Without a commitment to these two elements, no amount of aid and debt relief will bring us closer to our intended goal. The idea that open governments and open markets are a prerequisite for good economic performance leads me to my fourth and final point, namely, the role of Information and Communication Technology in furthering development. In his Millenium Report, the Secretary-General rightly stressed the need to ensure that the fruits of new technologies, especially information technology, be available to all. Importantly, we have done this not as a rich country, but rather as a nation with rather modest means. Among the most important findings of the panel was the undisputed, if not terribly original conclusion, that IT programmes are, in fact, beneficial for development.
Computer technology can be a wedge or a bridge.
It need not follow that poor nations must perforce fall ever more behind. Policies can be implemented that turn the Digital Divide into a Digital Dividend. We have seen this in my country first-hand through our Tiger Leap programme whereby every school in Estonia has, for some time, been connected to the Internet. Even more clearly, we have witness how access to IT has brought new possibilities to rural areas, which often bear the brunt of change. This is why Estonia wholeheartedly endorses and will actively participate with our know-how in the UN s plans to assist all member states in making the IT dream a reality.