[Report Cover]

Third Joint UNDP/IDRC Workshop
For National Coordinators and Technical Staff
14-18 November 1994 - Bombay, India

  1. Introduction
  2. The National Centre for Software Technology (NCST)
  3. The Sustainable Development Networking Programme: Origin and Status
  4. Sustainable Human Development (SHD)
  5. Workshop Report
  6. General Conclusions, Recommendations and Wrap-Up of the Workshop
  7. Annexes

    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. Mr Hans Van Sponeck, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in India welcomed participants on behalf of UNDP. Mr Aung Gyi, a Principal Programme Officer for the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in India addressed the workshop on behalf of IDRC.

  2. A notice announcing the workshop was addressed to the UNDP Resident Representatives of nineteen selected countries in September bye-mail. Personalised invitations and a draft agenda were sent in November or as the names of participants were identified. China and Syria decided not to nominate participants and the Coordinator of the South Pacific regional SDNP had logistical difficulties. Each participant was requested to prepare a statement for the workshop on the needs and status of computer-mediated communications in their respective country. Participants were advised to browse the UNDP/SDNP mail server to review basic documents before reaching Bombay.

  3. The second workshop for SDNP Coordinators was successfully held at NCST office in downtown Bombay in December 1993. That workshop served the participants over 6 days with a mixture of both technical and management training. For the third workshop, it was felt that the 23 persons nominated by sixteen countries was too large a group for training so a decision was made to cut back the workshop to 5 days, opening and closing with plenary sessions, and then to break into two separate groups. Fourteen participants opted for the management group and nine for the technical one. Six countries chose to nominate participants for both groups.

  4. The list of workshop participants with a summary of their backgrounds is provided in Annex I. Copies of the Agenda adopted by the Management and Technical Groups in the Workshop are given in Annexes II and III respectively.

  5. The workshop was co-financed by IDRC and UNDP. Three separate sub-contracts for services were negotiated by the UNDP office in Delhi following descriptions of the support services required from SDNP 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 $ 16,000.

  6. Conduct of the Workshop: The draft agenda was introduced and accepted. The documents distributed to participants were mainly for background purposes. Discussion Leaders for each session would be using summary notes that would be amended to reflect discussion and then reproduced as Annexes in the report of the workshop. They would thus serve to summarize the proceedings of the workshop and serve also as reminders or talking points for subsequent workshops. Insofar as many Discussion Leaders came from countries with experience with the establishment and operation of SDNPs this was truly a participatory workshop.

    II. The National Centre for Software Technology (NCST)

  7. The National Centre for Software Technology (NCST) is a research and development laboratory. It is an autonomous unit created and 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. The Juhu site, specialising in research and development as well as training, hosted the Workshop.

  8. NCST has activities covering a number of fields: database management technology, office information systems, graphics and computer aided design, knowledge based computer systems, real time systems & 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 a Post-graduate Diploma in Software Technology. The Centre also operates other post-graduate diploma programmes in its areas of specialisation.

  9. NCST offers about 75 professional education (one-week) courses a year in its three locations, for an average of about 20 participants at a time. 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.

    III. The Sustainable Development Networking Programme: Origin and Status

    The First Session addressed 3 general issues:

    i. Origin and Justification

  10. 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 SDNP was intended to address.

    ii. Objectives and Operating Principles of the SDNP

  11. The principal objective of SDNP was to facilitate and promote 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. Annex IV provides a summary of the lecture notes including reflections of the debate. Participants were asked to continuously stress the use of SDNP as a tool to build self-reliance in the developing countries and to realise that the SDNP could facilitate Technical Cooperation between Developing Countries (TCDC).

    iii. Status and Future Outlook

  12. Although officially launched in early 1990, SDNP 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 pilot period. In June 1992 the UNDP Governing Council approved the Capacity 21 concept and authorised expenditure to begin. Regional Bureaux selected countries to be given priority assistance and in October 1993, the Management Committee for Capacity 21 ruled that each of the priority countries should in principle include an SDNP component in their overall Capacity 21 proposal. In October, UNDP allocated a further $ 1.0 million from SPR resources to finance continuing field activities. 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 SDNP between May 1992 and December 1994 would approximate $ 4.8 million. A target of between 18 and 20 SDNPs to be operational by the end of 1994 had been set and will nearly be attained. It was noted, however, that another 50 countries had indicated their interest and need to establish an SDNP node.

  13. In July 1994 a second external evaluation of the work of the SDNP had been completed by Ms. Kate Wild. The report had made many useful suggestions including improved management and outreach. In general, the report had been most positive about SDNP's objectives and accomplishments to date, but it had urged corporate UNDP management to send an unequivocal message that the SDNP would have continued priority support. Many of UNDP-SDNP partners were becoming concerned about the consistency of support and UNDP's committment over the medium term.

  14. In conclusion, the Director SDNP noted:

    • a large and still growing demand for SDNP assistance;

    • a recent deterioration in the resource situation, although the medium term outlook was somewhat more encouraging. A three year extension of the programme from January 1995 -- December 1997 was now under review;

    • that he was more convinced today than at the commencement of the SDNP of its relevance, utility and urgency; and

    • that the sustainability of SDNPs had yet to be proven, but SDNPs were already yielding 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. Annex V gives a summary of the notes used for this section of the Workshop.

    IV. Sustainable Human Development (SHD)

  15. The Workshop was fortunate to have the newly arrived Resident Representative of UNDP in India as the discussion leader for its Second Session on Sustainable Human Development. He reminded the workshop that in the context of 1994 security was no longer construed as territorial security, but rather as economic growth with equity, employment, the availability of clean water and other essentials such as education and housing. Today we must give far greater attention to the human factors in the development equation. During the discussion participants emphasised the necessity for empowerment to all stakeholder groups in civil society in order for the decision making to improve. But empowerment without access to information was an empty slogan. This was why the SDNP was such a vital programme. His introductory notes reflecting also the subsequent discussion are reproduced in Annex VI.

    V. Workshop Report

    General

    Participants and Country Status Reports

  16. Chuck Lankester directed the management group of the workshop and Raul Zambrano, also of SDNP in New York, directed the technical group. Participants from Philippines, Estonia and Nicaragua, were invited to contribute to the workshop by sharing their experience with other countries, which had either just initiated operations or were expected to begin shortly. Participants Amy Lecciones, Toomas Molder and Silvia Ayon assisted in the management group together with Dr Ramani and Sanjay Pathak of NCST. In the technical group Zambrano was assisted by Julian Casasbuenas of Colombia, Geetanjali Sampemane and Sanjay Pathak of NCST.

  17. Workshop participants (Annex I) included Coordinators and Technical Staff of ongoing SDNP nodes, members of Steering Committees and other `friends' of SDNP. The following countries and territories were represented: Cameroon and Chad; Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia; Estonia; India, Indonesia and the Philippines; Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua. Each country was asked to prepare a summary statement of the ongoing status and plans for SDNP and these are reproduced in Annex VII. Editing has brought some uniformity to the presentations.

    Education and Research Network - ERNET

  18. . The last plenary session on the first day covered a presentation on ERNET by Mr S. Ramakrishnan, Director, ERNET. Information on ERNET is presented below in a brief form:

  19. ERNET, the Indian Educational & Research Network, is a project of the Department of Electronics, Government of India, assisted by the UNDP. There is tremendous growth world-wide in traffic over academic networks offering a variety of services such as electronic mail, electronic bulletin boards, directory services, as well as access to public domain information and free software. New services are coming up fast, including a distributed information system named Gopher and the World-Wide-Web, both of which use client-server technology. ERNET offers all this.

  20. Fifteen nodes of ERNET are connected to each other using 9600 bps leased lines. These lines are being upgraded to 64 kbps links, one by one. Over three hundred academic and R & D groups exchange e-mail with each other using ERNET. Over 30,000 users are estimated to have access to ERNET facilities. Internet access is provided using a 64 kbps leased line from NCST, Bombay, to the USA. Plans for ERNET include the creation of a satellite communication system during 1995 to enable ERNET to reach locations which do not have good data communication links.

  21. Institutions joining ERNET pay an annual contribution of Rs 100,000, roughly equivalent to US$ 3,300 per year. Institutions with higher traffic pay double this amount. Leased lines have been installed between major cities to save long distance dial-up costs for user organisations. The annual contribution covers the cost of existing inter-city leased lines. However, the participating institution bears the cost of connecting to the nearest ERNET node. Some of the well-known nodes are at the five Indian Institutes of Technology, at the NCST, at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc, Bangalore), and at the Department of Electronics, New Delhi.

  22. NCST operates the international gateway and the main switching centre of the ERNET. The equipment at this switching centre includes a router named nariman, a dial-up router named nari and a SUN SS10/40 server as the e-mail host sangam. This centre is manned two shifts a day on all days of the year by technical staff.

  23. NCST also plays a major role in offering technical assistance to educational and R & D institutions in the form of information, advice, and training for setting up e-mail connections.

    Management Group

    Summary notes on key points of debates by the Management Group on each item of the agenda are provided below. These should be read in conjunction with the discussion notes in the respective annexes.

    Internet Navigation Tools

  24. On the second day of the workshop, it was decided to also expose the management group to the broad principles of networking and the various applications available to their technical colleagues. Several Internet navigation tools were demonstrated including telnet, ftp, archie, gopher menu-based resources, Veronica and access by e-mail. In the afternoon all participants shifted to the downtown office of NCST to take advantage of the 64 kbps line and the opportunity to demonstrate other applications such as WAIS, the World Wide Web (WWW) and access by WAIS and WWW by e-mail. Time was also allocated for managers to practice hands-on training with some of these applications. Instead of reproducing summary notes that would be similar to those for the Technical Group on Internet navigation it has been decided to combine the two notes and to reproduce them in Annexes XVIII to XXV.

    Participatory Approach

  25. Day three for the management group began with a session on the participatory approach of SDNP, the most fundamental distinguishing characteristic of SDNP compared to networking initiatives of other development agencies that focus on sustainable development. The origins of the approach, results achieved, and variations in the variety and intensity of involvement by different stakeholder groups were reviewed. Options for the choice of location for SDNP nodes were discussed, with the UNDP office not being an option of choice unless it was the only compromise acceptable to stakeholder groups, but even in this case it had to be seen as only a temporary measure. It was essential that the SDNP nodes be seen and understood to be national entities.

  26. It was important that the SDNP nodes have a recognised legal structure, and in this regard the establishment of an SDNP Foundation in the Philippines was a model that interested many participants. The advantages and disadvantages of the Phillippine SDNP were discussed in detail. Copies of the principles covering the establishment of this Foundation were distributed and further details on the Phillippine's Sustainable Development Network (PSDN) are provided in Annex VIII.

    Steering Committees

  27. Session two on the third day focussed on the use of Interim Steering Committees and their eventual conversion to Standing Steering Committees; when such committees should be formed; their composition, responsibilities and functions.

  28. Emphasis was given to the early formation of an Interim Steering Committee during the formulation phase of any SDNP node. Much discussion took place on the care that must be taken to ``depoliticise'' the Steering Committee if it was to be really effective. This often required judicious balancing between different forces in government as well as between government and other stakeholder groups such as NGOs. Participants confronting difficulties were counselled to seek the advice of their respective UNDP Resident Representative. It was emphasised that in the final analysis, the Steering Committee is accountable for success or failure of the SDNP node so that the choice of constructive consensus building and creative individuals was essential. The summary lecture notes for this session are attached as Annex IX.

    Capacity Building

  29. Session Three on day three for the Management Group was on capacity building: objectives, methods and the budgets that SDNP nodes need to allocate for this work. The fundamental importance of capacity building to UNDP's overall goals was emphasised, including the responsibility for capacity building in conjunction with follow-up to implementation for Agenda 21. The summary notes for this session are attached as Annex X.

    SDNP Budgets

  30. The Fourth Session on day three was on SDNP Budgets, with a review of average costs to date and a breakdown of average needs between budget items. Two points were stressed in conjunction with budgeting activities:

    • it was essential to bear in mind that SDNP nodes should be viewed as ``service industries''. They would not survive the eventual withdrawal of external financial assistance unless they were demand driven, easy to operate and low cost. It was essential that managers allocate sufficient budgetary resources to product development and production/ marketing; and

    • every dollar requested from outside sources should be seen as a dollar that would in due course have to be replaced by a dollar from national sources including subscriptions.

  31. Annex XI summarises the discussion points.

    Financing the SDNP

  32. Session Five on the day three for the management group examined the financing sources for SDNP operations at Headquarters and in the field. Annex XII summarises the discussion points.

    Self Financing

  33. The Sixth Session for the management group on day three was a particularly important one since UNDP-SDNP had been constantly reminding all countries contemplating the establishment of a node, as well as Coordinators operating a node, of the importance of managing their nodes in a business-like manner and steadily working toward full recovery of their recurring expenditures. The example of ERNET was used to illustrate the relationship between the increase in the volume of traffic and the cost on the one hand, and revenue accruing from subscriptions on the other. The ERNET example was a positive and encouraging one, although ERNET was a well established network for well established academic and research institutions. Self financing is realistic, but it was emphasised that SDNPs must determine the needs of their customers, develop products to meet these needs, and then persuade customers to pay for these products, perhaps with monthly or annual subscriptions. The session was reminded by Dr Ramani that ``we should never forget that these people who pay our bills will become our bosses.'' A summary of the notes for this session are provided in Annex XIII.

    Promoting the SDNP

  34. A number of interesting principles were addressed by this last session on the third day of the workshop for the Management Group.

    • Equity: It was important for the Coordinator to be able to ensure equilibrium in the time and attention given to the varied interest groups in the Steering Committee;

    • Products: The interest in being able to access information on sustainable development is great, and the amount of available information is overwhelming. What is needed is guidance to facilitate the location of information and interpretation of the data received;

    • Promotion: Users need imaginative and repeated prodding to use information in their daily activities and responsibilities. Product examples need to be formatted and introduced, follow-up is needed to determine usage and whether adjustments in content, frequency, etc. are needed. Managers must be brokers and market advisors, bearing the necessity of moving to auto-financing in mind. To determine needs user surveys, brochures, demonstrations, videos, conferences, etc. should be used; and

    • Entrepreneurship: It was emphasized that nodes would survive based on their ability to respond punctually, inexpensively and effectively to demands of the user community. An inability to market the SDNP's products meant a failure to understand user needs or poor management or both and the node should probably then be phased out.

  35. The case of Estonia was used to illustrate how SDNP had been promoted. The fact that the Prime Minister had been a member of the Steering Committee was fortuitous, but not accidental. Steering Committee members should be chosen on the basis of many factors, one being their individual ability to promote the work and products of their SDNP nodes.

    SDNP Information Series

  36. During 1993 and 1994 the SDNP dedicated considerable time and resources to the preparation of a ``starter kit'' for SDNP nodes. The objective of the kit was to collect the most useful tools to enhance the ability of national SDNPs to achieve and benefit from electronic connectivity and greater access to knowledge. SDNP management had expected to be able to purchase the relevant materials, but found to its surprise that it had to pioneer this work. The result was the Information Series published by SDNP in March 1994 and distributed to participants in this workshop as part of the background documentation. The workshop participants noted:

    • that the objective of the SDNP's Information Series (SIS) is to provide information on how to successfully establish, manage, market and operate national SDNP's over the long term;

    • the March 1994 publication proposes that the SIS series will contain news about sustainable development, news and information on SDNP related activities in different countries, news on connectivity and computer networking and information about key organizations whose work relates to sustainable development;

    • this publication contains an excellent description of the networking options available to SDNP sites. It does not categorically recommend a single networking option, but explains the strategy for focusing on an option in the section titled ``Choosing a Technology''. It proposes the UUCP type of technology for SDN using the Waffle software. It gives a list of essential software for SDN operation and management;

    • this publication has an excellent bibliography of literature available from different sources on sustainable development. For the more technical oriented it has a list of recent books on Internet and related sources;

    • the workshop participants found this document to be most useful. One of the participants suggested that the document should be published on a bi-annual basis. A participant suggested that moderators should be elected for different areas of interest and the moderators will be responsible for collecting and contributing material for publication. One of the items suggested that should go into future publications was the status of each SDNP site.

  37. In conclusion, the feedback on the document was positive and it was suggested the publication should continue as a series.

    Reporting, Monitoring and Evaluation

  38. There was a general discussion on the separate but related nature of these activities, their interaction and importance. In general they were viewed from the field as time-consuming and non- productive. This attitude was wrong and had to be modified. It was essential to prepare forward work plans with budgets, typically for 6-12 months, and to share these with Steering Committees and SDNP/HQ for review and approval. Reporting was suggested as appropriate every three months to Steering Committees, and biannually or annually to New York, depending on circumstances. Evaluations should be conducted periodically, typically every 12-18 months for field operations and should be undertaken by independent persons. It was imperative to consistently collect baseline data for evaluation exercises, even rather straightforward information such as the origin of questions, their purpose, action taken, results received, follow-up and cost of the transactions would be most helpful.

  39. National activities needed to generate such baseline information to justify expenditures and similarly SDNP in New York needed such data to justify fund-raising efforts. It was agreed much more organized and disciplined action was needed by almost all nodes. New York was asked to prepare examples of some work sheets that national nodes could use for monitoring purposes and to share them with all nodes. New York was also asked to prepare guidelines on reporting and evaluation and likewise to share this with National Coordinators as soon as possible. Annex XIV gives summary notes used for this session of the workshop.

    Role of SDNP Headquarters

  40. The role of the SDNP Headquarters unit was discussed, particularly regarding fundraising, assistance in leveraging cofinancing from other multilateral and bilateral sources, coordination with organizations also active in networking, and in policy making.

  41. Coordinators noted that in the Bombay Workshop of December 1993 their colleagues had requested a more proactive role from New York with regard to analysis of trends and sharing that information, implementation of certain activities and studies of common interest to most countries that New York could undertake more expeditiously, at lower cost, and with a broader choice of expertise than was available at the national level; initiation of a regular Newsletter and sharing of case study data, were other practical examples of support requested from New York. Coordinators appreciated that a combination of a lack of human and financial resources for SDNP's Headquarters operation combined with a wish to maximize the number of countries that could be assisted had resulted in inadequate attention to their concerns, but they felt the pendulum had swung too far and tighter and more frequent administrative, technical and outreach/communications support was now essential. A summary of the lecture notes on the role of Headquarters is provided in Annex XV.

    Future Steps

  42. Coordinators were advised of a number of networking initiatives and how these were directly or indirectly related to SDNP. Funding was tight and 1995 looked as if it would be even tighter, not only for UNDP but other donors as well. On the other hand there did seem to be a trend toward interest of donors in specific programmes. The SDNP was seen as a worthwhile initiative with its own distinct identity, and a deliberate fundraising initiative (in conjunction with Capacity 21) might be launched in 1995. In summary, 1995 was seen as a year of consolidation rather than a time to launch many new initiatives. A summary of the lecture notes is provided in Annex XVI.

    The SDNP in India

  43. After a series of discussions with the UNDP and the Ministry of Environment and Forests, the Government of India initiated efforts to explore the possibilities of setting up an SDNP in India. In early 1994, a Task Force was established to assess the need and guide the preparation of a feasibility report that will outline the most appropriate design and implementation strategy for SDN in India. A rapid Pre-Feasibility Study confirmed the need for an SDNP in India and also broadly outlined the scope of subjects to be covered, geographical spread and technological reach. The Task Force then appointed The Centre for Development Alternatives to undertake a feasibility study to suggest various options that are possible for SDNP in India.

  44. The draft report of the feasibility study outlines these options that have evolved from an assessment of the present situation in India and the guiding principles distilled from experiences of SDNP initiatives globally. Chapter 1 takes a quick look at the background including the origin and status of SDNP, guiding principles for a national SDNP, and the progress on SDNP in India. Chapter 2 provides an overview of the prospective SDNP environment in India. Potential SDNP participants are categorised at a level of aggregation that enables strategic decision making. The needs of users are carefully analysed to understand the present gaps. The current status and constraints of information carriers and providers are then assessed to determine what potential they have to participate in an SDNP in India. Finally, the key issues that need to be borne in mind for design of an SDNP node in India are summarised.

  45. Chapter 3 outlines five optional frameworks for an SDNP in India that have been developed by attributing varying emphasis on the needs of the current situation in India and also some of the SDNP guidelines. Based on the primary functions they are expected to perform the options may be labelled as a clearing house, an association of networks, a high speed backbone, a user network, and a network service provider. In each case the functions, operational requirements and financing requirements are described. The predominant strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are also presented. The Task Force studied each optional framework presented in the draft feasibility report and then suggested a combination of several options, namely a combination of an association of networks and a user network (with elements of the clearing house concept and the high speed backbone). SDNP-NY, IDRC and this SDNP Workshop (Nov 94) all independently arrived at similar suggestions.

  46. The feasibility study team is now in the process of detailing the design and implementation strategy of the above proposed framework for SDNP-India and plans to finish the final feasibility report before the end of 1994.

    Role of Information in Development

  47. The second session on day five for the management group was an open exchange led by Dr Ramani on the role of information in development. He emphasised that information is a catalyst: it costs little compared to the systems it eliminates. It can save a lot by increasing efficiency and by reducing waste. Information improves peoples' productivity enormously, by helping them to network with others. A networked person is a lot more productive than an isolated one.

  48. Information networking has its greatest impact in changing peoples' work culture. It introduces informality, reduces hierarchy, offers greater autonomy to those who are young or in relatively junior positions, enables a greater sharing of news and information and an increase the level of responsibility handled and in the variety of work done. It reduces higher level control, isolation from international trends, etc.

  49. The potential for information networking in releasing peoples' energies is immense. However, we must note that information networking, throwing open informal e-mail communication world-wide, etc., are to some extent a threat to any heavy-handed local control and some power structures are thus bound to resent them.

  50. Information networking is bound to make a big impact on the sectors of education and public health. Commercial channels are weak in these sectors. For instance, drug companies spend a lot in sending newsletters on new curative drugs to physicians but they spend much less on telling all concerned about developments which are useful in preventing the occurrence or spread of the disease. Information networking must make special efforts to rectify gaps like that.

  51. SDNP Coordinators must make a special effort to work with the media. Computer mediated communications will not reach even 5% of the population in most countries in the next five or ten years. It is, therefore, essential that we use the media effectively to increase the number of people who benefit from the new flows of information that SDNPs are generating.

    Regulatory Issues and Tariff Implications

  52. The telecommunications regulatory authorities can grant or deny permission to any of the following:

    • leasing lines

    • permitting you to interconnect leased lines to create a network (Networking License)

    • permitting you to interconnect your network to a public network, and

    • permission to set-up your own satellite network based on Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs) and interconnect this satellite network to leased lines.

    The PTTs willingness to give you these permissions can make or mar an SDNP, so put energy into establishing good relations with PTT authorities to obtain these permissions.

    Cost Implications of Tariffs:

  53. Consider the cost of sending 100 lines of text through different

          -------------------------------------------------------- 
        Dialup                  $ 1.4 (per 100 lines of text)  
      ---------------------------------------------------------
        Public Data Network     $ 0.7                          
      ---------------------------------------------------------
        Leased line at 64 KBPS  $ 0.03                         
                                                               
        (at US $ 100,000)                                      
      ---------------------------------------------------------
    For this computation, we assume only 10% loading and 80 bytes per line. The working is as follows:

          ((100,000x80x100)/(365x24x3600x0.1x((64000)/(8))))=((8000)/(31.5x8000))=$   0.03
    Indicative costs for a large VSAT network: two examples

    • National Stock Exchange of India Size: 70 VSATs within the first six months, expected to grow to 300 in 2 years.

    • Service Provider: Joint Sector Company: HCL (Indian Company) Registered in India + GTE (USA)
      Cost: $ 16,000 per VSAT
      Annual Payment: Approximately $ 2,500 for maintenance and communication. It is very likely NSE does not recover full costs in this manner. ``Trades'' put through will earn NSE service charges which can partly cover communication costs.

    Intellectual Property Rights

  54. The concepts of patents, design patents, trade marks, and trade secrets were discussed. It was noted that the courts of the world have largely decided that the appropriate instrument for protecting software is the copyright. It was noted that affixing the legend "Copyright, SDNP, Countryname, 1994" to a document or to the first screen display of a programme provides the author a prima facie right. The copyright can be earned when followed up by submission of copies of the material and an application to the Copyright Commissioner of the country concerned.

  55. Copyrights are taken not merely to protect commercial interests. They provide the authority to insist on being suitably mentioned when the material is used elsewhere. (The author can display a message or two: For example, the right to reproduce for non-commercial use may be given without need for prior written approval, subject to a) the material being printed in its entirety b) the copyright statement being included without any change).

  56. The concept of shareware was discussed. Here the author who holds the copyright makes it easy for his software to be copied widely. But his copyright statement says that the user, after a short trial, should send a specified sum of money to the author and submit registration information such as address. Waffle is a good example of shareware. Shareware differs from public domain software. Public domain software may or may not be covered by a copyright, but offers the user the freedom to use it for non-commercial use.

  57. If an SDNP practices cost recovery, can the author of the software claim the SDNP is a commercial user? One needs to worry about it, but the not-for-profit status of the SDNP will provide some protection in this regard.

  58. The possibilities of users being unwittingly being drawn into litigation was discussed, along with the need for ensuring that pirated software is not used.

    Evaluation and Feedback

    Feedback Questionnaire

  59. All participants were asked to complete a questionnaire on the effectiveness of the workshop. Separate questionnaires were completed for the management and technical groups and are reproduced in Annexes XVII and XXVI. All participants completed the questionnaires (14 for management and 8 for the technical group).

  60. Feedback from the management group indicated the following:

    • Quality of presentations: (where 0 was poor and 5 excellent) a rating of 3.6 was given indicating satisfaction, but clear room for improvement.

    • Quality and relevance of documentation: (where 0 was poor and 5 excellent) a rating of 4.1 was given indicating strong satisfaction.

    • Quality of demonstration: (where 0 was poor and 5 excellent) a rating of 3.1 was given indicating no more than an average degree of satisfaction. However, it should be borne in mind that the management group was deliberately only introduced briefly to many systems and applications.

    • Expectations from the workshop: (where 0 was poor and 5 excellent) a rating of 4.2 was given indicating high satisfaction with this important measurement.

    • Mix of skills and experience: (where 0 was seen as a disadvantage and 5 as a great benefit from the mixture of skills) a rating of 4.3 was given indicating high satisfaction.

    • Duration: (where 0 was too short, 3 was perfect and 5 was too long) a rating of 3.1 was given indicating complete satisfaction.

    • Time management: (where 0 was poor and 5 excellent) a rating of 2.9 was given indicating a less than satisfactory reading. The management group felt too much material was introduced.

    • Size of the Group: (where 3 was perfect) a rating of 3.2 was given indicating complete satisfaction.

    • Service by NCST: (where 5 was excellent) a rating of 4.9 was given indicating high appreciation for the exceptionally thorough and professional support provided by all the staff of NCST at every level and through every phase of the workshop.

    • Other comments from partcipations provided useful feedback for future workshops and included the following:

        (a) country statements took up too much time and could be prepared beforehand following a format. A synthesis could be provided to the workshop. This is an excellent suggestion worthy of adoption;

        (b) some managers wanted more exposure to certain subjects including measuring impact; monitoring and evaluation, financial management; and marketing (including interaction with business groups);

        (c) some managers wanted more hands-on time on computers, although they did have this opportunity outside working hours;

        (d) the technique of ``break-out'' groups of 2-4 persons charged with completing a specific assignment and reporting back to the full group was suggested as an option for future consideration; and

        (e) more resource persons were requested by one participant, but this would have reduced the opportunity to learn first-hand from the more experienced Coordinators who served as discussion leaders. It also would have significantly increased the cost of the workshop.

    Technical Group

    Introduction

  61. The Third SDNP Coordinators Workshop included a second parallel track specially designed for SDNP technical personnel. This was the first time that an SDNP Workshop has done so and, given its success, it will probably become a standard feature for future workshops.

  62. As a networking and information dissemination project, SDNP places a good deal of emphasis on the technical aspects of building a host node in each country. Though technical expertise can be found in most countries, it cannot be taken for granted. Thus the need to build capacity in this respect and guarantee that appropriate human resources are available to support the SDNP endeavour. A total of nine persons participated in the technical track representing the following countries: Indonesia, India, Palestine, Honduras, Lebanon, Tunisia, Cameroon, Guatemala and Colombia.

    Objectives

  63. The technical track was designed with the purpose of providing participants with direct hands-on training on connectivity and networking issues. Lectures were kept to a minimum with the expectation that participants did most of the work under the guidance of the resource persons.

  64. The agenda for the technical track was organized following a specific logical chain for country host set up and installation. Though most countries will not follow such sequence in the order presented, it was thought that SDNP technical staff should be well aware of it and fully prepared to jump in at any point of the chain.

  65. Since most SDNP countries do not have full access to the Internet, it was assumed that the installation of a very basic dial-up store and forward node, running on a DOS platform, was a necessary first step. WAFFLE UUCP for DOS, a shareware program, was chosen as a first platform for the workshop. Several SDNP sites currently use this software with relative success.

  66. As SDNPs start to handle more users and information it becomes necessary to move to a more sophisticated operation that supports multiple users and multiple dial-in lines. In such cases the use of a Unix-like system running on Intel platforms such as Linux seems a good and cost effective option.

  67. A third step in the process supposes that SDNPs will eventually be connected to the Internet and will probably play a key role in helping specific countries to do so. Thus a move from dial-up technologies to TCP/IP protocols becomes a necessary step. At this point it is also possible that a few SDNPs start using more sophisticated equipment such as SUN Sparcservers running SUN's operating system.

  68. A peculiarity of SDNP hosts is that of support and training for SDNP users. SDNP technical personnel are expected to provide substantial training and support for SDNP "clients". It is certainly not enough to know everything about networking and connectivity if such knowledge cannot be properly translated for end users and put in their hands in simple and friendly terms. For these reasons the workshop also emphasized the client side of networking and planned on dedicating a full session on the subject.

    Workshop Background

    Networking and Connectivity issues

  69. After several years of existence the Internet has finally become the global network that everyone wants to access. Application tools such as Gopher, WAIS and in particular the World Wide Web has made the Net much more attractive and easier to use.

  70. Connecting to the Internet in a developed country is rather simple and cost effective, but this is not for developing countries.

    Access to Internet for developing countries

    Developing countries wanting to connect to the Internet or already connected face the following obstacles among others:

    • costs/sustainability issues

    • existing infrastructure/PTT tariffs & policies

    • human resources/capacity building

    • barriers to entry

    • national networking

    • information sources: national and international

  71. Costs/Sustainability: SDNP estimates that, on the average, the annual cost for a developing country for a 64 kbps link to the Internet is between $ 96,000 and $ 120,000. This represents a monthly cost of approximately $ 9,000, which many developing countries cannot afford. Even if international organizations such as UNDP or the World Bank decide to finance the first year of operations, questions of long term sustainability emerge. As long as developing countries cannot afford to pay most of the costs for the connection to the Internet this will certainly be the case. For these reasons SDNP has been very careful in this regard and not blindly pushed its target countries towards immediate Internet connectivity.

  72. Infrastructure: Internet connectivity presupposes that the current national infrastructure is adequate not only for international access, but also for national connectivity. For example, many developing countries still do not have digital circuits; so access to high speed dedicated links is impossible. Regular dial up lines are analog and will not support speeds higher than about 500 bytes per second. Infrastructure development is usually implemented by national PTTs, which in turn implement high profit margins to obtain fast returns on the capital investments they make. Alternatives such as satellite connections (VSAT) must follow PTT policies and usually require their licensing at specific fees.

  73. Human Resources: a related aspect is the existence in country of the human capacity and expertise to install and administer full blown Internet hosts. Many developing countries do not have the necessary depth in human resources to accomplish this, and as a matter of fact many of them lack knowledge on Unix and/or TCP/IP. Internet projects should then include specific proposals for building capacity in this regard.

  74. Entry Barriers: a few developing countries already have Internet connectivity. However, this is limited to a few national institutions -usually academic centres. Access by other sectors of civil society is either forbidden or has been defined as commercial access; thus they face higher connection fees that many potential users cannot afford to pay. A typical case is that of NGOs, which have been systematically excluded from Internet access in several developing countries.

  75. National Networking: this is perhaps the most important factor for any developing country. It is certainly not enough to have international access if national institutions and persons cannot benefit from it. Moreover, it is perhaps more important to develop national networks that bring all sorts of people together on a large national setup. Experience tell us that on the average for countries connected to the Internet the amount of national traffic is two to three times larger than international traffic. Building national networks is not as simple as connecting to the Internet, but it is a key aspect in the whole process.

  76. Information Sources: information is what gives life to networking -- and not hardware and software. Internet connectivity and national networking can be justified inasmuch as the benefits obtained in terms of information flows and dissemination are clear and understood. Developing countries can readily find tons of information on their countries in the Internet. Access to national sources is usually more complicated as data is not available in digital format and/or it has restricted access.

    Some alternatives for developing countries

  77. Internet access should be viewed as a process, which involves a multiplicity of actors both at the national and the international levels. Without doubt, it is much more than just ``purchasing'' the link to the Net and acquiring the necessary equipment and software. This process evolves at different levels within each developing country. It will be difficult to attempt and formulate a single recipe for such process. A few countries will probably have quick access to the Internet, but perhaps the majority of them will take a year or more to accomplish this task. In the meanwhile alternatives have to be implemented to start closing the information technology gap between developed and developing countries. There are several possibilities here and they include:

    • non-interactive access: store and forward networks (electronic mail, and electronic conferences and news)

    • dial-up connections

    • access to adequate telephone lines, etc.

    • fixed costs/volume

    • UUCP (mostly Unix)

    • the UNIX ``ghost'': scarce national human resources for Unix support

    • Fidonet (mostly DOS)

  78. Non-interactive Access: store and forward hosts (and networks) provide basic access to the Internet and are rather cost effective. Electronic mail and electronic conferences can provide specific countries with a variety of information that can prove to be of crucial importance to many of them. Furthermore, there is email access and support for Internet services such as FTP, WAIS, Gopher, WWW and Archie to name just a few. Electronic mail access is in this context a powerful networking and information tool.

  79. Dial-up Connections: store and forward networks use regular telephone lines to connect to a friendly host, which is connected to the Internet. Since for almost all developing countries the costs of calling overseas hosts are quite high, SDNP (as well as other networks such as APC) originate calls in the US or UK to reduce telecommunications costs. PTT rates and policies again affect the development of these networks for obvious reasons.

  80. Access to Adequate Telephone Lines: this is of crucial importance as good and reliable telephone lines can make a difference in the implementation and evolution of store and forward networks. Low quality telephone lines will increase the communications costs and decrease the reliability of the national host since the end users will probably stop trusting the host and stop using it altogether.

  81. Fixed Costs per Volume: In contrast with the traditional Internet "model" where there are no charges for traffic, store and forward networks have a fixed cost for every single character they send. As volume increases so does the communication costs. There are no economies of scale in store and forward networks. In this context, the maximization in the efficiency of the transactions between hosts becomes a goal in itself for dial-up store and forward networks.

  82. UUCP, Fido, Unix support: store and forward networks were initially designed for Unix systems. That is the origin of UUCP (Unix to Unix Copy Program), which provided Unix systems with the ability of exchanging mail and news through regular telephone lines. Fido emerged as a similar alternative for DOS based computers -though its architecture and concept is radically different from that of UUCP. No doubt the fact that Unix was at the time a relatively complicated operating system not widely known by the non-technical community contributed to the development of a pure DOS based solution which, at the beginning, provided more effective protocols and efficiency for transferring information between hosts.

  83. Nowadays both UUCP and Fido are excellent solutions for client nodes. However, for national hosts, UUCP seems a better option to implement for at least two reasons: first, recent UUCP developments have substantially increased the efficiency of the original UUCP protocols and provide all the features of the protocols used by Fido nodes; secondly, the transition from a UUCP DOS based host to a similar host based on the Unix operating system is much less painful than moving from Fido to Unix. UUCP for DOS and UUCP for UNIX are basically the same in terms of configuration, etc.. The investment in human resources is then more sound and consistent in this case as technical personnel can move smoothly from one to the other without a major retraining program.

    Workshop Documentation and Software

  84. One of the key aspects in the organization of the technical workshop was the need to provide participants with good quality documentation and useful software. The idea was to give them the necessary materials for reference and help to take home and start immediate work on their respective hosts.

  85. Each participant received the notes for each of the sessions discussed in the workshop. These notes have been summarized and are included in this report in Annexes XVIII through XXV.

  86. In addition, participants received the following:

    • CD-ROM titles:

      • Linux Developer's Resource (2 CDs)
      • Internet Tools
      • Perl and tcl/tk

      • MS-DOS Simtel Collection (2 CDs)
      • CICA MS-Windows Collection (3 CDs)

      • C Source code for DOS and Unix

    • The book Linux Network Administrator Guide by Olaf Kirch

    • FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) on:

      • Internet Economics

      • Linux
      • WAFFLE for DOS
      • UUCP

    Evaluation and Feedback

  87. Participants were requested to complete a questionnaire on the last day of the workshop regarding the various aspects of the technical track. The questionnaire is attached as Annex XXVI. All participants completed the questionnaire. Feedback was the following:

    • Quality of technical setup: (where 1 was poor and 5 excellent) an average of 4.3 indicates a very good set up.

    • Quality of technical presentations: (where 1 was poor and 5 excellent) an average of 3.8 was obtained indicating that the presentations were above the average, but there is still room for improvement.

    • Quality of technical contents: (where 1 was poor and 5 excellent) an average of 4.1 indicates a very good training program and design.

    • Quality of hands-on sessions: (where 1 was poor and 5 excellent) an average of 3.9 indicates very good interactive sessions and a good ratio between resource persons and participants.

    • Quality of organization: an average of 3.9 was obtained indicating participants felt the workshop was very well organized.

    • Workshop expectations: an average of 3.9 was obtained indicating participants were very satisfied with the workshop as their expectations were fulfilled.

    • Size of group: an overall score of 3.0, out of 3.0, was obtained indicating that the size of the group was perfect.

    • Service by NCST: an average of 4.6 was obtained indicating a high level of appreciation of NCST support and staff involved in the organization and implementation of the workshop.

    • Other topics to be covered: participants made the following recommendations:

      • Session on modem configuration and setup

      • Session on Internet navigation tools

      • Session on DOS and UNIX general concepts

      • Additional sessions on sendmail

      • Session on DOS access to Internet

    • Other comments: participants provided the following additional remarks:

      • The small size of the group was ideal for the workshop.

      • The hands-on emphasis provided the key to the success of the workshop.

      • Personal contact between participants and resource persons and amongst participants was excellent.

      • The time period of the workshop was too short. Almost all participants expressed the same view.

      • In a couple of sessions computer breakdowns could not be quickly solved and this prevented one participant from direct hands-on training.

      • The workshop should consider the technical background of the participants as a key starting point.

      • The material provided to the participants (documentation, lecture notes, etc.) should be distributed beforehand to expedite presentations and adequately prepare participants for hands-on sessions.

      • One participant felt that the workshop covered too much ground in too short a period of time.

      • One participant suggested that practice time should be increased.

    Conclusions and Recommendations

  88. Participants got explanations and practice on UUCP connections, Waffle as a DOS platform connection, Pegasus mail and how to configure it, and Unix-UUCP testing. Participants also setup and installed a Unix environment, using the public domain Linux. Participants also examined Linux UUCP, as well as the Sendmail and related items. Finally, a session on TCP/IP networking was held.

  89. Participants commented that the workshop was heavily loaded with interesting material, but the lack of time was cause for concern and some topics had to be skipped.

  90. The participants acknowledged that the workshop was remarkable and cited the following reasons for such success:

    • Emphasis on hands-on training. This helped a lot in terms of giving the trainees detailed guidance.

    • Excellent technical preparation and presentation of the technical content of the sessions by the resource persons.

    • The small size of the group enabled the trainees on a more one-to-one contact that helped a lot in individual training.

    • The cooperation of NCST was excellent, and contributed a lot to the success of the workshop.

    • The materials prepared for each participant, like books, CD-ROMs handouts etc. was very useful, and will be when the participants are back home.

  91. The participants to this workshop have discussed suggestions and issues that may contribute to an increase in the efficiency of future workshops. These can be listed as follows:

    • Had the country presentations been prepared in advance, and documented, the participants would have gained more time and insight of what each SDNP is doing.

    • May be a poster session could have been organized, with each SDNP displaying charts and diagrams, and pictures of their progress, plans and work.

    • Could the technical track be organized to take place maybe six months before the management one? Or maybe a few days before the management track, so to give more time for technical work and training.

    • It was noticed that few common discussion or links existed between the technical and management tracks. Maybe increasing such link or interaction would be welcome by all participants.

  92. In sum, the technical workshop can be rated as very successful. Without doubt, the participants enthusiasm and willingness to absorb all material in a short period of time was a key element. NCST support, technical expertise and service were the other fundamental ingredients in the process. In this light, future SDNP workshops will follow the same path as this one by providing both managerial and technical tracks for SDNP personnel.

    VI. General Conclusions, Recommendations and Wrap-Up of the Workshop

  93. The following paragraphs summarize important points that require consideration and follow-up action.

  94. No significant surprises came out of the Workshop. The Workshop was rated highly by the participants.

  95. Separation of the Coordinators and Technical Specialists into separate training programmes was clearly more successful than the mixed agenda given to all participants in previous workshops. The same separation is recommended in future although the technical programme should last at least one and possibly two days longer.

  96. The support services provided by all NCST staff were outstanding and a significant contributing factor to the positive outcome of the workshop.

  97. In keeping with the principle of transparency participants were able to review all SDNP basic documentation prior to and during the workshop including the forward strategy advocated in July 1994 by consultant Wild. Participants were anxious to learn of corporate decisions by UNDP about the future of SDNP beyond December 1994. They were advised it was seen as likely that Wild's recommendations would be acted upon.

  98. The continued focus of SDNP on countries with varying economic circumstances, connectivity and human resources was endorsed and the recommendation of an earlier evaluation mission to focus on countries able to quickly take advantage of computer mediated communications was seen as a most inappropriate policy for UNDP to follow.

  99. Participants were anxious to maintain contact with each other and exchange information to mutual advantage. Future meetings of participants, especially of Coordinators, was encouraged and regional meetings of two days were considered to discuss standards, methodology, coordination, reporting and other matters. Priorities in 1995 were seen for the Near East and North Africa and for Latin America, but other possibilities to be borne in mind are for Southeast Asia, the Baltics and Central West Africa.

  100. The 1993 Workshop made a number of important recommendations whereby SDNP/HQ was to significantly strengthen its technical and managerial outreach and backstopping, especially regarding analyses of SDNP's strengths and weaknesses and the sharing of information. Headquarters had clearly performed poorly in this regard due to insufficient human and financial resources. Participants were anxious that this situation be corrected just as soon as possible, and there was considerable discussion on the kinds of services HQ could and should provide. Participants were, however, reminded of the severe financial constraints on SDNP/HQ and the pressure to allocate the maximum amount of resources to extending activities to more of the roughly fifty countries that had expressed interest in establishing an SDNP node but for which resources were lacking. In this context the SDNP Coordinators understood the significance and justification for the entrepreneurial principles embodied in SDNP management and their need to progressively move toward full cost recovery. They underlined repeatedly, however, their need to have UNDP as a consistent and reliable partner during the first years of each SDNP nodes' existence. Two functions that SDNP/NY could assist with were leveraging financial resources and facilitating inter-agency cooperation.

  101. Managers of operational nodes gave examples of the immediate and short term benefits that had resulted from exchanges of information through their SDNP nodes, and participants about to initiate operations were similarly optimistic of the important role their SDNPs could play in improving the nature and quality of decision making relevant to sustainable development.

  102. SDNP nodes should continue to select technological solutions appropriate to their needs and to view development of their nodes in a continuum.

  103. The SDNP's Information Series published in March 1994 had been a worthwhile effort and had already served Coordinators well. An update would be welcomed, but any decision should take into consideration other guidance tools that had subsequently become available commercially.

  104. Specific recommendations for action by SDNP/HQ included:

    • the preparation of case studies and guidelines on how Coordinators should approach and work with national PTT authorities to shift negotiations from an adversarial nature to one whereby SDNP nodes are viewed with favour and deserving of especially favourable treatment;

    • the provision of guidelines for Coordinators on matters of copyright, patents and intellectual property rights. These have not become issues influencing any SDNP yet, but preparedness was advocated;

    • systematic collection, analysis and sharing of information by Headquarters on computer mediated communications of obvious relevance to SDNP including status reports, analyses of particular success and failures. Actions in this regard could include:

      • the widespread and regular distribution of a hard- copy newsletter;

      • implementation of an electronic discussion list for all personnel directly engaged in SDNP activities; and

      • a similar discussion list to be addressed to the general public.

    • the preparation of guidelines for consideration by all SDNP Coordinators on how to measure and evaluate the impact of their activities on decision making relevant to sustainable human development. This should include guidance on methodology, the selection and description of appropriate indicators, and preparation of cost-benefit analyses.

    • increase the exchange of information amongst national SDNPs and between national SDNPs and New York and provide proper channels for reporting. Regional emphasis in this process is to be encouraged.

  105. Time and time again throughout the Workshop participants noted that SDNPs were more than simply a provision of technical connectivity. SDNPs had become fora for open discussion -- often for the first time -- of sustainable development issues. They had provoked reviews of PTT policies and practices; they were serving as clearing houses; as valued sources of advice and opinion on sustainable development issues; they were contributing to building self-reliance by enabling decision makers to determine what information they wished to obtain to facilitate their decision making; and they were stimulating Technical Cooperation between Developing Countries.


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