By Jennifer Disabatino
Computerworld
November 14, 2000

Former Costa Rican President Jose Maria Figueres will lead a UN group whose goal is to help developing countries build digital technologies. In an announcement yesterday, Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed Figueres as a special representative to the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Advisory Group, a team of experts from the private and public sectors from developed and underdeveloped nations. Figueres is known for using digital technology to promote economic development in his country. He was also the chairman of the panel that first proposed the idea of an ICT task force. According to the announcement, "the proposal was endorsed by a high-level segment of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on Information Technology in July." 

"We are very happy that we are able to maintain the continuity of his involvement so that the idea that initially took shape in the meeting he had chaired ... will be fleshed out more completely also under his leadership," said UN Undersecretary General for Economic and Social Affairs Nitin Desai, who made the announcement.

"It is a complex task, but the objective is certainly worthwhile," said Figueres in an announcement. "After all, living in the middle of this information technology revolution, how can we not go the utmost mile in terms of incorporating those people in developing nations that otherwise would not have an opportunity to be benefited by having information technologies boost and enhance development possibilities in their communities?" The advisory group includes WorldCom Inc. Senior Vice President Vinton Cerf, widely regarded as the founder of the Internet. The task force to be set up by the group is in response to a call for action in bridging the digital divide that featured prominently in Annan's Millennium Report