PRESENTATION OF THE COMMONWEALTH CONNECTS PROGRAMME

The Commonwealth Connects Programme is helping to bridge the deepening Digital Divide across the 53 countries of the Commonwealth. In an attempt to mitigate this increasing digital fragmentation, a collaborative effort of the Commonwealth Secretariat, Commonwealth partner agencies and member countries has formed the Commonwealth Connects Programme.It is a multi-stakeholder partnership aimed at tapping available Commonwealth resources to fast track positive change. It is a unique initiative that enables the transfer of technology and expertise across the whole Commonwealth.

In 2005, the 53 Heads of Government met under the theme "Networking the Commonwealth for Development". At a previous CHOGM, Heads of Government had endorsed what was previously the 'Commonwealth Action Programme for the Digital Divide', now known as the 'Commonwealth Connects Programme', that identified broad programme areas where the Commonwealth had a comparative advantage, in the context of international collaboration, due to a shared legacy of institutional and regulatory development.
Heads of Government further identifed key implementation partners that could assist with the execution of the Programme, namely the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Commonwealth Network of Information Technology for Development, the Commonwealth Business Council, the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association, the Commonwealth Telecommunication Organisation, the Commonwealth of Learning, the Commonwealth Foundation, the Government of Malta, the Governmnent of India, the Government of Mozambique, the Governmnet of Trinidad & Tobago.
They also mandated the Commonwealth Secretary General to seek synergies with other (non- Commonwealth) development networks and agencies.
As part of the unfolding process, participants at a High-Level Forum held in London between the 23rd and 25th June 2005 discussed and officially proposed specific initiatives to Heads of Government within the following programming areas:
• Building Policy and Regulatory Capacity
• Modernising Education and Skills Development
• Entrepreneurship for Weallth Creation and Poverty Reduction
• Promoting Local Access and Connectivity
• Regional Networking, Local Content and Knowledge
Consultation meetings were held to provide input to the High Level Forum in London. A Caribbean consultation held on the 12-13 th May in Antigua was followed by an Africa/Asia-Pacific consultation held in Malta on the 16-17 th June. The latter was convened by the Commonwealth Secretariat in association with COMNET-IT and held under the auspices of Malta's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Malta meeting targeted a cross-section of national representatives at development- policy level. It also sought to engage Civil Society and key regional and international development agencies that identified the mainstreaming of ICTs within their regional development agenda. This has helped ensure that any specific initiatives proposed under the Commonwealth Connects Programme were responsive to regional needs and strongly supported or complemented the programmes of regional development agencies. The output from the consultation meetings consisted of specific project proposals (within the programme areas identified) endorsed at the 2005 CHOGM. This also constitutes the Commonwealth's contribution to WSIS. Apart from identifying projects that will leverage regional development, member countries are also encouraged to provide intellectual and experiential resource contributions that would go towards enhancing networking in the ICT domain, thereby leveraging South-South knowledge transfer.
By focusing on these well-defined areas, the Commonwealth Connects Programme will enhance and support the global effort of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and the MDGs. Three projects have already been selected for immediate implementation, namely the Rebuilding After the Tsunami: Using ICTs for Change, Small Business Training for Women in Cameroon Using Radio Programme, and Computers for Communities.