The Sustainable Development Networking Programme:
Concept and Implementation

Q. Isa Daudpota, daudpota@sdnpk.undp.org
Raul Zambrano, zambrano@undp.org

Abstract

Access to information in developing countries is limited. Information flows between the different sectors of society in these countries is almost non-existent. The implementation of national developmental activities that are sustainable in the long run rapidly encounters these limitations. The Sustainable Development Networking Programme (SDNP) is a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) initiative that addresses these issues. This paper examines the conceptual background of SDNP and looks in detail at its implementation in Pakistan.

  1. Introduction
  2. SDNP Concept
    • Background
    • Principles
    • Organizational Structure and Institutionalization
    • Implementation Process
    • Connectivity and Internet Access
    • Capacity Building
    • SDNP Status
  3. SDNP Pakistan: A Case Study
    • Information Services
    • Status and Short Term Goals
    • Edunet And SDNP
    • Lesson's from SDNP's Experience
  4. Conclusions
  5. Author Information

1. Introduction

Access to adequate sources of information for both decision makers and members of civil society is key for understanding and implementing the concept of sustainable development. However, for a variety of reasons, access in developing countries is limited and finding information on crucial topics related to environment and development is rather difficult.

The rapid development of information technologies and information systems has facilitated access to information sources at relatively low costs. Several developing countries are now taking advantage of the new situation by connecting to the Internet. But still access for all sectors of society within each country remains a problem.

The Sustainable Development Networking Programme (SDNP) is a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) initiative that addresses these issues. SDNP links users and suppliers of information in developing countries via computer mediated communications on a participatory basis and thus creates a national space where the flow of information on topics related to sustainable development can occur on a steady and sustainable manner.

2. SDNP Concept

2.1 Background

The concept of SDNP was initially developed in 1989. At that time, the key problem was to provide timely access to adequate information sources for policy and decision makers in developing countries with the aim of helping them in the decision making process.

The 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) conference reinforced this initial perception. In the first place, the conference adopted Agenda 21, a plan of action on environment and development signed by 179 UN member countries. Specifically, chapter 40 of Agenda 21 directly addressed the information and networking concerns that SDNP had initially set as key goals. Secondly, NGOs and other sectors of civil society were recognized as key actors in the process of sustainable development. As a result, SDNP incorporated them into the overall project.

In 1993, UNDP launched Capacity 21, the initiative that follows up the implementation of Agenda 21 in developing countries. SDNP has been integrated with this initiative since then, indeed most SDNP projects are now being supported through this channel.

2.2 Principles

The implementation of SDNP in any developing country is based on the following principles:

  • Participatory process: includes all sectors of society (government, academia, NGOs, businesses, etc.)

  • Complementarity: seeks national partners with similar goals; avoids duplication of efforts.

  • Appropriate technology: countries are provided computer and networking technologies that are adequate for existing infrastructure and available human resources.

  • Catalytic funding: UNDP's financial support is limited; sustainability of the project is emphasized since its very beginning.

  • National Ownership: the project is owned and run by nationals for nationals.

  • Round table approach: provides a meeting place for stakeholders to meet and discuss relevant issues.

  • Capacity building: fosters the creation of the necessary body of expertise at the national level.

  • Agenda 21: direct association with the preparation and implementation of national Agenda 21 plans.

2.3 Organizational Structure and Institutionalization

The participatory character of SDNP requires of an organizational mechanism that provides representation and access to all sectors of society. With this purpose an SDNP Steering Committee (SC) or a similar entity is formed in which each sector of society is represented. The SC works on an ad hoc basis and has a variety of activities ranging from simple administrative tasks to policy issues and matters related to sustainable development. Usually the SC meet once every three months.

The SC also represents all the users and providers of information that are part of SDNP. Users with specific demands and problems can then bring proposals, etc., to the SC for implementation.

The project has a National Coordinator who is essentially the project manager and has a professional background on sustainable development issues. The Coordinator has under his supervision a small staff of people consisting of a networking/information systems specialist and, if needed, some administrative support.

The institutional arrangements for SDNP vary from country to country. In all cases, however, the selection of a host institution is made by the National Steering Committees. Ideally, SDNP should be hosted by existing national institutions (NGOs, Universities, Government offices, etc.) that, on the one hand, can provide open access to all sectors of society and, on the other, can furnished some support in the endeavour (personnel, equipment, office space, etc.). In a few cases, SDNP projects have in fact created new institutions (foundations, NGOs, etc).

2.4 Implementation Process

SDNP has developed a methodology for the implementation of the project at the national level.

One of the first steps is the elaboration of the pre-feasibility study. An international consultant (or an SDNP staff member) visits the country that has previously shown interest on SDNP and requires assistance in starting the process. With the help of the local UNDP office, a meeting in which all sectors of society are invited is organized. The consultant presents and explains to this group of people the SDNP concept and determines the level of interest, etc.. The consultant will also try to identify:

  • potential key national players,

  • potential members of SDNP's Steering Committee, and

  • potential candidates for the implementation of a feasibility study.

A positive evaluation of the pre-feasibility study by UNDP leads to the implementation of the feasibility study. For this study national consultants are used. The feasibility study itself includes the following:

  • a survey of users and suppliers of information

  • the identification of key institutions involved with sustainable development

  • a survey of national connectivity and networking efforts

  • the identification of potential host sites for SDNP node, and

  • the identification of costs for a national SDNP

The study is usually implemented by two national consultants and takes, on average, 2 months to be finalized. The study is then presented to the Steering Committee for discussion and evaluation.

2.5 Connectivity and Internet Access

To date, about 60 developing countries are connected to the Internet. In several of these, access is limited to the academic sector and perhaps government institutions. There is almost no access for other sectors of civil society. In addition, some countries can only get 9.6k connections which seriously limit both use by many users and access to the more sophisticated Internet tools.

In general, Internet connectivity in developing countries faces the following problems:

  • High costs: on the average, a 64kbps connection to the Internet (if available) costs US 8,000 per month. Several countries with no capacity for 64k circuits offer instead 9.6k connections for roughly the same amount. Equipment costs start at US 30,000.

  • Existing infrastructure: many developing countries still lack the necessary infrastructure to support Internet connectivity (digital telephone lines, digital circuits, etc.). PTT/PTOs play a crucial role here.

  • Human resources: most developing countries do not have a national body of expertise to support and disseminate networking and information systems. Nor there is any support for educating end users.

  • National networking: Internet connectivity per se is not the solution to information access to all sectors of society. Building a national network is even more crucial for both national development and long term sustainability.

  • Entry barriers: PTT/PTOs tariffs and policies can prevent many users from accessing services; in many countries the NGO sector is seen as part of the commercial (non-academic) sector and is thus subject to either commercial rates or no access at all. Tariffs set by the PTT/PTOs might be even higher if large capital expenses are required for upgrading national telecommunications infrastructure.

  • Information sources: information exchange and dissemination is the key element in the process -and not just basic Internet connectivity. The identification and dissemination of both national and international information sources in what gives the process its real content.

Connections to the Internet should be seen as a process in time in which these and other factors play a substantial role. In particular, connections should be sustainable in the long run and should be paid by nationals who can share the existing resources. Alternative access methods to the Internet (UUCP and other store and forward systems) are excellent short run solutions that help start the process by creating a critical mass of users that will eventually help support and maintain Internet access.

2.6 Capacity Building

One of the main targets of SDNP is the creation of the national body of expertise to implement, support and sustain the process of information dissemination and exchange in the context of sustainable development. This includes the following:

  • Training in the use of information technologies for specialized personnel; training of end users trainers.

  • Training of end users in information sources (where to look for information, etc.). SDNP nodes emphasize meta-information to facilitate this and creates catalogues and directories of information relevant to sustainable development, according to the needs and requirements set by the feasibility study

  • Training of end users in how to use information obtained through the network.

Capacity building at all these levels will provide the necessary basis for long term sustainability and national ownership of the process.

2.7 SDNP Status

At the moment, SDNP has 16 operational nodes in developing countries. They are:

Country		Service		Access
------		--------	-------
Angola		E-mail		FIDO/UUCP
Chad				UUCP (planned)
Morocco				UUCP (planned)
Tunisia		E-mail		Internet
Bolivia		E-mail		UUCP/Internet
Honduras	E-Mail		UUCP/Internet
Nicaragua	E-Mail		UUCP/Internet
Indonesia	E-mail/WWW	Internet
Pakistan	E-mail		UUCP
Philippines	E-mail		FIDO/Internet
South Korea	E-mail		Internet
South Pacific	E-mail		Internet/FIDO
Estonia		E-mail/WWW	Internet
Lithuania	E-mail		Internet
Poland		E-mail		Internet
Ukraine		E-Mail/WWW	Internet
Furthermore, activities have already been initiated in another 16 countries as follows:

Country			Status
-------			----------
Cameroon		Feasibility Study (FS)
Malawi			Pre-feasibiblity Study (PFS)
Mozambique		PFS
Zambia			PFS
Jordan			FS
Lebanon			FS
Chile			FS
Colombia		FS
Costa Rica		FS   
Guatemala		FS
Mexico			FS
Cambodia		PFS
China			FS
India			FS
Latvia			FS
Lithuania		FS

SDNP has also prepared the SIDSNet feasibility study, a proposal on providing Internet connectivity for the Small Islands Developing States (SIDS). SDNP has also financed Internet Training for several former CIS countries and is currently deeply involved in donor discussions regarding Internet access for the African continent.

3. SDNP in Pakistan: A Case Study

3.1 Information Services

Since January '93, SDNP in Pakistan has made an effort to demonstrate the benefits of electronic communications in the country. Prime examples of the SDNP's services are:

  1. Information provided for disposing off the toxic material dumped in the Lyari river in Karachi which saved many lives. Two and a half tonnes of meta-dinitrobenzene were dumped in this river endangering human and aquatic life. When the bomb squad and experts from IUCN and elsewhere had brought this ashore, SDNP was requested to get information for its safe disposal. Earlier a few persons had died due to contact with this material. A SOS message on Internet brought in invaluable information from all over the world within a week. Incineration in a isolated place was recommended, and the operation was carried out safely. This event, and the role SDNP played got international media coverage.

  2. Assistance was provided to the National Tariff Commission in getting toxicity and environmental impact information about two chemicals used in the manufacture of Sulphonic Acid. One of the chemicals was environmentally friendly while the other was shown to be toxic.

  3. Provided to the Secretary, Ministry of Science & Technology, information about the health and safety aspects of transporting water in asbestos cement pipes. The National Institute of Health in the USA helped to get us this information. The Ministry was under the impression that these pipes were no longer in use in the USA, and were surprised to find otherwise.

  4. Information was obtained about incinerator technology for disposing off solid waste for a large hospital in Karachi. A review article on this subject was written for a national newspaper using material obtained from Internet sources. It pointed to the dangers of incineration without stringent precautions, suggesting that separation of wastes and other safe methods might be more appropriate.

  5. Expert advice on the effect of dumping hydrochloric acid in the sea around Karachi was obtained from several countries. A large company advertised for contractors who would help to dispose off acid off the coast of Karachi. Information obtained was used by IUCN to convince the company to change its plans.

  6. Obtained a large mass of information about the effects of electromagnetic radiation from power plants--this has been used in a Supreme Court hearing by the local think tank, Sustainable Development Policy Institute.

  7. Information about new solar energy technologies for UNDP was obtained from US EPA. This can be used to support UNDP projects in Pakistan. The recent energy policy of the country has unfortunately concentrated on non-renewable sources.

  8. When the Ministry of Environment and Urban Affair wanted to learn about other counties' experience of moving to unleaded petrol, and when it wanted information on technologies for substituting for non-degradable plastic bags, it asked SDNP to get this for them. All the information was obtained through Internet contact with INFOTERRA, the information service of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), which provides excellent service.

  9. Greenpeace the international environmental organization warned SDNP of exports of toxic material from Sweden to this country. This was highlighted on SDNP's network and in the national newspapers by SDNP's staff, resulting in several newspapers following up with strong editorials criticizing the export of these materials.

  10. Green Press, an enthusiastic group of journalists working for a better environment, post regular information on the network related to the environment. Their international access is subsidized by SDNP.

SDNP has also provided free consultancy services and public domain software to various organizations in setting up databases and electronic mail facility. These includes most commercial provider of email in the country. It has also helped create a conducive environment for the exchange of mail between the email provider nationally.

3.2 Status and Short Term Goals

SDNP's current node in Islamabad has regular electronic mail linkup with its headquarters in New York. Over the next few months nodal points will be set up in 3 other cities (Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar) providing email facility through a local telephone call to the SDNP node. Electronic bulletin boards set up at these nodes will provide users a range of information services. Electronic mail and queries sent to these nodes destined for international networks will be sent to SDNP headquarters in New York frequently, and onwards to the recipients on the global network. This efficient linkage to the international data communications networks will be priced to encourage usage by the developmental community in Pakistan. SDNP will particularly encourage usage of its facilities by young people and by educational establishments.

3.3 EDUNET & SDNP

In Lahore and elsewhere, SDNP will work closely with EDUNET, is a project of the Education Support Trust, which too has received support from UNDP. Almost twenty years of experience running the famous Alif Laila Project has given the founders of EDUNET a clear insight into the weakness of the educational delivery system at the school level. To overcome the severe shortage of resource material at this level, they have used their extensive library of books, journals and CD-ROMs to extract material relevant for the curriculum and extra-curricular activities and put it into a large database. Schools, teachers and students with email facility can access this resource at reasonable cost. EDUNET will provide online access to CD-ROMs of general interest and to standard encyclopedias that would normally be inaccessible to most educators and students.

EDUNET has given a great deal of thought to cataloguing their information and this should facilitate access to relevant material. To date all the material is in English, but there are plans to translate most of this into Urdu.

Educational material is being produced at a phenomenal rate globally and it is almost impossible for a country such as ours to take advantage of these developments without access to CD-ROM resources and the Internet. Apart from down-loading free material Internet connectivity allows students and teachers to communicate globally with their peers. It is here that SDNP experience will help in connecting EDUNET's users to national and global information services as well as to people.

EDUNET and SDNP will soon be operating jointly in Lahore and shortly thereafter in Karachi, Quetta and Peshawar. They will hold free weekly workshops in these cities to popularize networking for education and other needs.

3.4 Lesson's From SDNP's Experience

SDNP's experience in Pakistan has demonstrated the benefits of electronic communications. Networks can however flood the recipient with information and advice which may not always be relevant and can sometimes be conflicting. Data and raw information is often not sufficient; access to national experts who can convert this material into useful knowledge is vitally important. A directory of experts and institutions who can and are willing to analyze such data will therefore need to be developed. SDN is helping the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) to compile such a directory, which can then be expanded to include experts from other organizations.

SDNP's activities have had an enormous impact on the process of networking in Pakistan at the policy level. Through continuous publications in the national media, SDNP has contributed to a radical change in the way connectivity and networking is perceived within the country. SDNP efforts have also help in the process of privatization of the national telecommunications sector.

If networks are to help in the process of sustainable development in Pakistan, and for that matter in other countries, sole reliance on market forces will lead to a neglect of such issues. It is then imperative that the UNDP and the government take a pro-active role in developing and directing new networks towards helping the largest number of people from all sectors of the society.

An important objective of SDNP in Pakistan is to encourage full Internet connectivity for the widest range of users. This linkage would be an important milestone allowing people to benefit from the membership of the global village. SDNP's own near-term plans are to show how mere dial-up connectivity can provide useful information nationally and internationally. While encouraging the development of indigenous data bases, SDNP recognizes that much information will need to flow from the mature databanks of the North, hence the need for Internet connectivity. This would also allow people to access computer conferences and pose queries to experts globally. SDNP and the UNDP will continue to lobby the decision makers in the government to move quickly towards the goal of providing an affordable national data network which has affordable connections to the global networks.

4. Conclusions

Many international organizations are now starting to work in networking and related initiatives at both the national and regional levels. This is, without doubt, long overdue and excellent news at the same time. However, there seems that duplications of efforts is indeed occurring. Thus then need for all organizations to initiate a collaborative effort in the field - and not only at headquarters.

In Pakistan, SDNP is now well poised to offer its services to the widest range of users. In a fast moving field of information technology it difficult to predict accurately where SDNP will find its niche once large data networking companies start providing affordable national and international connectivity. It may join hand with one of the providers or may specialize in the area of information provision, the demand for which is expected to grow. SDNP is geared to meet the challenge and intends to be an pro-active player in these areas.

Author Information

Q. Isa Daudpota is the National Coordinator for SDNP in Pakistan. Mr. Daudpota has an advanced degree in Physics. When he is not networking he is surely doing research on some hot topic, probably preparing a news article or an advanced paper. He resides in Islamabad and can be reached at 92-51-212-640, fax: 92-51-216-909.

Raul Zambrano is the Technical Adviser for SDNP in New York. He is trained as an economist but spends most of his time networking. Mr. Zambrano travels frequently to developing countries to oversee networking operations and other related project activities. He can be reached at 212-906-6654, fax: 212- 906-6952


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