Knowledge and Information for Development Forum - Global

This initiative is designed to foster a frank, focused and productive discussion on the growing role of information and knowledge in creating sustainable growth and improving living standards, of development, with a particular focus on the challenges (including the danger of isolation) facing developing countries and the important policy implications for countries and international institutions. The dialogue will take as its point of departure the recently-published World Bank World Development Report 1998/99 on "Knowledge for Development" and a recent response from the Panos Institute critiquing the Report. While these - and other relevant publications - constitute a point of departure, the principal aim of this initiative is to move the debate forward by drawing in a wide range of insights and opinions.

Information resources, economic development, political development.

The advent of new information/communication technologies that permit rapid and inexpensive worldwide dissemination of information presents considerable opportunities and risks for developing countries, particularly those with limited access to these technologies. There is considerable disagreement about the role of these technologies in advancing development objectives, and over the ways in which developing countries - and especially poor people in those countries - can best seize the opportunities presented by the information age and offset some of the threats. Discussions in the Development Forum are open to participants from around the world. In order to assure that those with limited Internet access can participate, these dialogues are conducted by means of moderated email lists, archived to the Development Forum web site.