U.N, officials, Silicon Valley tech leaders discuss global digital divide

Officials from the United Nations met Wednesday with Silicon Valley executives to discuss the "digital divide" the growing gap between the world's wealthiest and most computer literate people and the impoverished masses without Internet access.

The meeting, organized by Intel Corp. and the U.N.'s Global Alliance for Information and Communications Technology and Development, was billed as the first between U.N. officials and technology executives and venture capitalists.

More than 100 executives and officials from more than 30 countries attended the half-day conference. They discussed low-cost ways to get broadband Internet access to Africa, build computer centers throughout the developing world and encourage entrepreneurship.

"Silicon Valley is the world capital of innovation, and we are counting on its contribution," said Sarbuland Khan, executive director of the U.N. technology alliance, founded last year. "In the information and communication field, the melding of markets and social responsibility is bringing to life new solutions to age-old problems like poverty, disease, hunger and illiteracy."

Intel Chairman Craig Barrett said the Santa Clara-based semiconductor company was working with 60 governments in the developing world to bring low-cost financing of personal computers and high-speed Internet access to 1 billion people. The company is also working with education ministries in 40 countries to train 9 million teachers by 2011.

"It's what the world needs and governments want for their citizens," Barrett said of the public-private partnership. "It's the right thing to do and makes business sense."