THE United Nations has launched an interactive map of the information superhighway to show policy makers and investors the location of the missing links in the digital divide in the Asia-Pacific region.

“In Asia and the Pacific, what we call the ‘digital divide’ is in fact an income divide, a gender divide, an education divide and a knowledge divide,” said Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), which released the maps jointly with the UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

The ITU Interactive Terrestrial Transmission/ESCAP Asia Pacific Information Superhighway Maps aims to play an important role in efforts to bring affordable information and communication technology (ICT) and broadband connectivity to all.

“Rising inequality – both income and non-income – poses one of the greatest challenges in Asia-Pacific and technological progress has often widened these gaps, separating those with education and knowledge from those without,” Ms. Heyzer added at the launch, which coincided with the start of the Connect Asia-Pacific Summit and the back-to-back ITU Telecom World 2013 being held this week in Bangkok, Thailand.

In his video message for the Summit, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted the stark contrast in prosperity and development between high-income countries and the least developed, particularly the landlocked developing nations and small island developing States.

“Increased connectivity can help bridge this gap,” Mr. Ban said. “It is important that we make the best use of technology to empower people with the information, knowledge and means to improve their lives.”

Also speaking to the Summit participants, ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré said the maps will empower network planners, policy-makers and regulators from developing countries, and provide a “powerful tool” to assess marker opportunities.