Connected Rural Communities
Welcome to Connected Rural Communities, where we aim to help the bringing together communities and small villages all over Asia through the power of Information and Communication Technologies. Many International organizations such as; Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) among others are also committed to the goal of extending Information and Communication Technologies to rural communities in Asia, while making sure that it does not effect them in any negative way.
In March of 2008, Members of APEC, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conducted a seminar in Tokyo about the importance of developing a system using Information and Communication technologies for capacity building in rural communities.
The global shift from traditional small scale economies to large knowledge-based economies brought forth a very real need to develop transnational lines of communications that are capable of transporting different forms of information to all members of certain areas. With the global recognition of a "digital divide" (Those who have access to and training on ICTs and those who do not.) and its various forms, it is clear that there is a need for a greater expansion of Information and Communication Technologies, especially in rural areas. New demands on rural societies, due to increasing global competition and rapid technological breakthroughs in developed economies, make the issue of the dearth of access to information in these areas more crucial.
Following the Declaration of the APEC Economic Leaders in 2006 affirming that APEC's development be built on stronger societies and more dynamic and harmonious communities through the use of Information and Communication Technology, the seminar aimed to contribute to the Telecommunications and Information Working Group’s (TEL) commitment to the implementation of concrete strategies that would contribute in a large way to an Asia Pacific Information Society. Through the seminar, identified issues, lessons and recommendations were gathered to serve as inputs to draft a strategy and compile a list of priority action areas for regional collaboration on the use of ICT in building the capacities of rural communities. An initial list of experts, collaborators, and practitioners was generated from among the participants of the Seminar.
The major recommendation, that is believed to be paramount, and was constantly brought up all throughout the seminar is that the needs and wants as identified by the community has to be the ultimate concern in developing any strategy for ICT capacity building. The ability to address the ideas and opinions of the community will determine the sustainability of the services and the applications that will be made available to the community through ICT. It is very important that ICT-related policies take a broader approach to complement with other rural development policies and tailor ICT use with their prevailing problems, considering the community's readiness to adopt ICT.
It is the aim of this site to help inform all those with interest in the ongoing projects on the status of the strategies brought forth in the seminar. Our Case Studies page consists of a list of useful case studies and other lists of case studies pertaining to the effectiveness of Information and Communication Technologies in rural communities. The News page consists of articles on ICT use in rural communities as printed in local periodicals. The Links page provides interested parties with information to websites and projects supporting ICT use in rural communities.
