The ongoing "Internet Revolution", which started around 1994, is dramatically changing not only the internal socio-economic and political structures of most nations, but also the way in which they relate to each other. The process of "globalization" has also been fostered and accelerated by the rapid expansion of the Internet and the extensive use of Information Technologies (IT) in the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services.

By the same token, the Internet has also promoted a process of "information democratization" by allowing citizens, organizations and institutions in most countries to publish and distribute, at a relative low cost, their own information and knowledge resources that, in many cases, deal directly with Sustainable Development (SD) issues, and help preserve, by the same token, Indigenous Knowledge.

The Internet and the widespread use of IT tools provide Developing Countries (DCs) with a golden opportunity not only to promote SD in a systematic manner but also to "leap-frog’ themselves well into the 21^st century. However, it is now evident that this process will not occur by itself or in an automatic manner.

In the last 5 years the impact of the Internet in DCs has been already substantial. We just have to remember that in 1995 there were only 3 African nations connected to the Internet. Today, all but a couple have full Internet connectivity. In a similar fashion, there are multiple ongoing initiatives funded by bi-lateral and multi-lateral organizations promoting the expansion of the Internet in DCs and the extensive use of IT on productive capacities and governance of the State. Finally, the private sector has entered into the picture and is investing in many DCs primarily on infrastructure and networking technologies - whereas so far most governments have shied away from this.

However, recent statistics indicate that, contrary to many expectations, the information gap between industrialized countries and DCs is growing. Moreover, within many DCs, the gap between "haves’ and "have nots" is increasing at an even faster pace. Recent estimates indicate that the global number of Internet users is about 180 million of which only 14% are in DCs. In the African continent alone there are around 1.3 million users; of these almost a million are in South Africa alone. In other words, the average number of users is 6,000 people per country –once we exclude South Africa. Some analysts have described this process of uneven development of the Internet as the emergence of the 4^th World in the global economy.

A similar picture can be depicted for the so-called Internet applications. Recent estimates indicate the US has already a substantial lead in deploying and effectively using electronic commerce (e-commerce) for both business to business and business to consumer services. Europe is lagging behind 2 to 3 years and DCs come in last with at least a 5 year lag. Moreover, a few DCs are already expressing concerns about the new competition their (non-electronic) local firms are facing from e-commerce servers and services located in industrialized nations. A few firms are thus conquering the new markets and leaving little for those who lag behind.

In this light, it is evident that the "Internet Revolution" and the increased use of IT tools have also created new issues and problems in DCs, issues and problems that need to be specifically addressed by developmental organizations and institutions.

These are some of the issues has the Sustainable Development Networking Programme has been addressing since its inceoption, by operating at the country level, launching and supporting local Internet sites, and building national capacities and knowledge resources.

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