Information and Communications Systems as a Means to Reduce Poverty

Extreme poverty, experienced by approximately 1.2 billion people, is considered by many to be the most significant crises in the world today. To give focus to the task of poverty reduction, in September 2000, the United Nations has established eight Millennium Development Goals to be achieved by 2015. The goals cover many areas, including income, education, gender equality, children mortality, maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS and other diseases, environmental sustainability and partnership for development. The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) endorsed the importance role that information and communication technologies play in achieving these goals. Since poverty is multi-dimensional, the solution is complex. We examine the role that information and communication technologies play in helping to solve this complex issue. We present case studies that are organized into the Millennium Development Goal categories.