*** Democracies Online Newswire - http://www.e-democracy.org/do ***
More project details in English <http://www.ict.am/?go=start>. Thank you to Nathalie Merle for pointing this out. Are others aware of similar UNDP or other internationally funded projects in developing democracies/countries specifically oriented toward ICT and governance? Steven Clift Democracies Online From: http://www.undp.org/dpa/frontpagearchive/2002/january/8jan02/index.htm l Armenia's online Forum promotes democratic participation Tuesday, 8 January 2001: Armenia's National Academy of Sciences has launched Forum <http://www.forum.am/> -- a new web site -- with support from UNDP to harness information and communications technology to promote democracy. Forum, which is in Armenian, helps increase public participation in governance, create new opportunities to broaden public awareness about democratic issues and establish new opportunities for interaction. It hosts online communities on human rights, environmental protection, politics, human development, gender and development, and volunteering. Forum uses a variety of tools to keep participants informed and encourage interaction. These include bulletin boards, mailboxes, photo galleries and newsletters. Groups and individuals can join discussions in established communities or create new ones to discuss issues of common interest and concern with colleagues and friends, post results of discussions in newsletters and publish documents online. During the pilot phase last year, the environmental protection community was the was most active. They issued four newsletters and helped create a youth centre on environmental protection called "Burg". Materials posted by community members were used by students for research papers. The community on politics organized discussions with representatives of political parties on major issues and posted summaries online. These online discussions are continuing. "UNDP hopes that Forum will constitute an essential building block for the formation of an information society and strengthening of democratic governance in Armenia," said Joel Boutroue, UNDP Resident Representative. The connectivity and access standards established by UNDP through the Forum and the Armenian Freenet, which offers Internet access and training, will set the tone for information technology development across the country, he noted. Forum is part of a three year, US$487,000 UNDP initiative that began last year to help Armenia use the power of information and communications technology to support democracy. Other activities include creating Armenian language Internet tools, establishing regional Internet centres, setting up an e-government system to enhance public administration, and coordinating international assistance on information technologies through a consultative group. For further information, please contact Christine Karapetian <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, UNDP Armenia, or Erin Trowbridge <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, UNDP Communications Office. ^ ^ ^ ^ Steven L. Clift - W: http://www.publicus.net Minneapolis - - - E: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Minnesota - - - - - T: +1.612.822.8667 USA - - - - - - - ICQ: 13789183 *** Please send submissions to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** *** To subscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** *** Message body: SUB DO-WIRE *** *** To unsubscribe instead, write: UNSUB DO-WIRE *** *** Please forward this post to others and encourage *** *** them to subscribe to the free DO-WIRE service. ***
