Creating Knowledge Networks for Sustainable Development

Abstract

World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)+10 Review Meeting, From Digital to Knowledge Divide, Thematic Forum 1, UNESCO, France, 25 February 2013, Presented by Professor Asha Kanwar and co-written with Dr. K. Balasubramanian, Commonwealth of Learning // Let me begin with a brief introduction to my organisation the Commonwealth of Learning. The Commonwealth of Learning is an intergovernmental organization established by Commonwealth Heads of Government to serve the 54 Member States that span all regions of the globe. Our headquarters are in Vancouver and we have a regional office in New Delhi. Our overarching theme is ‘learning for development’. COL’s mission is to help Commonwealth Member States harness the potential of distance education and technologies to enhance access to learning which contributes to development. // Many Commonwealth countries are trying to accelerate progress towards the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals by the fast-approaching target date of 2015. As such, the Commonwealth Heads of Government are concerned about how to address the rural-urban divides that keep more than half their populations from accessing vital global knowledge flows. The rural-urban divide is also a knowledge divide.