Advisory Network for the African Information Society (ANAIS) The Advisory Network for the African Information Society (ANAIS) was established to facilitate social use of information technology by Africans following the Geneva Conference on Africa and new information technologies (October 1996). It aims at facilitating the appropriation of information technology and communication (ITC) by Africans.
Third World Network The Third World Network is an independent non-profit international network of organizations and individuals involved in issues relating to development, the Third World and North- South issues. The TWN's international secretariat is based in Penang, Malaysia. It has offices in Delhi, India; Montevideo, Uruguay (for South America); Geneva; London and Accra, Ghana.
Changemakers Changemakers is an initiative of Ashoka - Innovators for the Public that focuses on the rapidly growing world of social entrepreneurship. Its mission is to provide inspiration, resources, and opportunities for those interested in social change throughout the world. Compelling stories in Changemakers Journal reveal how the creative energy of social entrepreneurs drives innovation in diverse fields, including education, health, the environment, and other areas of human need.
Digital Dividend Digital Dividend is a web site dedicated to exploring creative business approaches, public-private partnerships, and other sustainable ways to bridge the digital divide and create lasting economic, social, and environmental benefits. The site has created a useful link page. The Digital Dividend web site is maintained by the World Resources Institute (WRI), an environmental think tank of over 125 individuals from diverse cultures. WRI partners with governments, international organizations, corporations, and other non-governmental organizations. The institute organized in October 2000 at Seattle the conference “Creating Digital Dividends” to explore new business approaches and market drives that could help to turn the Global Digital Divide into Digital Dividends.
Digital Opportunity Task Force (Website under Construction) (DOT-FORCE) At the Kyushu-Okinawa Summit in July 2000, the leaders of the G8 focused considerable attention on the impact of information technologies and the growing risks of a global “digital divide”. The Okinawa Charter on the Global Information Society detailed these challenges and called for the creation of a Digital Opportunity Task Force (DOT-Force). The DOT-Force is composed of members from the public, private and not for profit sectors and includes participants from developed and developing countries. In May 2001, the DOT-Force published its final report: “Digital Opportunities for All: Meeting the Challenge (including a proposal for a Genoa Plan of Action)”, which was reviewed at the Genoa Summit of the G8. In their Summit Communiqué of 22.7.2001, the G8 endorsed the Genoa Plan of Action. The latest documents are the Conclusions of the Organizational Meeting of Montreal, 9-10.10.2001 and a Statement on Linkages with the UN ICT Task Force. Other documents are the Conclusions of the Organizational Meeting of Montreal, 9-10.10.2001 and a Statement on Linkages with the UN ICT Task Force. At the G8 Summit at Kananaskis, the DOT-Force presented its final Report Card. Stocktaking: Each of the Implementation Teams established to address the nine action points contained in the Genoa Action Plan produced its own "report card". The Reports of the nine teams (E-Strategies, Access and Connectivity, Human Capacity Development, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, Global Policy Participation, LDC-Initiative for ICT-Inclusion, ICT for Healthcare, Local Content and Application Development and Development Assistance programmes) can be downloaded here.
Digital Partners The mission of Digital Partners it to provide professional services and financial support to visionary social entrepreneurs interested in effectively utilizing IT to benefit the poor through a portfolio of influential collaborating institutions and individuals. They have also created a new venture capital fund model, a "social venture fund," to invest in and incubate new initiatives designed by IT and social entrepreneurs to trigger solutions to previously intractable problems of poverty.
E-Inclusion Solutions The mission of Hewlett-Packard’s “e-Inclusion Solutions” is to close the gap between the technology-empowered communities and the technology-excluded communities on our planet by making it profitable to do so. In concert with other innovative HP efforts such as Digital Villages and e-government, e-Inclusion Solutions is determined to invent new solutions that will increase revenues for HP's current lines of business while promoting economic development in emerging markets.
Global Business Dialogue on E-Commerce (GBDe) The web site of the Global Business Dialogue on Electronic Commerce contains a wealth of information on global e-commerce and on policy development in the said field. The 2002 Business Steering Committee is composed of CEOs and Chairmen of major business companies (Vivendi-Universal, Telefonica SA, AOL Time Warner, Bell Canada, Fujitsu and NIIT).
Global Information Infrastructure Commission (GIIC) The mission of the Global Information Infrastructure Commission (GIIC) is to foster private sector leadership and private-public sector cooperation in the development of information networks and services to advance global economic growth, education and quality of life.The GIIC is an independent, non-governmental initiative involving leaders from developing as well as industrialized countries.
International Chamber of Commerce, Paris (ICC) The International Chamber of Commerce, Paris, is the voice of world business championing the global economy as a force for economic growth, job creation and prosperity.
Because national economies are now so closely interwoven, government decisions have far stronger international reper-cussions than in the past. ICC responds by being more assertive in expressing business views. Its activities cover a broad spectrum, from arbitration and dispute resolution to making the case for open trade and the market economy system, business self-regulation, fighting corruption or combating commercial crime. ICC has direct access to national governments all over the world through its national committees. The organization's Paris-based international secretariat feeds business views into intergovernmental organizations on issues that directly affect business operations.
The private sector input into the WSIS process is being facilitated by the coordinating Committee of Business interlocutors (CCBI), chaired by the ICC. For more information about the mobilization, contributions and participation of the global business community, please click here
Open GIS Consortium, Inc. (OGC) OGC is an international industry consortium of 254 companies, government agencies and universities participating in a consensus process to develop publicly available geoprocessing specifications. Open interfaces and protocols defined by OpenGIS® Specifications support interoperable solutions that "geo-enable" the Web, wireless and location-based services, and mainstream IT, and empower technology developers to make complex spatial information and services accessible and useful with all kinds of applications.
Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) ECOSOC 2000 was successful in placing the United Nations in a strategic position to help bridge the digital divide.
The view that emerged at the high-level segment was that the United Nations could play a crucial and unique role in providing an interface between the information technology community and the development community. There was a consensus among all stakeholders that IT could be a key instrument for accelerating global development and international cooperation, and that the UN's contribution to development will be greatly reinforced if it proves able to adapt to, and use, IT effectively.
As a concrete follow-up to the Ministerial Declaration on IT adopted at the high-level segment, the Council decided, at the closing meeting of the session, that an UN-ICT Task Force (and a Trust Fund) should be created under the Secretary-General's leadership. This will further digital opportunities in developing countries, help formulate strategies for IT development, and forge a strategic partnership between the United Nations system, private industry foundations, donors, and other relevant stakeholders.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Information and communication technologies (ICTs), and particularly the Internet, are transforming broad areas where information is a central activity, including rural development and food security. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and its 180 Members highlight information as one of the priority areas in fighting hunger and achieving food security. As a result, FAO established the World Agricultural Information Centre (WAICENT) for agricultural information management and dissemination, in an effort to fight hunger with information. WAICENT is FAO's strategic programme for improving access to essential documents, statistics, maps and multimedia resources to millions of users around the globe.
In July 2001, FAO and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Laboratory (MIT Media Lab) signed an agreement, which provides for WAICENT to serve as a platform for disseminating and supporting programmes initiated by the MIT Media Lab. For the first time, farmers and rural communities in remote and least developed areas will be able to use advanced information technologies for accessing email and the Web using pocket-sized, battery or solar energy-powered wireless communicators at a very low cost.
Another field of activity where ICT becomes increasingly important is Agricultural Information Management. The Report on the First Consultation on Agricultural Information Management (Rome, 5-7 July 2000) highlights inter alia the fact that current government policy on the use of ICTs is primarily directed towards the management of telecommunications infrastructure. Rural populations are disadvantaged with regard to access to information and supporting ICTs. There is a need for broad-based and equitable access to ICTs in rural areas consistent with ongoing processes of decentralization, democratization and policy revisions, in the context of global and national governance considerations.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is required (by its mission statement) inter alia to assist its Member States, in the context of social and economic goals, in planning for and using nuclear science and technology for various peaceful purposes, including the generation of electricity, and to facilitate the transfer of such technology and knowledge in a sustainable manner to developing Member States.
One of the activities of the IAEA, in the area of technology transfer, has become centered on the possibilities of using ICT to support the development of training centers in LDCs (Least Developed Country). E-learning is being used not only to transfer the knowledge about the use of a particular piece of nuclear technology, but is also being used to set up training centres in LDCs, so that the training effort becomes sustainable at the local level (i.e. training the trainers). Several projects (conducted jointly with FAO) have been initiated in the area of disease control and the improvement of animal productivity.
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) The International Telecommunication Union is the specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for telecommunications. ITU’s membership includes 189 Member States and more than 650 private companies and other organizations. Through its conferences, assemblies and other meetings, ITU provides a multilateral forum where governments and the private sector can meet to broker agreements in areas of mutual interest. This form of public-private partnership is virtually unique among the organizations of the UN family.
New technologies, like the Internet and mobile telephony, have grown at a breathtaking rate during the last decade or so. Internet access and mobile phone ownership have become the norm for some. Many developed countries are now seeing mobile phones with the capacity to receive and display Internet content, video images and e?mail messages. Other countries however, still lack the wherewithal to extend basic telecommunication access to their peoples. Unless they can overcome some of the major obstacles to communications development, the global divide between the information-rich and information-poor is likely to grow still further.
By working to develop international standards that ensure the functioning and interoperability of communication systems, such as the IMT-2000 standard for third-generation telephone systems, for example, ITU’s Standardization Sector (ITU-T) provides an essential framework for the deployment of communication technologies.
The Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) is responsible for managing the radio-frequency spectrum, a valuable and finite resource, so that radio-based systems continue to function smoothly and provide reliable wireless services to the world's inhabitants. While governments have long been involved in spectrum management, the private sector is increasingly involved in its exploitation.
The Development Sector (ITU-D) works to facilitate connectivity and access, foster policy, regulatory and network readiness, expand human capacity through training programmes, formulate financing strategies and e-enable enterprises in developing countries.
ITU is also active in identifying emerging trends in telecommunications, producing regular statistics, studies on Internet-related issues, country case studies and publications and reports, as well as holding workshops on topics of current interest. These activities are partly to guide internal strategic orientations, but also to assist governments, policy-makers, regulators and private enterprises in establishing priorities for the optimum development of their own telecommunication policies.
Under the auspices of the UN Secretary General, ITU is taking the lead managerial role in the preparation of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), in cooperation with relevant UN and other international agencies and the host countries Switzerland and Tunisia.
International Trade Center (ITC) Information and communication technologies are changing the face of business. But recognizing the potential of new and innovative technologies is one thing; effectively applying them to boost the bottom line is another. That's where the International Trade Centre can help. With the theme, 'The Changing Marketplace: Putting 'e' to Work', ITC is assisting SMEs in developing countries apply practical "e" solutions to boost exports and become more competitive in today's rapidly changing marketplace. By applying the benefits of new technologies, SMEs can do 'old' business in 'new' ways, better serving their existing customers as well as seizing and exploiting entirely new export opportunities and reaching out to new markets. ITC is also known for its work in bringing together governments and businesses in developing countries to establish effective and proven e-trade strategies that work to meet the needs of its clients.
ITC's dedicated portal www.intracen.org/wsis provides continuously updated information on ICT's e-related programmes, tools, services and publications. You can also register for the interactive workshops, held in partnership with seco, the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs at the ICT for Development Platform. The workshops will address practical experiences about e-business development and focus on finding new ways of doing traditional business; seizing new ICT-related business opportunities; and helping SME exporters overcome the digital divide.
UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) ICT-for-Development is one of the key areas on STDev, UNCTAD’s Internet gateway on Science and Technology for Development. The gateway (www.unctad.org/stdev/) provides continuously updated information on best practices in the assessment, transfer, adaptation and mastery of technology and also offers opportunities for partnering and networking for science and technology. Information can be accessed on the activities within the United Nations system and other relevant organizations, international science and technology-related treaties and protocols, as well as other international initiatives and events. STDev also hosts the homepage of the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (UNCSTD).
Concerning more specific applications of ICT, UNCTAD produces analytical outputs in the field of e-commerce and development (www.unctad.org/ecommerce/) and organizes intergovernmental meetings, seminars and workshops to raise awareness and promote the exchange of experience among e-commerce practitioners and policy-makers in developing countries. Full access is available to the UNCTAD annual E-commerce and Development Report.
A number of technical cooperation programmes implemented by UNCTAD focus on practical applications of ICT to facilitate the integration of developing countries and their enterprises in international trade flows. These include:
The ASYCUDA customs reform and automation programme (www.asycuda.org), which uses IT developed by UNCTAD to increase fiscal revenue, improve efficiency for traders and fight corruption in close to a hundred developing countries and countries with economies in transition.
Gtpnet: an SME-oriented website providing access to information on business opportunities, trade-related regulations and market intelligence provided by Trade Points from all regions of the world.
The Advance Cargo Information System (ACIS, www.railtracker.com/) is a logistics information system developed by UNCTAD to improve transport efficiency in developing countries.
UN Development Programme (UNDP) UNDP’s interest is in the field of ICT for development and in bridging the digital divide. Based on its broad experience and network of country offices, UNDP intends to stimulate an enabling environment, catalyse applications and innovate projects on the ground necessary to bridge the information divide. An overview of its activities 2000-2001 is available on its website under Fast Facts, Driving ICT for Development.
At the global level, UNDP and the World Bank have offered to act as joint hosts of the Digital Opportunity Task Force secretariat. The Digital Opportunity Initiative, a partnership between UNDP, Markle Foundation and Accenture, is to provide a major strategic input into the dot-force process. At country level, the Global Network Readiness and Resource Initiative is a partnership between the UNDP, the UN Foundation, IBM, Markle Foundation, the World Economic Forum and the Center for International Development at Harvard University. In a UNDP partnership with CISCO and the UNV, students from LDCs shall be trained. NetAid is to be one of the major vehicles for mobilizing action around the digital divide for the poorest countries and its citizens. Other initiatives of UNDP are the Sustainable Development Networking Programme and the Small Islands Developing States Network. The United Nations Information Technology Service (UNITeS) is a global volunteer initiative that allows volunteers from any country to give their skills and time to extend the opportunities of the digital revolution to developing countries. In the Asia-Pacific region, the Asia Pacific Development Information Network (APDIP) seeks to promote and establish information technology (IT) for social and economic development throughout Asia-Pacific. A new initiative is the International open source network, a centre of excellence of UNDP servinc as a clearing house for information on Open Source.
UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is mandated by its 184 Member States inter alia to promote the free flow of ideas by word and image and to foster international co-operation in the fields of communication, information and informatics in order to narrow the existing gap between the developed and the developing countries in these areas. Through the portal the reader gets access to a multitude of information, including a Free Software Portal, an Information Society Observatory, a Library and an Archive Portal.
UNESCO's Information for All Programmes provides a platform for international policy discussions and guidelines for action on preservation of information and universal access to it, participation of all in the emerging global information society and ethical, legal and societal consequences of ICT developments. The Information for All Programme provides a framework for international co-operation and international and regional partnerships. It supports the development of common strategies, methods and tools for building a just and free information society and for narrowing the gap between the information rich and the information poor.
Documentary heritage reflects the diversity of languages, peoples and cultures. It is the mirror of the world and its memory. But this memory is fragile. Every day, irreplaceable parts of this memory disappear for ever. UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme tries to preserve the documentary heritage of the world.
UNESCO is helping Member States, particularly the developing countries, to strengthen their communication capacities, to improve the training of communication professionals and to promote the concept of public service broadcasting. UNESCO's International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) is a specialised programme, devoted to strengthening the means of mass communication in developing countries, to assist in developing technical and human resources and to promote the transfer of technology UNESCO, given its mandate, concentrates on the "content" aspects of the Information Society, including information access, training and ethical issues. Through the portal webworld the reader can access theme pages on information policies and strategies, public domain, legal and ethical issues, and on infostructure (network development, information management etc.)
UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) UNITAR has been working on capacity building and training projects and programmes in the field of information and communication technologies (ICT) since 1986 and has developed a strong and stable network of partnerships with experts and specialized institutions from all over the world. Partner institutions include UN Agencies, Inter- and Governmental bodies, NGOs, Technical institutions, Universities, engineering, as well as business companies.
UN Online Network in Public Administration and Finance (UNPAN) The United Nations Online Network in Public Administration and Finance - at www.unpan.org - serves as a portal for public administration which is the only one such network in the world today. While its immediate objective is to establish an electronic platform linking related regional and national institutions online for information exchange, experience-sharing and on-the-job training in the area of public sector policy and management, its long-term objective is to build capacity, bridge the digital divide between the rich and the poor, and promote south-south cooperation of these regional and national institutions to access, process and disseminate relevant information via up-to-date ICTs for the promotion of better public administration. UNPAN provides five major services, which include information, training, technical advice, conferences and worldwide directories that focus on: public economic policy, governance and institutional building, civil service and public sector reform, management innovation and development and public finance. It is managed by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Division for Public Economics and Public Administration, in cooperation with 15 relevant international and regional institutions.
World health Organization (WHO) In September 2000 the Secretary-General of the United Nations launched a public-private initiative as part of the UN Millennium Action plan to bridge the digital divide in health. Spearheaded by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Health InterNetwork brings together international agencies, the private sector, foundations, non-governmental organizations and country partners under the principle of ensuring equitable access to health information. The aim is to improve public health by facilitating the flow of health information, using the Internet. Health information - relevant, timely and appropriate - must become unrestricted and affordable worldwide, so that all communities can benefit from this global public good.
The focus of the Health InterNetwork is on improving the information environment of health personnel in developing countries: professionals, researchers and scientists, and policy makers. The work will initially focus on public health programs determined as priority for communities, countries or regions thereby leveraging existing partnerships with other WHO and UN technical programs. The core elements of the project are Content, Internet connectivity and Capacity building.
World Meteorological Organization (WMO) The World Meteorological Organization coordinates global scientific activity to allow increasingly prompt and accurate weather information and other services for public, private and commercial use, including international airline and shipping industries. WMO's activities contribute to the safety of life and property, the socio-economic development of nations and the protection of the environment. Each day, high-speed links transmit over 15 million data characters and 2 000 weather charts through three World, 35 Regional and 183 National Meteorological Centres cooperating with each other in preparing weather analyses and forecasts in an elaborately engineered fashion.
In recent times, governments around the world have come under pressure from the forces of economic globalisation to reduce their public sector expenditure and to devolve to market processes the responsibility for many services formerly provided through government agencies, National Meteorological Services have come under increasing pressure in many countries to reduce expenditure and, in some cases, to move down the commercialisation-corporatisation-privatisation route. There is quite a lot of scope for governments, if they so wish and are willing to provide a supportive legal regime, to equip their National Meteorological Services to earn revenue from the provision of specialised services to individual users. But basic meteorological data is the near to perfect example of a common public good and Governments have to make sure that such data is provided to all, free of cost and at adequate standards.
Acacia The Acacia Initiative is an international program to empower sub-Saharan communities with the ability to apply Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to their own social and economic development. Acacia is building on IDRC's existing and emerging networks, programs, and partnerships, and the web site is hosted by IDRC.
Bellanet Among the legacies of the 1992 Earth Summit were a renewed commitment to collaborative approaches to development, and an awareness of the potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to improve international cooperation. At an international meeting in Bellagio, Italy, (hence the name "Bellanet") multilateral and bilateral donors and foundations recognized that the problem of how to better combine their knowledge and their efforts deserved serious attention, and that it would, not surprisingly, benefit from a collaborative approach. The resulting Bellanet is an international non-profit initiative governed by a steering committee representing donor institutions (CIDA, Danida, Sida, UNDP, IDRC). The initiative is implemented by a Secretariat hosted by the International Development Research Center (IDRC) at its head office in Ottawa, Canada. During the pilot phase (1995-1999) Bellanet focused on exploring applications of ICTs by "collaborative initiatives" that brought Southern partners, civil society, and donors together in new ways. Major accomplishments in Phase I included providing technical and strategic assistance to the African Information Society Initiative and the Association for the Development of Information in Africa, and a prominent role in the Global Knowledge Partnership. In Phase II (2000-2004) Bellanet is working more closely with partners in the South, and has increased efforts in the area of organisational learning as it relates to successful partnership and collaboration for international development.
Bridges.org Bridges.org is an international non-profit organization combining ground level information and communication technology (ICT) initiatives with ICT policy to help span the digital divide. Its site contains a wealth of information on the “digital divide” and what is being done (including projects of their own) to eliminate it. In June 2001, Bridges.org published a comprehensive report on the “digital divide”: Spanning the Digital Divide: Understanding and Tackling the Issues.
Centre for Knowledge Societies (CKS) The Center for Knowledge Societies (CKS), based at Bangalore, South India, was established in March 2000, to bring social and economic analysis, as well as linguistic and cultural insight to bear on the design and deployment of emerging technologies, particularly for rural, non-elite communities and other non -traditional target populations in emerging economies. CKS has joined hands with Mahiti InfoTech Private Ltd. to create, design, maintain and upgrade its ICT4D database, which documents around 120 ICT4D projects in South Asia. This database will be online soon at www.ict4d.info/ .
Comunica Comunica explores and supports ways that local and independent media in less developed countries are making use of information and communication technologies to strengthen efforts for development and democracy. Within the website exists the draft paper, The Challenges of ICTs and Rural Radio, prepared by Comunica for the Food and Agriculture Organisation's International Farm Radio Workshop/Information and Communication Technologies Serving Rural Radio.
Development Gateway The Development Gateway helps communities, organizations, and individuals to build partnerships, share ideas, and work together to reduce poverty. It is the world’s most extensive source of project descriptions, funding, and contact details. The Gateway portal is part of the World Bank Group's efforts to harness information and communication technologies (ICT) for development and poverty reduction, and the team has worked with the other initiatives such as the Global Development Network, and the Global Development Learning Network. Today the website is a program of the Development Gateway Foundation, funded mainly by the World Bank and based in Washington D.C., in collaboration with a host of public and private partners.
Development through Dialogue. (D-Groups) Dgroups is an online home for groups and communities interested in international development. In Dgroups, one can find the online tools and services needed to support the activities of a team, a group, a network, a partnership or a community. Dgroups is also a place to find groups who are interested in the same topics in international development. The people leading Dgroups have formed the Dgroups Partnership. Current partners include Bellanet, ICA, IICD, OneWorld, UNAIDS and DFID. The system is currently hosted by Bellanet on behalf of the partnership.
Digital Divide Network The Digital Dividend Network is produced and coordinated by the Benton Foundation. The website offers a range of information, tools and resources that help practitioners stay on top of the digital divide developments. It also serves as a forum where practitioners can share their experiences with colleagues around the world. The site looks at causes and effects of the digital divide from four distinct angles: technology access, literacy and learning, content, and economic development.
Digital Earth Digital Earth incorporates a connected suite of technologies with the vision of enabling a massive, scalable, and open model of the planet where millions of users can interact with vast quantities of geographically referenced (georeferenced) data over the Web. Ditital Earth is a project of SRI International ( called "Stanford Research Institute"before 1977). Its goal is to create an open infrastructure that allows anyone around the globe to publish or to search for data based upon a specific location; something which is not possible on the Web today. As part of this goal, SRI is building several components, one of it is GeoWeb - a completely scalable infrastructure for indexing and searching for all georeferenced data on the Internet using the existing Domain Name System (DNS).
Digital Opportunity Channel Digital Opportunity Channel is a joint endeavour of OneWorld and the Digital Divide Network. By joining hands, the two organisations seek to bring in a global perspective to the discussion over ICTs and the digital divide. ICTs by themselves cannot be drivers of social transformation; they cannot substitute for good governance, economic reform or social policies. But they can create new employment opportunities, increase efficiency and productivity, and supplement development efforts.
Electronic Development and Envronment Information System (ELDIS) The Electronic Development and Environment Information System (ELDIS) is a gateway to Information Sources on Development and the Environment. ELDIS offers an easy route to the latest information on development and environmental issues and is available free via the Internet. ELDIS also provides an ever increasing number of descriptions and links to a variety of information sources, including WWW and gopher sites, databases, library catalogues, bibliographies, and email discussion lists, research project information, map and newspaper collections. ELDIS is financed by Danida and Sida and hosted by IDS, Sussex.
Environment and ICT Working Group, The Environment and ICT Working Group of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, works on the impacts of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) on the environment. The Group also serves as the Environment Caucus set up under the Civil Society Coordinating Group (CSCG) following PrepCom 1 of WSIS.
Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) GeSI is an initiative of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) service providers and suppliers, with the support of the United Nations Environment Programme and International Telecommunication Union
Global Islands Network (GIN) The Global Islands Network is a non-profit organisation established in June 2002 to conduct and promote culturally appropriate, ecologically sound, economically sustainable and socially equitable development on islands worldwide
Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) The GKP is a "network of networks" with a diverse membership base comprising public, private and not-for profit organizations from both developed and developing countries. The Partnership was born as a result of the 1997 Global Knowledge Conference in Canada, hosted by the World Bank and the Government of Canada. At present there are 93 members. GKP has a vision of a world of equal opportunities where all people are able to have access to and use knowledge and information to improve their lives. GKP aims to promote broad access to – and effective use of – knowledge and information as tools of equitable sustainable development and share information, experiences and resources to realize the potential of information and communication technologies to improve lives, reduce poverty and empower people.
Greenstone Greenstone is a suite of software for building and distributing digital library collections. It provides a new way of organizing information and publishing it on the Internet or on CD-ROM. Greenstone is produced by the New Zealand Digital Library Project at the University of Waikato, and developed and distributed in cooperation with UNESCO and the Human Info NGO. It is open-source software, issued under the terms of the GNU General Public License.
Harvard Information Infrastructure Project (HIIP) The HIIP has provided a neutral, interdisciplinary forum for addressing a wide range of emerging policy issues relating to information infrastructure, its development, use, and growth. The HIIP convened experts from government, industry, and academia and drawed on the perspectives and insights of policy-makers, managers, economists, lawyers, political scientists, and technologists in pursuit of its mission to advance the understanding of emerging issues in information infrastructure policy. Research areas included electronic commerce, the Internet and governance, economic and policy issues to ensure widespread availability of advanced communications access technologies in traditional high-cost areas, information policy in the Asia-Pacific region, and information policy and the information society. Even if the project was closed down recently, the information on the website is still very interesting.
iCONNECT iConnect is a jumping off point for information on the application of knowledge and ICT's in sustainable development. Developed in association with the 'building digital opportunities' programme funded by DFID and DGIS (Netherlands), it draws content from its partners, iConnect links resources and expertise and encourages collaboration. Most of the content and indeed the knowledge and expertise needed to make sense of ICTs is not physically on this site. But it can easily be found through the linked efforts of the partners.
Institute of Development Studies (IDS) The Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, is a leading center for research and teaching on international development.
International Council for Science (ICSU) Founded in 1931, ICSU, the International Council for Science, is a non-governmental organization whose mission is to strengthen international science for the benefit of society. Its membership includes 101 national science bodies and 27 international science unions. In partnership with its specialized Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA) and the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP), ICSU is working to highlight the importance of science in the developing information society.
International Development Research Center (IDRC) The International Development Research Center is a public corporation created by the Canadian government to help communities in the developing world find solutions to social, economic, and environmental problems through research. IDRC hosts Bellanet.
International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) The Hague-based International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) helps countries to realize locally-owned sustainable development by harnessing the potential of ICT. Its strategy is three-fold: to hold round tables processes in which local stakeholder identify and formulate ICT-supported policies and projects; to sponsor capacity-building activities; and to foster information-sharing with and among its network of local partners.
International Organisation for Knowledge Economy and Enterprise Development (IKED) IKED is a think-tank and policy forum devoted to international policy discussions, analysis and co-operation focusing on the issues of the emerging knowledge-based economy.IKED combines integrity and competence with close co-operation and intensive networking vis-à-vis its partners. The organisation offers a unique forum and platform for exchange of experience and policy dialogue, as well as for the launching of concrete projects. IKED addresses issues confronting advanced countries as well as emerging economies.
International Research Foundation for Development (IRFD) International Research Foundation for Development, as a transnational policy research and advocacy organization, focuses on critical issues and considerations in the context of information technological revolution, global transformation, and marginalization. Inter and intra regional disparities will be examined in terms of information infrastructure and dissemination, knowledge generation and management. IRFD is strengthening its global network for collaborative research and actions for a sustainable information society for the 21st century. Please visit for details:l http://www.irfd.org/events/wf2003/intro2.htm
Mandate the Future (MtF) Mandate the Future (MtF) is Worldview's first online venture. The Sri-Lanka based project is designed to harness the power of Internet and the digital medium to the advantage of youth across the globe. MtF is a forum created and driven by youth. It gives them an opportunity to voice their views and concerns on global issues. The project seeks to involve youth in the policy making process and be in-charge of their future.
National Science Foundation (NSF) The National Science Foundation, on its Science, Resources and Statiscits Division database, has Computerized bibliographic search algorithms and consultations with research experts were used to identify over 4,000 data sets, research papers and books, and Web sites that provide insights about the social and economic implications of information, communications, and computational technologies (IT). Citations to these works have been sorted into a series of searchable listings called Road Maps and are available online for public use and comment. Included are the implications of IT for the home, education, community, government, science, employment and work, commerce (including electronic commerce), productivity, institutional structure, globalization, and selected policy issues. About one third of the citations in the Road Maps have abstracts. A subset of the citations in the Home Road Map has been specially annotated. Note: This pilot project consists of citations (including URLs for Web items). It does not contain the data or research works cited. The Roadmap webpage can be found here
NetAid Netaid is an independent non-profit organization, connecting individuals and groups - from corporations to non-profit - to mobilize people around the world against extreme poverty. NetAid partners are leaders in their field, united in their commitment to human development through collaboration, transparent and effective practices and concrete outcomes. Founding partners are the UNDP and CISCO Systems. The partnership extends today to several dozen private and public/international organizations. NetAid is sponsored among others by AOL Time Warner and Yahoo!
One World OneWorld is a network of over 700 organizations working for social justice, sustainable development and human rights. OneWorld International Foundation was inaugurated in December 1999 and is the home of the International Board of Trustees, the governing body of the OneWorld Network. There are currently 10 network’s centers around the world. OneWorld US is located at the Benton Foundation in Washington D.C.. Their OneWorld site is a leading portal on global justice and a gateway to over 700 NGOs worldwide.
ONGs de Centro América Portal de la información y el análisis para el desarrollo de Centro América
Open Knowledge Network (OKN) OKN is an initiative of the DOTForce: the Digital Opportunity Task Force set up by the G8 Heads of State to make a decisive contribution to bridging the digital divide. OKN has since been adopted by the UN ICT Task Force.The OKN consortium is made up of: OneWorld.net, IICD, IDRC, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Accenture and the Berkman Center of Harvard Law School, and is supported by the governments of Canada and the UK (DfID)
Pan Asia Net Working (PAN) Pan Asia Networking is a program initiative of IDRC of Canada which helps researchers and communities in the developing world find solutions to their social, economic and environmental problems. Some 300 Asia Pacific institutions contribute e-content to the PAN website.
Panos Panos is an international non-profit institute working with partners worldwide to stimulate informed public and policy debate and build media capacities on developing country issues.
Regional Initiative on ICT and the Environment, promoting e-Sustainability in Asia-Pacific (ICTEAP) The objectives of ICTEAP are a) to promote South–South cooperation in the region through dissemination of experiences, best practices, approaches, and technologies, b) to promote environmental rights and justice in the region through public access of environmental information and development of information systems and applications based on ICT, c) tTo promote ICT-based applications for natural resources management as well as environmental management and initiation of pilot activities in the region and d) to enhance regional cooperation and networking on ICT and environment including the sustainable consumption building of public–private partnerships. ICTEAP is an initiative of UNEP and intends to highlight complimentary regional perspectives and priorities. I will be tailored to address practical realities of ICT-applications as enabling mechanisms for improved environmental sustainability, particularly in developing countries
TakingITGlobal (TIG) TakingITGlobal (TIG) is an international organization, led by youth, empowered by technology. TIG brings together over 18,000 young people in more than 220 countries within international networks to collaborate on concrete projects addressing global problems and creating positive change. More than just a knowledge hub, TIG enables young people to have their voice heard, to take action within their community, to express themselves, and to connect with organizations, events and scholarships.
TaskNet Towards A South Asian Knowledge Network (TASKNET) is one of a series of conferences supported by the Global Knowledge Partnership. The TASKNET November 1999 Conference focused on how South Asia can turn the information revolution into a force for economic development, social cohesion and poverty alleviation in the developing countries of the region The tasknet public and private partners are major players in the ICT-revolution in India.
The Stockholm Challenge Award The Stockholm Challenge Award 2003-2004 is now open. For the 6th time, the City of Stockholm welcomes IT projects from all over the world using information technology for the benefit of people, society and the environment to show their best use of IT. The online entry form is open for submission until November 1, 2003.
Association for Progressive Communications (APC) APC advocates for and facilitate the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) by civil society in a variety of ways, advocacy, awareness building, network development etc.
Benton Foundation The Benton Foundation seeks to articulate a public interest vision for the digital age and to demonstrate the value of communications for solving social problems.
Bytes for All Some of the most relevant software/Internet/computer/IT ventures in South Asia, ironically, fail to get the attention they merit. Bytes for all is an attempt to swim against the tide. Through a website and an e-mail based mailing list, bytes for all hopes to update readers about interesting ventures.
Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) works to promote democratic values and constitutional liberties in the digital age. With expertise in law, technology, and policy, CDT seeks practical solutions to enhance free expression and privacy in global communications technologies.
Centre for Communications and Development Studies (CCDS) The Centre for Communication and Development Studies (CCDS) is a registered public trust working in development communications and research. It aims to inform, inspire and initiate change. InfoChange News & Features are disseminated through the daily development news channel, www.infochangeindia.org . This one-stop website on India's social sector provides daily uploads on important development stories, the background and context for development issues in India, features, profiles, interviews, analyses, and dozens of stories of change from the grassroots.
Centre for the International Study of Cyberethics and Human Rights (CISCHR) CISCHR is a not-for-profit organisation, based in Presteigne, the ancient Border town in the Welsh Marches, dedicated to promoting the international study of cyberethics, through quality research, teaching, publication and advocacy. More specifically, the Centre has been established to encourage informed public debate on human rights issues that relate to the actual or potential misuse of information technologies.
Civil Society Internet Forum The Civil Society Internet Forum, launched in July 2000, seeks to promote the self-organisation of some 158,000 anonymous individuals who currently make up the at-large membership of ICANN.
CivNet Civnet is a website of Civitas International for civic education practitioners (teachers, teacher trainers, curriculum designers), as well as scholars, policymakers, civic-minded journalists, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) promoting civic education all over the world.
Communication Initiative The Communication Initiative is a knowledge network in English and Spanish with contributions from people from around the world. It is accessed each month by 75'000 individual users with a 5-10% grow each month. It also publishes the e-magazine "drumbeat", which has 16'000 subscribers, 65% of them from developing countries.
Communication Rights in the Information Society (CRIS) Communications Rights in the Information Society (CRIS) is a campaign to ensure that communication rights are central to the information society and to the World Summit on the Information Society. The campaign is sponsored and supported by the Platform for Communication Rights , a group of NGOs involved in media and communication projects around the world. Recently WACC (see below) has published a series of articles on CRIS. This document can be downloaded here
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR) Computer Professionals for social responsibility (CPSR) is a public-interest alliance of computer scientists and others concerned about the impact of computer technology on society.
Digital Freedom Network (DFN) The Digital Freedom Network (DFN) promotes human rights education and activism around the world, primarily through the use of Internet technology. Serving an audience that ranges from human rights activists to those who are less informed, DFN publishes original human rights news articles, conducts online conversations with prominent activists and experts, encourages networking among likeminded organizations, and provides tools and information to assist activists. In 2003, DFN launched a monthly coversation series on human rights and Internet technology, as well as Human Rights Connection www.hrconnection.org , a web-based resource for human rights activists that was developed with partner organizations. On 16 April 2003, DFN held a "food for thought" conversation at its offices in NY city, focused on the role of NGOs working in the field of human rights and development in the WSIS-process.
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EEF) The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) was created to defend our rights to think, speak, and share our ideas, thoughts, and needs using new technologies, such as the Internet and the World Wide Web. EFF is the first to identify threats to our basic rights online and to advocate on behalf of free expression in the digital age.
EPIC EPIC is a public interest research center in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1994 to focus public attention on emerging civil liberties issues and to protect privacy, the First Amendment, and constitutional values.
European Digital Rights (EDRi) European Digital Rights is a European association of privacy and civil rights groups. Since its foundation in June 2002, EDRi is made up out of 10 privacy and civil rights organizations from 7 different countries in the European Union. Members of EDRi have joined forces to defend civil rights in the information society.
Free Software Foundation (FSF) FSF's mission to preserve, protect and promote the freedom to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute computer software, and to defend the rights of Free Software users.
Free Software Foundation Europe (FSF Europe) FSF Europe is dedicated to all aspects of Free Software in Europe. Creating awareness for these issues, securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving people freedom by supporting development of Free Software are central issues of the FSF Europe, which was founded in 2001 as the European financially, legally and personally independent sister organization of the Free Software Foundation in Boston, MA, USA.
Global Internet Liberty Campaign (GILC) The Global Internet Liberty Campaign (GILC) is the leading forum for fighting online censorship and invasions of privacy.
Global Internet Policy Initiative (GIPI) The Global Internet Policy Initiative (GIPI) supports adoption in developing countries of the legal and policy framework for an open and democratic Internet. The project works with local stakeholders in consultative, coalition-based efforts to promote the principles of a decentralized, accessible, user-controlled, and market-driven Internet. Operating in nearly a dozen countries, GIPI serves as a resource to local stakeholders in the Internet policy development process.
Independent Media Center Indymedia is a collective of independent media organizations and hundreds of journalists offering grassroots, non-corporate coverage. Indymedia is a democratic media outlet for the creation of radical, accurate, and passionate tellings of truth.
Indigenous Media Network (IMN) The Indigenous Media Network was established to bring together indigenous journalists from all parts of the world, to make their voices heard and to unite them in their common struggles.
International Center for Disability Resources on the Internet (ICDRI) ICDRI’s mission is to collect a global knowledge base of quality disability resources and best practices and to provide education, outreach and training based on these core resources.Its overarching vision is the equalization of opportunities for people with disabilities. As an internationally recognized public policy center organized by and for people with disabilities, ICDRI seeks to increase opportunities for people with disabilities by identifying barriers to participation and promoting best practices and universal design of technology for the global community.
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is the non-profit corporation that was formed to assume responsibility for the IP address space allocation, protocol parameter assignment, domain name system management, and root server system management functions previously performed under U.S. Government contract by IANA and other entities.
Internet Free Expression Alliance (IFEA) The Internet Free Expression Alliance (IFEA) is a coalition of America’s civil society groups concerned by free expression.
Internet Society (ISOC) The Internet Society (ISOC) is a professional membership society with more than 150 organizational and 6,000 individual members in over 100 countries. It provides leadership in addressing issues that confront the future of the Internet, and is the organization home for the groups responsible for Internet infrastructure standards, including the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and the Internet Architecture Board (IAB).
Markle Foundation Emerging communications media and information technology create unprecedented opportunity to improve people's lives. The Markle Foundation works to realize this potential and promotes the development of communications industries that address public needs.
MediaChannel.org MediaChannel.org is a nonprofit, public interest Web site dedicated to global media issues. MediaChannel offers news, reports and commentary from our international network of media-issues organizations and publications, as well as original features from contributors and staff. Resources include thematic special reports, action toolkits, forums for discussion, an index directory of hundreds of affiliated groups and a search engine constituting the single largest online media-issues database.
Privacy International (PI) Privacy International (PI) is a human rights group formed in 1990 as a watchdog on surveillance by governments and corporations. PI is based in London, England, and has an office in Washington, D.C. PI has conducted campaigns throughout the world on issues ranging from wiretapping and national security activities, to ID cards, video surveillance, data matching, police information systems, and medical privacy.
World Alliance for Citizen Participation (CIVICUS) CIVICUS is an international alliance established in 1993 to nurture the foundation, growth and protection of citizen action throughout the world, especially in areas where participatory democracy and citizens' freedom of association are threatened.
World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) WACC's main objectibes are a) to promote democratic forms of communication which encourage dialogue and debate, enhance people’s creativity and solidarity, and respond to people’s needs b) to contribute towards building a communications environment that is open to all and founded on respect for human dignity, c) to support processes that lead to the democratisation of the mass media including advocacy, reflection, policy development, and networking and d) to implement communication programmes and to support projects that lead to the empowerment of people, especially the dispossessed and marginalised, indigenous peoples, refugees, migrants, women, children and people with disabilities. WACC has recently published a document on the Campaign for Communication Rights in the Information Society (CRIS). The document can be can be downloaded here .
World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) The mission of the World Federation of United Nations Associations is to inform, sustain and energize a global network of United Nations Associations to support the principles and programs of the United Nations and to help shape its agenda.
World Forum on Community Networking (WFCN) The World Forum on Community Networking is an international NGO created in March 2001 by Canadian community networks. The head-office of WFCN is in Montreal. Its first task was to organize the Third Global Congress on Community Networking in the Digital Era (GlobalCN 2002). In 2003, the WFCN entered a new phase in which it will strengthen its role as a crossroads at the national and international level. It will also pursue the development of the contents and the technical aspects of the Platform for Community Networks. Communication rights and the World Summit on the Information Society are some of the issues on which the WFCN will focus its work. The WFCN has created a collaborative and trilingual portal, the Platform for Community Networks
World Summit Award (WSA) The World Summit Award (WSA) is a global initiative for selecting and promoting world's best in e-Content and Creativity. It aims not only to promote the benefits of a new Information Society for all, but in particular to raise public awareness for the high quality e-content, produced all over the world. WSA has a similar initiative geared towards the youth, the World Summit Youth Award is a joint venture of the World Summit Award and the WSIS Youth Caucus.
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) develops interoperable technologies (specifications, guidelines, software, and tools) to lead the Web to its full potential as a forum for information, commerce, communication, and collective understanding.
Council of Europe (COE) In line with its main focus on human rights, democracy, the rule of law and cultural co-operation, and based on the Declaration on a European Policy for New Information Technologies of 1999, the Council of Europe developed a number of legal instruments for its 44 member states and beyond concerning the Information Society.
International co-operation and harmonisation in the criminal law field beyond Europe has been achieved through the Convention on Cyber Crime of 23 November 2001. Specific action is currently pursued on racism on the Internet under this Convention and the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance. Guidelines for data protection and privacy were developed in Recommendation (99) 5 and for copyright in Recommendation (2001) 7. Besides legal co-operation, self-regulatory initiatives against harmful content were recommended under Recommendation (2001) 8 and through an international conference in November 2001.
In order to ensure the widest possible access to cyber information and services, the Council of Europe called on member states to promote universal access at community level under Recommendation (99) 14 and recommended enhancing access to judicial services under Recommendation (2001) 3 as well as to local government services under a CLRAE Recommendation and Resolution. Specific action on Internet literacy is currently undertaken, and guidelines for cultural policies for the Information Society have been developed.
In the inter-parliamentary sector of the Council of Europe, policy instruments have been adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly on new technologies and, for instance, North-South technology transfer, democracy, employment, small and medium size enterprises, labour legislation as well as training of workers.
World Bank The World Bank hosts several initiatives with regard to Information Society and Knowledge Management. The Information for Development Program (infoDev) is a global grant program managed by the World Bank to promote innovative projects on the use of information and communication technologies for economic and social development, with a special emphasis on the needs of the poor in developing countries. The Global Development Network (GDN), started with a World Bank grant, aims at supporting and linking research and policy institutes involved in the field of development. The Development Gateway Portal is part of the World Bank Group's efforts to harness information and communication technologies (ICT) for development and poverty reduction. Recently, the Portal has been outsourced to the Development Gateway Foundation, see Development Gateway below). The Development Forum is a meeting place for the development community to share knowledge and resources and an opportunity for its members and the public to provide input into GDN. The World Bank Group’s Global Information and Communication Technologies (GICT) plays an important role in promoting private participation and developing telecommunications services in the emerging markets. The World Bank Institute has a special “Knowledge for Development” (K4D) Policy Service and produces the Global Development Learning Network.
