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AFRO-NETS> WIDE Initiative - Web of Information for Development
WIDE Initiative - Web of Information for Development
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The United Nations Development Program's Special Unit for Technical
Cooperation Among Developing Countries (SU/TCDC) is pleased to an-
nounce the launch of the WIDE Initiative (Web of Information for De-
velopment).
Details can be found at:
http://www.undp.org/tcdc/wide
SU/TCDC, established within UNDP by the United Nations General Assem-
bly in 1974, is launching the WIDE Initiative in support of, and to
further, technical cooperation among developing countries (TCDC).
The WIDE Initiative introduces a new array of internet-based services
and efforts to give more visibility to developing country expertise,
foster communications and promote more effective technical coopera-
tion among developing countries.
The first of these services, WIDE Online, is a public access database
for collecting and accessing (i) experts bio-data (expertise, loca-
tion, contacts, publications, etc.) and (ii) information on institu-
tions, products, services and best practices.
WIDE Online started life in 1977 as INRES, a paper-based Information
Referral Service system. Today, in partnership with CESAR (Recife,
Brazil), WIDE Online transforms INRES into a modern global informa-
tion service.
To raise the visibility of developing country expertise and knowledge
TCDC is also undertaking WIDE InterLink, a program of strategic part-
nerships with TCDC stakeholder organizations.
The InterLink program is designed to (i) promote stakeholder partici-
pation in the WIDE Initiative by using WIDE Online, or its offline
version, to raise the profile of developing country expertise and
knowledge and (ii) assist stakeholders in strengthening their capac-
ity for sharing expertise and promoting technical cooperation among
developing countries.
The Initiative also includes TCDC/WIDE Innovative Experiences. A da-
tabase of experiences and projects demonstrating innovative develop-
ment activities or cooperation carried out by institutions and pro-
fessionals in developing countries. These valuable experiences are to
be shared for use in other developing countries. They are also avail-
able in book format.
The WIDE Initiative, in cooperation with Bellanet (Ottawa, Canada)
includes two online WIDE Discussion Forums, accessible by email and
web browser.
WIDEFORUM-L is the WIDE Initiative discussion area, and a forum for
policy dialogue and knowledge networking for strengthening the WIDE
Initiative and technical cooperation among developing countries.
GOODWIDE-L collects and critiques innovative experiences in technical
cooperation among developing countries.
TCDC/WIDE is also providing an Internet broadcasting News Service, in
cooperation with Comcast Inc. (Republic of Korea). SU/TCDC and Com-
cast are collaborating to deliver this state of the art news service
for news related to development and to South-South cooperation.
The WIDE Initiative launches today with partnerships across three
continents, and plans to expand both its partnerships and its ser-
vices.
WIDE Initiative Web Pages and Innovative Experiences are hosted by
SU/TCDC in New York (USA).
WIDE Online is hosted by CESAR (Centro de Estudos e Sistemas Avanca-
dos de Recife) in Recife (Brazil)
The WIDE News Service is hosted by COMCAST Co.,Ltd. in Seoul (Rep. of
Korea)
WIDEFORUM-L and GOODWIDE-L are hosted by Bellanet in Ottawa (Canada)
Experts in and from the South, and institutions, are invited to reg-
ister in the WIDE database and to participate in the WIDE Initiative
discussion forums. Everybody is invited to subscribe to the WIDE Dis-
cussion Forums in order to receive announcements of new services, and
to participate in the implementation of the WIDE Initiative.
All WIDE services can be accessed through:
http://www.undp.org/tcdc/wide
Please contact SU/TCDC for information on partnerships, the InterLink
strategy, or for offline ways to register in the WIDE Online data-
base:
The Special Unit for TCDC
United Nations Development Programme
One UN Plaza, ff-1208
New York, NY 10017 ,USA
Tel: +1-212-906-5732
Fax: +1-212-906-6352
mailto:[email protected]
http://www.undp.org/tcdc/wide
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