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Austin American-Statesman

Austin hosts two-day U.N. conference
Diplomats, local leaders discuss global technology access

By Katie Humphrey
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

United Nations delegates and international diplomats met with local government and high-tech representatives Tuesday at City Hall to discuss ways to bridge the worldwide digital divide.

Austin Mayor Will Wynn hosted the discussion, which kicked off a two-day celebration of the U.N.'s 60th anniversary.

The event ends this morning with a breakfast ceremony featuring a speech on U.N. reform by Texas native Richard Miller, deputy assistant secretary for the Bureau of International Organization Affairs at the State Department.

Similar conferences have been held in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Convening in Austin to discuss the U.N.'s role in global technology was a natural choice, said organizer Susan Moore, an Austin resident and member of the U.S. delegation to the U.N. General Assembly.

"Texas is such a leader in international trade and technology," she said, adding that it gives diplomats a chance to meet U.S. residents outside New York.

During the two-hour discussion, U.N. delegates and consular representatives from Uganda, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and the Democratic Republic of Congo urged representatives from local high-tech companies and universities to forge partnerships to bring technology to developing nations.

"To achieve meaningful development, we need science and technology, and above all, we need partnerships," said Francis K. Butagira, Uganda's delegate.

High prices and lack of education are among the hurdles facing countries confronting the digital divide, said Atoki Christian Ileka, a delegate from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"Information technology access is important to democracy because we gain knowledge and education, and then the person who is educated can then help in development," he said.

Incentives and free trade would make technology companies more eager to invest in foreign countries, said Nan McRaven of Freescale Semiconductor Inc.

"It's about incentivizing companies to go places they wouldn't normally go," she said.

Tuesday evening's events were expected to include a concert featuring Mary Wilson of the Supremes and Pakistani musicians Nauman Lasharie and Shumaila Hussain at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum.