Digital Opportunity Channel celebrates its fourth birthday today

17 May 2006 – New Delhi: Four years back, in 2002, OneWorld launched the Digital Opportunity Channel. The Channel was launched on World Telecommunications Day which is observed globally on 17th of May. The 2002 WTD was celebrated on the theme "ICT for all: empowering people to cross the Digital Divide." The Channel continues to promote the cause of bringing ICT for all for people's empowerment, as its motto is “promoting digital opportunities for all.” Initially, while launching this exclusive portal on ICT for development, OneWorld teamed up with the US-based Benton Foundation. The partnership with Benton Foundation concluded in December 2003 and since then OWSA has been managing the portal with significant involvement of all its staff members in various capacities. Over the years, the Channel has enormously been benefited by the vast reach of OneWorld and the Digital Divide Network, Benton Foundation's ICT4D community. The Channel now attracts content and reach of more than 1600 of OneWorld Network partners. Since its launch, OneWorld South Asia has been managing the portal with significant involvement of all other OneWorld centres. Content of the Channel is being posted on the network and regional editions, with some translations as well. The Channel saw Kanti Kumar, a renowned journalist, as its first editor. Mr. Kumar, who had laid the foundation of the Channel, said, "Digital Opportunity Channel aims to give organizations and community leaders -especially in the South - a platform for their voice to be heard.” The Channel has been one of the most prominent portals launched at an early date, focusing exclusively on the ICT for development issues. Since 2005, its focus has significantly been refined, aligning with the OneWorld South Asia's mandate of positioning ICTs for attaining the Millennium Development Goals. During the year of 2005-06, the editorial team is engaged in continuing the revamping of the Channel, emphasising the need for highlighting issues those are directly related to the welfare of the common man at large. The emphasis upon the MDGs issues – poverty, education, gender, health, environment, partnership, governance – provides us an opportunity for investigating the opportunities ICT offers in meeting these goals. In this year, more research-based perspectives have been highlighted in the portal. Interviews, original opinion pieces have been published. DO Channel also serves as the primary publication and dissemination hub for OWSA's ICT4D publications like Mainstreaming ICTs, a bi-monthly journal and Taking ICT to every Indian village, a book. On an average DO Channel attracts more than 15000 unique visitors .2 million page views every month The portal contains a vast knowledge base on ICT in development, especially on MDGs. The Channel is supported by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Directorate General for International Co-operation. For more information, and to know how to get involved, please contact the Editorial Team at doceditors@oneworld.net. Atanu Garai Email: atanu.garai@oneworld.net Links: Online (UNESCO) New 'Digital Opportunity' web initiative (OneWorld) Meet the Editorial Team here.

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