Entre os dias 5 e 7 de abril aconteceu em Santiago, no Chile, ocorreu o 3º Fórum Global de Telecentros, organizado pela telecentre.org. A ONG reporta que participaram mais de 200 líderes locais envolvidos com telecentros, e deve ter sido uma discussão bem interessante.
No final da conferência, os participantes redigiram uma declaração que tem o objetivo de oferecer algumas guidelines para quem trabalha na área. O texto ainda não é final - estava aberto até dia 17/04 para consulta na página da telecentre.org, e existem lá vários comentários bem relevantes que provavelmente serão incluídos na versão final. Ainda assim, deixo abaixo a versão preliminar porque acho que tem insights bem interessantes sobre para onde está caminhando a discussão sobre inclusão digital e telecentros:

We, the participants, representing the global telecentre movement and actors and organizations working towards the achievement of social development through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), at the 3rd Global Forum on Telecentres held in Santiago, Chile from 5-7 April 2011;

Conscious of the digital revolution in all parts of the world, occurring in the last part of the 20th century, which has re-defined capacities for knowledge and expanded opportunities for sharing and collaboration;

Cognizant that the telecentre movement is one that will have a significant global impact on poverty alleviation and bridging the digital divide;

Resolute in the belief that access to the Internet is and should be a basic human right for all;

And further aware of the capacity of telecentres to empower the communities they serve, particularly the remote and underserved to enter the information economy by way of bringing information, knowledge, digital skills and services to the grassroots;

Bearing in mind the need to strengthen these telecentres, to improve their capacity for service, to establish both social and functional sustainability, and to provide a platform for the continuous sharing of knowledge and development;

Considering that the goal of MDG 3 is to promote gender equality and empower women and that for women in particular, ICT has proven to be life-changing, since ICT has broken traditions and social prejudices, expanded their roles in society and at home, given many a new economic and social freedom that has redefined them as persons of stature and value in their communities, and that for millions of women, digital literacy is the lifeline to a new future;

And reaffirming the declaration of the World Summit on Information Society established in Geneva (2003) to build a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented Information Society for all, ensuring that everyone can benefit from the opportunities that ICTs can offer.

And reaffirming as well the priorities set forth in the community charter developed during the Telecentre Leaders Forum at the 3rd Global Knowledge Conference in Malaysia (2007) to strengthen and expand the telecentre community;

Hereby declare:

1. To encourage the use of ICT in creating opportunities for social, economic, and civic participation for the poor and underserved;
2. To establish collaboration, support, and sharing among the different regional and national telecentres worldwide in order to come together as a united force working towards the improvement and sustainability of the telecentre movement;
3. To promote the role of telecentres in harnessing information technology for development and serving as community resources that facilitate employment, productivity and community empowerment, especially at the grassroots level, specifically to those living in remote and underserved communities, through skills development, empowerment and pro-poor services.
4. To promote the inclusion and participation of women in all telecentre programs and support initiatives that aim to bridge the digital divide, providing women with ICT skills and resource mobilization to empower themselves and others, in particular, the Telecentre Women: Digital Literacy Campaign, which aims to provide for wide-scale digital literacy training for women at the grassroots level and recognition of women achievers in the telecentre movement.
5. To establish a platform for sharing knowledge among members of the global telecentre movement and various actors and organizations working towards the achievement of social development through the use of information and communication technologies.