NETO/EDSAT-Americas Technical Planning Team - Brief Summary

February 2003

The General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) serves as the Technical Secretariat for the EDSAT-Americas Technical Planning Team Project. The initiative includes 16 Latin American and Caribbean member countries, the private sector, educational institutions, international and civil society organizations.

The project is managed and coordinated by the National Education Telecommunications Organization & EDSAT Institute (NETO/EDSAT), a not- for-profit, non-government organization (NGO).  The Technical Planning Team includes members representing the Ministers of Education, OAS Ambassadors, higher education, the US Department of Education, the private sector and other civil society organizations.

The EDSAT-Americas initiative grew out of the II Summit of the Americas,    Santiago, Chile,  1998.  The goal is to establish a hemispheric non-government mechanism, governed by representatives of the founding countries and the private sector, which will operate and manage satellite and land-based telecommunication infrastructure—an open, affordable and equitable international highway-- to connect Americas’ education and health care institutions and other public services.

It is a multilateral, multicultural collaborative Action Plan.    

The Objectives:

a) To encourage inter-connectivity among schools, colleges and other education and health care centers for students, teachers and worker training, with special attention to advance equal educational and health care opportunities   for women and youth, those in poor and indigenous communities, and those who are left without hope through illiteracy, poverty and geography:                 

b) To encourage and share experiences and research; jointly & culturally developed course materials;   professional  development and training,  and improved school and college management.

c) To insure equitable and affordable access to Internet,   other  educational  networks and universal services with new information and communication technologies.

To date Technical Planning Team members include:  

Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina,  Belize, Bolivia,  Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Dominican Republic,  Guyana,  Honduras, Jamaica, Peru,  Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Uruguay, the OAS, international organizations, US Department of Education, US and Canadian educational institutions, civil society and global private sector partners.

If you would like further information, or information on membership, you can contact us @ edsatamericas@netoedsat.org, or read NETO/EDSAT-Americas’ web page  @ www.netoedsat.org.