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International Working Group
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EDSAT-Americas Project: "A Millenium
Plan for Hemispheric Infrastructure for Education and Health Care Services for all
Children of the Americas" A Millenium Plan for Hemispheric Infrastructure
for Education and Health Care Services for all Children of the Americas"
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Global Summit on Distance Education
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International
Working Group
NETO/EDSAT has established two Technical Working Groups with
support from NTTC to develop education and health care service requirements in a
domestic/international global satellite system. Working Group participants include
educators, technical experts, practitioners, government officials and private sector
representatives.
The Working Group's first meeting was in August 1997 in
Washington, D.C. The agenda included Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat, Under Secretary for
Economics, Business and Agricultural Affairs, State Department and Ambassador Sonia
Picado, Costa Rica. An October meeting included Honorable Ron Scheman, US Executive
Director, Inter-American Development Bank; Minister Salvador De Lara, Embassy of Mexico;
Minister Counselor José Thompson, Embassy of Costa Rica and Patrick DeSouza, White House,
National Security Council.
The Working Group focused on the upcoming Summit of the Americas
to be held in April, 1998.
The following actions were submitted to the Summit of the
Americas coordinating representatives for consideration:
Proposed Actions for the Summit of the
Americas as Submitted by the NETO/EDSAT Working Groups September, 1997
| Fighting poverty and discrimination, helping democracy to work,
and improving social, economic and cultural opportunities require sustained commitment to
education, training, health-care services for all peoples -- rural, hard-to-reach and
highly dense population; and further,
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| Modern-day industry, business, agricultural and information
economies need literate populations, trained workers and professionals, and public health
care services to foster sustainable economic integration, free trade and social sector
development; and further,
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| Technology in general and specifically, communication technologies
in all forms -- transmission, switching, and end-user equipment -- which provide usable
cost-effective and universal access to education and health care services are crucial to
the swift elimination of distance and wealth as variable in educational and health care
opportunities; and further,
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| The connection of all countries' education, cultural and health
care institutions can serve as the basic core of education resources for shared education,
training and health care services; resources which are culturally defined; and further,
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| End-users, --teachers, students, workers and health care providers
need user-friendly communication tools based on their needs, the local community and
country demands, costs and cultural differences; and further,
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| Governments' goal to empower citizens through literacy, worker and
professional skills, and health care services can best be achieved through cost effective
telecommunications which interconnect education, cultural and health care institutions;
and further,
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| The commercial satellite industry has not kept pace with the
education and health care needs for equitable access to universal services, educational
demands and economic growth for developing and under developed countries, and further,
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| Governments' criteria for economic growth and the promotion of
democracy worldwide include setting a legal and regulatory environment, encouraging
private investment, competition, promoting open access and the guarantee of universal
services; and therefore, BE IT RESOLVED: |
Options for Action:
Action: The Summit countries will establish hemisphere wide
satellite and land-based networks dedicated to education, instruction, training and health
care services with the preservation of local community and/cultural decisions.
Action: The Summit countries will establish a non-profit, non-government entity --
whose members shall be appointed by the President of each member country -- to establish,
manage and encourage sustained access and use of interconnected hemisphere wide satellite
and land-based systems.
Action: The Summit countries will establish country, state or institutional
arrangements to foster the collocation of programming services on global satellite
capacity dedicated to education, instruction, training and health care to meet locally
identified needs of schooling, professional education, work force and vocational training,
and health care.
Action: The Summit countries will undertake a "Year 2000 Initiative" to
serve 2000 cities, towns and villages of the Americas through interconnected educational
and cultural institutions regardless of geographic location, distance or population to
provide education and health care services using state-of-the-art technologies, in
partnership with commercial telecommunications companies.
Action: The Summit countries will undertake a "Year 2000 Initiative" to
create 20,000 integrated multi-technology receive sites -- schools, hospitals and other
distant education centers that will share education, instruction, training and health care
resources.
Action: The Summit countries will establish within five to seven years, 50,000
Community Education/Health Care Centers in small towns and rural areas interconnected
through education, cultural and health care institutions. These centers will be located in
one venue with state-of-the-art technology for use by the entire community. They will
serve 4 to 5 million students, teachers, professionals and workers with cost effective
education, training and health care services, and are meant to build upon the unique
character and culture of each community.
Action: The Summit countries will urge government regulatory bodies to review the
allocation of spectrum within their country to determine how education and health care use
may be accommodated and put in place with appropriate mechanisms to ensure such use
adheres to the principles of access, equity and universal services.
National Education Telecommunications
Organization/Education Satellite
Email:
edsatamericas@netoedsat.org
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