UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan will open the first-ever meeting at the United Nations of the newly formed Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies and Development (GAID) on September 27. Chairing discussion of Alliance strategic goals will be Intel board chairman Craig Barrett.
Launched in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 19 June, the Alliance promotes action to utilize new information and communication technologies to fight poverty and promote development.
In addition to Barrett, other Steering Committee members attending include Jamaludin Jarjis, Malaysia's Minister of Science, Technology and Innovations Minister; Luis Alberto Moreno, president of the Inter-American Development Bank; Walter Fust, director-general, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation; Titi Akinsanmi, program manager, Global Teenager Project, South Africa; John Bernander, secretary-general, Norwegian Broadcasting, European Broadcasting Union; Renate Bloem, president, the Committee on NGOs, Switzerland; and Guy Sebban, secretary-general of the International Chamber of Commerce.
The Steering Committee, which provides the Alliance with executive oversight and guidance, is composed of a chair, Barrett, and several co-chairs representing governments, business, civil society, the media and international organizations.
