it involves more than 200 international institutions and organizations which over the years have joined the Infopoverty network as a whole or in one of its parts.  

It is composed by:

  • Infopoverty World Conference started in 2001 on the wave of the proclamation of the Millennium Development Goals. It is a conference that takes place annually at the United Nations Headquarter (NY) and in videoconference in parallel sessions, such as in Milan, Paris (UNESCO), Brussels (European Commission), Geneva (International Telecommunication Union- ITU) and other locations in Africa and Latin America, where activities of the Infopoverty Programme have been implemented. In its several years of activity, the conference, formed by a number of high level speakers, leading experts and academics, government officials and NGOs, has addressed all the issues related to the Millennium Development Goals, proposing about 2,000 solutions related to the digital innovation. Indeed, it has given birth to 850 projects in coordination with over 1800 public and private institutions operating in more than 60 countries all over the world. The Infopoverty World Conference annually points out new development strategies, introducing the most innovative solutions and the best practices, elaborated by the United Nations system, governments and the civil society. It is the most important event organized at the UN Headquarters dealing with the role of new technological devices in the struggle against poverty; for this reason, it embodies the perfect occasion where to showcase innovative solutions that are particular relevant to final users in emerging countries. Here is the list of all the editions of IWC:
  • 2001, Milan, Aula Magna Catholic University: opening of the 1th Infopoverty Conference (IWC), ‘Infopoverty: possible solutions’, in videoconference with UNHQ;
  • 2002, Milan, Aula Magna Catholic University: the 2th IWC, ‘Infopoverty: from possible solutions to action’, in videoconference with UNHQ;
  • 2003, Milan, Aula Magna Catholic University and Politecnico of Milan: the 3th IWC, ‘New tools and best practices. The role of ICTs in reaching the MDGs’;
  • 2004, Milan, Aula Magna Catholic University: the 4th IWC, ‘New Frontiers of the ICTs: services for development’, in videoconference with UNHQ;
  • 2005, New York, UNHQ: the 5th IWC, ‘Actors and strategies for development: digital technology to fight poverty’;
  • 2006, New York, UNHQ: the 6th IWC, ‘Fighting poverty to create prosperity for all’;
  • 2007, New York, UNHQ: the 7th IWC, ‘Harnessing the use of ICTs towards the MDGs’;
  • 2008, New York, UNHQ: the 8th IWC, ‘Low cost- smart technologies to fight poverty and save the planet’;
  • 2009, New York, UNHQ: the 9th IWC, ‘ICTs Good Use, Abuse, Refuse towards the MDGs’;
  • 2010, New York, UNHQ: the 10th IWC, ‘How the digital revolution can defeat poverty and achieve the Lisbon and MDGs’;
  • 2011, New York, UNHQ: the 11th IWC conference, ‘E-services: the new paradigm for development and achievement of the MDGs’;
  • 2012, New York, UNHQ: the 12th IWC Conference, ‘Who drives the digital revolution? Development through innovation’;
  • 2013, New York, UNHQ: the 13th IWC Conference, ‘ICT Innovations for nation building and the empowerment of people’;
  • 2014, New York, UNHQ: the 14th IWC Conference, ‘How the digital innovation can accelerate the achievement of the MDGs and help launch the Sustainable Development Goals?’;
  • 2015, New York, UNHQ: the 15th IWC Conference, ‘SDGs and European year for Development’;
  • 2016, New York, UNHQ: the 16th IWC Conference, ‘ICTs as the tools for everyone to achieve dignity and freedom’;
  • 2017, New York, UNHQ: the 17th IWC Conference, ‘Transferring knowledge and technologies: the way to combat poverty and make the world safer’

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  • Infopoverty seminars → Since 2001 OCCAM has been organizing, in the framework of the UN agenda, seminars on specific issues related to its activities:
    • 2005, Tunis: World Summit of Information Society (WSIS), Infopoverty Seminar on the Borji Ettouil village created by OCCAM;
    • 2006, Geneva: the Infopoverty Seminar at UNCSTAD (Commission for Science and Technology for Development);
    • 2007, Addis Ababa, (Ethiopia): first Africa-EU Partnership Summit, where OCCAM launched the maternal core project, presented at Kigali Connect Africa 1th Meeting;
    • 2009, Rome: FAO Summit, African Delegates with Pierpaolo Saporito;
    • 2016, Marrakech: Infopoverty Seminar during COP22. To know more about COP22, please consult the specific section.
  • Infopoverty Exhibition presents the best practices and most advanced technological innovations in the field of ICT for development. It offers to the wide public the opportunity to benefit from all those technologies able to deeply change end-users’ lives in developing countries. It is an occasion to really make people understand what the needs of those who are living in the poorest countries are and which technological solutions can be useful, considering the particular economical and environmental conditions in which products are to be used. Born as a fulfillment of the World Conference, it has become autonomous since February 2007, during the conference ‘Build Up Expo’ held at Milan Fairground, which was attended by more than 40 participants, including industries, governments, universities, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations. Here is a list of the Infopoverty exhibitions:  

 

  • 2003, Milan, Bramante Cloister: the 1st Infopoverty Exhibition;
  • 2004, Milan, the 2nd Infopoverty Exhibition;
  • 2006, Milan: Fair, the 3th Infopoverty Exhibition;
  • 2007, Geneva UNHQ: the 4th Infopoverty Exhibition at ECOSOC Innovation Fair;
  • 2009, Geneva UNHQ: the Infopoverty Exhibition at ECOSOC Innovation Fair visited by Ban Ki-Moon;
  • 2009, Abu Dhabi: the 6th Infopoverty Exhibition;
  • 2010, New York, Tribeca Cinema: The 1st edition of “Signs of  change” film festival.
  • ICT Villages created in straitened communities of emerging countries, to lead to a development process thanks to the employment of modern technologies. To know more about the ICT villages, please consult the specific section.
  • Infopoverty Global Platform connects, through a broadband system, the communities in need (service users) with international assistance centres (service providers) specialized in telemedicine, e-learning, e-agriculture, food security and e-governance. To know more about the Global platform, please consult the specific section.

 

  • Infopoverty Institute: In 2004 OCCAM promoted the creation of the first Infopoverty Institute, at University of Oklahoma. Its mission is to train experts in the field of the social use of ICTs for the development of disadvantaged communities, with the following goals:

 

  • to forward the Infopoverty vision to the academic world, in order to engage researchers and universities in the individuation of the most advanced solutions for sustainable development;
  • to train those who work in the field of ICTs for development;
  • to support the organization of the Infopoverty World Conference and the activities of the Infopoverty Programme with specialized high level seminars. 

To know more about the Infopoverty Institute, please consult: http://infopoverty.ou.edu