New breakthroughs in information technology will bring charities closer to people in need of help, and make them more efficient and transparent, officials and experts said at the sixth World Internet Conference on Monday.

"Chinese people have long valued helping people living in poverty and vulnerability. With the help of digital technology, we will be able to share our practices and experience, and make a greater contribution to charity work," said Sheng Ronghua, vice-minister of the Cyberspace Administration of China.

According to Sheng, more than 110 billion yuan ($15.55 billion) in donations were made via the internet over the past three years, and netizens devoted personal time on 8.46 billion occasions to participate in a wide range of public charity activities last year alone.

"However, more work needs to be done due to the unbalanced development in the popularity of the internet. Due to the huge gap in infrastructure construction, there are still many people yet to benefit from the digital era," said Sheng.

Nicholas Rosellini, UN resident coordinator in China, echoed this sentiment. He suggested that the benefits of technology should be put to good use, help reduce inequality and make society more inclusive - especially of the poor and most vulnerable.

It is estimated that about 1 billion people worldwide live with disabilities, accounting for 15 percent of the global population, and the majority of them live in developing countries, according to Marielza Oliveira, director of UNESCO's Beijing Cluster Office and UNESCO representative to the People's Republic of China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Japan, Mongolia and the Republic of Korea.

About 85 million people with disabilities and 250 million people age 60 or older in China are in need of special support from technology and the internet, added Oliveira.

Between August 2016 and May 2019, 174,000 people with disabilities opened their own online shops on Taobao, reporting a total sales revenue of 29.84 billion yuan.

"The internet has inspired and enabled people with physical disabilities to work and provide services, using their own strengths," said Cheng Kai, vice-president of the China Disabled Persons' Federation.

Although China has made progress in offering internet-related services for people with disabilities, Oliveira called for more products and services, and more participation by people from governments and nongovernmental organizations.

Information technology, and the internet in particular, is accelerating the deeper integration of all aspects of society and the economy, and is an important, driving force to promote social and economic progress.

The population of Chinese netizens reached 854 million people in June, accounting for 61.2 percent of the nation's population, according to a report from the China Internet Network Information Center. In 2018, China's e-commerce trade volume grew 8.5 percent year-on-year to reach 31.6 trillion yuan, becoming an important driver of the economy, according to a report on the country's internet development released on Sunday during the WIC.

Officials and experts agreed that by applying new internet technologies and approaches to social welfare, charity work could attain higher levels. Internet-assisted public welfare and charity can effectively promote inclusive development in the information era, help build a community of a shared future for mankind in cyberspace and contribute to a brighter future for humankind.

wang_ying@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 10/22/2019 page18)