3. 1. INTRODUCTION
- The Millennium Development Goals
- The digital divide
- Mission
- Key facts and figures
- Board of recommendation
4. The Millennium Development Goals
• Context
In September 2000, the world leaders adopted the
United Nations Millennium Declaration.
• Objective:
To reduce extreme poverty and setting out a series of
time-bound targets.
Deadline: 2015
5. The Millennium Development Goals
MDG 8 – Target 5:
In cooperation with the private sector, make available benefits of new
technologies, especially information and communications.
6. The digital divide
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can be
used to achieve the MDGs
BUT
a lot of people don’t have access to ICT.
7. Mission
Close the Gap is an international organisation that
helps bridging the digital divide
by giving used computers a second life.
8. Key facts & figures
Since the start of Close the Gap (2003):
– More than 200,000 assets donated – 50,000 in 2011
– 70,000 computers implemented in projects
– More than 700 projects...
– in 40 countries
9. Board of recommendation
- Archbishop em. Desmond M. TUTU - Noble peace price 1984
- Count Jacques ROGGE - President International Olympic Committee
- Prof. h.c. Dr. Harold E. ROBLES - Founder & President Medical Knowledge Institute (MKI)
- Viscount Etienne DAVIGNON - Vice Chairman Suez – Tractebel – Former Vice-President of the EU Commission
- Mr. François-Xavier de DONNEA - Minister of State in Belgium
- Prof. Dr. Marc DESPONTIN - Professor at Vrije Universiteit Brussel
- Mr. Dieter FRISCH - Former Director General Development at the EU-Commission
- Mrs. M.M.F. HEIJN EVERWIJN LANGE - Ambassador D.G.O & Amsterdam Dinner and Ambassador Stop Aids Now!
- Mrs. Corinne LEPAGE - Member of European Parliament - Former Minister of Environment, France - Partner at Law firm Cabinet Huglo
Lepage Associés
- Prof. Em. Dr. Silvain LOCCUFIER - Honorary Rector of Vrije Universiteit Brussel
- Baron Dr. Peter PIOT - Chairman King Baudouin Foundation and Former Executive Director of UNAIDS
- Prof. Dr. Jan PRONK - Former Minister of Development in the Netherlands - Former Deputy Secretary General United Nations - Former
Special UN envoy for Sudan
- Mrs. Sylviane TOPORKOFF - Founder and Partner at Items International, Founder and President of Global Forum, Lecturer at Paris VIII
University (Dauphine)
- Prof. Dr. Frank VANDENBROUCKE - Former Minister of Education in Flanders, Belgium
- Mr. Tony VANDEPUTTE - Honorary Delegate Administrator at the Federation of Belgian Companies
- Baron Prof. Mr. Benjamin VAN CAMP - Pro-Rector and international affairs president at Vrije Universiteit Brussel
10. Close the Gap and the
United Nations
• United Nations Department of Public Information
(UN DPI)
– Member since June 2010
• United Nations Global Compact (UN GC)
– Signatory since December 2009
• United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and
Development (UN GAID)
– Participant since December 2009
11. 2. ACTIVITIES IN EUROPE
- Material donation
- Material reconditioning
- Supportive partners
- Transport
13. Material reconditioning
The donors receive certified documents:
– Status report of the donation (including material
quality)
– Certificate of destruction (if needed)
– Data wipe certificate (Blancco)
– Donation report
14. Supportive partners
Close the Gap collaborates with North-based
supportive partners who provide:
– training
– educational software
– content
16. Transport
The computers are transported by
air or sea
– Smaller orders:
• air transport
– Bigger orders:
• container sea freight
– Partnerships
• KLM CARGO
• other NGO’s
17. 3. ACTIVITIES
IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
- Selection criteria
- Type of projects
- We provide more than hardware
- Service partners
- Follow up
18. Type of projects
• What?
– Educational projects
– Microfinance projects
– Health projects
– Medical institutions
– Social projects
– Good governance institutes
– Cultural organisations
• Where?
– Developing and emerging countries
19. We provide more than hardware
Close the Gap gives the possibility to receive:
– Software
– Networking systems
– Printers/Photocopiers
– Guarantee
20. Service Partners
Close the Gap collaborates with south-based
service partners who support projects in terms of
local
– transport
– installation
– training
– maintenance
– take-back of end-of-life assets.
21. Our Service Partners
in 2012
Upsilon
- Computers for Schools Uganda
- Schoolnet Uganda
- Uconnect
Great Lakes Initiatives for
Computers For Education Communities Empowerment
and Development
Computers for Schools
Kenya
Education Science Experience
PromoTic
Benelux Afro Center
- Affordable Computers and
Technology for Tanzania
- ViAfrica
World Links Zimbabwe
Belgian campus
22. Selection criteria
• No commercial project
• Only projects with social added value
• Only request driven (where computers are
needed)
• Only organisations who have the necessary
capacities
(implementation, transport, maintenance, logis
tic, etc) or
• Organisations in touch with service partners
25. WorldPC: An E-waste project
• Mission:
– Taking care of the end-of -life of ICT’s that are sent to
developing countries
• How?
– Through an E-waste centre in Kenya (Pilot project)
inaugurated by European Commissioner Neelie Kroes
in Sept. 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5mLd4KVy1M
26. 5. HOW TO CONTRIBUTE ?
2 types of partnerships
- Friends of Close the Gap
- Strategic partners
28. Strategic partners
Computer donation
• Financial contribution: For corporations willing
to support Close the Gap in its mission and/or
• Project adoption: Tailor-made approach to
support a specific project and/or
• Philantropic contribution: In-kind for Close the
Gap development and/or
• E-waste contribution: 1 certificate (10€) for
1 recycled PC in Kenya
30. Thanks for your attention
“The importance of information technologies for educational
use cannot be underestimated. It gives developing countries the
opportunity to skip an entire generation of infrastructure by
going directly to internet technology.”
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
UNDPI:To disseminate information & to raise public awareness about the purposes and activities of the UNTo inform UN DPI on Close the Gap activities on a regular basisUNGC:6,500 members organisations(business & non-profit) in135 countriesEngagement:The respect of the 10 principles of the UN Global Compact (human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption) The communication of this engagement towards our partners & general publicThe participation to the UN Global Compact Belgian networkUN GAID:Global forum that would comprehensively address cross-cutting issues related to ICT in development
While we are taking care of the hard- and software installation, we are also collaborating with North-based supportive partners.Supportive partners provide Training: e.g. Ex Change provides volunteer experts for the projectsEducational software: e.g. through E-learning for kidsContent: e.g. BTC-CTB supported CtG in realising a comprehensive feasibility study on assessing the creation of an integrated sustainable e-waste management solution for the East-African community.
One of Close the Gap strongest partnerships consists in the collaboration with the Air France KLM group to assure the shipment of several kilos of material per year through their cargo. Sometimes, other NGOs help us with the transport.
The service partners are local partners whichour in touch and help the beneficiaryorganisations
Close the Gap highly values the 3 R’s (Reduce - Reuse - Recycle) of e-waste management. We strive to ensure that end-of-life equipment is handled in an environmentally-friendly and cost-effective manner. Since 2009, Close the Gap is working on the development of the first e-waste recycling centre of East Africa. On September 27th 2011, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for the Digital Agenda for Europe, Mrs. NeelieKroes, inaugurated the first e-waste recycling centre in Nairobi, Kenya. This centre is the first in the East African Community to deploy a 12-metre long fully-automated cathode ray tube cutting machine, acquired and provided by Close the Gap.
There’s a difference in terms of communication and visibilitybetween the “friends of” and the “strategic partners”.
Acompany is a strategic partners whenitgives a computer donation AND 2 of the 4 followingpointsE-waste certificate: The operations are primarily financed through a mechanism of e-waste certificates, issued and managed by Close the Gap’s e-waste programme called “WorldPC” - we strive for the financial autonomy of our Kenyan partners within 4 years. IT equipment donors are invited to purchase one certificate per donated IT asset: for each asset they give, they are sponsoring the recycling of one asset in the East African Community. More than 5,000 certificates have been so far purchased by European early-believers.
