News 24 of 50

Narantsetseg, Nara to all who knew her, was a rare visionary working at the distant peripheries of the Internet who bravely embraced the new technologies and made them the centre of her life. It was a life cut short but lived inspiringly well.  To many people outside her country, Nara was not only the representative of the Mongolian Internet but also of Mongolia itself. She was an immensely effective and impressive representation of both.

Nara was equally successful at home. She was awarded the "Best IT Researcher for 2003" by the ICT Stakeholders group, a recognition which moved her to tears. And on the day she died, the Mongolian Business Women's Association named her the "Best Business Lady".

Nara was in Jakarta, Indonesia, the week before, taking an active part in the meeting of the Panel of Authors of the Digital Review of Asia Pacific. She spoke passionately about the digital inequalities which existed and the importance of not under estimating the commitment required to close the digital divide.

The challenges Nara vividly described never once clouded her vision of what the Internet could deliver: from distance education and expert medical advice to more transparent government and cheaper communication services.

Nara spoke with quiet authority as one of the original movers of the digital revolution in Mongolia. She was the Marketing Director of Datacom, the first Internet services provider in Mongolia, before establishing her own InfoCon Co. Ltd, one of the earliest information technology consulting companies in the country.

Nara took an active part in drawing up Mongolia's Mid-Term Strategy and Plan for the Development of Information and Communication Technologies. She also directed a diverse portfolio of development projects initiated by the International Development Research Centre of Canada, Soros Foundation, the World Bank and UNDP.

Despite all these commitments, which would have discouraged many others, she found time to educate herself. She was working on her PhD even as she ran her company, implemented development projects and travelled widely and regularly to represent Mongolia at international events.

The frantic pace never distracted Nara from what she considered the more important things. On her last morning in Jakarta, even though she had a flight to catch, she found time to assemble a beautifully-arranged platter of fruits to share over breakfast with her fellow authors.

Technologies were important to her, but people were even more important.

This tribute to Nara is by the authors and publishers of the Digital Review of Asia Pacific http://www.digital-review.org/ originating from the Pacific Islands, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Bhutan, Cambodia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iran, India, Japan, Lao PDR, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Macau, Maldives, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.

2004-03-05

News 24 of 50