Over 200 World Class ICT Speakers will Convene in Kuala Lumpur

Over 200 World Class ICT Speakers will Convene in Kuala Lumpur

November 22, 2007

    KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Nov. 22 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ --
Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) announced today that an
illustrious pool of over 200 key international proponents
of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) will
present at the upcoming Third Global Knowledge Conference
(GK3).  Role players will exchange knowledge and learnings
within the GK3 theme of "Emerging People, Emerging
Markets, Emerging Technologies", in order for
participants to obtain a deeper understanding of how ICT
can impact and accelerate development. 

    As GKP works towards building cross sector
partnerships, the role players at GK3 will represent all
sectors of society. Key global advocates of ICT within the
private sector include major technology corporations
Microsoft and Intel.  Microsoft will be represented by Mr.
Orlando Ayala, Senior Vice President for the company's
Unlimited Potential Group, which spearheads the
organisations effort to close the digital divide.

    Intel will be represented by Mr. John E. Davies, Vice
President of Sales and Marketing. Mr. Davies is also
General Manager of Intel's World Ahead Programme, which
works to develop sustainable access to useful technology
for all. 

    Within the international non-governmental sector are
key leading international role players in ICT. These role
players include, Prof. M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman, M.S.
Swaminathan Research Foundation, India, who was voted one
of TIME Magazine's 20 Most Influential Asians of the 20th
century; Dr. Hamadoun I. Toure, Secretary-General of the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU); and Mr. Ged
Davis, Co-President, Global Energy Assessment & Deputy
Chairman Ecocities.

    Other high profile speakers who will share their
in-depth experience and thoughts on various ICT
developmental projects that have helped shape the world
include:

    -- The Hon. Thandi Shongwe, Minister, Ministry of
Tourism, Environment and
       Communication, Swaziland
    -- Mr. Abdoulie Janneh, Under-Secretary General and
Executive Secretary, 
       United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
(UNECA)
    -- Dr. Abdul Waheed Khan, Assistant Director-General
for Communication and
       Information, United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural 
       Organization (UNESCO)
    -- Mr. Walter Fust, Director-General, Swiss Agency for
Development and 
       Cooperation 
    -- Ms. Kristine Pearson, Chief Executive Officer,
Freeplay Foundation (a 
       TIME Magazine Hero of the Environment for 2007)
    -- Mr. Adama Samassekou, President of Maaya -- the
World Network for 
       Linguistic Diversity
    -- Mr. Bonsal Glascock, President and Chief Operating
Officer, 
       iMallsGlobal Inc
    -- Mr. George Sadowsky, Executive Director, Global
Policy Initiative
    -- Mr. Alex Wong, Senior Director, Head of Center for
Global Industries & 
       Head, Global Education Initiative, World Economic
Forum
    -- Ms. Valerie Faudon, Vice President, Programs,
Alcatel Corporate 
       Marketing Office, Paris

    A full speakers list found at
http://www.gkpeventsonthefuture.org/GK3speakers .

    GK3 will attract over 2,000 visionaries, international
leaders, practitioners and policy-makers to engage on the
theme of "Emerging People, Emerging Markets, Emerging
Technologies", with a special focus on Information and
Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) and
Knowledge for Development (K4D).

    GKP is a multi-sector, multi-stakeholder partnership
that acts as an effective agent for change as the
organisation works collaboratively with members and
partners.  All members share the GKP vision, and belief,
that development across all spheres (social, political,
economic) is dependent on knowledge and access to
knowledge, that development should be guided by knowledge,
and that knowledge sharing is an effective and empowering
means of enabling growth and development.  Furthermore, GKP
and members believe that ICT is an enabler through which all
people can gain access to knowledge.

    More information is available at
http://www.globalknowledge.org/GK3 .






    For further information, please contact:

     Anne Beetham / Kim Danker 
     Tel:   [phone]
     Fax:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]  
            [e-mail]