In a keynote today to business and technology leaders from non-governmental organizations and international agencies, and innovators from emerging markets and environmental industries, Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates emphasized the importance of continuing society's efforts to bridge the digital divide. Gates was at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center to address the Digital Dividends Conference, which was organized by the World Resources Institute and sponsored by Microsoft and other technology companies such as Compaq, 3Com, iGeneration, Lucent, Ericsson, Weyerhaeuser, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, WorldCom, Motorola and Nokia.
Technology can enable people and organizations to do great things.
Our role at Microsoft is to provide the tools and resources people need to achieve the goals that they've set for themselves. But while Microsoft's involvement in community outreach within the United States is common knowledge, the company's efforts to help disadvantaged communities worldwide is not as well-known. We don't go in assuming that we know everything. Education benefits people of all ages, and through a number of collaborations with local nonprofit organizations, Microsoft has helped enable learning opportunities for underprivileged youth and senior citizens. Microsoft is also supporting IT education and training initiatives in schools for children with disabilities in Bulgaria, India, Indonesia, Brazil, Lebanon, Portugal, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Vietnam, and the Netherlands.