U.N. Information and Communication Technologies Task Force

Overview
The U.N. Information and Communication Technologies Task Force (UN ICT) was created in November 2001, as requested by the Economic and Social Council.

The task force followed in the footsteps of several initiatives including the World Economic Forum and the G8 and was thought to be a broader legitimization of these two initiatives. The intention of the Task Force was to lend a global dimension to the efforts previously made to bridge the global digital divide and to advance digital opportunity for all.

The principal endeavor of the Task Force was to offer policy advice to governments as well as international organizations in bridging the digital divide. Partnerships between the U.N. systems and states, private industry, foundations, donors, trusts and other stakeholders were the intent.

The Task Force held ten semi-annual meetings in locations that served as important venues for exchange of best practices. According to the participants the most successful meetings were held in juxtaposition with a series of Global Forums beginning in November 2001 in New York and finalizing at the World Summit on the Information Society held in Tunisia in November 2005. One of the most notable successes of the Task Force was the creation of Global eSchools and Communities Initiative (GeSCI) a non-profit organization with the intent to improve education through the use of information and communication technologies.