UNESCO Moves to Discuss Sub-Saharan African Internet
At 5:15 PM Friday, November 11th, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization passed a motion to set the topic of discussion to Internet usage in sub-Saharan Africa. The movement was preceded by some serious debate, with different delegations arguing for and against the motion.
The delegation of India started the discussion by pointing out that the very limited Internet access in Africa makes the topic a very pressing issue. He explained that India’s own incredible growth rate in Internet usage makes the delegation qualified to advocate for the topic. The delegation of Portugal followed, opposing the topic of Internet usage. The delegate remarked that “Protecting students from terrorism is more important and should be addressed first”. The discussion progressed from there, with South Korea’s delegation “wholeheartedly” agreeing with the delegation of India and the delegation of Iran suggesting that “much more relevant issues” should be discussed.
When the vote was held, at around 5:15, a clear majority voted to change the topic to internet usage in sub-Saharan Africa. The delegation of South Korea, who was “excited” to move on to the topic, proposed that an increase in reliability and availability of the Internet is just as important as simple access to the internet. The delegate from South Korea later mentioned that UN-backed computer areas would be regulated to ensure their usage for safe purposes only.
As the official UNESCO website mentions, internet usage in Africa is a controversial topic, as many people believe either that “Internet is the solution for Africa” or “Africa has far more urgent matters to deal with than the Internet”. That being said, this evening should prove to be eventful for the delegates of UNESCO.
At 5:15 PM Friday, November 11th, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization passed a motion to set the topic of discussion to Internet usage in sub-Saharan Africa. The movement was preceded by some serious debate, with different delegations arguing for and against the motion.
The delegation of India started the discussion by pointing out that the very limited Internet access in Africa makes the topic a very pressing issue. He explained that India’s own incredible growth rate in Internet usage makes the delegation qualified to advocate for the topic. The delegation of Portugal followed, opposing the topic of Internet usage. The delegate remarked that “Protecting students from terrorism is more important and should be addressed first”. The discussion progressed from there, with South Korea’s delegation “wholeheartedly” agreeing with the delegation of India and the delegation of Iran suggesting that “much more relevant issues” should be discussed.
When the vote was held, at around 5:15, a clear majority voted to change the topic to internet usage in sub-Saharan Africa. The delegation of South Korea, who was “excited” to move on to the topic, proposed that an increase in reliability and availability of the Internet is just as important as simple access to the internet. The delegate from South Korea later mentioned that UN-backed computer areas would be regulated to ensure their usage for safe purposes only.
As the official UNESCO website mentions, internet usage in Africa is a controversial topic, as many people believe either that “Internet is the solution for Africa” or “Africa has far more urgent matters to deal with than the Internet”. That being said, this evening should prove to be eventful for the delegates of UNESCO.