Fighting rural poverty : the role of information and communication technologies|[What can information and communication technologoes (ICTs) do for the world's 900 million extremely poor people who live in rural areas?]

This paper brings together some presentations, key issues and recommendations emerged during the discussion in a side event organised by IFAD at the WSIS. The paper calls for greater emphasis on communication rather than on technology, and on the process and content rather than on access and machines. Effective ICT deployment must satisfy the need for ownership, local content, language, culture and appropriateness of technology used. Crucially, communication initiatives should aim at strengthening the capacities of rural people to participate in policy processes