True, those who have access to new technologies are much better placed than before. But the point is that a vast majority of scientists in developing countries do not have access to these technologies. Take, for instance, the Los Alamos e-Print archive for physicists. But physicists in leading universities like the University of Delhi, Banaras Hindu University and University of Madras do not have access to the Internet or e-mail. In contrast, virtually every physicist in the United States and the United Kingdom has access to the Internet and to e-mail.
Some journals are available only in electronic form.
Editors of such journals will naturally be reluctant to use referees from developing countries, even if they are exceptionally competent in their fields, simply because it may be extremely difficult to reach them electronically. For the same reason, many scientists from developing countries will not be able to publish their work in these electronic journals. The United Nations is greatly concerned about the imbalance in access to communication facilities. We therefore commit the organizations of the United Nations system to assist developing countries in redressing the present alarming trends. Therefore, the relative disadvantage they suffer in terms of access to information and knowledge will only increase.