NAN Grand Chief stresses importance of ICTs in the North in presentation to UN gathering
Nishnawbe Aski Grand Chief Stan Beardy addressed a gathering of Indigenous Peoples at United Nations headquarters in New York via streaming video from the Keewaytinook Okimakanak Research Institute office in Thunder Bay. The United Nations Conference "Indigenous Peoples' Communication for Development" is part of the larger Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
He was invited to speak in a panel discussion hosted by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).
Click here to view Grand Chief Beardy's complete presentation (11 minutes).
Grand Chief Beardy spoke about the importance of locally owned and operated Indigenous networks and the role of the Kuhkenah Network (K-Net) in supporting these networks. He stressed the importance of such applications as the Keewaytinook Internet High School (KiHS), KO Telemedicine and the KO Research Institute (KORI) as examples of online services in the NAN agenda to reassert self-government and self-sufficiency in Nishnawbe Aski. The Grand Chief stressed how urban-based institutions and programs must be prepared to purchase bandwidth and IT services from these community networks to ensure they are sustained and adequately supported locally.
Grand Chief Beardy presenation took place via streaming video at approximately 2:15 CST on the conference agenda. Click here for the link to the UN gathering where Grand Chief Beardy presentation was hosted.