HIGHLIGHTS FROM GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE 97
24 JUNE 1997
Many working sessions were held throughout the day. Delegates convened in a
breakfast meeting on Global Knowledge: A Partnership for Women and Men, a
Plenary lunch on Knowledge for Good Governance, and a Plenary dinner on Global
Knowledge and Local Culture.
Following are summaries from some of the working sessions held throughout
Empowering Information Tools for Grassroots Women: Panelists
highlighted the importance of: women's involvement in shaping ICT as it evolves;
building bridges between women and men in government and media; training in
technical skills and strategic use of ICT; using multiple channels for
disseminating information; women's time constraints and the need for efficiency
in ICTs; and finding ways to connect with e-mail-only users. Participants called
for new search engines catered to women's needs and stressed that Internet
communication not eclipse human interaction.
Use of Communication Technology by Grassroots Women: Best Practices:
Panelists outlined initiatives that: make market, price and labor information
available to women; provide training for marginalized people to master
technology and information; teach computer literacy; explore social and economic
impacts of ICT on women's lives; and examine how trade can expand opportunities
for women. Discussion highlighted: the primacy of economic problems and
information needs; demand for new skills from ICT technology development;
differential impacts of ICT on different types of women; and documentation of
women's indigenous knowledge.
Broadcast Radio for Development: This session heard presentations
on: radio and distance education; portable broadcasting stations and low-tech
radios; a network of NGOs that provides radio scripts on agricultural issues
based on grassroots knowledge in developing countries; interactive radio in
India; and educational broadcasting by the BBC. It was suggested that radio is
superior to ICT because: it remains the best means of mass communication; it can
reach the illiterate; and it can be provided at reasonable cost. However, it was
emphasized that technologies should be produced in developing countries rather
than imported and that government regulations can hinder free media and creation
of community broadcasters.
Using Information Technology to Improve Natural Resource Management:
Panelists described USAID's initiatives using information technology tools for
assessing and sharing natural resource information for sustainable development,
and sought feedback and advice on developing partnerships to apply these tools.
Participants expressed particular interest in training modules for international
waters and discussed technology transfer, distance learning and remote sensing.
New Approaches to Rural Energy and Sustainable Development:
Participants explored approaches to improving access to energy for people
dependent on traditional fuels and with limited access to modern fuels.
Discussion revolved around: the real costs of bio-mass fuel due to time spent on
fuel-wood collection; the importance of local control over bio-fuel resources
and increased energy efficiency; the need to move to modern fuels; the
underestimation of available wind resources and adverse policies on import
duties on alternative technologies; and micro-finance for energy in rural areas.
Examples included: local forest management in Niger; a micro-hydro project in
Nepal; wind power in China, Russia and Brazil; and photo voltaic systems in
Kenya. Challenges identified included: inequalities in access to energy; and
difficulties in financing energy access.
Role of the State: Policy and Regulatory Frameworks for the Information
Economy: This session centered on: telecommunications liberalization and
investment needs; the residual role of the state, including universal access and
the role of international organizations; and both the domains (education,
medicine, government) and channels (Internet, telephony, software) of the
information economy. Participants explored questions relating to
capacity-building, the importance of legal frameworks and the regulation of
The Importance of Intellectual Property Rights: Panelists: stressed
the need to protect industry's intellectual property rights (IPR) while sharing
knowledge and information for education and scientific development; described
work to assist developing countries in developing their own intellectual
property and in utilizing "free" information to this end; emphasized
cost implications of IPR for developing countries; called for transparency from
corporations; and suggested industry invest in legal infrastructure for
enforcement of IPR. Participants highlighted the implications of biotechnology
patenting and the high costs of enforcing IPR.
Learning Organizations and Knowledge Management: Participants
explored how private and public sector organizations create contexts for
continuous learning and build shared knowledge resources. Discussions included:
the World Bank's management of its knowledge resources; the social dimension of
learning and the social management of knowledge; augmenting intellectual capital
to sustain competitive advantage; connecting NGOs to exchange knowledge and
experience; and networks created by African women.
Knowledge for Development: Learning and Using Policy Lessons: In
this session, participants discussed the means by which policy advice is given,
made credible, internalized and implemented. They also considered the roles of
policy providers, intermediaries and users, and noted problems with the
transmission, reception and credibility of policy advice.
Designing Partnerships for Learning: This session considered two
partnerships for teaching and learning: the Korean Development Institute and the
Joint Vienna Institute, a regional institution serving economies in transition.
Participants discussed: advantages of partnership-based training in comparison
with more traditional training models; the concern that both models emphasized
economic development to the exclusion of social and cultural progress; and how
to establish similar ventures elsewhere.
Scientific Knowledge: Making the Most Out of the Best: Participants
heard presentations on: genetic information; industry; access to and
dissemination of scientific knowledge; and policies to foster science and
technology in developing countries. It was noted that research skills are not
immediately created nor always transferable. Others suggested that science and
technology practitioners have not accounted for the knowledge of ancient
cultures and that the possession of knowledge is not the prerogative of rich
societies. Developing countries have little access to existing knowledge and,
while there may be wind-up radio, there is no wind-up computer. Participants
highlighted the potential of virtual universities and the importance of UNESCO
and the private sector in the development process.
Role of Foundations in Science and Technology for Development: Participants
discussed foundations' experience with international cooperation and schemes for
mobilizing the scientific, technological and policy communities to focus on
development problems. Presentations were made on the experiences of French,
British and Chilean foundations and on the International Science Foundation and
University Internet Centers in Russia. It was noted that foundations can be more
flexible than governments or international organizations and thus there should
be scope for cooperation between them.
Putting Scientific Knowledge to Use in Participatory Formulation of
Development Policies: Participants discussed the use of computer-based tools for
sustainable policy development. There was a presentation on development policy
assessment using a live computer simulation of future population, energy, water
and agriculture management policies in Nile River basin countries. The need to
build bridges between the science and policy cultures was stressed. Challenges
for the future were identified: globalization; the magnitude and rate of global
change; and the need to employ long-term perspectives.
The Informed Citizen: Setting the Agenda: Participants explored the
notion that the information revolution will not only enhance the supply of
information but will substantially alter the structures in which public problems
are addressed. Informed citizenship entails not only providing information to
citizens, but also receiving information from and exchanging information between
citizens. Discussions of case studies considered: social impacts of the
information revolution; the interaction between the Internet and other
communication technologies; spontaneous successes involving access to high
technology; the representative role of citizen-groups; and the reluctance of
politicians to cede control as ICT use spreads.
Electronic Media: Reflecting Diversity: Participants heard
presentations on: WETV, a satellite broadcaster that acts as a platform for
global issues; the Canadian Heritage Information Network and their work with "virtual"
exhibits; the Canadian Museum of Civilization's virtual museum on New France;
and the idea of cultural repatriation through electronic means. Some
participants stressed that this is an unprecedented moment in history when all
cultures are in contact and that cultural diversity was as important as
biodiversity. It was recommended that ways in which new technologies can create
art and new forms of expression be considered.
Knowledge for Development: A Consultation: The World Bank sought
feedback on a draft outline of its 1998 World Development Report, which focuses
on Information and Knowledge for Development. The draft outlines the emerging
economic information environment and considers its significance for developing
countries. Participants suggested that: education be more strongly emphasized;
the politics of information be considered more fully; and market failures and
government roles be examined in greater detail.
No Real Change Without Women: Networking for Development:
Participants provided examples of: community access strategies; a partnership of
women in academia, business and policy who formulated a women's declaration at
APEC; and a workshop parallel to the World Food Summit where women strategized
to develop a more people-centered notion of security. Participants stressed the
need to: create models for partnerships for the underpriveleged; use technology
to package, convey and share the valuable knowledge that women possess; focus
more on people and less on technology; use information to assist those
disempowered by the consequences of the information age; use distance learning
to increase girls' education; and question the underlying assumption that access
to knowledge will eliminate poverty. Participants were reminded that women are
employing numerous strategies to foster their development without the Internet.
GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE: A PARTNERSHIP FOR WOMEN AND MEN
The Independent Committee on Women and Global Knowledge hosted a breakfast
to honor women's contributions to ICTs and to advocate strengthening
partnerships between women and men at all levels of development. Speaking at the
breakfast were: Shirley Malcom, Director, Education Program, American
Association for the Advancement of Science; James Wolfensohn, President, World
Bank; Kathryn White, President, Canadian Committee for UNIFEM; and Huguette
Labelle, President, CIDA.
KNOWLEDGE FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE
Katherine Hagen, Deputy Director General, International Labor Organization
(ILO), stated that social justice and development require good governance, which
can be supported by widespread access to knowledge. She highlighted ILO's role
in facilitating the dissemination of human rights information via ICT. She noted
the rise of democratic regimes due to the creation of informed citizens. She
called for reducing the gap between the information poor and rich and for
universal access to ICT.
Pepi Patron, Professor of Philosophy, Catholic University of Peru, discussed
the relationships between knowledge, women and good governance. She said women
are changing the traditional conception of knowledge, even when they are not in
contact with formal information networks. She suggested that the Internet and
computers can provide a public space for women's voices but cautioned that the
number of women with access to this technology is limited. She also noted that
women must learn to speak with all segments of society.
Lloyd Axworthy, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, spoke of the need for
information technology to work for people. He anticipated that the day is coming
when "the mouse will be mightier than the sword." Democratization is
crucial and requires not simply elections, but the fortification of civil
society and the empowerment of citizens. Information can aid this powersharing,
becoming "the Colt 45 for the grassroots." He spoke also of the need
to beware of the dark sides of the information revolution, such as pornography,
monopoly or elite control of information and hate propaganda. To avoid such
problems, there is an urgent need to create policy frameworks to shape
technology and balance privacy issues, freedom of speech and human rights.
Canada is working to promote an international information strategy which would
guarantee equality of access and the shaping of technology to human needs.
GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE AND LOCAL CULTURE
Delegates attended a dinner Plenary on Global Knowledge and Local Culture
and heard statements from Huguette Labelle, CIDA President, Federico Mayor,
UNESCO Director General, and Jennifer Makunike-Sibanda, Zimbabwe Broadcasting
THINGS TO LOOK FOR TODAY
WORKING SESSIONS: Working sessions will meet from 9:00-10:30 a.m.
and 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in the Sheraton Centre, Hilton and Colony Hotels.
PLENARY: There will two Plenary sessions, on The Challenges Ahead,
from 1:30-2:30 p.m., and on Partners for the Future, from 3:00-4:00 p.m. The
keynote address will be delivered from 2:30-3:00 p.m., and the conference
conclusion will begin 4:00 p.m. All Plenaries will take place in the Sheraton
Centre Grand Ballroom.