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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
Bridging the Digital Divide
The use of information communications technologies provides the international community with effective means to help bridge the digital divide and achieve social and economic development.
“Technology is an important driver of human settlement development”
"Technology is an important driver of human settlement development. Technological progress and the development of science have transformed human settlement from hunter-gatherer to agrarian-pastoral (agricultural revolution), industrial (industrial revolution), knowledge and informational society (IT revolution). Futurists and Hollywood predict a future where technologies are replacing the labour force and forcing humans to learn to live with machines that increasingly copy human behaviour such as in 2001: A Space Odyssey. In the United States, Google and NASA has set up a Singularity University to train people to deal with the accelerating evolution of technology both in terms of understanding the directions and harnessing its potential. In the meantime, the reality is how technology is fuelling economic development, creating sprawl, pollution, environmental and climate change challenges in cities as well as inspiring scientists, planners and policymakers to search for more energy efficient technology and sustainable innovations to promote sustainable human settlement.
Human settlement conditions in many parts of the world, especially the developing countries are deteriorating and in need of appropriate technology to improve human settlement development and management. In this regard, an increasing number of cities around the world from the United States, United Kingdom, and Sweden to the Middle East, China and Singapore are pursuing different methods of sustainable development, incorporating technology in a number of areas like construction, energy, transport and waste disposal for ecologically sustainable conversions and development of their built environment. This augurs well for long-term sustainable urban development."
Dr Belinda Yuen, Associate Professor, National University of Singapore
Further articles of interest
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Technology & Society underpin Commonwealth Day
11 February 2010
This year's Commonwealth Day celebrations will focus on the impact of technology and science in the modern world.
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Dr James Martin: a major influence in the world of computer science
“Britain’s leading futurist” Dr James Martin to deliver Commonwealth Lecture
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Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation - Events
One of CTO’s key services to its members, clients and contacts is a programme of educative networking events that are run on an annual basis around the Commonwealth.
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Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation - Research and Consultancy
CTO is the trusted partner of policy makers, regulators, donor agencies, operators, technology and equipment manufacturers for their research, advisory and consultancy needs.
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CTO Training and Development
The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation’s (CTO) Programme for Development and Training (PDT) is a professional training and capacity building programme.
