embedded in a larger constellation of international bodies working in the same policy
area, also seem to provide extra impetus for compliance and indeed provide a novel way
of extending the G8’s ability to provide coherent global governance.
The DOT Force – Genesis and Achievements:
The DOT Force was a G8 expert working group created as an outcropping of the
Okinawa Charter on Global Information Society, which was unveiled at the 2000 G8
At this Summit, the G8 leaders mandated the creation of the DOT
Force in recognition of the need for a truly global strategy for addressing the concern of a
developing “digital divide”
between the developed and developing world and the
powerful potential of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to aid in the
advancement of development:
“[T]here is a need for greater international dialogue and collaboration to
improve the effectiveness of IT-related programmes and projects with
developing countries, and to bring together the ‘best practices’ and
mobilize the resources available from all stakeholders to help close the
digital divide. The G8 will seek to promote the creation of a stronger
partnership among developed and developing countries, civil society
including private firms and NGOs, foundations and academic institutions,
and international organizations. We will also work to see that developing
countries can, in partnership with other stakeholders, be provided with
financial, technical and policy input in order to create a better environment
for, and use of, IT.”
The G8 presidency appointed a DOT Force secretariat that consisted of four
individuals – two members from the World Bank and two members from the United
Nations Development Program (UNDP). This secretariat was then responsible for the
5
Government of Japan, “Okinawa Charter on Global Information Society”, Okinawa, July 22, 2000.
Accessed Feb. 25, 2006. http://www.g7.utoronto.ca/g7/summit/2000okinawa/gis.htm
6
The term “digital divide” originated in the mid-1990’s to describe the disparity between those that had
access to the internet and those who did not. Initially the term was used simply to describe technical
access, but later it began to encompass more complex measures of access such as social infrastructure
(access to education, literacy rates) and content (the ability to produce and consume information on the
internet). Leslie Regan Shade, “Here Comes the DOT Force: The New Cavalry for Equity?”, Gazette: The
International Journal for Communication Studies. 65(2): 107-120. p. 108.
7
Ibid.
3
Convention