(My apologies for this being uni-lingual English...) As has already been circulated, the on-line discussion concerning "Financing Mechanisms" in the context of the World Summit on the Information Society http://www.wsis-online.net/financing/forums/forum-view?forum_id=426395 has been extended to Nov. 24.
However, on returning to that site, I've taken another look at the "official" items presented for discussion on the WSIS-Online forum. Following this I've further taken the liberty of rephrasing these items from a perspective which is concerned with enabling or empowering local communities from the bottom up through the use of ICTs (cf. Community Informatics (CI) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_informatics. What follows are the "official" questions followed by a Community Informatics (CI) rephrasing. The rephrased questions are currently being discussed on the Community Informatics elist. (To subscribe: http://vancouvercommunity.net/lists/subrequest/communityinformatics (Official) 1. Most pressing needs and opportunities : What are the most pressing needs and opportunities for deploying ICT in the context of meeting basic development objectives in the developing world ? (CI Rephrase) From a community perspective what are the most effective strategies for communities to identify their priorities for ICTs and ICT implementations and what mechanisms can be set up to allow communities to negotiate with external (financial) supporters to allow for the implementation of ICTs within the context of those priorities? Following from this is there any way to work with systems developers and designers to help to create systems and applications which more effectively support community processes and applications than current systems? (Official) 2. How to harness and reinforce human resources : How can human resources be best harnessed and reinforced to maximize the potential of ICT for all segments of sciety ? (CI Rephrase) Within the context of limited budgets what are the priorities within communities for investment in human resources--is it schools, is it adult/continuing education, is it specialized training? How can communities be given the opportunity of articulating and enforcing these priorities and the tools and access to the resources to help them to implement these priorities so that they are in accord with local requirements and conditions? (Official) 3. Efficiency of existing mechanisms : How effective have existing, traditional financial mechanisms been in meeting ICT development goals and how can such mechanisms be enhanced ? (CI Rephrase) What means are currently in place for those communities which have been the "object" of ICT investment to evaluate the impact and outcomes (benefits and costs) of these investments (from their perspective) and what means can be developed to ensure that the results of these "evaluations" become an element in the planning for any new round of such investment? (also see above). (Official) 4. Innovative mechanisms : Are there any examples of new, innovative or multi-sectoral mechanisms that should be considered, and what should be their role ? (CI Rephrase) From a community perspective what would be the most appropriate and useful means for funding future community based ICT initiatives? Also as (or more) importantly what (financial, social/organizational, and/or policy) means can be put in place to ensure that whatever developments are supported by such investments are designed and developed in such a way that they are "sustainable" in the longer term within the context of local (and national and even global) economic, social, cultural and political circumstances? I should also point out that many of these issues were discussed at the recent Conference of the Community Informatics Research Network (CIRN) http://www.ciresearch.net on "Sustainability and Community Technology" and selected papers from this conference will be made available through the peer reviewed e-Journal of Community Informatics http://e-journal.net in the January '05 issue. Best, Mike Gurstein Michael Gurstein, Ph.D. School of Management New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ (Interim) Chair: Community Informatics Research Network (CIRN) http://www.ciresearch.net -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Andy Carvin Sent: November 12, 2004 7:40 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Telecentres] Online Forum on Financing Mechanisms Extended Until November 24 Hi everyone, Some of you may recall my previous notice last month that the Taskforce on Financing Mechanisms (TFFM) is hosting an online consultation seeking feedback from civil society on the following question: "How can financial resources be most effectively mobilized to help harness the potential of ICT to promote human development throughout the world?" This online consultation was supposed to end today, but it's been extended until November 24. During a conference call organized by Frannie Wellings of EPIC earlier today, we talked about the potential insights that might come from our particular working group, given the fact that telecentres all must deal directly with the challenge of long-term financial sustainability. So I would like to invite you to contribute to this online consultation, both as a group and as individuals. Right now, anyone may go online to http://www.wsis-online.net/financing/forums/forum-view?forum_id=426395 to participate in the discussion, and I would encourage all of you to do so. The discussion is broken down into four threads: 1. Most pressing needs and opportunities : What are the most pressing needs and opportunities for deploying ICT in the context of meeting basic development objectives in the developing world ? 2. How to harness and reinforce human resources : How can human resources be best harnessed and reinforced to maximize the potential of ICT for all segments of sciety ? 3. Efficiency of existing mechanisms : How effective have existing, traditional financial mechanisms been in meeting ICT development goals and how can such mechanisms be enhanced ? 4. Innovative mechanisms : Are there any examples of new, innovative or multi-sectoral mechanisms that should be considered, and what should be their role ? .... For more information on the online consulation, please visit here: http://www.wsis-online.net/financing/finance-root/ForumTFFM thanks, ac -- ----------------------------------- Andy Carvin Program Director EDC Center for Media & Community acarvin @ edc . org http://www.digitaldividenetwork.org Blog: http://www.andycarvin.com ----------------------------------- _______________________________________________ telecentres mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mailman-new.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/telecentres To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. _______________________________________________ telecentres mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mailman-new.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/telecentres To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
