COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, WORLD NEWS: The growing technology sector is opening new opportunities for people around the world, and women attending an equal rights conference at the United Nations are urging participants not to be left behind. CNN's Allison Tom reports.</s>ALLISON TOM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Gender equality and access to technology and the Internet. It's one main issue concerning women activists from organizations worldwide and the topic at this week's United Nations conference in New York called Women 2000.</s>CATHERINE DIDION, ASSN. FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE: We're having a new revolution in how we live, how we work and how we interact.</s>TOM: Many say the Internet revolution has profound implications for global development, and that's why there are several efforts out to bridge the so-called digital divide between the haves and the have-nots.</s>CAMERON CHELL, CHELL.COM: Technology and, in particular, the use of application service provides and the Internet is really an opportunity for us to finally globalize our economy and build some equity out there that everybody can participate in.</s>TOM: The Asian Women's Resource Exchange, AWORC, is an Internet- based network of organizations and research centers in Asia. AWORC is a free program designed to train and teach women in how to use information technology and apply it to their businesses.</s>CHAT GARCIA RAMILO, ASIAN WOMEN'S RESOURCE EXCHANGE: The aim of the program is to empower women in using this technology so that they're able to adjust in the changing information society. The development of all these technologies is something that is useful for women wherever they are.</s>TOM: Some countries participating in the program include the Philippines, Korea, Japan and India.</s>RAMILO: It's really a way of encouraging more women to be in this field.</s>TOM: But activists say much more work needs to be done. As technology advances and expands at such a rapid pace, it's imperative that issues surrounding women and technology are addressed immediately. Otherwise, the digital divide will only grow larger. Allison Tom, CNN.
UN Conference Addresses Issues Surrounding Women And Technology