Building ‘Knowledge Commons’ With ICTs to Fight

8/14/2019 Building Knowledge Commons With ICTs to Fight

1/65

Building Knowledge Commons with ICTs tofight against social exclusion and eradicate

poverty

Christoforos [email protected]


2/65

The Basic Question?

Is it perhaps possible, with this proposal, to shape the cognition& perceptions of research students and policy makers of:

1. The United Nations as, amongst many other things, a KnowledgeCommons?

2. Civil Society as an Arena of Committed & Cooperative Individualsto achieve discerned goals, given the paradigm challenges of presentday society, and use ICTs to foster the implimentation of the MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs) & reduce capabilities deprivation?

3. Commons & Capability Concepts as Human Rights Conceptswithin a Knowledge Society to continue to endeavour to achieve,through the use of ICTs, the MDGs, which are also a benchmarkof social development?


3/65

Questions & Answers


4/65

Commons Concept

1. Enclosure of & lack of Access to The Commons of Natural Subtractive Common Pool Resources (water,

forest, fisheries and wildlife) through Commodification of Property (Real Estate) & of Resources

2. (Public) Knowledge Commons of Non-Subtractive Common Pool Resources (scholarly information,

digital media, and the internet, which was conceived by Berners Lee, from the outset, as a public resource

or commons)

3. Creative Commons

4. Commons Concept as Metaphor for Basic Human Rights

5. World Bank as Knowledge Bank(Wolfensohn, 1995) The Global Development Learning Network (2000)

and The Development Gateway

6. United Nations System with 56 Electronically accessible Libraries, 250 websites and cyberschoolbus as a

Knowledge Commons

7. Common-Building Initiatives of Civil Society


5/65

Civil Society Definition

Civil society refers to the set of institutions, organisations

and behaviour situated between the state, the business

world, and the family. Specifically this includes voluntaryand non-profit organisations of many different kinds,philanthropic institutions, social and political movements,other forms of social participation and engagement and

the values and cultural patterns associated with them.(London School of Economics, 2001)


6/65

Civil Society as Societal Space

Civil Society is: the arena, outside the family, the

government, and the market, where people associate(cooperate) to advance their interests. (Carmen Melena& Volkhart Finn Heinrich, 2007)


7/65

Paradigm Changes & Bifurcation Points in Society

Challenges or Facilitators of MDGs?

1. Climate Change

2. Demographic Change

3. The Urbanisation of Society

4. Foreign Aid (International Charity) / Global Social Justice Approach

5. Relationship of Governments & International Organisations to Civil Society

6. The Global Information Society & Digital Divide


8/65

Demographic Change


9/65


10/65


11/65

Foreign Aid / Global Social Justice

A further paradigm shift deals with governments policy towards so called foreignaid. In general there seems to be a definitive and definable shift taking place, from aforeign aid paradigm, based on charity, to a new spirit of co-operation based onsolidarity, social justice and partnership.

As Home (2004) notes The recent move from the language of charity to thelanguage of justice in international politics raises a stronger ethical duty on the part ofgovernments to deliver social justice to their citizens. The language of charity appeals tothe individuals sense of moral duty, whereas the language of justice draws on acollective ethics that forms the essence of our societies.

Many countries in the so called developing world would prefer access to thecommon markets of the developed world rather than being the recipients of foreign aidand wish instead to trade their way out of poverty through access to world markets, withthe reduction of tariffs and trade barriers and be accepted in the International TradeCommons.


12/65

Partnership of Civil Society & International Organisations

Olson (United Nations, 2005) states, The United Nations takes the notion ofpartnership with civil society very seriously.[] This has evolved greatlyover the years into a two-way partnership with civil society, [] making civilsociety a major contributing factor to the international debates, as well ashelping to increase the understanding of governments and the UnitedNations system. This has been a tremendous advance.

K. Annan stated at the United Nations Millennium Form (2000): Today, I am asking youNGOs to be both leaders and partners: where necessary, to lead and inspireGovernments to live up to your ideals; where appropriate, to work with Governments toachieve their goals.[] By working through consensus rather than confrontation, you willbe involved more closely.

The European Union states in its 7th Research Framework Programme (cf.www.cordis.europa.eu/fp7 Science in Society 2006): The Programme shouldcontribute to looking at civil society not as a constraint but as a driver and locus forinnovation and therefore an active player in building a democratic knowledge society.

The question remains whether segments of CS will accept a cooperative partnership or

opt to remain in advocacy and outside the citadel of international partnerships
http://www.cordis.europa.eu/fp7http://www.cordis.europa.eu/fp7


13/65

DEFINING ICTs

United Nations Development Program (UNDP, 2001)

ICTs are basically information-handling tools - a varied set ofgoods, applications and services that are used toproduce, store, process, distribute and exchange information.

They include the "old" ICTs of radio, television and telephone,

and the "new" ICTs of computers, satellite and wirelesstechnology and the Internet.

These different tools are now able to work together, andcombine to form our "networked world" - a massiveinfrastructure of interconnected telephone services,

standardized computing hardware, the Internet, radioand television, which reaches into every corner of the globe.

They aim to facilitate the developing world leapfrogstructural & historical weaknesses e.g. cellular phones as first& only service in parts of e.g. Gabon, Ivory Coast, Rwanda,

Tanzania & Uganda


14/65

Digital Divide

International Telecommunication Union 2007

[ ca. 30 Countries]

[ ca. 110 + ca. 50 LDC ]


15/65

International Telecommunications Union 2007


16/65

DigitalDivide



17/65



18/65



19/65



20/65



21/65


22/65


23/65

Knowledge Societies Information Technology for

Sustainable Development (Mansell & Wehn)


24/65


25/65

Source: Based on indices computed from ITU STARS Database (1996),Elsevier(1996) and UNESCO (1995)


26/65

World Bank 2004

Knowledge Economy Index


27/65

The Global Information Technology Report 2003 -2004

World Bank, World Economic Forum, InfoDev & INSEAD


28/65


29/65

The Global Information Technology Report 2003 -2004World Bank, World Economic Forum, InfoDev & INSEAD


30/65

Sen, Mansell, Maier-Rabler Capabilities Approach

Internet as electronic spaces where people can acquire new abilities that can assist them inmanaging their daily lives

freedom to achieve the leifestyles they want

capabilities to read and write are important, as are the capabilities for being well informed andable to participate freely in society

cognitive capacities and abilities to discriminate between alternative choices

toolkits for producing and sharing information in the publicspace of the Internet. andto make choices about social alternatives (New Media and the Power of Networks,Robin Mansell, 2001)

. these capabilities are acquired cognitive capacities and the ability to discriminatebetween alternative choices. These capabilities are the foundations of the freedom whichallows individuals needs to be met; needs like remaining healthy and interacting withothers. (Amartya Sen, 1999)


31/65


32/65

Information & Knowledge Societies

Information is the transfer of organised data (Castells 1996) but knowledge alwaysincludes a cultural, social and personal aspect, and often an economic and political

aspect as well. The UNESCO (2005) regards the InformationSociety as a fundament of the

Knowledge Society:

Knowledge societies are about capabilities to identify, produce,process,transform, disseminate and use information to build and apply knowledgefor human development. They require an empowering social vision that

encompasses plurality, inclusion, solidarity and participation. As emphasized byUNESCO during the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society(WSIS), the concept of knowledge societies is more all-embracing and moreconducive to empowerment than the concept of technology and

connectivity, which often dominates debates on the information society. Issuesoftechnology and connectivity emphasize infrastructures and governance ofthe network planet. They are clearly crucial but should not be viewed as an end inthemselves. In other words, the global information society is meaningful onlyif it favours the development of knowledge societies and sets itself the goal

of tending towards human development based on human rights.

Information gives us the power to decide. Knowledge is the capacity to act and the resulting wisdom creates thecapability to make the right decisions (Hofkirchner 2007) .


33/65


34/65

The World Bank as a Knowledge Bank (Wolfensohn, 1996)


35/65


36/65

An economic and institutional regime that provides incentives for the efficientcreation, dissemination, and use of existing knowledge.

An educated and skilled population that can create and use knowledge.

An effective innovation system consisting of research centers, universities, thinktanks, and other organizations that can, not only tap into the growing stock of globalknowledge, assimilate and adapt it to local needs, but also create knowledge.

A dynamic information infrastructure that can facilitate the effective dissemination

and processing of information.

Knowledge Economy Index

World Bank


37/65

World Bank

Correlation between GDP & Knowledge Economy Index (KEI)

United Nations 1995-2008.All rights reserved- Last upload: Monday,November 6, 2006

S t f U it d N ti C b Lib i
http://www.un.org/terms.htmhttp://www.un.org/terms.htmhttp://www.un.org/terms.htm


38/65

DHL homepageUN homepage

Prepared and maintained by the Department of Public Information (DPI), Dag Hammarskjld Library (DHL)

Comments, as well as suggestions for further additions/enhancements, may be directed to [email protected]

System of United Nations Cyber Libraries

UN Member States requested in 2005 an expansion of UN Information Systems
http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/deplib/countries/index.htmlhttp://www.un.org/depts/dhl/deplib/countries/index.htmlhttp://www.un.org/depts/dhl/deplib/countries/index.htmlhttp://www.un.org/depts/dhl/deplib/countries/index.htmlhttp://www.un.org/depts/dhl/deplib/countries/index.htmlhttp://www.un.org/depts/dhl/deplib/countries/index.htmlmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/index.htmlhttp://www.uneca.org/http://www.eclac.org/default.asp?idioma=INhttp://www.unescap.org/http://www.escwa.org.lb/http://www.unep.org/http://www.unu.edu/http://www.wfp.org/index.htmhttp://www.ictr.org/http://www.undp.org/http://www.unicef.org/http://www.unfpa.org/http://www.worldbank.org/http://www.fao.org/http://www.ilo.org/http://www.unesco.org/http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/deplib/countries/index.htmlhttp://www.imf.org/http://www.un.org/aroundworld/unics/http://www.unece.org/Welcome.htmlhttp://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/homehttp://www.who.int/library/mailto:[email protected]://www.un.org/http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/


39/65

UNDHL - Dag Hammarskjold Library

CatalogueE-Mine - Electronic Mine Information Network ECA - Economic Commission for AfricaLibrary

PublicationsResources

ECE- Economic Commission for EuropePublications

ECLAC - Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

LibraryDatabases

DocumentationPublications

ESCAP - Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the PacificCatalogue

Library

Publications

ESCWA - Economic and Social Commission for Western AfricaLibrary

Publications
http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/http://unbisnet.un.org/http://www.mineaction.org/http://www.uneca.org/http://www.uneca.org/Library/http://www.uneca.org/eca_resources/Publications/default.htmhttp://www.uneca.org/resources_home.htmhttp://www.unece.org/Welcome.htmlhttp://www.unece.org/pub_cat/index.htmhttp://www.eclac.org/default.asp?idioma=INhttp://www.eclac.org/biblioteca/default.asp?lang=englishhttp://www.eclac.org/biblioteca/default.asp?page=databases&lang=englishhttp://www.eclac.org/biblioteca/default.asp?page=documentation&lang=englishhttp://www.eclac.org/publicaciones/default.asp?idioma=INhttp://www.unescap.org/http://www.unescap.org/unis/library/search_Simple.asphttp://www.unescap.org/unis/library/http://www.unescap.org/publications/index.asphttp://www.unescap.org/publications/index.asphttp://www.unescap.org/unis/library/http://www.unescap.org/unis/library/search_Simple.asphttp://www.unescap.org/http://www.eclac.org/publicaciones/default.asp?idioma=INhttp://www.eclac.org/biblioteca/default.asp?page=documentation&lang=englishhttp://www.eclac.org/biblioteca/default.asp?page=databases&lang=englishhttp://www.eclac.org/biblioteca/default.asp?lang=englishhttp://www.eclac.org/default.asp?idioma=INhttp://www.unece.org/pub_cat/index.htmhttp://www.unece.org/Welcome.htmlhttp://www.uneca.org/resources_home.htmhttp://www.uneca.org/eca_resources/Publications/default.htmhttp://www.uneca.org/Library/http://www.uneca.org/http://www.mineaction.org/http://unbisnet.un.org/http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/


40/65

IMO - International Maritime Organization

SeaLibraryOnlineInformationResources

PublicationsInfoGate

ITU - International Telecommunication UnionCatalogue

Library andArchivesServicePublications

UNESCO - UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural OrganizationLibrary

Catalogue

DocumentationresourcesUnescoLibrariesPortalUnescoArchivesPortal

UNIDO - UN Industrial Development OrganizationUNIDO Exchange -PublicationsandDocuments

PublicationsUPU - Universal Postal Union

Resources - SearchdocumentsResources

WHO - World Health OrganizationWHOLISLibrary

Research ToolsPublications

WIPO - World Intellectual Property
http://www.imo.org/home.asphttp://www.imo.org/library/http://www.imo.org/library/http://www.imo.org/InfoResource/mainframe.asp?topic_id=64http://www.imo.org/InfoResource/mainframe.asp?topic_id=64http://www.imo.org/Publications/mainframe.asp?topic_id=424http://www.imo.org/home.asphttp://www.itu.int/home/index.htmlhttp://library-itu.unog.ch/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&PAGE=Firsthttp://library-itu.unog.ch/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&PAGE=Firsthttp://library-itu.unog.ch/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&PAGE=Firsthttp://library-itu.unog.ch/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&PAGE=Firsthttp://www.itu.int/publications/default.aspxhttp://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=15006&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.htmlhttp://www.unesco.org/general/eng/infoserv/library/http://unesdoc.unesco.org/ulis/index.htmlhttp://www.unesco.org/unesdi/index.php/eng/accueil/http://www.unesco.org/unesdi/index.php/eng/accueil/http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=6513&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.htmlhttp://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=6513&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.htmlhttp://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=6513&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.htmlhttp://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=5761&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.htmlhttp://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=5761&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.htmlhttp://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=5761&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.htmlhttp://www.unido.org/http://exchange.unido.org/publications.asp?nav=unido&what=publ&start=9&lan=enhttp://exchange.unido.org/publications.asp?nav=unido&what=publ&start=9&lan=enhttp://exchange.unido.org/publications.asp?nav=unido&what=publ&start=9&lan=enhttp://exchange.unido.org/publications.asp?nav=unido&what=publ&start=9&lan=enhttp://www.unido.org/doc/6397http://www.upu.int/http://www.upu.int/pls/ap/doc_startup.startup?p_language=ANhttp://www.upu.int/pls/ap/doc_startup.startup?p_language=ANhttp://www.upu.int/pls/ap/doc_startup.startup?p_language=ANhttp://www.upu.int/resources/en/index.htmlhttp://www.who.int/en/http://dosei.who.int/uhtbin/cgisirsi/Mon+Jan+10+13:45:18+MET+2005/0/49http://www.who.int/library/index.en.shtmlhttp://www.who.int/research/en/http://www.who.int/publications/en/http://www.who.int/publications/en/http://www.who.int/research/en/http://www.who.int/library/index.en.shtmlhttp://dosei.who.int/uhtbin/cgisirsi/Mon+Jan+10+13:45:18+MET+2005/0/49http://www.who.int/en/http://www.upu.int/resources/en/index.htmlhttp://www.upu.int/pls/ap/doc_startup.startup?p_language=ANhttp://www.upu.int/pls/ap/doc_startup.startup?p_language=ANhttp://www.upu.int/pls/ap/doc_startup.startup?p_language=ANhttp://www.upu.int/pls/ap/doc_startup.startup?p_language=ANhttp://www.upu.int/http://www.unido.org/doc/6397http://exchange.unido.org/publications.asp?nav=unido&what=publ&start=9&lan=enhttp://exchange.unido.org/publications.asp?nav=unido&what=publ&start=9&lan=enhttp://exchange.unido.org/publications.asp?nav=unido&what=publ&start=9&lan=enhttp://exchange.unido.org/publications.asp?nav=unido&what=publ&start=9&lan=enhttp://www.unido.org/http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=5761&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.htmlhttp://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=5761&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.htmlhttp://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=5761&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.htmlhttp://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=6513&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.htmlhttp://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=6513&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.htmlhttp://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=6513&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.htmlhttp://www.unesco.org/unesdi/index.php/eng/accueil/http://www.unesco.org/unesdi/index.php/eng/accueil/http://unesdoc.unesco.org/ulis/index.htmlhttp://www.unesco.org/general/eng/infoserv/library/http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=15006&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.htmlhttp://www.itu.int/publications/default.aspxhttp://library-itu.unog.ch/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&PAGE=Firsthttp://library-itu.unog.ch/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&PAGE=Firsthttp://library-itu.unog.ch/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&PAGE=Firsthttp://library-itu.unog.ch/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&PAGE=Firsthttp://www.itu.int/home/index.htmlhttp://www.imo.org/home.asphttp://www.imo.org/Publications/mainframe.asp?topic_id=424http://www.imo.org/InfoResource/mainframe.asp?topic_id=64http://www.imo.org/InfoResource/mainframe.asp?topic_id=64http://www.imo.org/library/http://www.imo.org/library/http://www.imo.org/home.asp


41/65

United Nations Cyber Schoolbusas a Commons Project

The specific aims of the Cyberschoolbus are:

To create an on-line global education community;

To create educational action projects to show students that they have arole in finding solutions to global problems;

To give students a voice in global issues;

To provide high-quality teaching resources to a wide range of educatorsin a cost-effective manner.

http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/index.shtml
http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/index.shtmlhttp://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/index.shtml


42/65

8 MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS (MDGs)

18 Targets & 48 Indicators

[Bench Mark for Social Development]

[Make Poverty History All 8 Goals Interwoven & Deal with Poverty

Poverty as Capabilities Deprivation (A. Sen) & Social Exclusion]

Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

Target 1. Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whoseincome is less than $1 a day

Target 2. Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer

from hunger

Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education

Target 3. Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will

be able to complete a full course of primary schooling


43/65

Goal 3: Promote gender equality and

empower women

Target 4. Eliminate gender disparity inprimary and secondary education, preferablyby 2005, and in all levels of education no laterthan 2015

Goal 4: Reduce child mortality

Target 5. Reduce by two-thirds, between1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate

Goal 5: Improve maternal health

Target 6. Reduce by three-quarters, between1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio


44/65

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases

Target 7. Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS Target 8. Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria

and other major diseases

Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability

Target 9. Integrate the principles of sustainable development into countrypolicies and programs and reverse the loss of environmental resources

Target 10. Halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable

access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation Target 11. Have achieved by 2020 a significant improvement in the lives of atleast 100 million slum dwellers

Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development


45/65

Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development

Target 12. Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, non discriminatory tradingand financial system (includes a commitment to good governance, development, andpoverty reduction? both nationally and internationally)

Target 13. Address the special needs of the Least Developed Countries (includes tariff-and quota-free access for Least Developed Countries? exports, enhanced program of debtrelief for heavily indebted poor countries [HIPCs] and cancellation of official bilateral debt,and more generous official development assistance for countries committed to povertyreduction)

Target 14. Address the special needs of landlocked developing countries and small islanddeveloping states (through the Program of Action for the Sustainable Development ofSmall Island Developing States and 22nd General Assembly provisions)

Target 15. Deal comprehensively with the debt problems of developing countries throughnational and international measures in order to make debt sustainable in the long term

Target 16. In cooperation with developing countries, develop and implement strategies for


46/65

Target 16. In cooperation with developing countries, develop and implement strategies fordecent and productive work for youth

Target 17. In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordableessential drugs in developing countries

Target 18. In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of newtechnologies, especially information and communications technology


47/65

UN ICT TASK FORCE (2001)Set Benchmarks for use of ICTs in Development and foster Digital Opportunity

and put ICTs at the service of development

United Nations World Summits on the Information Society (WSIS)Geneva 2003 & Tunis 2005

UNESCO prepared 11 Scientific Position Papers in preparation for WSIS


48/65

Civil society can play a tremendous role in achieving the MDGs, reducingpoverty and promoting sustainable development. They have the knowledgeand the expertise, they have the networks and they have the linkages to the

day-to-day problems of people. Governments should invite, encourage andenable civil society organizations to take the formation and implementation ofmany ICTs-related issues in their own hands. Only bottom-up approach willlead to sustainable development.

Najet Karaborni /Senior Interregional Adviser UNDESA - 20 A p r i l 2 0 0 5Author NGO / Civil Society Survey Report on 78 Organisations

Making business and all actors of civil society part of the solution is not only the bestchance, it may also be the only chance the UN has to meet its Millennium goals.

(Michael Doyle, UN Assistant Secretary-General)

The Role of Civil Society in achieving the MDGs with ICTs


49/65

Najet Karaborni /Senior Interregional Adviser UNDESA - 20 A p r i l 2 0 0 5Author NGO / Civil Society Survey Report on 78 CSO Organisations

Endeavours of Civil Society to Achieve MDGs with ICTs


50/65


51/65

NGO Activities to promote Information Society for All


52/65

Areas of Commons Building Initiatives & Activities of CSOs to

Achieve MDGs


53/65

Achieve MDGs


54/65

HealthNet (ICT) is used by 19 500 health care workers in more than 150 countries worldwide


55/65

HealthNet (ICT) is used by 19,500 health care workers in more than 150 countries worldwide.

The development impact ofHealthNet has been most prevalent in Africa, where the model hascontributed to increased rural and urban connectivity, capability building among the usercommunity, increased demand for IT services, and in some cases, commercially viable IT service

enterprises.

For example:

Surgeons from Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda use HealthNet to consult on patient

treatments and learn new re-constructive surgery techniques;

In Zambia, healthcare workers who once traveled 700 kilometers each week to collect data for

clinical trials now use HealthNet to send this information via email;

Physicians in Ethiopia use HealthNet to schedule consultations, making it unnecessary for ill

patients to travel long distances with no guarantee of seeing a physician;

Health workers in Democratic Republic of Congo use HealthNet to report progress on treating

trypanosomiasis to public health organizations in the north of the country; and

In Gambia, malaria researchers use HealthNet to submit data to European medical schools forclinical trials.

Many physicians in developing countries rely on HealthNet as their sole source of

information on the treatment of AIDS and tropical diseases, essential drugs, pediatrics and

public health promotion.


56/65


57/65


58/65


59/65

ICTs for Empowerment & Participation


60/65

ICTs for Empowerment & Participation

SANGONet is an electronic information and communications network for

development and human rights workers in Southern Africa. It provides relevant

information to people working on development issues by allowing them to

communicate with each other on its web site (www.sn.apc.org/sangonet), and bybuilding capacity in electronic communications within non-governmental,

community-based, government and private sector organizations.

SANGONet's priorities include open government, ICT, education, health, economy,labor, women, human rights and the environment. SANGONet is a member of the non-profit Association for Progressive Communications (APC).

Illustrative Impact:

SANGONet empowers people and organizations to make decisions based on relevantinformation.

NGOs and other organizations can communicate more efficiently and effectively usingemail software and services provided by SANGONet.

NGOs, especially small to medium-sized organizations which face a lack of ICT

skills, are taking advantage of SANGONet's low cost support services and training

programs to improve their internal capabilities and operations.


61/65

ICTs & The Environment

Global Forest Watch (GFW)

Global Forest Watch is an international network of more than 90 local forest groupslinked by the Internet. It aims to slow forest degradation around the world as well

as infuse transparency and accountability into the industry. The initiative wasstarted by the World Resources Institute in 1997 to give the general public a clearerpicture of the threats to the world's forests. GFW uses a combination of satelliteimagery, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), mapping software, the Internet

and on-the-ground observation to record forest coverage and condition, includingwhere and how forest product companies are cutting. GFW compares the activity toforest leases to identify illegal cutting. These maps are posted on the Internet, namingspecific companies that fail to comply with environmental policies and agreements.

GFW is ensuring fair and objective scrutiny of the practices of forest product companies.The group is already operating in 8 countries, and plans to cover 25 countries within afew years. It has negotiated agreements with IKEA, Home Depot, Loews and othermajor forest product retailers that constitute 40 percent of the North American market.

i il i t t k
http://www.civilsocietynetworks.org/http://www.civilsocietynetworks.org/


62/65

www.civilsocietynetworks.org

(NGO Committee on the Family at the United Nations Office Vienna)

Interactive Internet Forum to facilitate these capabilities by offering:

toolkits for producing and sharing information in the publicspace of theInternet. and to make choices about social alternatives (Mansell, 2001)

102 civil society organisations (one member organisation: the Confederation ofFamily Organisations at the Euroean Union (COFACE) has 50 constituentorganisations of its own

Internet Forum members deal with MDGs issues such as: Education for Social Change

Fostering Human Rights Female Empowerment Water Supply Health Care (HIV/Aids) Micro Credit for poverty alleviation Participation in policy issues Usability & Mutual Shaping by Reccomendations for Forum Format
http://www.civilsocietynetworks.org/http://www.civilsocietynetworks.org/


63/65

Questions & Answers


64/65

The Basic Question?

Is it perhaps possible, with this proposed paper, to shape the cognition& perceptions of research students and policy makers of:

1. The United Nations as, amongst many other things, a KnowledgeCommons?

2. Civil Society as an Arena of Committed & Cooperative Individualsto achieve discerned goals, given the paradigm challenges of present daysociety, and use ICTs to foster the implimentation of the MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs) & reduce capabilities deprivation?

3. Commons & Capability Concepts as Human Rights Concepts

within a Knowledge Society to continue to endeavour to achieve,through the use of ICTs, the MDGs, which are also a benchmarkof social development?


65/65

Thank You