Ottawa 1993 Workshop Report

UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH CENTRE
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT NETWORK STARTER KIT AND COORDINATORS WORKSHOP
8-12 FEBRUARY 1993

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I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY		1
II. INTRODUCTION

Background				19
Workshop Objectives			27
Agenda					28
Outputs					29
Participants				30

III.	REPORT OF WORKSHOP PROCEEDINGS

Introduction of Participants and Workshop
 Expectations				31
Issues Raised by Participants		33
Starter Kit Overview			38
Networking: What works? What doesn't? 	40
UNDP Management Information Services	43
Reference Materials 			44
CIESIN					49
WHO Database Demonstration		49
UNCED CD-ROM				50
IDRC Library				51
SDN Management Issues			53
Networking Principles			55
Access to Online Information Systems	56
Small Group Discussions			58
SDN Coalition Building			59
CIESIN Demonstration			63
Visit to the Canada Centre for Remote 
 Sensing				64
SDN Priorities				66
Achievements in Countries to Date	73

IV. STARTER KIT CONCLUSIONS		82
V. EVALUATION AND FEEDBACK		83
VI. CONCLUSIONS				85

APPENDICES

Appendix 1	Agenda
Appendix 2	List of Participants and Resource Persons
Appendix 3	SDN Brochure
Appendix 4	Executive Summary, UNDP Workshop on the Sustainable
			Development Network, 8-10 September, 1992, New York
Appendix 5	Countries Visited for the SDN
Appendix 6	List of Potential Starter Kit Components
Appendix 7	Acronyms





I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1.	The United Nations Development Programme's Sustainable Development
Network (SDN) initiative combines face-to-face meetings, electronic
and other means of communication to link sources and users of
information on sustainable development. Participants include government
bodies, research institutes, non-governmental organizations, and
grassroots and entrepreneurial organizations worldwide. The SDN
is more than an information network. SDNs foster informed dialogue
and communications to encourage and empower stakeholders to become
active participants in the development process. They do this by
encouraging consultative processes at all levels of society and
across sectors of the economy and geographic locations. Round
table processes that bring together donor and developing country
personnel, and public or community meetings involving participatory
decision making are examples of the types of consultations with
which SDNs become involved.

	Background

2.	In the post-UNCED period, the SDN is an innovative and rapid
response of the UNDP to promote sustainable development and Agenda
21 in developing countries and, in these cost conscious times,
to help national and regional SDNs gain the self sufficiency to
do so.
 
3.	The Sustainable Development Network (SDN) Starter Kit and Coordinators
Workshop brought together 10 participants from 8 national and
2 regional SDNs, technical specialists and consultants, as well
as staff from IDRC, UNDP, and other organizations to discuss and
obtain feedback on the SDN concept and its operation to date and
to demonstrate some of the information and communications tools
and resources available to help establish SDNs. The workshop also
sought to identify components of an "SDN Starter Kit" that could
help facilitate the operation of SDNs.

	Objectives
 
4.	The workshop objectives were: to provide a meeting place for
national SDN Coordinators to share experiences, to record these
and provide feedback to UNDP and IDRC; to identify the needs of
SDNs; to demonstrate key information tools and resources to help
establish and operate SDNs; to help identify components of the
SDN Starter Kit; and to lay the ground for the next workshop.


 	Agenda
 
5.	The workshop was divided into plenary discussions and demonstrations.
Invited experts from the World Health Organisation, the Consortium
for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN),
IDRC, UNDP, the International Institute for Sustainable Development
(IISD), NGONET, NIRV/WEB and consultants discussed key resources
available, and issues such as participatory decision making, the
principles of networking, and management issues.
 
6.	Demonstrations of computer-mediated communications focused
on electronic mail, electronic conferencing and news groups, especially
those available via Usenet, a large academic and research news
group available through the Internet and the Association for Progressive
Communications which hosted many of the UNCED-related electronic
conferences. SDN Coordinators were asked to prepare questions,
and these were posted and replied to electronically. 

7.	The workshop also dealt with ways of networking people, the
question of coalition building and participatory decision-making
processes essential for involving and empowering stakeholders
in sustainable development. Each SDN Coordinator explained their
own national priorities for sustainable development.
 
8.	The need for eventual self reliance, given that UNDP funding
is not guaranteed indefinitely, will have to be assumed eventually.
Participants learned from the experience of the Philippines SDN
in this matter, and the question of cost recovery and subsided
usage were discussed. There was agreement to share experiences
of national SDNs in building self sufficiency.
 
 	Outputs
 
9.	The workshop solidly endorsed the SDN concept. Participants
were enthusiastic about the realities of information sharing available
today in a more open, better informed and technologically advanced
world. What they seek most is assistance via the SDN to get access
to these resources to meet the needs of their countries for sustainable
development.
 

10.	There was confirmation of the importance of SDNs acting to
promote information sharing and access to information and expertise
instead of gathering information or creating large databases.
Particular interest was shown in the use of computer-mediated
communications for networking people and organizations to promote
greater information flow. Participants were adamant about the
need for help to gain access to the many resources and technologies
demonstrated. In particular, participants expressed their wish
to have full Internet access.
 
11.	There was agreement that SDNs exist to promote sustainable
development and that this will require a communications programme.
The importance of working with the media, of public education,
of local and traditional forms of communication and the importance
of working with the government were recognized.
 
12.	Participants confirmed the appropriateness of the pilot phase
model of SDN operations that is based on a national SDN Coordinator,
a small supporting secretariat and a "Steering Committee" of key
stakeholders for advice and support.
 
13.	Participants recognized the importance of participatory decision
making, bearing in mind local needs and circumstances. The need
for SDNs to be independent was noted, but the ways of doing this
were not always evident.
 
14.	The emphasis on communications and information technology
for networking brought forward the question of collaboration with
local Telecommunications authorities. The workshop agreed that
this was an important issue, and that efforts to involve local
PTTs on the "Steering Committee" were required. Concern about
the independence of SDNs in this matter was also raised.

15.	Participants endorsed and emphatically supported the idea
of an SDN Starter Kit. The Kit would be a catalogue of resources
available to support national SDN operations. The resources would
include: key hardware and software; reference materials; lists
of training materials; resources for comparative policy analysis;
tools and methods to facilitate participatory decision making,
such as round tables; and case studies in managing and operating
SDNs.

	Next workshop

16.	The next workshop is tentatively scheduled to take place at
the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok, Thailand in September
1993 under the auspices of IDRC and UNDP.

17.	For this workshop, there was agreement to emphasize SDN functionality
and the technology and support needed for this, including hardware
and software, other tools and resources and training. The need
to focus on national experiences, perhaps case studies reported
by national SDNs, would help highlight practical questions and
problems and the solutions applied, and would help to identify
common planning, management and operational issues, as well as
further needs.
 

18.	A prototype SDN "Starter Kit" should be available for the
next workshop. It should propose a variety of tools and resources,
some of them optional, needed for SDN functionality, bearing in
mind that user needs and circumstances will vary from country
to country. The Kit should be prepared soon to build in as much
feedback as possible.

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II.	INTRODUCTION

Background

19.	The concept of the Sustainable Development Network (SDN) originated
in 1989 as a way of building on the recommendations of the Brundtland
Commission report "Our Common Future". In May 1992, the United
Nations Development Programme moved the SDN from concept to practice
with the appointment of the Director of the SDN at UNDP headquarters
in New York. 

20.	At the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
(UNCED), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was assigned
the leading role for capacity building within the UN development
system. UNDP responded with Capacity 21, a broad plan of action
to help developing countries implement sustainable development.
Capacity 21 also embraced the SDN. Further details about the SDN
are located in Appendix 3, which contains the full text of the
SDN brochure published in January 1993.

21.	The SDN objectives are to promote sustainable development
using information and communications, and networking and consultative
processes. Specifically, the SDN is a tool to facilitate implementation
of the recommendations of UNCED, especially Agenda 21.

22.	The SDN was launched as a pilot project which will last from
May 1992 to June 30 1993. For this, 1.4 million USD has been allocated
by UNDP to initiate about 12 SDN pilot projects. Selection of
the countries in the pilot phase was based in part on the results
of a previous survey undertaken in 1991 by UNDP, on geographical
balance, commitment to preparing a national Agenda 21, the nature
of sustainable development issues as well as the willingness to
cost share SDN development. An independent review is ongoing and
will evaluate the results of the pilot phase, obtain advice on
the concept and help decide on the full implementation of the
SDN in the light of experience acquired to date. 

23.	Since mid 1992, a model of the SDN has been developed, largely
as a result of the pilot project activities and the advice obtained
on the occasion of a Workshop on the Sustainable Development Network
that took place in New York in September 1992. This operational
model is based on a coordinating function, i.e. a national Coordinator,
assisted by a small national secretariat located in an existing
organization. A "Steering Committee" made up of representatives
of key stakeholders in the development process who are also members
of the network, advises the national SDN coordinator.

24.	The report of this workshop states: "The September workshop
brought together 19 participants from developing countries, international
organizations and NGOs, as well as technical specialists to give
policy advice to UNDP on the pilot phase of the SDN and its future
profile". The September workshop also "endorsed the concept of
a Starter Kit, including essential resources and training,...".
An executive summary of the workshop report is attached in Appendix
4. Copies of the report are available from the Director, UNDP
SDN in New York.


25.	Since July 1992, the Director of SDN has responded to many
requests for assistance to establish SDNs and consultants have
travelled to undertake pre-feasibility studies and in some cases,
to monitor the progress in those countries that have initiated
pilot phase activities. Locally hired consultants have been used
extensively. The countries visited at this stage are all located
in the developing world and represent about 50% of the world population.
A list of these countries is found in Appendix 5.

26.	The government of Canada identified the International Development
Research Centre (IDRC) as a key Canadian implementing agency for
Agenda 21. IDRC participated in the SDN workshop of September
1992 mentioned above and is a partner with UNDP in preparing the
Starter Kit. IDRC hosted this workshop for SDN Coordinators at
its offices in Ottawa, Canada.

Workshop Objectives

27.	This "Starter Kit and Coordinators Workshop", planned jointly
by IDRC and UNDP, had the following objectives:

	Overall objectives:

i.	to discuss and obtain feedback on the SDN concept and its operation
to date in the countries/regions represented at the meeting;

ii.	to identify and to help provide Coordinators with exposure
to some of the essential information and communications tools
and resources to help them establish SDNs in their countries and/or
regions;

iii.	to identify components of the "SDN Starter Kit"; and

iv.	to prepare for the next workshop.

	Specific objectives:

i.	to identify local and global knowledge and information resources
relevant to the SDN;

ii.	to present some ideas for a SDN Starter Kit to SDN Coordinators
and/or their associates;

iii.	to demonstrate components of an eventual Starter Kit to SDN
Coordinators;

iv.	to obtain feedback and evaluation of these components;

v.	to obtain a better understanding from SDN Coordinators of their
needs and circumstances;

vi.	to provide SDN Coordinators with the opportunity to meet and
network;

vii.	to contribute to ongoing evaluation of the SDN concept and
its implementation; and

viii.	to examine the need for central/common information functions
for the SDN as a whole; eg. information clearinghouse, coordination
amongst SDNs and with UN specialized agencies, Starter Kit updates,
network bulletins as well as mailing lists.

	Agenda

28.	A copy of the agenda is included in Appendix 1. Originally
intended to focus primarily on technology requirements, the workshop
had first to deal with basic questions about the SDN and its operation
as well as issues of substance. For example, what is sustainabledevelopment
as well as the underlying concept of the SDN approach? These process-related
discussions took the first two days of the meeting. Apart from
these and the information technology issues, participants also
dealt with issues related to the promotion of sustainable development
using information and communications and the various tools, methods
and considerations that needed to be taken into account for this,
as well as issues related to public participation and policy analysis.
The agenda contained too many items for the time available and
several changes were made as the meeting evolved.

Outputs

29.	The following outputs were expected from the workshop:

i.	that participants would gain some understanding of:

.	the issues they must deal with in operating a national or regional
SDN;
.	the resources (information, equipment and otherwise) needed
to operate a national or regional SDN;
.	where to go to enquire about, evaluate and/or obtain these resources
and/or gain beneficial access to them; and
.	some of the management concerns related to operating and managing
a SDN.

ii.	better understanding of SDNs and their needs by the SDN directorate
and staff;

iii.	forward plans for the next SDN Coordinators and Starter Kit
workshop that is tentatively planned for September 1993; and

	iv.	feedback on the components of the SDN Starter Kit and other
related information.


Participants

30.	Participants at the workshop included representatives, consultants
and/or staff of the SDNs in the following 10 countries and/or
regions in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific: Angola,
Chad, Bolivia, Honduras, Nicaragua, Indochina (The Mekong Committee)1,
Korea, Pakistan, the Philippines, and the South Pacific2; representatives
of the World Health Organization (WHO), the Consortium for International
Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), NGONet, International
Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the Association
for Progressive Communications (APC). Other participants included:
distinguished guests in the person of the President of IDRC, Dr.
Keith Bezanson and the Director General of the Information Sciences
and Systems Division, Ms. Martha B. Stone; and the workshop organizers:
staff and consultants of IDRC and UNDP. A complete list of the
participants and resource persons is included in Appendix 2.




III. REPORT OF WORKSHOP PROCEEDINGS

Introduction of Participants and Workshop Expectations

31.	The participants from 8 countries and 2 regions with Sustainable
Development Network (SDN) initiatives in various stages of discussion
and development presented brief descriptions of their individual
situations and expectations for the workshop.

32.	Participants face a range of different circumstances. Considerable
differences in stakeholder commitment and in available support
and resources were mentioned. The differences in training and
equipment needs, in access to modern telecommunications facilities
and in personal and professional backgrounds of the national or
regional Coordinators were all noted.

Issues raised by participants

Participants discussed the national priorities for sustainable
development in their countries. These are reviewed below under
separate headings.

33.	General issues:

 i.	in some countries represented, the impact of civil unrest
on the environment and on the political climate must be taken
into consideration in discussions about the implementation of
national Agenda 21 programmes (Angola, Chad, Indochina and Nicaragua);

ii.	in Korea, the issue of the harmonization of economic growth
and policies for sustainable development is important;

iii.	in some of the countries who have been denied access to information
technology and to information, the SDN may be an opportunity to
catch up and leapfrog ahead (Nicaragua); and

iv.	national issues differed from country to country, as expected.
Some of these information needs deal with desertification and
climate change, technology transfer, clean technologies, environmental
legislation, land use planning, and information on trade facilitation
for example.

34.	Information access and related issues

i.	access to and the sharing of information are important for
the operation of the SDN. Formal agreements and legislation governing
the sharing of information by governments may be needed. A specific
aspect of this was the question of access to databases developed
by national governments and international agencies, as well as
the problem of information hoarding by bureaucracies. These are
issues of general concern;


ii.	the question of database creation - to what extent should
the SDNs be involved in the expensive and time-consuming work
of database creation? Pakistan was particularly concerned by this
issue; and

iii.	the Honduran SDN noted that effective negotiation required
being well informed.


35.	SDN specific

Issues or concerns related to the planning, management and operation
of the SDN are listed below:

i.	the relationship of national SDNs to government;

ii.	the balance between policy advocacy and the provision of information
services;

iii.	the question of SDN independence;

iv.	the use of existing resources to avoid duplication;

v.	the need to involve business;

vi.	the issue of co-ordination and management of SDN initiatives
across regional, linguistic and geographic barriers: how will
this come about; and

vii.	the sustainability of the SDN: how to move towards and eventually
guarantee self financing and self sufficiency of the network (several
countries, UNDP and IDRC raised this issue).

36.	Communications issues

SDNs will be promoting sustainable development. To do so effectively,
communications strategies will be required. The following points
were raised:

i.	the promotion of sustainable development with the general public
through the media, including the formation of associations of
environmental journalists offers great possibilities (Honduras,
and others);

ii.	the use of packet radio to service isolated areas was mentioned
as a potentially useful technology (Chad and the South Pacific
region);

iii.	the importance of oral communications in some societies and
the need to popularize information and to communicate using local
resources: people and media, ( Honduras, the South Pacific and
others);

iv.	access to information: scientific information needs to be
interpreted for decision makers and information generally has
to be more "user friendly" to access and use; and

v.	the rural/urban split that affects communications in many countries
needs to be recognized.

37.	Technology issues

There is a lack of understanding of computer-mediated communications
(CMC) and a lack of efficient telecommunications infrastructure
in many countries. Together, these shortcomings impede the effective
use of information technologies in developing countries.

Starter Kit Overview

38.	It was noted that one of the workshop objectives was that,
by the end of the week, the SDN Coordinators were expected to
have sufficient understanding of the issues and the general characteristics
and availability of information and related technology relevant
to Sustainable Development to be able to determine:
	
i.	which hardware, software and information services are most
relevant to their interests and needs; and

ii.	how to obtain that information in the most efficient and cost
effective manner possible.

39.	A discussion of the Starter Kit's basic components (hardware,
applications software, information resources, online information
services, training materials and management/organizational/policy
tools) took place during this session. 

Some of these components are listed in Appendix 6. It was concluded
that no standard set of components can meet the diverse needs
of national and regional SDN initiatives. The workshop and follow
up activities should focus on defining a core set of basic tools,
techniques, materials and resources and determine their relevance
to each national initiative in terms of cost and accessibility.
Instead of a "box" full of items, the Starter Kit would probably
be, initially at least, a self explanatory catalogue of tools
and resources, with annotations, for national Coordinators and
their staff.

Networking: What works? What doesn't?

40.	A representative of NGONet - a service operated by the Instituto
del Tercer Mundo, an Uruguayan NGO that assists other NGOs with
their information and communications needs -addressed the experience
of NGONet in sharing information between marginalized groups (women,
indigenous people, grassroots organizations). NGONet was established
to help the worldwide NGO community obtain information about and
to participate in UNCED.


41.	A representative of the Association for Progressive Communications
(APC), a network of independent NGOs from around the world that
provides a globally-interconnected electronic communications network
dedicated to a free and balanced flow of information, discussed
APC, which began as an informal group. The difference between
"coalition" and "network" was made: networks are tolerant of dissent
and diversity, while coalitions require consensus. Incremental
change comes from the facilitation of communications, trust and
the development of common interests between network participants.
The network of NGO contacts, experiences, skills and resources
available through the APC has lead governments to use the APC.
The association is actively involved in setting up and managing
computer communications nodes and can provide software, manuals
as well as training in support of this.

42.	Participants shared their experiences of computer-mediated
communications (CMC). This technology has the potential to significantly
reduce isolation by increasing communication channels and facilitating
direct access to a variety of knowledge resources. Low hardware
and software costs, and innovative store and forward communications
software have significantly reduced the costs of computer-mediated
communications, even in countries where direct distance dialling
can sometimes cost more than USD 20 per minute.

UNDP Management Information Services

43.	The Chief, Operation Section, Division of Management Information
Systems, UNDP, presented a series of overhead projections showing
the favourable cost / benefit ratio of electronic mail over conventional
services, i.e. fax, telex, telephone and courier. As elsewhere,
issues of costs and effectiveness are key concerns, especially
within the donor community. In addition, UNDP may have a direct
role to play in facilitating knowledge generation and dissemination.

Through negotiations, UNDP has access to very low cost telecommunications
services. The experience of UNDP in this matter may be a lesson
for SDNs seeking special agreements with national PTTs.

Reference Materials

44.	A workshop consultant presented several resource books such
as the Sourcebook on Sustainable Development published by the
International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), as
well as Ecolinking published by PeachPit Press and the Handbook
of International Organizations. The importance of understanding
the nature and structure of information on sustainable development
was emphasized. It was also suggested that SDNs may wish to develop
their own national or regional sourcebooks. The discussion noted
the importance and use of online information services and databases,
including those provided by commercial database host systems such
as Dialog and BRS, which are also available optionally through
CompuServe.


45.	The IISD participant discussed future plans for the Institute's
Sourcebook on Sustainable Development and their intention to make
it available online through the APC using some form of full text
retrieval software. Printed and diskette copies of the Sourcebook
were provided for all participants.

46.	An IDRC librarian discussed the many resources available in
print, on CD-ROM and through both in-house and external online
information services. Computer-based reference, bibliographic
and textual materials were on display.

47.	A representative of IDRC's Information Sciences and Systems
Division presented the Development Activities Initiative (DAI)
CD-ROM which is based on the CEFDA (Common Exchange Format for
Development Activities) recently agreed upon by a number of UN
and other multilateral donor agencies. CEFDA allows the exchange
of information about project activities in a common format, thus
reducing the incidence of duplication and facilitating the sharing
of experiences. The DAI CD-ROM contains information on development
activities in 190 countries, contributed by a number of international
development assistance agencies, including development banks,
bilateral agencies such as USAID, GTZ, JICA and CIDA, and multilateral
agencies including the United Nations and its affiliated organizations.
 Two prototype editions of the DAI CD-ROM are being produced during
a trial period.  The CD-ROM is available free of charge to non-profitmaking
organizations in developing countries, and for a subscription
fee to other organizations.

CIESIN

48.	A brief presentation was made by the Consortium for International
Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) on their work and mandate
to promote information sharing between information "rich" organizations
and information "poor" organizations. The consortium is particularly
interested in the human dimensions of global change versus the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) traditional
focus on physical/climatic change. CIESIN hopes to promote access
to and more use of global change data sets and to make it more
useful for policy purposes. CIESIN is developing tools for online
Internet access to global change information through Internet
search tools such as their own "Gopher" software and wide -area
information servers (WAIS) and Green Pages information service.
They are an information "cooperative" and work collaboratively
with a number of universities and international organizations
such as the International Council for Scientific Unions (ICSU)
and the International Social Science Council amongst many others.

WHO Database Demonstration

49.	The Information Coordinator of WHO's Environmental Health
Division, presented a demonstration of WHO's EHMDAC FoxBase database
of country project information (Environmental Health information
for Management of Development Activities) which has been designed
to help countries manage environmental health information. GetNet,
the Global Environmental Technology Network and GeeNet, WHO's
Global Environmental Epidemiology Network, were also presented.
The relevance and potential benefits of the SDN to specialized
agencies such as the WHO were discussed.
UNCED CD-ROM

50.	The Director, Information and Communications Technologies
Program, IDRC made a brief presentation on the Centre's project
to produce a CD-ROM of the official archives of UNCED. This is
currently underway, and the resulting product will be distributed
jointly by IDRC and UN Publications. He also mentioned a complementary
project which is being sponsored by IDRC and coordinated by NGONET
to develop a CD-ROM of the "unofficial" UNCED documentation, including
material related to the NGO Global Forum which paralleled the
official UN conference in Rio. 

IDRC Library

51.	National SDN Coordinators were given a tour of the library's
internal bibliographic database services. Library staff demonstrated
a selection of CD-ROM titles as well as the external online search
capabilities of the library and its staff. Participants tried
several "hands on" searches of the BIBLIOL, USAID, WHO, FAO, UNESCO,
UNIDO, ILO and IDRIS databases accessible from library terminals.

52.	A key issue raised was how to get access to some of these
resources? Being able to interconnect with the outside world will
depend on the circumstances of each country. Information exchange
agreements have worked for non-electronic media, and will still
be useful. UN information sources, for example the WHO databases,
may be accessible by communicating with the WHO country representative.
Working through the UNDP Resident Representative may be a first
way of dealing with this issue. The question of SDNs being conduits
to the international news and information networks was raised
but no conclusions were reached.

SDN Management Issues

53.	The need to eventually ensure financial self sufficiency of
the SDN was made clear. The period of UNDP assistance will vary,
and in some cases might need to be extended for five years. There
is limited funding for the SDN at present, but this could change
as other sources are sought. SDN Coordinators have the responsibility
for the management and operations of their SDN secretariat, including
human resource development and the search for auto-financing.
SDN Coordinators will be accountable for their SDN operations.
Ultimately, they are the ones who are to make the SDN a demand-driven
enterprise. It is up to each SDN to define their priorities and
activities.
54.	During the discussion, several other issues were raised and
examples or ideas were put forward, among them: the need to facilitate
the involvement of the private sector; the question of support
from other donors; and some participants urged the SDN to include
in the "Starter Kit" what information resources UN agencies have
to offer. SDNs should consider filling the gaps that others cannot
fill. The importance of working through local communicators and
with the media was emphasized. 

	Networking Principles

55.	A workshop consultant presented several principles that have
been the basis of the networking activities in the international
agricultural research and development community3: 

i.	networks need to address a well-defined problem; 

ii.	they need clear objectives that are shared among members;

iii.	networks need strong coordination;

iv.	there must be agreement and willingness to share resources;

v.	members must commit resources and personnel to the operation;

vi.	members must have some basic level of ability and/or capacity
to make a contribution;

vii.	there must be strong self interest in the network;

viii.	outside funding is necessary to facilitate the birth and
initial funding of the network in developing countries;

ix.	the participants must be involved in the management of the
network; and

x.	there is a need for a nurturing parent organization for the
network. (In some cases, central coordination is needed to ensure
strong coordination).

Access to Online Information Systems

56.	Online information access was demonstrated to answer specific
information requests of participants. The online sessions were
displayed using a DataShow projector. Online search sessions were
conducted on the IDRC bibliographic databases, the WEB and a local
electronic bulletin board (BBS).


57.	A question was posed concerning the environmental record of
a transnational mining firm which is expected to open a large
operation in a Central American country in the coming year. Information
on the company's basic background (address and ownership) was
sought on CompuServe and messages requesting background information
were posted in several electronic environment conferences on the
APC network. Searches in online newspaper databases or other commercial
databases were not conducted because of cost considerations (between
US $50 and $200 per hour). The following day, electronic mail
messages were received from several environmental and public law
groups in response to the requests. By the end of the workshop,
over 60 pages of extensive documentation were received by fax.
The documentation received included information about court cases,
newspaper clippings, journal articles, government reports and
environmental newsletters.

Small Group Discussions

58.	Several individual discussions and "hands-on" training sessions
were held in small groups with SDN Coordinators. Basic concepts
of computer operations, as well as introductory and more advanced
computer communications concepts were discussed. In addition,
several computer communications guidebooks and manuals were made
available to participants.

SDN Coalition Building

59.	A broad discussion, lead by a consultant, took place reviewing
the degree and form of public participation currently practiced
in the various countries represented at the workshop. Each country
SDN Coordinator faces a markedly different context, although a
number of common themes emerged which might permit a basis for
classification of issues, if not comparison of situations. 

60.	The degree of national NGO involvement and the level of their
organization and activity around environmental and/or other sustainable
development issues is a major factor in determining public participation
or interest in SDN policy issues. Whether NGOs confront or work
with government and business will affect this. National SDN Coordinators
reported varying degrees of interest and participation in SDN
issues by churches, unions, farmers, academics, indigenous peoples,
women, chambers of commerce and traditional village leadership,
to name only a few.

61.	In the case of regional SDN initiatives such as the Mekong
Committee and the South Pacific, language and cultural differences
as well as transportation logistics act as obstacles to public
participation, especially where each territory has a small population
and therefore limited resources for educational and consultative
activities. Similar difficulties exist within national boundaries
between rural and urban groupings, particularly between rural
indigenous groups and urban NGOs, academics, business and government.


62.	Another factor influencing public participation is the degree
of government legislation in the area of environmental protection.
In some countries, environmental impact assessments and public
consultation has been legally recognized and legislated, whereas
others are at various stages of discussion and implementation
of enabling legislation with varying degrees of public involvement.
The role of each SDN in policy formulation, proposing national
legislation, developing models and using advocacy techniques will
be dependent on the existence of government and public interest
in these matters. Where national commitments to Agenda 21 already
exist, the SDN may be chosen to play a more technical than "political"
role.

CIESIN Demonstration

63.	CIESIN, the Consortium for International Earth Science Information
Network of Ann Arbor Michigan USA, provided a demonstration of
three electronic services which facilitate access to global environmental
change data; the Green Pages, a wide-area information server (WAIS)
and CIESIN's own Gopher software. 

Visit to the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS)

64.	Participants visited the CCRS and were introduced to the activities
and programmes of the Centre, a part of Canada's Ministry of Energy,
Mines and Resources. The Centre's staff discussed the Centre's
capabilities in the areas of data and image acquisition, interpretation
and presentation, as well as activities undertaken by the Centre
in Africa, Asia and Latin America in collaboration with the Canadian
International Development Agency (CIDA) and IDRC.

65.	In addition, participants visited the library and information
centre of the Surveys, Mapping and Remote Sensing (SMRSS) sector
of the Ministry and were shown the Centre's online electronic
database service, Remote Sensing Online Retrieval System (RESORS)
which provides directories of bibliographic materials, dataset
inventories (internal and international), SMRSS products and information
on the activities of the CCRS and Canadian companies, organizations
and institutions involved in remote sensing.

SDN Priorities

66.	This session discussed the immediate and medium term needs
of each of the SDNs participating in the workshop. A series of
common themes, sectors and problems emerged. A major activity
of many SDNs will clearly be the development of national inventories
of local information resources. It was agreed that SDNs should
focus on facilitating access to existing resources, both national
and international, rather than developing new ones. Many methodologies
can be used for this and their selection will depend on site specific
considerations. These include:

-	surveys of national information resources; 
-	information sharing agreements between Government departments,
universities and other research bodies, NGOs, local representatives
of international organizations, and other sources; 
-	standardization of formats to permit exchange of data; 
-	development and publication of indexes of local and international
information resources; and
-	production of guides for access to public information.

67.	In addition to indexes and/or catalogues of existing information
resources, SDNs will also be involved in the identification of
national information needs. The instruments used for this will
include surveys, discussions with stakeholders and other users
of the network as well as otherways of gathering feedback coming
from the public as the network becomes established. For this,
SDN Coordinators require access to techniques and methodologies
for needs analysis.

68.	Several participants made it clear that a better understanding
of sustainable development is needed. The complex inter-relatedness
of economic and environmental sustainability with social and cultural
factors, which in turn support, undermine or are in other ways
crucial to sustainable development, requires attention. In this
regard, public education was recognised as a major component of
the activities of the SDN and certain training, tools and methodological
needs were identified to assist national SDN Coordinators.

69.	Training materials for effective writing, workshop organization,
newsletter production and desktop publishing, audio-visual production,
graphics, use of the media and other educational tools will be
required, with an emphasis on the use of existing "how to" materials
rather than the production of new ones.

70.	In addition to public education, SDN Steering Committees,
which are made up of representatives of key stakeholders and Coordinators
will be actively involved in the building of national coalitions
of business, NGO, government and academic sectors for the promotion
of sustainable development. This will require skills in conflict
resolution and public participation as this process develops according
to the particular context of each country. Each committee will
have to establish its own balance of activities between advocacy
for sustainable development policies and the facilitation of access
to information on sustainable technologies and other resources.


71.	Similarly, each SDN committee will have its own unique set
of priority information needs and sectors, ranging from reforestation
through water management, water treatment, sustainable agriculture/forestry,
public education techniques, environment and health, community/communal
land management, appropriate technology and environmentally "clean"
manufacturing technologies.

72.	Hardware and software discussions were given particular attention
during this workshop, and a number of hardware, software and training
needs were discussed. There is a wide range of options available
to meet the individual requirements of national SDNs and some
time was spent discussing these. Training will be needed and will
have to cover some of the basics of information technology. 


	Achievements in Countries to Date

73.	The Philippines

The Philippines SDN is constituted as a not-for-profit foundation:
the Philippines SDN Foundation now has 25 members, of which 55
per cent are NGOs. Also members are 2 government agencies, 2 international
organizations, including UNDP Philippines, 4 educational institutions
and universities, and 5 private sector organizations. The Philippines
SDN seeks to become self sufficient, and will be making information
services available on a cost recovery basis.

Since its inception, the Philippines SDN has focused on national
sources of information. The priority themes are: clean technologies,
waste minimization, environmental legislation, sustainable agricultural
research, funding technology transfer and personal and institutional
contacts. The SDN uses Micro CDS/ISIS software for textual database
management. Recently, the SDN has been looking at international
databases, and the uses of these databases are likely to attract
more involvement in the SDN process. 

A local bulletin board systems (BBS) is to be established. Training
will be required for the BBS systems operator, for using the SDN
office local area network, and especially for international access
to the Internet and the Association for Progressive Communication
networks among others. The Philippines SDN will use the Pegasus
APC node in Australia.

Training in the use of management tools, such as tools for policy
analysis, public participation and conflict resolution would be
especially useful.

Other questions of concern are: the need for SDNs to standardize
software, especially database software and the need for a catalogue
of "what is available" to help SDNs and how to make SDNs self
sustaining.

74.	Chad

The Chad SDN is in the early stages of establishment, but basic
data has been collected and a feasibility study prepared. A seminar
on the SDN, to be chaired by the UNDP Resident Representative,
will take place shortly. A small secretariat is in the process
of being established. Key government departments and NGOs are
part of the SDN, and there is interest in increasing connectivity
between these groups and others in Chad and elsewhere. A better
understanding of the materials and resources required would help
greatly. 


75.	Nicaragua

The SDN is based on a small coordinating office. There are two
existing networks that could be linked: Nicarao, the APC node
in Nicaragua, and UNI, the national engineering university network.
The SDN will focus on groups working on sustainable development
and is interested in learning how to use some of the technologies
demonstrated at the workshop in order to obtain information that
meets national needs. Training for the SDN to do this will be
required. Focus of SDN work will be on afforestation, water quality,
education and information dissemination. Once a national network
has been established, then regional connections will be considered.

76.	Angola

The SDN is seeking its legal identity and trying to determine
its information and equipment needs. Working in a climate of political
instability, the SDN has nevertheless been able to secure participation
from different sectors. Training and a survey of user needs and
available resources are required. For this year, training and
the acquisition of equipment are priorities. The focus of the
SDN will be on national networking to help planning for sustainable
development when peace returns.

77.	Bolivia

Financing, promoting and evaluating the impact of the SDN are
priority concerns. Of particular interest is the material that
will issue from this workshop, and information on the Internet.
The Bolivian SDN will focus on establishing contacts with government
regarding environmental protection. The SDN will seek electronic
mail contacts and addresses. Packet radio may be a useful alternative
for internal communications. The importance of an information
sharing arrangement between Bolivian organizations was mentioned.


78.	Honduras

Like many SDNs, the Honduran SDN is at an early stage. A field
study of user needs and requirements has been undertaken. A national
users committee has been formed and a national promotion campaign
undertaken. The SDN will focus on many themes. Weekly radio broadcasts
have begun. The network requires an office and a communications
system. Access to sample by-laws would be useful in deciding on
the constitution and organization of the SDN.

79.	Pakistan

The Pakistan SDN has progressed to the stage where it has an office
and four staff working and they require hardware and software.
The SDN is seeking some agreement for information sharing by working
with the UNDP Resident Representative and the government of Pakistan.
The Pakistan SDN needs a "directory of directories", access to
UNDP data, access to the Internet, the APC and NGONet, on the
job training, modelling software, a BBS in Islamabad and in other
parts of Pakistan later in the year. Other office equipment is
also needed.
80.	The Mekong Regional Project

The feasibility study for the SDN has begun. The SDN is working
out of the offices of the Mekong Committee for the time being
and this provides access to administrative support and training.
One particularly useful tool could be an "SDN video" to help communicate
the "common concept" of the network.

81.	Korea

The SDN needs definition: what it is and how it works. Various
means and media will be important in communicating the message
of sustainable development. Understanding networking in general
will help to situate the SDN initiative. Language barriers are
real, and telecommunications costs are an issue. Information sharing
will be challenging given that relations between government and
NGOs are variable. In April, a seminar involving government and
some NGOs could help set the agenda for the SDN.

82.	South Pacific

The major issues and requirements are: the need to show sensitivity
to cultural values, financing, a public relations package including
promotional materials such as a brochure, radio programming and
audio-visual techniques. The SDN would benefit from simple guidelines
and methodologies that indicate what they can and cannot do. Information
on user surveys and needs analysis would be helpful for example.
Instructions on communication vehicles would be very useful. Hardware
requirements are compatible with the requirements mentioned by
others during the workshop.




IV.	Starter Kit Conclusions

83.	The SDN "Starter Kit" will begin as a document. The recommendations
of this workshop, expert opinion and ongoing communication with
the SDNs and with others, and the question of functionality will
guide the compilers of the Kit. Components will include: software;
hardware; bibliographic and textual resources - sourcebooks; directories;
free CD-ROMs if available; and documentation on skills and training
requirements and experiences gained so far in SDNs or otherwise
deemed to be relevant.

The hardware options will start with a minimum configuration,
including cost projections, and options of possible applications
(i.e. a file server, a work station, a machine for database or
graphics intensive applications). The basic computer configuration
could include: the system unit, modem-fax, printer, and possibly
a scanner. Office equipment will also be considered. Audio-visual
materials will require evaluation.
 
Software applications are likely to include: communications, word
processing, database management, spread sheet and financial analysis.
Specialized or high performance software may be needed for database
management (Micro CDS/ISIS, Paradox and others), desktop publishing
and managing remote sensing data (geographic information systems
- GIS).

Commercial US "street" costing will help guide pricing. The question
of local service and purchase, duty free purchase, as well as
purchase through UNDP or otherwise, will be considered.




V.	Evaluation and Feedback

84.	Participants were enthusiastic about what the workshop had
accomplished _ raising awareness of the existing resources and
the on-going collaberation to promote sustainable development.
It was clear in this workshop, and in particular towards the end
of the meeting, that participants were excited about the prospects
offered by computer-mediated communications. The demonstrations
impressed them because of the practical and low cost information
and advice that they could readily obtain. The question on their
minds was how to access these tools. The workshop also contributed
to a feeling of solidarity among colleagues.

85.	As part of this meeting, participants were asked to evaluate
the workshop according to several criteria. The following comments
were noted:

i.	participants agreed that the workshop covered too much ground.
More details would have been helpful. The workshop did reveal,
in the words of one participant a "vision of wider objectives
and helped us to learn about other networks. We also need to spend
more time on process because we are just beginning, next time
we will probably be more technical";

ii.	participants wanted to explore further many of the topics,
especially those related to information technology. Process-related
issues would have merited more attention. Time was the constraint;

iii.	for the next workshop, participants would be better prepared
if material was sent to them as soon as possible before the meeting.
This material should include introductory information about the
workshop: objectives, materials and methods and expectations.
A questionnaire may be useful in future to determine skill levels
of participants;

iv.	many other recommendations were also made: a desire for more
in depth treatment of international networking using computer-mediated
communications, especially electronic mail. Participants were
also interested in tracking the follow up to the Earth Summit;

v.	national issues were insufficiently dealt with. There was a
sense that the more forceful resource persons intimidated some
of the participants from national SDNs;

vi.	more structure and better time management will be required
in the future. More realistic expectations can be achieved with
a better understanding of the participants and their needs;

vii.	building on the experience of this workshop, and workshops
to come, will help streamline the process. The sharing of experiences
of national SDNs was considered particularly valuable;


viii.	participants agreed that when possible, local purchase of
material and services would be preferred when the local purchase
price is not significantly higher than the price available to
the Office for Project Services (OPS) of the United Nations, and
where considerations related to local servicing and the need to
maintain goodwill are important; and

ix.	a need to separate the plenary sessions from the demonstrations
and training activities was acknowledged.




VI.	CONCLUSIONS

86.	Workshop participants, it can be said, saw the SDN as an innovative
way of promoting sustainable development and Agenda 21, by providing
the means of connecting decision makers with information, knowledge
and networks of expertise that already exist. In some ways, the
workshop did not achieve all of the intended objectives. However,
it did achieve some extremely important, unexpected and unintended
objectives concerning clarity of the SDN concept.

87.	Most significantly, it raised great enthusiasm about the real
possibilities of information sharing. Useful information, readily
available in many cases, waits to be exploited and shared, especially
in developing countries. It is in these countries that the knowledge
gap is greatest and where the potential of the SDN has the greatest
chance of being felt.

88.	Participants could not get enough of the resources demonstrated,
and especially the information technologies, during the too short
period of this workshop.

89.	Apart from the solid endorsement of the SDN concept, participants
called for ongoing support of the network by UNDP and others.
The workshop excited participants about other dimensions, the
perspectives for enhancing communications and for increasing the
exchange of information, experiences and ideas that can be achieved
by networking people and computers. 

90.	Overall, participants' comments revealed that they felt that
the workshop was a great success. Along with what has been mentioned
above, the workshop achieved the following results:

i.	confirmation that, so far, the SDN operational model based
on a coordinator, a small secretariat and a steering committee
is appropriate;

ii.	agreement and confirmation of the importance of participatory
decision making, the important role of key stakeholders, the need
for the SDN to be independent, open and to encourage the free
sharing of information, the need for a flexible approach based
on local needs and circumstances, the requirement of using existing
resources of avoiding duplication and a call for ongoing support
of the network by UNDP and others; 

iii.	broad consensus that national SDN initiatives should be aimed
at the facilitation of information sharing rather than the actual
gathering or mass dissemination of information. In this regard,
participants were particularly interested in learning of the computer
and information management tools and services of interest to their
specific national contexts;

iv.	participants agreed with the need to communicate appropriate
messages for sustainable development. The main output of the SDN
would be the promotion of sustainable development using information
and communications tools and techniques. Interest in different
methods of communicating, for example in societies with strong
oral traditions, was discussed. The importance of working with
the media was emphasized; and

v.	consistent with the point made previously, is the agreement
that national and regional SDNs should help improve availability
of information resources and act to point potential users and
decision makers to these resources, instead of creatingnew ones.
SDNs should not devote major resources to developing databases
for example, a role better played by others.

91.	The workshop discussed the financial support needed to establish
SDNs. While each SDN presents unique challenges and opportunities,
several general conclusions could already be drawn: 

i.	it was taking longer than foreseen, typically 3-6 months longer,
to physically establish many SDNs. The appointment of staff, office
accommodation, receipt of equipment and materials takes time;

ii.	the task of introducing the SDN to parties concerned with
sustainable development and then "selling them" on regular usage
as a basic management tool was also judged to need more time than
earlier envisaged;

iii.	throughout the phase (i) and (ii) steady, reliable partners
were needed and;

iv.	the resource situation, official development assistance (ODA)
in general, was clearly tightening, and SDN proposals needed to
be well prepared. Each national Steering Committee should consider
the early introduction of partial auto-financing by charging for
SDN services, perhaps initially at subsidized rates but eventually
at cost. And, it was already necessary for Coordinators to look
beyond UNDP/SDN support to other arrangements such as cost-sharing
from UNDP/IPF or other bilateral sources of assistance.

92.	It was noted that existing information sources and communications
channels are significant and the SDN should not be duplicating
them unless absolutely necessary. There are solutions to poor
infrastructure and technical problems. Local Posts, Telephones
and Telecommunications authorities (PTTs) should be encouraged
to adopt policies which promote communications rather than limit
them. Even this can be done with their commercial interests in
mind.


93.	The workshop demonstrated examples and applications of computer
mediated communications (CMC) for networking people and organizations,
as well as some of the resources available via computer networks.
Of special interest are: 

i.	electronic mail;
ii.	electronic conferencing, news and news groups;
iii.	Internet access;
iv.	access to on-line databases; and
v.	various electronic networks and conferencing systems to access
some of these resources, including the Internet, and the APC networks.

94.	Workshop participants underlined the need for help in establishing
a SDN. The idea of an SDN "Starter Kit" was strongly endorsed.

94.	The SDN "Starter Kit" could initially be a catalogue made
up of a selection and description of hardware, applications software,
information resources, online information services, communication
methods and vehicles, training materials and management/organizational/policy
tools and resources as follows: 

i.	hardware and software resources include those needed for the
SDNs to use computer-mediated communications, and to promote sustainable
development through a communications programme, for which equipment
and software for information management and desk top publishing
would be needed;

ii.	information resources include bibliographic materials, especially
directories, databases, lists, key periodicals, monographs, data
sets, imagery as well as training guides published and distributed
on paper, electronically on CD-ROM for example, or otherwise;

iii.	on-line information services include commercial and governmental
sources and databases or services of an interactive nature such
as CompuServe, Dialog, BRS, and others;

iv.	training materials include manuals, lists of training opportunities
and trainers, management training tools, expert systems applications,
including computer-based training tools and authoring systems,
and other information that could be useful to self train and motivate
SDN staff;

	Of particular interest would be training in the use and application
of computer-mediated communications, including how to use electronic
mail and electronic conferencing, the various computer networks
and conferencing systems: how to navigate the Internet and the
various other computer networks and conferencing systems;


v.	various communication tools to help SDNs develop the appropriate
messages and communicate these to the intended target groups include
audio-visual and electronic communication vehicles, as well as
ways of dealing with and involving the media. Public education
was agreed to be a major component of the activities of the SDN.
Training materials for effective writing, for newsletters as well
as audio-visual productions are included;

vi.	tools for comparative policy analysis and for communicating
the meaning of various policies, including visioning exercises
where participants are asked to plan sustainable futures for example,
or models to analyze the implication of different policies, regulations
or legislation on environment, social and developmental issues
could be considered;

vii.	building the coalitions of business, government, NGOs and
stakeholders in general will require tools, skills and training
in conflict resolution and public participation; and

viii.	compilation of experiences will be included: for example,
case studies of relevant management practices and experiences
gained by SDNs, including the copies of feasibility studies and
related reports, descriptions of approaches to public participation,
the use of round tables and other consultative processes in different
jurisdictions, ways of dealing with PTTs, and other information
that could help SDNs secure greater participation and support,
or become self sufficient financially and otherwise, would be
considered under this heading.

96.	The workshop was also an occasion for participants to share
their experiences in establishing SDNs: different approaches were
highlighted and the question of how to deal with the need to secure
financial support - making the SDN sustainable - was discussed.
Cost for services is a technique used in one situation, but it
was generally noted that this was the exception instead of the
rule to date.

97.	The guidelines that had been agreed to at the workshop of
September 1992 (see Appendix 4) were confirmed. In particular,
the need for flexibility, the participatory nature of the SDN
and the need for the SDN to be independent.

98.	Probably a most significant result of this meeting, was the
opportunity for SDN Coordinators to meet and to share their experiences.
Participants recommended that workshops take place at regular
intervals, to follow up on ongoing activities, but also to provide
in depth support and specialized training.

99.	The workshop introduced important initiatives relevant to
the SDN. These include:

i.	the Consortium for International Earth Science Information
Network (CIESIN) and their efforts to make available information
on global change;

ii.	the World Health Organisation (WHO) databases and networks:
GetNet and GeeNet;

iii.	NGONet and its databases and information services;

iv.	the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
and its electronic version of the "Sourcebook on Sustainable Development";

v.	the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) electronic
networks and conferencing systems worldwide;

vi.	the electronic resources of the International Development
Research Centre (IDRC);

vii.	the activities of the UNDP that seek to network UNDP offices
worldwide; and 

viii.	the Internet.

100.	There was agreement that the SDNs are instruments:

i.	to mobilize action between the actors for sustainable development
by working with all interested groups in civil society, not only
government, and to do so at all levels: locally, nationally and
globally, and to do this through communication and collaboration;
and

ii.	to help facilitate access to data and information for government
and others to prepare and execute plans for sustainable development,
and to help monitor their implementation.

101.	Ongoing financial support will be needed in most SDN's for
some time to come.

102.	There was agreement that while language might prove a barrier
to communication in workshops, this was a reality that SDN workshop
participants should deal with and that translation support is
essential to optimize interaction and to justify the cost of the
whole enterprise.

103.	Some participants expressed the need for an information clearinghouse.
Some options were suggested, including UNDP itself or a university
in the USA for example.

104.	For the next workshop, there was agreement that:

i.	there will be more need to deal with information technology
instead of process-related issues;

ii.	there was a general feeling that many topics were dealt with
in too cursory a fashion. Participants need in depth treatment
to learn how to use the technologies and resources demonstrated;

iii.	some participants requested more time to discuss national
issues instead of international concerns; and


iv.	participants agreed that there was a need for more preparation
by all before the next workshop.

105.	The next workshop is tentatively scheduled to take place
at the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok Thailand in September
1993.




APPENDICES

Appendix 1


Summary Agenda


Monday, February 8, 1993

-	Welcome (Keith Bezanson, President of IDRC, Martha Stone, Robert
Valantin; Chuck Lankester UNDP)
-	Introductions, SDN concept, agenda
-	Lunch
-	Participant expectations
-	Starter Kit Overview
-	Reception - IDRC 14th floor Lounge


Tuesday, February 9, 1993

-	Review
-	Computer-Mediated Communications (Basic concepts)
-	Networking principles and practice (What works and what doesn't?)
-	Lunch
-	Reference materials and tools (IISD & IDRC staff)
-	Visit to IDRC Library (Online databases, CD-ROM demos)
-	Databases and text management/retrieval


Wednesday, February 10, 1993

-	Review
-	Building the SDN - tools and experiences in coalition building
-	Communications for sustainable development
-	Comparative policy analysis
-	Lunch
-	Demonstrations
	-	CIESIN, SimEarth
	-	The Internet
	-	Other Networks, local BBSs


Thursday, February 11, 1993

-	Review
-	SDN Management Issues
-	Self-reliance, local/national support, evaluation criteria
-	Introduction to commercial databases
-	Lunch
-	Visit and demonstrations
	-	Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (Booth St.)

Friday, February 12, 1993

-	Review
-	Identification of key issues
-	Identification of key starter kit components
-	Lunch
-	Wrap-up
-	Evaluation of workshop




Appendix 2

List of Participants and Resources Persons


SDN Coordinators

Mr. Juan Pablo Arce Salcedo	Bolivia
Mr. Wesley Stewart Ward	South Pacific
Mr. H.S. Cheong	Korea
Mr. Elias Romero	Honduras
Mr. Ron Livingston	Mekong Delta
Mr. Rombon Ougabet	Tchad
Mr. Cirilo Antonio Otero Escorcia	Nicaragua
Mr. Isa DaudPota	Pakistan
Mr. Luis Baltazar DaRocha	Angola
Ms. Beta Balagot	Philippines

Resource Persons

Chuck Lankester	UNDP
Raul Zambrano	UNDP
Laurence Yeung	UNDP
David Balson	IDRC
Robert Valantin	IDRC
Mary Campbell	IDRC
Marjorie Whalen	IDRC
Richard Labelle	Consultant
Bob Thomson	Consultant
Paul Hannon	Consultant
Enzo Puliatti	Consultant
Beatrice Olivastri	Consultant
Heather Creech	IISD
Gillian Phillips	NGONet
Steve Wise	CIESIN
Tim Pletcher	CIESIN
Bob Coullahan	CIESIN
Ingvar Ahman	WHO
Kirk Roberts	Nirv Centre/APC

Other IDRC Participants

Keith Bezanson	IDRC
Martha Stone	IDRC
Paul McConnell	IDRC

CIDA Observers

Robert Woodbridge
Gerry Kenney





Appendix 3


SDN Brochure

-


Appendix 4


New York September 1992 Workshop Report




Appendix 5


Countries Visited for the SDN


COUNTRY 	PURPOSE	DATES
	(Prefeasibility, Feasibility, 
	Technical Support/
	Follow-up)	 	
ASIA		
China		Prefeasibility		2-9 January 1993
India		Prefeasibility		15-22 January 1993
Indonesia	Prefeasibility		4-5 August 1992
			Follow-up		21-24 Sept. 1992
Iran		Prefeasibility		23-27 January 1993
Korea		Prefeasibility		6-7 August 1992
			Follow-up		25-26 Sept. 1992
			Technical Support	22-25 April 1993
Pakistan	Prefeasibility		23 July-2 Aug. 1992
			Follow-up		14 January 1993
Philippines	Technical Support	26-27 April 1993
South Pacific	Prefeasibility		18-20 Sept. 1992
			Follow-up		23-24 February 1993
Sri Lanka	Prefeasibility		10-13 January 1993

Africa
Chad		Prefeasibility		16-27 October 1992
			Follow-up		15-17 March 1993
C“te d'Ivoire	Prefeasibility		11-14 March 1993
Senegal		Prefeasibility		7-10 March 1993

Middle East
Egypt		Technical Support	18-23 March 1993
Morocco		Prefeasibility		31 October 1992
			Follow-up		23 March 1993
Tunisia		Technical Support	28-30 October 1992

COUNTRY 	PURPOSE	DATES
	(Prefeasibility, Feasibility, 
	Technical Support/
	Follow-up)	 	
Europe

BALTICS 
(Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania)	Prefeasibility	8-10 February 1993	
Poland		Prefeasibility		14-20 March 1993	

Central/L. America
Bolivia		Technical Support	11-15 January 1993	
Colombia	Prefeasibility		8-10 March 1993	
Costa Rica	Technical Support	18-20 November 1992	
El Salvador	Technical Support	12-15 November 1992	
Guatemala	Technical Support	10-12 November 1992	
Guyana		Prefeasibility		20-22 January 1993	
Honduras	Technical Support	15-16 November 1992	
Mexico		Technical Support	9-10 November 1992
			Prefeasibility		March 1993	
Nicaragua	Technical Support	16-18 November 1992	
Panama		Prefeasibility		11-12 March 1993	




Appendix 6


List of Potential Starter Kit Components


Hardware:

	-	microcomputer configuration:
ù	486 DX, running DOS (or Windows 3.1 or OS/2), 4 Mb RAM, SVGA
monitor, 130-200 Mb hard drive, 24 pin dot-matrix printer or inexpensive
laser printer (eg. HPIIp), 9600-14,400 fax/data modem, CD-ROM
drive, tape backup drive, UPS (uninteruptible power supply)
	-	manuals on how to choose, use and set up a microcomputer in
a developing country environment

Other Hardware Tools/Issues

	-	Scanners and OCR (optical character recognition software)
	-	Multimedia (desktop video editors, CD-ROM video and A/V clips)
	-	Local Area Networks (LANs)
	-	Service/warranties, duty free purchase, training requirements,
language, etc.

Application Software

	-	Word processing
ù	WordPerfect, Word, AmiPro
	-	Outliners/Idea Processors (PC Outline, ThinkTank)
	-	Desktop Publishing
ù	PageMaker, Ventura, Print Shop, etc.
	-	Databases (DBMS)
ù	Micro CDS/ISIS for structured/textual DBMS
ù	Relational DBMS: Paradox, FoxPro, RBase, dBase IV, Q&A
	-	Text retrieval/management
ù	ZY-Index, ISYS, DTSearch, Open-Text, Topic, Folio-Views, Lotus
Magellan, Xtree Gold, Synth, MemoryMate
	-	Dos, Windows, OS/2, Apple System 7, Unix
	-	Spreadsheets
ù	Lotus, AsEasyAs, Quattro
	-	Communications
ù	DOS - Procomm, Telix, Procomm Plus,
ù	Mac - White Knight, Red Ryder, Fmodem
	-	Off-line readers
	-	Accounting
ù	Quicken, AccPac, Bedford, DacEasy
	-	Multi-media
	-	Desktop video editors
	-	CD-ROM

Reference resources:

	-	Bibliographic and text materials (manuals, books, catalogues)
	-	CD-ROM titles 
	-	Data sets, etc. (NASA, GLIS, etc.)
	-	Imagery sources, tools, etc.
	-	Information centres and services, etc.

Online Services

	-	Internet
ù	FTP, Telnet, Usenet news groups, Archie, Gophers, ListServers,
WWN, WAIS
	-	Networks
ù	APC, GeoNet, TCN, CGNET, FidoNet, InterDoc (Antenna), FreeNets
	-	Local BBS software
ù	Maximus, RBBS, FrontDoor, MajorBBS, Waffle
	-	Commercial networks
ù	CompuServe/IQuest, Dialog, Genie, Prodigy, America Online, etc.

Other SDN Information Kit Issues (the "soft" components)

	-	Policies to encourage free and open access to information technology
for sustainable development: a comparative analysis of various
'types' of policies limiting access to information and the apparent
reasons behind them, along with examples of different approaches
that SDN Coordinators may want to be aware of in different countries,
etc.

	-	Tools for computer mediated communications: Global networks
and methods of access, including a comparative overview of access
in the developing world: Fido systems, APC, GeoNet, TCN; collaborative
approaches: NGONET, etc.

	-	Tools for comparative policy analysis and visualization:

	-	Consultant reports and other text analyses.

	-	Modelling sustainable futures using systems analysis, etc.

	-	Participatory processes as communication tools for sustainable
development, including visioning exercises, systems analysis with
public participation, impact assessment methods that could be
useful and appropriate in a development context, etc.

	-	educational/promotional techniques




Appendix 7

Acronyms

APC	Association for Progressive Communications
BBS	bulletin board systems
BIBLIOL	IDRC library database
CCRS	Canadian Centre for Remote Sensing
CD-ROM	compact disk- read only memory
CEFDA	Common Exchange Format for Development Activities
CIDA	Canadian International Development Agency
CIESIN	Consortium for International Earth Science Information
Network
DAI	Development Activities Initiative
EHMDAC	Environmental Health Information for Management of Development
Activities
FAO	Food and Agriculture Organisation
GeeNET	Global Environmental Epidemiology Network
GetNET	Global Environmental Technology Network
GIS	geographic information systems
ICSU	International Council of Scientific Unions
IDRC	International Development Research Centre 
IDRIS	International Development Research Information System
IISD	International Institute for Sustainable Development
ILO	International Labour Organisation
IPF	indicative planning figures	
NASA	National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NGO	non-governmental organizations
NGONet	NGO initiative to help share information on environment,
economy and the human dimensions of development
ODA	overseas development assistance
OPS	Office for Project Services 
PTT	Posts, Telephone and Telecommunications authority
RESORS	Remote Sensing Online Retrieval System
SDN	Sustainable Development Network
SMRSS	Surveys, Mapping and Remote Sensing
UN		United Nations
UNCED	United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
UNDP	United Nations Development Programme
UNESCO	United Nations Educational and Scientific Organisation
UNIDO	United Nations Industrial Development Organization
USAID	United States Agency for International Development
WAIS	wide-area information servers
WEB	the name of the Canadian network of the APC
WHO	World Health Organisation



Copies of this report are available from:

The Director
Sustainable Development Network
United Nations Development Programme
304 East 45th Street
Room FF-12108
New York, New York 10017
USA

Telephone: 1-212-906-5862
Fax: 1-212-906-6952
E-mail (Internet):
Chuck Lankester





The illustrations in this brochure are tangrams, a puzzle in which
the player uses 7 shapes to create a picture. Like the tangram, the 
SDN is based on the concept of building solutions. Each country, 
under the guidance of the UNDP, designs its own unique plan for 
sustainable development. 

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