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By Felicity Ussher, 9 April 1999 13:02

NEWS The United Nations (UN) has identified IT as a key way for developing countries to tackle poverty. In its latest survey on Asia and Pacific regions, the UN claims: "Applications of ICT (information & communications technology) can provide a major opportunity to tackle problems of income inequality and poverty so prevalent in several Asian countries, as these applications are not bound by geography or access to traditional physical infrastructure like phone lines. "Rather, they can open up a window to the world of trade, education, investment and human communication," it adds. In particular, the survey found that IT has boosted the textile and car industries in Asia, by enabling smaller, more dispersed production units, linked by communication networks. It warns, however, that countries which do not adjust to "the new ICT-intensive world" will be increasingly marginalised. The UN report advises governments of developing countries to start using IT in their administrations, to promote skills development and to address legal issues. It recommends that nations should import technology from abroad, as part of their arrangements for foreign direct investment. IT has been chosen as a key topic for the UN's Asia Pacific conference at the end of the month.