UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has unveiled a new task force dedicated to narrowing the digital divide.
The aim is to combat illiteracy, Aids and other societal ills by expanding access to communications technology.
The task force won't fund initiatives directly, but encourage governments and corporations to do so.
Mr Annan told attendees at the inaugural meeting that the challenge is to help individual countries develop their technology strategies, not to offer an instant cure.
He said that while new technologies are "powerful tools for development", they are not by themselves a "panacea or magic bullet".
The 43-member task force comprises corporate executives, UN and government officials and leaders of non-profit organisations.
Members include John Chambers, chief executive of Cisco Systems Zoe Baird, president of the Markle Foundation and James Wolfensohn, the president of the World Bank.
The plan is to work with a separate Digital Opportunities Task Force created by the G-8 nations.
It estimates it would need $5 million over three years for administrative operations.
More information is available online from the unicttaskforce.org website.