Special Focus ( 216 )

While ICT and the Internet offer vast, new and unprecedented opportunities for human development, they are also one of the key contributing factors to social and economic disparities across different social and economic groups. A number of disadvantaged groups, including the disabled, indigenous people, rural communities, illiterate populations, women, children, elderly people or even entire countries ? do not have access to the tools which would enable them to become fully fledged members of the knowledge society.