DEVELOPMENT GATEWAY FOUNDATION RAISES USD 47 MILLION TO BRIDGE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

The Development Gateway Foundation, a nonprofit coalition of international
organizations, governments, civil society, and the private sector held its
inaugural donors and board meetings on December 4 in Washington, DC. The
meetings were attended by Founding Members, sponsors, and potential future
partners of the Foundation. Prior to the meetings, the Founding Members -
Australia, Germany, India, Japan, Korea, Mali (sponsored by the
Netherlands), and the World Bank - and other sponsors committed to
contribute USD 42 million in cash and in kind over the period of 2001-2003.
After the board meeting, the Government of Pakistan announced its intention
to join the Foundation as a Founding Members by committing to contribute
USD 5 milllion to the initiative.

The Development Gateway Foundation (www.dgfoundation.org) will complement
the efforts of other ICT initiatives, such as the DOT Force
(www.dotforce.org) and the UN ICT Task Force
(www.un.org/esa/coordination/ecosoc/itforum/icttaskforce.htm) to enhance
global understanding and consensus on the challenges and opportunities
posed by information and communications technologies, and to propose
practical ways to overcome the digital divide. The Development Gateway
portal (www.developmentgateway.org) is a key program of the Foundation.