Second Joint UNDP/IDRC Workshop
For National Coordinators
6-11 December 1993 - Bombay, India
United Nations Development Programme
International Development Research Centre
Sustainable Development Network
Second Workshop For SDN Coordinators
6 -- 11 December 1993, BombayNational Centre for Software Technology,
Gulmohar Cross Road No. 9
Juhu, Bombay 400 049
I. Introduction
The National Centre for Software Technology (NCST), Bombay
II. Workshop Report
The Sustainable Development Network: Origin and StatusIntroduction of Participants, Reports and Workshop Expectations
III. SDN Management issuesSources of Funding 24
IV. Building the SDN: some case studies 37
Establishing an SDN 26
Costs and Staffing 27
Training 30
Steering Committee 31
Duration 32
Sustainability and Cost Recovery 33
Legal and Tax Implications of the SDN 34
Role of SDN New York 35
Feedback and Questions 36Pakistan -- Hasan Rizvi 37
V. Starter Kit Overview 61
Philippines -- Richard Labelle 41
Bolivia -- Juan Pablo Arce 48
Internetworking in India: ERNET -- S. Ramani 58Computer Mediated Communications (CMC) 65
VI. Human vs Electronic Networks: What is the Balance? 95
Information Resources for Sustainable Development 69
Issues 73
Feedback 81
Appropriateness 82
Format and Contents 91
Frequency of Revisions 93
Production and Distribution 94
VII. Improvement of Coordination and Interaction 105Marketing and Communications 106
VIII. Lectures/Hands on Demonstrations 110
Nature and Structure of Information 107Introduction to Computer Networking 110
IX. Evaluation and Feedback 147
Mamut 112
Fidonet 114
Information Management Tools and Resources 120
UNEP 130
UNDP and UNEP-Infoterra Cooperation 134
Information Retrieval Systems 135
APC Conferences 138
USENET 140
Internet Resources 142
Becoming a Sustainable Development Cybarian 144
Geographical Information Systems 145Feedback Questionnaire 147
X. Conclusions, Recommendations and Wrap-Up 152
Contacts with the Media 151Wrap-up 153
Appendices1 Agenda
2 List of participants and resource persons
3 A Questionnaire for Feedback from Workshop Participants
I. Introduction
1. The Workshop was opened by S. Ramani, Director of the National Centre for Software Technology (NCST) in Bombay, who welcomed participants to India and to NCST. Chuck Lankester, the Director of the SDN, of UNDP and David Balson, a Senior Programme Officer for the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) addressed the workshop on behalf of their respective organisations. 2. The workshop was co-financed by IDRC and UNDP. A reconnaissance mission of two days was made in September 1993 to NCST for preliminary site inspection and review of the services required. Three separate sub-contracts for services were negotiated by the UNDP office in Delhi following descriptions of the support services required from SDN in New York. These sub-contracts were with NCST for premises, lectures, secretarial support, transport, and production of the workshop report; with Motwane Private Limited for the provision of interpretation equipment and engineers; and with K.W. Enterprises for provision of four interpretors. All services were exemplary. The cost of the three sub-contracts was approximately $16,500. 3. A notice announcing the workshop was addressed to the Resident Representatives of the fifteen targeted countries on 21 October. Personalised invitations were sent in mid-November or as the names of participants were announced. The suitability of the Zambian candidate was questioned since he was a career forester and likely to pursue this activity with no obvious connection with future SDN activities. The nomination of an alternative candidate was so delayed that it was unacceptable and a second participant from India was invited to bring the number of participants to 15. This proved to be an almost ideal size. Documents related to SDN were produced from New York in mid-November. 4. Participants were notified in their letters of invitation that basic documentation for the workshop was available to them online and would not be distributed by conventional means before the workshop. Only a few participants collected their material however, due to inexperience, no access to electronic mail or other difficulties. The reproduction of basic documents had therefore to be arranged in Bombay on the eve of the workshop, which inconvenienced NCST, organisers and participants. The National Centre for Software Technology (NCST), Bombay 5. The National Centre for Software Technology (NCST) is an R & D laboratory. It is an autonomous unit funded by the Department of Electronics of the Government of India. NCST has laboratories in three locations, the main one being the one in Juhu, Bombay. The second one is in Bangalore, specialising in Software Engineering. The third one is in the Air India building in Nariman Point, Bombay, where NCST operates the International Gateway to the Indian Academic Network, ERNET. It is this site, specialising in networking, that hosted this SDN Workshop. 6. NCST has activities covering a number of fields: database technology, office information systems, graphics and computer aided design, knowledge based computer systems, real time systems and computer networks and software engineering. NCST has a primary focus on R & D and is also active in education in the field of software technology. It operates a part-time, post-graduate diploma programme leading to the Post-graduate Diploma in Software Technology. The Centre also operates other post-graduate diploma programmes in its areas of specialisation. 7. NCST offers about 75 advanced (one-week) course in its three locations, for an average of about 20 participants each. NCST has conducted a number of courses for international groups, and has organised several international conferences. NCST also offers on the job training to international visitors. The Sustainable Development Network: Origin and Status The First Session addressed seven general issues and raised a number of questions that participants were asked to consider during the meeting. Origin and Justification for the SDN ------------------------------------ 8. Reference was made to the UNCED Conference of June 1992 and the universal conclusion that a critical element in attaining sustainable development was the implementation of Agenda 21. Providing access to information so that all stakeholders could be empowered to participate more actively and constructively in the dialogue was a critical issue that the SDN was intended to address. Objectives of the SDN --------------------- 9. The principal objective was seen as facilitating and promoting connectivity between the users and suppliers of information of direct relevance to sustainable development and in particular with the purpose of supporting the preparation and implementation of Agenda 21. Operating Principles of the SDN ------------------------------- 10. Several general principles had evolved since activities began in May 1992. i. Participatory Approach Although UNDP's principal contacts and programming decisions were made with governments, the decision whether or not to initiate an SDN was heavily contingent on the governments' agreement that the conceptualisation and management of an SDN should be open to all stakeholders such as the private sector, academia, the media, NGOs and research institutions. ii. Definition of Sustainable Development The network that was being established was focussed on sustainable development, a difficult development paradigm to explain in many countries and one with many interpretations. It was fundamentally up to the different countries to determine the nature and range of coverage of their networking activities by sector and sub-sectoral activities, by geographical region and by the scope of activities that individual SDNs would tackle. iii. Catalytic Nature of UNDP Assistance Financial assistance from UNDP was intended to be catalytic. UNDP could only provide limited resources for a limited number of years. Cost sharing by governments using their own or UNDP/IPF resources was strongly encouraged to confirm commitment to the SDN. It was hoped that as UNDP gradually withdrew financial support, the stakeholders in SDNs would be able to continue their networking activities with indigenous resources, supplemented if necessary by other outside support. iv. It's Up to You UNDP's philosophy regarding SDN development was to provide advice with conceptualisation, but to rely very heavily on national skills and resources for SDN execution and management. Accountability for the use of UNDP resources was the responsibility of SDN Coordinators and Steering Committees. v. TCDC SDNs were seen as powerful tools in the promotion of Technical Cooperation between Developing Countries (TCDC). vi. Complementarity Networking activities are underway in all developing countries in a variety of subjects relative to sustainable development with different constituencies, different terms of reference, different sponsorship and sources of financing, and varied forms of connectivity. SDNs should complement and supplement existing (or planned) networking activities and on no account duplicate or compete with them. vii. Focus SDNs were encouraged to emphasise the improvement of internal connectivity and the consolidation of national sources of information about sustainable development before initiating major efforts to improve international connectivity. Progress to Date ---------------- 11. Although officially launched in early 1990, SDN activities only began seriously in September 1992 with a workshop to discuss the general approach, methodology, financing, management and a preliminary work plan. UNDP had allocated $1.4 million of Special Programme Reserves resources for a 16 month period. Twelve countries had been selected as a pilot project during this period. Prefeasibility and feasibility studies had been completed in most of these pilot countries and operations had begun or were about to commence in seven. During late 1992 and early 1993 several other prefeasibility studies had been initiated in anticipation of rapid growth in SDN activities that would be financed under UNDPs Capacity 21 initiative. 12. Unfortunately as the reduced financing for Capacity 21 became apparent in March 1993, the SDN had to retrench, causing embarrassment to some Resident Representatives and the governments they served. The loss of momentum was significant. 13. In March/April 1993, an independent external evaluation was made of SDN activities to date. This mission made a number of useful recommendations, but one central theme was that UNDP should focus its scarce resources on fewer countries, especially those with the human and financial resources to utilise more sophisticated means of connectivity such as the Internet. The Director of SDN had disagreed with this advice and considered it his responsibility in this pilot phase to examine a variety of low and high-end technologies in countries which were at different levels of development. This controversy also contributed to some uncertainty about UNDP's intentions with the SDN project and contributed to the loss of momentum. 14. In June 1992 the UNDP Governing Council approved the Capacity 21 concept and authorised expenditure to begin. Regional Bureaux had begun selecting twelve countries to be given priority assistance with the limited funds available. In October, the Management Committee for Capacity 21 ruled that each of the twelve priority countries in principle include an SDN project in their overall Capacity 21 proposal. Five of the twelve countries coincided with the countries already receiving SDN consideration, but seven were new and accounted for the invitations to countries such as Chile, Colombia and Cameroon to attend this workshop. Postponement of the workshop for technical reasons from the earlier plan of September in Bangkok was thus fortuitous. 15. In October, UNDP had also allocated a further $1.0 million from SPR resources to finance continuing field activities and approximately $0.5 million for central support. Together with the resources that could be expected to be available from Capacity 21 and national and regional IPF funds, the total UNDP resources available for SDN between May 1992 and December 1994 would approximate $4.9 million. It was hoped that by the end of 1994, between 18 and 20 SDNs would be operational. It was noted, however, that another 50 countries had indicated strong interest in establishing an SDN unit. 16. In conclusion the Director of SDN noted:- * a large and still growing demand for SDN assistance; * a recent significant improvement in the resource situation, although the longer term outlook was somewhat uncertain; * that he was more convinced today than at the commencement of the SDN of its relevance and usefulness; * that the sustainability of SDNs themselves had yet to be proven, but SDNs had already yielded positive results and were strong advocates not only for sustainable development, but also for a complete change of process in the manner in which decisions were made. Workshop Agenda and Outputs --------------------------- 17. In light of the above progress, organisers had structured the agenda for this workshop to provide participants with a wide range of information relative to evolution of the SDN. Process related issues would dominate early sessions, but a variety of networking options would soon be introduced. Participants in the workshop had a wide range of experience with networking and an association with SDN that ranged from being consultants on a feasibility study team, member or likely members of Steering Committees to being coordinators or members of SDN operating units. The workshop was intended to provide an opportunity for participants to share experiences. 18. There was considerable emphasis in the agenda on the so-called ``starter kit'' and it was important to reach decisions on the future of this considerable effort. The agenda offered a mixture of lectures and demonstrations in both plenary and small groups with time for discussions and private tutorials. 19. A copy of the workshop agenda is attached as Appendix 1. Feedback -------- 20. A small committee comprising organisers and participants would meet daily to review the response of participants to the conduct of the workshop in terms of its content and balance. Participants would also be asked to complete a questionnaire upon conclusion of the workshop to help organisers further improve similar meetings in the future. Reporting --------- 21. It was intended to complete the report of the workshop and to distribute it to participants before the end of the year or very shortly thereafter. NCST would be contracted to organise printing and distribution. Participants would be expected to assist with the report, particularly with sections detailing activities in their own countries. Issues to be Addressed by the Workshop -------------------------------------- 22. Arising from this introductory session the views of participants would be helpful on the following issues. (i) Justification: how did participants view the justification for the SDN programme today compared to the situation that prevailed immediately before and after the Rio Earth Summit? (ii) Objectives of the SDN: connectivity, the advocacy of sustainable development, and empowering all stakeholders in society to be able to participate in decision making in an informed manner were objectives of the SDN. Were these valid, were there other priorities or new objectives to be considered? (iii) Operating Principles: were the principles that had evolved to date correct, or do they need adjustment? (iv) Progress: for a number of reasons, progress to date was mixed, although the future looked brighter. Could more have been achieved and should the SDN be focusing on fewer, ``easier'' countries to advice to get conspicuous and positive results much faster and with less need for technical and administrative support from New York? (v) Agenda: did participants agree to proceed with the draft agenda that had already been circulated to them or were adjustments already proposed; and (vi) Outputs: were the outputs expected from the workshop correct or should we have other products in mind which might necessitate adjustments to the agenda?
II. Workshop Report
Introduction of Participants, Reports and Workshop Expectations 23. Workshop participants (see Appendix 2 for a list) included representatives, consultants and/or staff of the SDNs in the following countries and/or regions in Africa, Latin America, the Near East and North Africa, and Asia and the Pacific: Angola, Bolivia, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Pakistan, the South Pacific and a representative of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, Mr. Roger Johnson. Participants who directed and arranged the workshop included Mr. Chuck Lankester, Mr. David Balson, Mr. Richard Labelle, a consultant with both UNDP-SDN and IDRC and Dr. S Ramani and several of his colleagues at NCST including Mr. Sanjay Pathak, Mr. R. Chandrasekar and Ms. Geetanjali Sampemane. * Aalbersberg, Bill, South Pacific The South Pacific SDN will become operational at the start of 1994. The three Secretariat staff have been selected. The South Pacific SDN will be unique in its regional nature, potentially involving 22 island nations and territories in the Pacific. Besides the Secretariat which will be hosted by the South Pacific Commission in Suva, Fiji, each participating country will have a focal organisation. In the 18-month pilot phase, focal points will operate in Fiji, Vanuatu and Western Samoa. During this period, the interest of other South Pacific countries will be determined. Because of the isolated nature of these countries, information availability and exchange is especially important and this has been recognised in the pre-existence of regional networks in agricultural, fisheries and tertiary education involving conferencing via satellite. The smallness of the islands and their relative lack of resources make these environments especially fragile. The availability of current information about resource use, its region sharing and its application by national governments and at the village level will certainly help ensure that South Pacific resources will be used on a sustainable basis. * Ait-Tihyaty, Abdellah, Morocco The Moroccan SDN has completed a feasibility report and this workshop will help national consultants and others to learn from the experience of others and to initiate operations. The feasibility study helped Morocco raise these issues: a lack of understanding of the concept of sustainable development, the challenge of communicating with decision makers, the nature and need for networking and information sharing, the time frame the SDN will operate over before making a difference, the need to reconcile relevant policy and technical issues, how SDNs can enhance the ability locally to assist with information sharing, as well as the location of the SDN and leadership. Another key concern is the participation of NGOs and of the private sector. Without NGOs or business participation, the SDN may not be funded. Can the SDN be considered a tool to help NGOs to become operational? In the ensuing discussion, it was suggested to start one step at a time. The idea of demonstrating activities to promote awareness was retained. * Arce, Juan Pablo, Bolivia Bolivia participated in the first workshop of SDN Coordinators that took place in Ottawa in early 1993. The SDN relies on BOLNET for the provision of computer mediated communications that is acquired on a subscription basis. There is a need to reinforce the BOLNET but there is no clear way in which to go about doing this. Also, there are questions related to the nature of networking and a network for sustainable development. UNDP has a role to play in helping the SDN enhance its ability, through training for example. The next steps in the development of the SDN in Bolivia need to be elaborated. Support for a seminar on strategies was also mentioned. This activity is an exciting one for Bolivia. * Bakoto, Salomon, Cameroon Mr. Bakoto was reassured that SDN does not just mean computer mediated communications. He was encouraged by the emphasis that was being placed on the human network. In Cameroon, there is no SDN and he was here to learn. The UNDP in Cameroon had asked his NGO to reflect on the possibility of an SDN in the context of Agenda 21 and to determine if there was interest among the stakeholder community as defined in Agenda 21: women, youth, farmers and local and community level groups, and the government. They also wanted to achieve a representative balance between the various ecological zones of the country. Regarding sustainable development: they are concerned and wished also to know if this corresponded with the interests and wishes of the Cameroonian community of interest. Their results suggest that there is interest in an SDN, but what are the practicalities of the SDN in Cameroon? It is here that the use of computer mediated communication is relevant. He was more at ease when the use of computer mediated communication is considered in the context of the human network. * de Carvalho, Victor da Silva Texieira, Angola After 30 years of civil war, the environment of Angola has suffered severe deterioration. The SDN has not begun working with beneficiaries for many reasons, and the legalisation of the SDN remains to be completed. This is because the government is not sensitive to environment and sustainable development and because of illiteracy and low educational standards. The major part of the scientific information in the country is dispersed or in the hands of the earlier colonial power. There is a lack of equipment and this limits information sharing with the mass media and with the population at large. They need help from other networks worldwide. One objective of Angolan participation is to acquire more experience to strengthen the SDN. * Correa, Maria-Emilia, Colombia The idea of the SDN is very new to Colombia. However, computer mediated communications have been used for developing a `Colombian Network of Scientists Abroad'. At present, the BITNet node, which is made up of 20 organisations excludes NGOs, but the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) will be establishing a node shortly and a full Internet connection will also be available soon. To prepare for Internet, workshops have been offered. An international phase to be followed by the establishment of a national backbone will be programmed. There is much information already available in the country, but there is a need for information from and about other countries as well, for use by decision makers. Ms Correa's concerns are to understand the nature of the relationship between the human networking and the electronic networking in the SDN and the extent and nature of UNDP support for the SDN. * Dunayevich, Adolfo, Mexico Mexico has been networking for the past several years through `La Neta'. Internet also exists in Mexico. The government has committed resources, and while access to telephones is limited, satellite resources are becoming abundant. At present, a feasibility study for the SDN is being undertaken with three team members on the study team. The objectives of the Mexico `Neta' are to promote the information exchange and to increase awareness about development among NGOs, indigenous organisations, religious organisations and others. There are some questions related to the SDN: who will direct the SDN, should any one be excluded from the network and who are the beneficiaries, what cost structures are to be taken into consideration and how does one go about covering these, what about case studies and what are the terms of reference for carrying out these studies? * Dr. Kim, Korea As a result of several missions to Korea by UNDP consultants or staff, a preparatory committee of the Korea SDN has been established. Funding has been approved in principle and the Korea SDN project will begin shortly. Support from the Daewoo Corporation has also been secured in the amount of $ 100,000 for a `phase 2 ecocity' project that will be the responsibility of the SDN. Korea is embarking on a major programme of pollution control to be funded at the level of $ 23 billion/year. The SDN will be established first in the offices of the YMCA. A symposium of the SDN took place in April 1993. Dr. Kim has been named the Acting Coordinator of the SDN and he will be responsible for a phased establishment of the SDN. The Internet will be available to the SDN. * Ochoa, Marco Vinicio, Guatemala Mr. Ochoa is responsible for the establishment of the SDN Steering Committee, which will include NGOs as well as others, including IUCN, The World Conservation Union. At present, the SDN has very little credibility. The Guatemala SDN needs to learn how to deal with this issue. There are several questions about the SDN which must be answered, including what is the long term outlook for the SDN, how come many networking activities in the United Nations are apparently not synchronised, what is expected from the UNDP in this matter? The discussion that followed included an attempt to answer these questions by explaining that the SDN attempts to broaden participation in the decision making process. * Otero, Cirilo, Nicaragua In Nicaragua, as elsewhere, the lack of sharing of information between sectors of society is a major problem. One objective of participating was to learn from the experience of others here. The Nicaragua SDN was initiated with the help of UNDP and about thirty organisations derived from all sectors, including private enterprise, universities, NGOs and others. While the government of Nicaragua does not lead the SDN, it does have an important role. NGOs play a role as well. While there are problems, two nodes, including the university and a commercial node, provide services to many users. The Organization of American States (OAS) is helping the universities to network. Though there is connectivity to the outside world, there is a lack of awareness of the significance of these resources and they are not used to their full potential to fertilise cross sectoral exchanges. There is interest in getting the SDN off the ground, but the SDN has gone through a cycle, and it is now the trough. As a result of the visit of the SDN HQ Network Specialist, interest has been revived. * Rizvi, Hasan, Pakistan The SDN project in Pakistan started in January 1993. It is funded by UNDP and IUCN. The major part of the feasibility study was to find out what sources of information are available in Pakistan, and who are the users of the Public Data Networks. There is an X.25 network available in Pakistan, as well as commercial email providers. The study also considered various technological alternatives and made a list of equipment that would be needed. An important part of the project is getting the decision-makers and potential users of the network aware of the role of the SDN. Since the computer network is not yet established, other means of disseminating information were used, like publishing in newspapers. The user survey indicated that the SDN need not confine itself to an electronic network, but it should be open to ideas. Human networking should precede the computer network. * Rodriguez, Eduardo, Chile Since 1986, uucp has been used to connect the Computer Science Department of the University of Chile with the rest of the world, including the Internet since 1992. The connection is used by 70 subscribers, including seven NGOs. Low cost and user-friendly access are priorities. Billing is based on a fixed rate per month and is independent of volume of traffic. This is to encourage greater use and to simplify cost billing management and this is consistent with the fixed rate charged for Internet access. Officially, there are 200-300 serious NGOs. Several questions come to mind about the SDN: what does UNDP expect of SDN Chile? What can the Department provide in helping the SDN? Who pays for the Internet connection: The national Science Foundation pays for this, and the cost is $ 7000/month for a 64 Kb line. * Samik-Ibrahim, Rahmat, Indonesia This large country does not yet have access to an Internet node and achieves connectivity through commercial X.25 and uucp dial up to the USA via UUNet services. This is particularly expensive, with rates also being applied on a per kilobit rate of transmission. An Internet connection could be acquired for about $ 200,000/year. The Indonesian SDN steering committee has been established with representation from the government, business, NGOs and university communities. The intention is for the Indonesian SDN to learn from this visit from the experience of others. There is special interest in the establishment of an Internet node. A challenge for the SDN will be how to include the Posts Telephone and Telecommunications authorities in this effort. * Singh, Harjit, India India will participate in the SDN, and a pre-feasibility report has been prepared. A feasibility study will be undertaken shortly. The Environmental Information System will act as the SDN Focal Point. The networking of institutions is afforded by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) links with over 550 nodes throughout the country. NIC deals with management information related to the government. ENVIS, The Environmental Information System, links centres with expertise in the environment. The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) coordinates this work. ENVIS deals with centres of excellence related to environment. There are 17 ENVIS centres on a variety of subjects. Nearly 5000 queries are received per year, the largest number among Infoterra focal points worldwide. Funding for ENVIS is equivalent to $ 500,000/year. At this time, ENVIS will link with an existing network of science and technology, and will eventually become a hub once all of the regional nodes have been provided the equipment. Within short period of time, it is expected that the SDN will move to a feasibility phase. There are over 12000 NGOs in India of which 1200 deal with the environment.
III. SDN Management issues
Sources of Funding 24. SDNs are funded by several sources including: i. National government and other national resources: Much can be done with national resources. ERNET is an example where the Government of India took a policy decision related to the importance of computer networking. Getting government authorities sensitised to the role of information in sustainable development is key to sustaining the SDN. ii. United Nations: There are modest multilateral resources. At UNDP, the Special Programme Reserve (SPR) pays for part of the SDN and the Capacity 21 programme that assists countries to move forward on Agenda 21. There are already 12 priority countries for Capacity 21 and it is expected that others will be added during 1994. Other UN agencies are also involved in networking, e.g. UNEP, which emphasises environmental networks. The SDN is a much more challenging endeavour that integrates many economic, technical and social aspects of development. Activities related to UNCED will be focused through the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD). CSD will receive annual reports on follow up to Agenda 21. Indicators of performance will be developed and performance will be reported back to the General Assembly of the United Nations. CSD will be an important body in this regard. iii. Other resources: The national Indicative Planning Figures (IPF) available from UNDP in each country over a 5 year planning period is an important source of financing. The IPFs are hard pressed because of reduced donor contributions and there is an anticipated deficit in 1994. However, this is an important resource, because it indicates government willingness to share costs and to participate in the SDN. It is an indication of the importance of the SDN in a national context. Notwithstanding pressures on the IPF, the UNDP Resident Representatives were being asked to progressively contribute resources and a minimum of 25% was now required. Some countries have already agreed to co-finance above 25%. iv. Bilateral donors: There are strong possibilities for co- financing with SDN because of the greatly increased interest in sustainable development, post UNCED action, Agenda 21 and TCDC. 25. SDN co-ordinators must take an increasingly pro-active role in promoting the SDN and lobbying for bilateral and multilateral support. SDN was taking a productive and pro-active role whenever and wherever possible, but the burden of securing financing had to be shared. Statements about the important objectives of the SDN and the progress already achieved would be most helpful in meetings like the Governing Council of UNDP at which donors are present. Establishing an SDN 26. These are the stages that UNDP SDN New York follows in establishing an SDN:- i. Pre-feasibility missions are made to determine the interest of a government in the participatory nature of the endeavour and their willingness to participate actively. ii. A feasibility study is the next stage, which if positive, may result in a proforma document or proposal being written for consideration amongst all parties. The feasibility study includes a user survey, a survey of available resources and of the market for information products and services potentially available from an SDN. National consultants are strongly favoured. The costs of prefeasibility and feasibility studies conducted so far average $2500 and $12000-15000 respectively and have been entirely financed by SDN New York. In future, such costs would be reallocated to Capacity 21 and the IPF wherever possible. iii. The usual UNDP procedure is then followed in preparing a SDN Project Document, which, following approval of the Director of SDN, is then executed by the Office for Project Services (OPS). Copies of proforma Terms of Reference for the feasibility study and of sample project documents are available online. iv. Implementation is the responsibility of the national SDN staff. They are accountable and make the SDN happen. v. The Steering Committee, representing all stakeholders, helps decide and direct the SDN. The national coordinators act on these recommendations. Members of the steering committee should include representatives from the various sectors or key stakeholder groups, but could also include the PTT, perhaps the media or a local or national Chamber of Commerce. Costs and Staffing 27. Experience shows that the cost of establishing an SDN ranges from $ 100,000 to $ 150,000 per annum. First year expenditures will include start-up costs for the purchase of necessary hardware and software. 28. Typically, an SDN will require 2-4 people for effective management, depending on needs and circumstances. 29. The right person can make the SDN happen: this person must have strong management skills, be widely respected, a good communicator, and have a good understanding of the SDN. He must also respect and listen to the technical staff on his team. The coordinator must be a salesperson, and must be prepared to market the SDN and to promote the SDN through demonstrations, and by any other means. Training 30. Provision should be made in all project documents for training. This should include special needs such as attendance at the INET Conference. Workshops and other related activities will also be required to provide support to the SDNs. Steering Committee 31. The significance of the Steering Committee of each SDN through the formative process is very important. Wherever possible, the consultants for the feasibility studies should be selected by the Committee, which should also review candidates for the Coordinator's post. Coordinators should be accountable to the Steering Committee for all management aspects including the use of funds, recruitment of other staff, semi-annual reporting and evaluation. Duration 32. There are no general rules. UNDP funding must be catalytic in nature, so in principle, the UNDP will seek to withdraw in favour of local funding or other long term funding arrangements as soon as this is appropriate and reliably assured. UNDP expects that SDNs will prove so necessary that funding on an ongoing basis can be arranged amongst participants although this assumption has yet to be tested and is certainly going to cause many difficulties. Sustainability and Cost Recovery 33. SDNs must strive to be demand-driven, low-cost and efficient if they are to be sustainable. They should progressively identify, develop and aggressively market their products and services, whichever they may be: elements of a communication programme, for example, a newsletter, bulletin board systems (BBS), round table meetings with policy makers, cybarian type functions (see below), project proposals, demonstrations, training and other appropriate responses to the perceived needs of their target groups and user communities. They may need to use demonstrations. In general, there are no fixed rules and flexibility is necessary, but the long term sustainability of the SDN is the responsibility of the Steering Committees and of the SDN coordinators. Legal and Tax Implications of the SDN 34. Coordinators and consultants on feasibility should consider how to constitute the SDN and what options exist in terms of fiscal and other financial and/or legal considerations, including the option of eventual incorporation. Role of SDN New York 35. The idea of a clearinghouse has been mentioned and given serious consideration. Since requests for servicing from SDNs have been minimal and the objective is to build up their self-reliance, the idea has not been seriously pursued. Moreover, it was underlined that funding was primarily intended for national endeavours and not to finance activities at headquarters. Feedback and Questions 36. Some of the issues raised in discussions about management issues included: i. As far as hardware acquisition is concerned, SDN New York can probably do this more cheaply, but there are other issues involved. For instance, Pakistan found that there were many delays involved in getting the equipment, and it was not that much cheaper. Also, the US after sales service contract and guaranties could not be secured. An option might be to use the UNDP umbrella to obtain tax-free equipment from local vendors. It is important for members to share experiences in such matters. ii. To decide on the dimension of the SDN, and what products and services should be offered, a marketing plan could be developed as part of a business plan, and the needs and circumstances of the SDN community could be determined. Priorities have to be set and acted upon. iii. Different sectors were targeted for the SDN in different countries. In Bolivia, sectors that can sustain the SDN are the financial, political and the technical field and should be considered by the steering committee. Developing a strategic plan is useful. In Nicaragua, five sectors are represented on the SDN steering committee: universities, NGOs, government, business, and UNDP. In Pakistan, the steering committee had 12 members representing various sectors of society and was supposed to meet every quarter. This experience has not been very positive, because a quorum was not easily achieved. The steering committee should be comprised of key individuals with direct involvement in the SDN and related organisations. Technical people may be relevant and the steering committee needs to be more manageable. iv. There was a concern that most NGOs have information that is mostly anti-governmental and it is very unlikely that the information they provide will be meaningful or correct. The information provided needs to be reliable. v. Copyright issues are another thing that need to be considered. vi. In most cases, the telecommunications cost is prohibitively high. It was suggested that a possible solution might be to have discussions with the PTTs to negotiate concessional telecommunication rates. vii. Under certain circumstances, such as a country in internal strife, just supplying equipment and recruiting staff may not be enough; more tangible and direct intervention may be needed.IV. Building the SDN: some case studies
Pakistan -- Hasan Rizvi 37. The Pakistan National Conservation Strategy (NCS) is the main basis for sustainable development planning and for the implementation of Agenda 21. SDN Pakistan intends to play a major role to help implement the NCS. A pilot phase of SDN work has been completed and a report is available from SDN Pakistan and through the UNDP mailserver or via anonymous ftp. A key part of the pilot phase report is made up of the user survey, including an analysis of user needs and circumstances. 38. A resource inventory pointing out useful national resources for promoting sustainable development was undertaken. A similar exercise was undertaken to identify resources available outside Pakistan. 39. A survey of networking in Pakistan was also addressed and this considered the status of and plans for computer mediated communications in Pakistan. A detailed analysis of the government-run public data network, and whether it allowed access to outside resources forms part of the report. 40. Other important issues were: i. Networking activities of the Pakistan SDN: along with the user survey, a database of resources and contacts was developed. With the help of IUCN, an information package on the SDN was mailed. Over 700 questionnaires were sent out and the SDN was advertised in the press. This has begun raising awareness of networking and sustainable development in Pakistan. There is still is a long way to go. Over 15 uucp nodes have been established over the past several months along with a local uucp bulletin board system (BBS). The Pakistan SDN does not as yet operate a computer based network. ii. Lobbying: lobbying with government is important to enable computer mediated communications. iii. Innovation: in the absence of `newsgroups', newspaper forums are used for expressing opinions on issues related to sustainable development. There is no need to be confined to electronic networks to promote sustainable development. iv. Measuring SDN success: it was suggested that the degree to which the SDN has influenced behaviour and/or brought about changes in behaviour are a measure of SDN success. Philippines -- Richard Labelle 41. In 1989, the Philippines adopted the Philippine Strategy for Sustainable Development as its conceptual framework for development planning. The Philippines reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable development by identifying the key elements of a national Agenda 21 and by laying down policies and institutional initiatives. Among the milestones are the issuance of an Executive Order creating the Philippine Council for Sustainable Development. 42. The Philippine Sustainable Development Network had been actively supporting national efforts towards the formulation of the National Agenda 21. Currently, the Philippine Sustainable Development Network Foundation is supporting the activities of the Philippine Council for Sustainable Development. 43. In the Philippines, the adopted configuration for a sustainable development network is that of a foundation composed of organisations which are actively involved in the pursuit of sustainable development. This Foundation which is incorporated under the name Philippine Sustainable Development Network Foundation, Inc. (PSDN) is a non-profit and non-stock corporation. To date, the PSDN has 25 member-organisations, two of which are government organisations and the rest are NGOs. 44. The Board of Trustees of the PSDN is composed of prominent personalities in the sustainable development community of the country. 45. The Philippines SDN Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation made up of a steering committee and a small secretariat that is located temporarily in the UNDP offices in Metro Manila. Discussion 46. An issue of concern in the Philippines is the existence of others offering computer mediated communications for the same community of users. It has been recommended that the management of the SDN examine closely the possibility of collaborating directly with others to avoid duplication of action. 47. Some participants also voiced their concern that SDN should be located in a location that is separate from the UNDP. The Director of SDN favoured an independent location, but explained the logistical and financial considerations behind the initial decision. Bolivia -- Juan Pablo Arce 48. There are 3 levels of information management: network members, correspondents of the network and the users of the net. The members include governmental and non-governmental organisations and others who interface with media and others to communicate the information directly to users at the local and community level using indigenous or local means of communication, based on local languages and dialects. 49. BOLNET , an existing computer network provides computer mediated communications on a subscription basis. 50. The subject areas of interest are: pollution, legislation and politics, biodiversity and conservation, education and participation, science and technology, women and land use planning. 51. Location of the SDN: The General Secretariat of the SDN is located in the Ministry of the Environment and this encourages high level contacts. Interest focuses on land use planning, on natural resources and environmental management and on related issues. These are determined in collaboration with the Dept. of Natural Resources and the Environment, and the communications activities of the SDN in biodiversity aim to connect those influenced by the policy making with the policy makers directly. 52. Communication is ensured with electronic mail and packet radio as a complementary source of information to help provide the information at the local and community level. Media broadcasting is an important medium for the SDN in a rural setting, and working through journalists to do this is important. 53. In early 1994, the first 20 modems will be installed to extend the network and it is hoped that packet radio will also be available. Discussion 54. SDN's subscription to BOLNET is paid by UNDP as part of its support at this time. While BOLNET might need to be strengthened, the SDN cannot duplicate the efforts of others in this area. SDN cannot be involved in developing another network. 55. There are logistical questions concerning the use of computer mediated communications, given existing national policies and circumstances. Getting the government on board is key to securing computer mediated communications for the SDN where this may be an issue. 56. The question of demand for information was discussed. Requests fluctuate in nature and quantity over time. No sector is privileged. 57. Most support for the SDN originally came from UNDP, but logistical support came from the government, including support for telecommunications. The government provided the equivalent of $ 14,000/year in support to the SDN, and also the salaries, travel expenses for promoting the SDN and the cost of publications. During this period of UNDP funding, it is important to emphasise the need for ensuring the long term sustainability of the SDN. Internetworking in India: ERNET -- S. Ramani 58. The Education and Research Network of India (ERNET) has been created by a Project of the Department of Electronics, Government of India, assisted by the UNDP. The ERNET has a focus going beyond the linking up of educational and research institutions. It has promoted R & D in computer networking and related education in the higher technical institutes of India. Six higher technical institutions, the National Centre for Software Technology and a group at the Department of Electronics work together as the nodal centres of ERNET. The network has 13 campuses connected by leased lines operating at 9,600 bits per second. 59. The international gateway in Bombay, operated by NCST, has a 64 kilobits per second leased line to USA, reaching the Internet through UUNET. Over 200 institutions currently use the services of ERNET. The population of individual users is estimated to be about 10,000. The traffic is approximately 12,000 messages a day including 4,000 overseas messages. 60. The network uses multi-protocol routers handling the Internet protocol as well as the ISO CLNS protocol. Serial line IP (SLIP) connections are also in use, along with the uucp protocol used by the vast majority among users who use dial- up datalinks. Email, Usenet news, telnet, ftp, and ftam are some of the services provided by the network. X.400 and X.500 services are also provided, along with a couple of gopher servers which disseminate information internationally.
V. Starter Kit Overview
61. The objectives of the SDN are: i. to help facilitate freer access to information for users in developing countries to move towards the goal of sustainable development. ii. to encourage increased communication about sustainable develop- ment across locations, borders, regions, sectors of economy, etc. iii. to enhance the capacity of national institutions to meet their own needs for information on sustainable development and to participate in the SDN. iv. to help promote Agenda 21 and relevant conventions. 62. The objective of the SDN Starter Kit project is to collect the most useful tools to enhance the ability of national SDNs to achieve and benefit from electronic connectivity and greater access to knowledge. 63. The kit catalogues and also contains key reference, management, productivity and communication tools and resources that could be or that are available and usable in these countries. Examples include hardware and software, databases, datasets, electronic conferences, case studies, books, monographs, directories, manuals, audio-visual equipment and materials and other items and reference tools whether paper based or electronic (on CD-ROM, on diskette or on-line). 64. The SDN Starter Kit document is presented in two parts, the first dealing with computer mediated communications and options for connectivity. The second part deals with key resources for SDNs. Computer Mediated Communications (CMC) 65. Connectivity is a critical issue for SDNs. The hardware and software options chosen by a particular SDN will depend on local needs and circumstances: availability of telephone lines, number of users, national policies and telecommunications cost structures for example. The solution chosen by an SDN may seem discrete initially, when the decision is taken. But these choices and the reasons that motivate them, such as new technologies and policies, are changing all the time, and the change is for ever increasing bandwidth. Therefore, choosing technologies for low-end connectivity should bear in mind the eventual migration to higher bandwidth. 66. Participants agreed that the SDN Starter Kit prescriptions for connectivity: Fidonet, uucp and full Internet, should not be considered mutually exclusive. Fidonet and uucp connectivity, as well as the Internet, can be adopted simultaneously by SDNs to meet the differing needs and circumstances of users. Connectivity solutions should be seen in a continuum, the high end of which is something like the Internet. 67. The Internet is also a tool of the SDN. While it may be useful to achieve Internet connectivity, and SDNs should encourage connectivity, it is not up to the SDN to create an Internet telecommunications system. 68. The difference between Fidonet and uucp is mostly based on greater management overhead associated with operating a uucp node which depends on a Unix machine. Allowance for training must be considered in this case. Information Resources for Sustainable Development 69. The objective of this section of the SDN Starter Kit was to present some of the tools for managing information. These are mostly for information storage, retrieval and display and include word processors and database management systems. Of the latter, textual database management systems are of particular concern for SDNs that will be dealing with downloading large bodies of ASCII data from bulletin board systems or electronic conferences. There are two families of products here: unstructured textual database management systems (DBMS) and structured DBMSs. ISYS, an example of the former, has been evaluated, and provides an acceptable interface, but there are better products available. For a structured DBMS, Micro CDS/ISIS developed by UNESCO is the de facto standard because of its low cost (free in developing countries) and extensive use throughout the developing world. It is acknowledged not to be user-friendly. 70. There is a need for more directories in the SDN Starter Kit. The Sourcebook on Sustainable Development was very useful for this reason. 71. Participants mentioned among other things the need for a newsletter, for information on other networks, and the importance of international connectivity, especially within their respective regions. 72. Geographic information systems (GIS) are probably not an important tool per se for all SDNs, but awareness of this technology is useful. Issues 73. The balance between information technology solutions and objectives and promoting sustainable development needs to be addressed through the SDN Starter Kit. It was also felt that the SDN Starter Kit should include tools for strategic planning and other management aids. 74. The SDN Starter Kit should contain elements that emphasise the importance of the human dimension in the work of the SDNs. While it is important to promote both, the human element is an essential component of a successful SDN. Documenting the experience of SDNs through case studies such as those in the SDN brochure would help. 75. Visioning exercises could be the next useful step in helping decision makers to understand the importance of sustainable development and of how their decisions can help. Notions of scale --- local vs. national --- are also important to consider in discussions related to sustainable development and these may also need to be considered in the SDN Starter Kit. Different solutions are needed at the local and community level than those at the national level and the SDN Starter Kit should address this. 76. An issue of considerable concern is how to approach the private sector and the SDN Starter Kit does not address this. One solution is to develop a better understanding of the information needs of the business community. Issues related to international standards such as ISO 9000, the quality management standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and the newly created ISO 207 Technical Committee on environmental management standards are of great concern to the business community. These standards can greatly affect competitiveness locally and markets abroad. Some consider these standards as non-tariff barriers to international trade. National legislation is also of concern to the business community. Similarly, the ``Business Charter for Sustainable Development'' developed by the International Chamber of Commerce and the work of the World Industry Council for the Environment (WICE), as well as the work of the Business Council for Sustainable Development (BCSD) are all of concern to the business community because they affect the way consumers perceive them locally and abroad. In industrialised countries, these perceptions affect consumer behaviour greatly. 77. There are many other concerns and the SDN could raise awareness and help the business community to track them and encourage greater use of the SDN. 78. The SDN is an advocate for sustainable development. How can the SDN Starter Kit help SDNs promote Agenda 21 through the use of posters, TV, etc? 79. Sharing experiences about communication activities undertaken by SDNs would be greatly beneficial. The role of the SDN in environmental education, the question of the institutionalisation of the SDN and how to go about it would be useful to present in the SDN Starter Kit. 80. The kit discussion raised several issues related to the management of the SDN in general, including the question of the role of HQ, access to global resources along with indigenous ones, links with Infoterra, documenting success stories, stimulating dialogue between SDNs and the need to encourage and stimulate communication and collaboration between UNDP projects. Feedback 81. Participant feedback was obtained on the following issues: i. Appropriateness of the Starter Kit ii. Format and contents: Should it be a catalogue, should it be published, available in electronic or any other form? Should there be more process-related material, e.g. visioning tools, etc.? iii. Frequency of revision and distribution. iv. Production and distribution: Should it be done at HQ or via the SDNs? How can one acquire and distribute the components of the SDN Starter Kit? Appropriateness 82. The idea of a SDN Starter Kit was fully accepted by workshop participants. Also, it was agreed that there was a need for some basic information on hardware and software for launching and operating SDNs. 83. What is an SDN, what does an SDN do? Some examples are necessary. It seems that there is no agreement on what the SDN does. A network is many things and it must be based on the needs and circumstances of each country. 84. The connectivity issues should be dealt with by a technical person. A technical assessment is needed. The SDN Starter Kit should touch on all of these points. 85. Networking options should be made more specific. They should be related to connectivity and should reflect different circumstances. Some participants felt that technical issues such as choosing between FidoNet and uucp should also be addressed. It was also agreed that different countries would have different levels of connectivity available, and these options should be presented. A decision tree to help SDN coordinators choose between the different technologies was thought to be useful. 86. Building an SDN node does not mean building the national telecommunications system. The SDN can participate in the creation of the telecommunications networks in a country through promotion. It should promote the appropriate policy. For example, in Bolivia, the SDN uses BOLNET, a data transmission network, as a tool, as a provider of connectivity. 87. The SDN Starter Kit, as presently conceived is more technical and not a fully developed strategic tool. Another kit is needed to deal with strategic and policy options for SDNs. Some participants also felt that the Starter Kit should include information about the marketing plan and related issues. Another thing that could be included is a management support tool for strategic planning and decision making. The need to include information on how to develop the human network was also expressed. 88. One idea is to maintain the Starter Kit as a series of publications. 89. Part of the problem in dealing with this is one of nomenclature. The Starter Kit could be broken down into: * Information technology * Information resources * Policy and strategies document 90. The need for more information on managerial issues was expressed. These issues are not covered by any of the standard books and could be made available in the form of case studies of member countries. Format and Contents 91. Participants agreed that the SDN Starter Kit should be available in hard copy as well as electronically and that it should be easily updated. Access to some of the documentation required in preparation for the workshop was not easy. Only a few participants had access to the Internet. It was agreed that the SDN Starter Kit should also provide essential information on the basic hardware and software needed for the operation of an SDN. Questions of hardware and software acquisition need to be revisited in the SDN Starter Kit. It was also suggested that hardware and software issues be considered separately. 92. The idea of the SDN Starter Kit as a management support tool for strategic planning and decision making was retained. Participants also want to have information on human networking: how to build and sustain the human network. A communication plan and programme was seen as a part of this, but how can the SDN Starter Kit help to develop and implement such a plan? The SDN Starter Kit should also include case studies of SDNs from establishment to operation. Participants want concrete examples of SDN activities, real life options for connectivity, and actual examples of policies in place in operating SDNs. Some participants suggested that the SDN Starter Kit should be available as an electronic conference that could be shared by national SDNs. Finally, it was suggested that the Starter Kit needs to be renamed. Frequency of Revisions 93. It was agreed that a mechanism needs to be instituted to incorporate updating of the SDN Starter Kit. Perhaps a series of publications or even a periodical series such as working papers or bulletins should be considered. Whatever is agreed upon, it must be readily updatable. It was further agreed that these and related issues should be left in the hands of the SDN directorate for further action. Production and Distribution 94. Ideally , national SDNs should be directly involved in the production and updating of the SDN Starter Kit. It is appropriate, for the time being and for reasons that the SDNs are still getting established, to have the SDN directorate work at updating the SDN Starter Kit while bearing in mind the points raised at the workshop. Ultimately, though, this task should devolve to the national SDNs. By developing the SDN Starter Kit as an electronic and printed product, the possibility of involving national SDNs is retained. Face to face meetings, regular mail and fax will have to be used for SDNs that do not have access to computer mediated communications.
VI. Human vs Electronic Networks: What is the Balance?
95. SDNs contribute expertise in the following areas: i. understanding of the national policy framework for sustainable development; ii. understanding of and expertise in the use and application of information technology and especially of computer mediated communications to networking people; and iii. understanding of and expertise in marketing information products and services developed by the SDN and communicating the message of sustainable development. 96. The balance between these three will depend on various issues, not the least of which are the needs and circumstances of the target groups the SDN seeks to influence. In order to change people's behaviour, the SDN must advocate and communicate a message. SDNs will need a strong marketing plan based on surveys and should develop appropriate responses. Computer mediated communications are but one tool to use to achieve this. 97. Roger Johnson cited the UNEP Infoterra experience, and suggested that computer mediated communications not be ignored, and this information technology be used to help bring people and organisations together. 98. In Bolivia, the human net was built through brochures and they have not gone out to the local and community level. There are twenty institutions waiting for modems and they are calling regularly to find out about the arrival of modems. The human net was good enough to keep the level of interest very high. Through the use of well designed brochures, posters and other vehicles, the human network and the SDN was built. By comparing the experiences obtained so far and by bringing these together in a publication or otherwise, experiences can be shared. 99. A lot of interest was expressed in case studies. Sharing success stories as well as the failures among participants, perhaps through a newsletter would be useful. 100. There are many other organisations who work to promote sustainable development. Dialogue between them and also between the various SDNs could be mutually beneficial. 101. Selling the SDN among decision makers is important. E-mail alone will not work. Person to person contact is essential, and this is a priority. 102. A communications programme is also required to reach out to the community. 103. Two basic questions to be dealt with are who is the decision-maker in the government and how to provide information to the local and community level. NGOs are essential conduits, as they are involved in different networks. 104. To summarise: i. selling the SDN concept is important, but the question is how. ii. balance between human and computer networking: the physical net is meaningless unless a strong human net underpins the concept. The challenge lies in achieving the right balance; iii. SDNs vary from country to country; iv. the use of the term ``net'' is unfortunate: try instead ``sustainable development networking'', to capture the process instead of the physical entity. The process of change is important; v. a one page fact sheet is needed that describes the SDN and can help others understand it;VII. Improvement of Coordination and Interaction
105. How to improve coordination and interaction on a regional and other basis for the SDNs will be a major consideration. Some of the proposed recommendations are given in the subsequent sections. Marketing and Communications 106. If SDNs are to advocate change, then they must develop a communications programme based on a marketing strategy by which the SDNs identifies its main target groups, what their needs are and what messages and vehicles are most appropriate to reach them. For example, the Pakistan SDN determined the needs of users and applied survey tools to inventory some key resources, such as wide area networks (WANs) in Pakistan. Nature and Structure of Information 107. What constitutes the universe of knowledge on sustainable de Sustainable development is a wide ranging topic. Different user communities will have their own interests. Developing an understanding of what type of information will interest the business person or the policy maker is key. It is a bit like a farmer knowing how much wheat he or she has sown. It is basic, because knowledge about sustainable development is the raw material that SDNs will draw upon to develop and market their own products and services. 108. The resource inventory undertaken during an SDN feasibility study is the point of departure in mapping out the state of the art in sustainable development at the local and national level. Other tools and resources to help national SDNs understand what knowledge is available generally and where, how and under which circumstances to obtain this information and what others have done with it is available through the SDN Starter Kit and other related tools, such as the Sourcebook on Sustainable Development. 109. Knowing what information is available means knowing what you are talking about and is the basis of selling the SDN. It is the other side of the marketing coin. Knowing your users is important, but knowing what they want and where to get it, as well as identifying the gaps in knowledge, will be essential.
VIII. Lectures/Hands on Demonstrations
Introduction to Computer Networking 110. Network services can be divided into: (i) Message oriented services which involve only store-forward communication. Items sent in this mode are like postal items. Significant communication delays, ranging from minutes to hours, are tolerated in these services: Email, items for electronic bulletin boards and electronic newsletters. These services do not necessitate leased lines, though they do benefit from them. Dial-up links are capable of supporting these services, in small volumes. (ii) Session oriented services necessitating high quality connections, through leased lines or public data networks: remote access to computer through telnet, rlogin or other similar commands, remote access to data bases including library catalogs, interactive ``talk'', and online interactive multi-member group conferencing, e.g. using ``phone'' software. 111. Routers are used to interface local area networks (LANs) with leased lines to create large worldwide networks. X.25 switches are sometimes used in place of routers, to create another form of wide area networks. Costs per hour of remote connection for a terminal vary from $ 3 on private networks to $ 50 on some public data networks. Mamut 112. Eduardo Rodriguez of Mexico demonstrated uucp. The Department of Computer Science of the University of Chile has developed its own UUCP software for DOS machines. The objective was to give the user the most friendly interface possible, and make it available in the public domain. The package is called Mamut (Mamut is Spanish for mammoth), and includes an interface to manage electronic mail and Usenet News. The current version also includes a special interface for the following services: i. archie: to consult the databases of anonymous ftp sites. ii. ftpmail: to get public domain software by email. iii. gopher: to obtain information from the local gopher information server (this is an experimental service). 113. Mamut allows you to call your UUCP server automatically, directly or in a programming mode. You can also change the configuration of your computer from inside Mamut. A new version, with more services, will be released. Mamut is public domain software, and anyone can ask for a copy. Fidonet 114. Adolfo Dunayevich of Mexico demonstrated Fidonet technology and discussed the following. 115. Fidonet networks provide store and forward type flow of information. Both interactive and batch access is available for the end user. Interactive communications can be provided by several different BBS, which can be set up for multiuser service via a multitasking operating system such as Desk-view or Windows in the DOS environment, or via a LAN and multiple CPU's (ranging from a 4.77 PC XT to a 486 based microprocessor). Batch service can be provided with a front end software program, which is also used for inter node communications, and which is known as binkley term, and an end user application. 116. Currently , the IDRC is funding the Marimba project, a suite of programs bundled with a user friendly shell and some associated tools to make life easier for the end user. All components of Marimba are free, so there is no restriction on distribution. Advantages of FidoNet: 117. Fidonet is easy to configure and there is lots of support from thousands of operators around the world. Given highly efficient and reliable protocols, including a simultaneous 2 way protocol to full-duplex links (i.e. non-PEP), interfacing with uucp and Internet gateway software, including Usenet newsgroups, is possible. File transfer is also possible, along with remote program execution on a batch communications basis. Disadvantages of FidoNet: 118. User messages are limited to 16Kb, although these can be spoofed. Special Marimba Advantages: 119. A transparent Internet/uucp gateway for the end-user, the possibility of scheduling deferred calls to the host, for example, after hours, and good support for conference administration. User and conference list management can also be configured as a host. Information Management Tools and Resources 120. CD-ROM (compact disk -- read only memory) and electronic conferences were demonstrated in small groups or using an overhead projector while logged onto a computer host system. Online Services and CD-ROM 121. Over 400 databases are available through the Dialog host system, a major provider of computerized information services. These services area available through Public Data Networks (PDNs) in many countries, but can be prohibitively expensive. 122. Richard Labelle, Consultant, UNDP SDN, gave a demonstration of the use of CD-ROM technology and some CD-ROM databases, which can be alternatives to online access. The following CD-ROMs were demonstrated: Power Tools, a collection of over 3,500 shareware programs, specialised databases from the CAB International, including TreeCD, SoilCD and PestCD. The International Information System for the Agricultural Sciences and Technology (AGRIS) database was demonstrated and searches undertaken. 123. While these tools are important, they are expensive to access. Other organisations are better placed to use them, for example, the national agricultural information centres or the national Infoterra focal point. National SDNs should nevertheless be aware of these resources, especially if they are available locally. Key Documentation 124. Other materials of relevance included items collected from different organisations involved in sustainable development and shipped to Bombay for the workshop as well as general information. Not all of these were discussed, and not all of this documentation was directly relevant to sustainable development, but it was assembled because it provides an indication to participants of what is available i.e. an idea of what some of the most important organisations promoting sustainable development had produced in print or in electronic format. The original idea was to provide access to the more general information, such as pamphlets, circulars, examples of newsletters for participants to browse and use on their own. 125. Key documentation was to have been used for small group discussions on the main information sources in the SDN Starter Kit. Computer Networks and Conferencing Systems 126. Key resources can be obtained using the Internet. Usenet, a service available through the Internet and providing access to over 3500 electronic conferences or newsgroups was mentioned and some key conferences monitored, for example, `sci.environment' and `talk.environment'. Other `sci' newsgroups were mentioned for their scientific merit. Queries were posted on some of these conferences in answer to questions of participants. 127. While the Usenet newsgroups are numerous, very few are relevant to sustainable development. This reflects the origins of the Internet as predominantly scientific and academic in outlook. However, there is a strong emphasis on information technology and computer mediated communications. 128. Selected electronic conferences of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) were demonstrated. APC is a worldwide advocacy network made up of ``member networks dedicated to providing low-cost and advanced computer communications services'' for networking and information-sharing. APC provides subscribers with access to electronic mail. It also provides access to over 550 electronic conferences of direct relevance to the SDNs. Computer Files 129. Several files of information were collected in preparation for the workshop. These were loaded on a 386 PC server for eventual downloading. Unfortunately, not all participants were able to access these files. Much of this information had been downloaded from the Internet or from the conferences of the APC. A copy of the electronic version of the Sourcebook on Sustainable Development published by the IISD was also included. Still more information in ASCII format had been obtained from international organisations that SDNs should be aware of, not only as potential sources of information and expertise, but as eventual partners locally, nationally, regionally or otherwise. Their relationship to the SDNs could be important in helping to deal with the issue of sustaining the SDN. These files will be available later on diskette or through the SDN FTP server. UNEP 130. Several other organisations of the United Nations have networks or are undertaking complementary activities in the light of UNCED and Agenda 21. One of these, UNEP, participated in this workshop. Some of these activities and the resources that these organisations could possibly contribute to the SDNs are described in a report to the Director of the SDN. The report was prepared as a result of recent meetings with representatives of these organisations in Europe and Canada. 131. Roger Johnson of UNEP affirmed that co-operation with other UN organisations is now a priority of UNEP. He advised the workshop of the UNEP mission statement: To provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life ... 132. Infoterra : Information delivery, international database of sources, regional support and servicing, national capacity building and publications and promotion. Produce Infoterra database on Micro CDS/ISIS and freely available. It contains 6000 references. Fidonet networks have been established in Africa South of the Sahara and are working well in places such as Mozambique. 133. Unepnet reaches UNEP's clients everywhere, and connects all offices, using BBS and the Major BBS (Galacticom). It uses PDNs as carriers for this net and the BBS's on them. UNEP is also looking at a gateway through the proprietary network. Unepnet Latin America is connected to the rest of Unepnet through the Mexico node. The Interamerican Development Bank is looking at funding a node in countries of Latin America to access databases in universities, and other information resources in Latin America. Each will have a BBS and a metadatabase. Information needs are to be determined, i.e. it is not yet clear what is to be placed on the network. The involvement of Infoterra in the SDN is important. UNDP and UNEP-Infoterra Cooperation 134. Bearing in mind the complementary objectives of the SDN and Infoterra Program and bearing in mind the similarities of operational activities, it would seem appropriate that the two programmes collaborate much more closely and in a more formalised way be more closely linked, in order that their activities may be coordinated for the benefit of the sustainable development process. Specifically, at the national level, Infoterra Focal Points would make contact with the SDN coordinator in order to design and implement activities that are complementary and actually beneficial. Secondly, at the United Nations level, the SDN and Infoterra Secretariats need to meet to explore cooperation and joint programming possibilities, which will ensure, inter alia, that all questions of duplication of resources would not arise. Information Retrieval Systems 135. Mr R Chandrasekar, from NCST Bombay, spoke on applications related to online news services. NCST gets wire service news online from a major news agency. This news is made available to all users of NCST machines through the gopher program. This was demonstrated to the participants. 136. Mr Chandrasekar talked about the need for developing free-text information retrieval (IR) systems to handle input such as these news items. He pointed out problems with classical IR systems. He described and demonstrated a system developed at NCST which does automatic categorisation of textual items. He also discussed another system developed at NCST, named Quest, which uses categorisation and other artificial intelligence techniques, to provide fast conceptual information retrieval. A system called reQuest, which is a bibliographic IR system using the Quest retrieval engine, was demonstrated to the participants. 137. Mr Chandrasekar concluded by pointing out that systems such as these could be used to cull items related to particular topics of interest, and to selectively disseminate this information to interested groups. From the discussion that followed this talk, it was clear that this area is likely to be of significance to the SDN movement. APC Conferences 138. The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) was instrumental in disseminating the message of UNCED and Agenda 21 to a wide ranging audience of interested interlocutors around the world. APC conferencing was demonstrated by Richard Labelle. 139. APC conferences are a rich and unique source of information on sustainable development and a very important way of communicating with the community of advocates for sustainable development worldwide. APC conferences relevant to sustainable development were visited, messages posted and feedback monitored. APC services and conferences are available in several languages. A subscription is required. The SDN Starter Kit will include information about the APC. USENET 140. Ms. Geetanjali Sampemane, from NCST, Bombay, spoke about USENET, and demonstrated how to access articles posted on the various newsgroups, particularly some related to environmental issues. USENET news or bulletin boards are a vast, ``free'' source of information, that could be very useful to SDNs. An advantage of USENET is that it is very easy to set up and use. Also, the information is free -- the costs involved are mainly the telephone bills (or other communication costs). To join USENET, a site needs to find a node already receiving news which is willing to provide a ``feed'' to it. You can select the topics of interest (from a list of a few thousand ``newsgroups'') and only articles on the selected groups will be forwarded to your site. 141. Users can read articles posted on the newsgroups by people from all over the world. They can respond to these articles either by electronic mail to the author, or by posting a ``follow-up'' article on the same newsgroup. Posting a question on a newsgroup amounts to asking it to thousands of people -- all the people worldwide who read that group. Within a day or two, you could be receiving answers from anyone around the world who has an answer, or a suggestion. Similarly, discussions on these newsgroups reach a wide audience. Internet Resources 142. Mr. Sanjay H. Pathak from NCST gave a lecture-demonstration on selected Internet Resources. He explained the anonymous File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and demonstrated how publicly available software can be obtained from such archives. 143. Mr. Pathak demonstrated how Archie can be used to search for a particular software in anonymous FTP archives. He explained about InterNIC and the role that InterNIC plays in administering the Internet. He also introduced X.500 technology and demonstrated how X.500 can be used on Internet to look for addresses of people. Becoming a Sustainable Development Cybarian 144. As the use of computer mediated communications becomes more pervasive, there will be a a greater tendency for key individuals within organisations or even for key organisations to act as information locators and providers using the resources of the global computer networks. By virtue of their skills in navigating these networks and in extracting information quickly and cheaply, and in making it usable, they could be key players in facilitating decision making. This may be a role that SDNs could play and the SDN Starter Kit could also be an instrument to test and help apply this idea for sustainable development. Geographical Information Systems 145. Prof . Krishnayya, from the Systems Research Institute, Pune, India gave a demonstration of their GIS system. He showed how the GIS could be a useful tool to help decision making, using the example of India. UNICEF is a major user of GIS. The price of the system is about $ 3000. 146. Participants were interested in GIS for SDNs for various reasons, e.g. to show the spatial distribution of information, or to identify interaction between physical factors and information. GIS could be used for village level participatory planning based on the preparation of thematic maps made at the local or village level.
IX. Evaluation and Feedback
Feedback Questionnaire 147. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire on the effectiveness of the workshop. The questionnaire is attached as Appendix 3. All participants completed the questionnaire. Feedback indicated the following: (i) Quality of the presentations: where 0 was very poor and 5 excellent an average of 4.4 was recorded indicating a high degree of satisfaction. (ii) Quality of documentation: where 0 was very poor and 5 excellent an average of only 3.6 was recorded indicating a need for improvement in the quality of basic documentation. Two participants commented that documents should have been distributed earlier. (iii) Balance between the presentation of process or management related issues and technological tools: an average of 3.5 was recorded indicating slightly too much emphasis was given to process. (iv) Quality of demonstrations: an average of 3.5 was recorded indicating participants were not fully satisfied. It is noted, however, that some participants who already had excellent technical skills, gave a less than average rating thereby reducing the average. (v) Workshop expectations: an average of 4.3 recorded indicating a high degree of satisfaction. (vi) Mix of skills: an average of 4.1 was recorded indicating that it was definitely considered an advantage to have participants with a range of skills in networking and in SDN experience. (vii) Duration of the workshop: with 3 considered a perfect score the rating of 3.4 that was recorded suggested the workshop was perhaps a little too long. Several participants also commented that the working hours were too severe. (viii) Time management: an average of only 3.4 was recorded against a target of 5, suggesting improvement was needed. One delegate suggested written discussions or tests be introduced. Another felt more time should have been reserved for substantive discussion on critical issues. A third delegate advocated a better daily mix of process and technical work, although the same difficulty was already experienced in the previous workshop due to the necessity of focusing on process issues before the technical presentations would be sufficiently clear to newcomers to the SDN. (ix) Size of the workshop: where 0 is low and 5 is high, a rating of 3.4 was recorded, indicating that 15 participants was close to perfect. (x) Service by NCST: an average of 4.9 was recorded indicating high and sincere praise for the exceptionally thorough and professional support provided by NCST at every level and every stage of the workshop. 148. One delegate found that too much time was spent during plenary sessions on the individual interests of the coordinators of ongoing projects. Certainly such discussion could have taken place in private, but it was encouraged in order to introduce newcomers to the realities of moving from theory into practice in the creation of a network. 149. Workshop managers recognised at least three significant issues that influenced the conduct of the workshop. (i) documentation was late due to the desirability of including the draft report on the starter kit, itself late in completion simply because the complexity of that task was underestimated. (ii) of the four principal lecturers, one could only reach Bombay on the eve of the Workshop, had to interrupt his attendance and depart before the workshop concluded. Another lecturer fell ill before the workshop and could not participate at all. The result was that last minute substitutes from amongst NCST staff and participants with strong technical skills were made. While this greatly added to the diversity and usefulness of the presentations, and provided ``ownership'', it did result in less than perfect coordination and focus in some instances; (iii) a huge amount of relevant literature was provided to participants, but it could only be catalogued on the final day and a list of documentation should have been prepared in advance. 150. Overall the workshop can be rated as very successful indeed. It was a marked improvement on the already good experience of the workshop in Ottawa in February 1993. The principal reasons were that more practical field experience had been gained by some participants, which added realism to the discussions. Because NCST's support was so positive, it injected enthusiasm and contributed to the good chemistry among participants. Contacts with the Media 151. Several interesting initiatives were undertaken during the course of the workshop as follows: i. Contact with the press: Several interviews between corre- spondents of principal Indian newspaper and news networks and participants were arranged. A feature article on the workshop was published in the Times of India on 10 December and other articles could be expected to follow; ii. Video recording: While at the Juhu campus on 11 December, a panel discussion was organised, affording each participant an opportunity to explain networking and sustainable development activities and aspirations in their countries. NCST staff worked overnight to edit and copy the video so that participants could view the result and take copies back with them for their use; and iii. Television: A number of participants were interviewed in depth for an hour-long television broadcast on SDN to be broadcast nation-wide on 13 December. It was concluded that these initiatives to broaden awareness of and participation in the SDN were highly relevant and useful for many of the participants in the individual campaigns. Similar initiatives should be organised during future workshops.
X. Conclusions, Recommendations and Wrap-Up
152. In the concluding sessions, the participants agreed on the following issues for consideration and follow-up: i. Balance between human and technical networking The SDN is a network of people and organisations where communications and networking are enhanced by the use of computer mediated communications. Participants repeatedly noted the importance of the human network and it is concluded that the use of computer mediated communications or computer networks is first to enhance the human network and is not an end in itself. ii. Agenda 21 and Capacity 21 Participants realised that the SDN is an instrument to help implement Agenda 21 and should be seen in the general context of national planning for sustainable development and within the framework of the Capacity 21 programme with which it will be working closely in several countries. The workshop agreed that this relationship should feature amongst the other seven operating principles of the SDN that were summarised earlier in this report. iii. Passive vs Proactive SDNs It was agreed by workshop participants that SDNs are advocates for sustainable development and that this is an active or `proactive' process. How this is to be undertaken is to be determined in consultation with the respective national SDN Steering Committee. iv. SDN HQ Coordination Participants noted on several occasions the need for support from SDN HQ. There are many things that SDNs cannot yet obtain on their own or which they need help in achieving. For example, participants were not able to use mailservers or Internet resources such as file transfer protocol (FTP) to access SDN documentation. SDN New York should continue to balance electronic approaches with other appropriate approaches to share information. Given this situation, the question remains, how should SDN Starter Kit components be distributed? SDN HQ needs to consider this question urgently. v. Institutional Collaboration SDNs should work in a complementary fashion and not duplicate existing efforts. While the extent of institutional collaboration should be decided locally, it is to be encouraged as a matter of principle and good management. vi. Funding and Self Sustainability Like portfolio management, diversification is essential for survival. SDN coordinators should approach funding this way: do not place all your eggs in the same basket, and always have an open mind to other sources or ways of self-financing the SDN. UNDP has committed short term funding to launch SDNs and even this comes from diverse sources. It is recommended that 25 to 30 % of the UNDP envelope comes from UNDP's indicative planning figures (IPF) which are available to each developing country. The use of these IPF resources would demonstrate national commitment. From day one, SDNs must be concerned with sustaining themselves financially. Selling information or providing consulting services on a cost basis may be one answer. Securing support from other sources in a country or in the donor community should be actively considered. A well developed business and marketing plan can help make this happen. Nonetheless, given the tight financial situation of most developing countries, undertaking user surveys and following these up with requests for financial participation may not be realistic or wise. Instead, the SDN will have to show how it has influenced attitudes and changed behaviour in promoting sustainable development. When the value of this change is evident, the SDN will be in a better position to consider which options -- charging, securing donor support or otherwise -- are most appropriate under national conditions. vii. Future Workshops/Steps A very encouraging participant evaluation left no doubt that this workshop had been a success. A third workshop will be held in 1994. It is a possibility that this workshop will once again take place in Bombay at NCST. viii. Collaboration amongst SDNs (TCDC) Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries (TCDC) seeks ways to make better use of limited funds for development by encouraging developing countries to help one another through the transfer of technology and expertise. TCDC activities are different from SDN activities. However, technical cooperation among developing countries may be facilitated through SDN-like activities and conversely, SDNs could well gain from the TCDC experience and ongoing activities, including several ongoing technical cooperation networks. It is recommended that SDNs look into this eventuality and be aware of TCDC activities nationally or otherwise. It was recommended that the Director of the SDN should continue to press this message, which, it was noted, was already included in the list of general principles that had been evolved for the SDN. ix. Justification or Adjustment to the Approaches being Adopted for Implementation Participants were concerned about the need for developing and eventually strengthening human networking in national SDNs. It may be appropriate to consider placing greater emphasis on this during efforts to establish SDNs at this pre-feasibility and feasibility stages. x. Balancing Low and High Technology Solutions and SDN's Scarce Resources SDNs have to choose technology solutions that are most appropriate to their needs and circumstances. The selection should be seen in a continuum. Solutions should be chosen that can be useful in helping to achieve the connectivity desired over the long range and the need to achieve self sufficiency ultimately using indigenous or local resources. xi. The Selection of Countries and Scope of Action of the SDN Directorate Workshop participants agreed that given the demands for UNDP assistance in helping implement the SDN initiative, and the limited resources available, it was appropriate for the workshop to recommend a policy of supporting a range of countries at varying levels of economic development and different networking needs at the human and electronic levels. The workshop emphasised that physical networking systems are simply tools for supporting and facilitating effective and efficient human networking and information exchange. The emphasis of SDN support must be on the promotion of human networking with resources directed at the establishment of physical/technical networking only when necessary and at the level most appropriate for each SDN initiative. The eventual acquisition of high-end technology such as Internet, which gives full fledged networking facilities is an interesting objective, but a progressive approach is necessary and relevant in most countries. xii. Principles of Collaboration with UNEP Participants agreed with the statement of principles for collaborating with the UNEP Infoterra programme and recommended steps to be taken to reinforce collaboration between SDN and UNEP as soon as possible. xiii. SDN's Information Series (SIS) It is recommended that this name and acronym substitute henceforth for the phrase ``Starter Kit''. The workshop agreed that SIS is an excellent concept. The contents of SIS need further examination however. Participants agreed with the importance of the information and reference tools, but pointed out the need to strengthen components addressing human networking. Some ideas included more case studies of existing SDNs and similar endeavours in order to share the experience gained to date. Some participants suggested that SIS may eventually become a series of electronic or printed publications. Questions of terminology, format and distribution still necessitate consultation and action by IDRC and UNDP. Wrap-up 153. There were no major surprises as a result of this workshop. Participants were very pleased with the conduct and outcome of the workshop. The organisers were so satisfied that a return performance in Bombay is being contemplated. 154. The issue of financial uncertainty was driven home again and again. The need to seek approaches and to find solutions, and to help SDNs acquire tools to complement the information technology solutions in the SDN Starter Kit was an important point. 155. SDN participants want to see more from the SDN HQ and direct backstopping was mentioned more than once both in plenary and along the corridors. From now on, SDN HQ will seek to provide more support and backstopping as well as more help on policy issues. 156. Participants want to learn about building and managing SDNs. Management scenarios, case studies and other tools or ways of helping SDNs learn to build and operate the SDN will be needed. Perhaps what is needed here is greater ability and regularity of communication between SDNs. Latin American SDNs are, for example, beginning to get regularly in touch. 157. Probably the most important contribution of this workshop to the SDN was that only 19 months after it got off the ground again, the SDN was beginning to contribute to sustainable development, Agenda 21 and the Earth Summit, although it is clear that there is still a very long way to go. 158. Finally , the workshop demonstrated for the first time how SDN coordinators were beginning to take ownership of the SDN. The role of the SDN directorate has been reversed to a more appropriate situation where sustainable development networkers were beginning to make their demands known to the Director of the SDN.
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