The subject report is being released by the World health Organization at
the 52nd World Health Assembly on May 17. You can link both to the
Document and to the World Health Assembly Web Site at
http://www.idn.org/#Tools You Can Use
Here is what else is new the past two weeks at the International
Development Network Web Site located at http://www.idn.org/ :
_______________________________________________________________________
TOOLS YOU CAN USE - http://www.idn.org/#Tools You Can Use
In addition to this week's tool, which is identified above, the week of
May 9th, the IDN featured a link to World Development Indicators 1999
This document presents 600 indicators in 83 tables, organized in six
sections: world view, people, environment, economy, states and markets,
and global links. The tables cover 148 economies and 14 country
groups—with basic indicators for a further 62 economies.
Most of the text from the book is presented, but only a sampling of the
tables from each section is available.
_______________________________________________________________________
QUICK LINK OF THE WEEK - http://www.idn.org/#Quick Link Of The Week
Women Mean Business: A Global Exchange Women business owners represent a
powerful force in the global marketplace. As this momentum increases,
creating opportunities for women to share business experiences with
their global counterparts becomes increasingly important.
Through USAID’s Lessons Without Borders program, the Women Mean
Business: A Global Exchange conference has been designed to connect
women business owners who, through sharing lessons learned and
networking, can strengthen their enterprises. They can also improve
their prospects of doing business domestically and internationally.
This week's quick link is to the web site for this conference, being
held from June 2-3, 1999 in Chicago, Illinois (USA).
The Week of May 9, 1999
Wei Jingsheng: A Profile in Courage
On May 16, 1999, Niagara University will award an honorary doctorate of
humane letters to Wei Jingsheng. Mr. Wei is the most widely known and
respected symbol of the struggle for democracy and human rights in
China.
Since January 1998, he has held the position of visiting scholar at the
Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs. But
until November 1997, when Mr. Wei was released by Chinese authorities on
medical parole and permitted to leave for the United States, his life
was a remarkable journey from living and discovering the realities of
Chinese life both as a Red Guard and a member of the People's Liberation
Army to becoming the country's leading advocate for democracy and its
most symbolic prisoner of conscience. More than one-third of Mr. Wei's
49 years have been spent in prison.
This week's quick link is to an interview with Wei Jingsheng, as
conducted by Dr. John Stranges of Niagara University.
_______________________________________________________________________
NEW PUBLICATIONS - http://www.idn.org/#New Publications
Global Public Goods: International Cooperation in the 21st Century,
edited by Inge Kaul, Isabelle Grunberg, and Marc A. Stern
UNESCO sees its strategy to promote public domain information confirmed
by a new study by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The
study "Global Public Goods: International Cooperation in the 21st
Century," says the major world crises of the late 20th century could
have been averted if governments and international organizations
invested more in the management and protection of so called global
public goods -- international assets that benefit all of humanity.
The new study underlines that these assets, which include knowledge and
information, public health, the environment, human rights and market
efficiency, have been undervalued and mismanaged by institutions and
governments. The study, which was launched on Monday 10 May at Harvard
University in the United States, calls for policies to make the
institutions more capable of responding to global challenges.
In the area of Knowledge and information, the study highlights that at
each step in the creation, treatment and dissemination of knowledge,
attributes of global public goods are evident. Yet, the main policy
issue with knowledge, as the authors show, is not so much
under-provision, as insufficient or unequal access. Joseph Stiglitz, for
example, shows that intellectual property rights that are too strong can
hurt market efficiency and equity. Among his suggestions to improve the
accessibility and price of knowledge is the creation of a "knowledge
bank," linked perhaps to a fairer patent fee system. Habib Sy explores
the public good dimension of global telecommunications and of new
information technologies - in particular the issues of access and
pricing, and the dynamics that work to further marginalize the African
Continent in the information age. In response, Sy calls for a renewed
commitment to a public service agenda and, to that end, for increased
cooperation between states on a regional basis. Debora Spar focuses
specifically on the Internet, examining its public good status, as well
as its positive and negative externalities. She argues that developing
countries need to be empowered to reap the potential benefits from the
Internet.
You can order this publication through the IDN Bookstore, in association
with Amazon Books. All proceeds support the operations if the IDN.
_______________________________________________________________________
NGO/Project Profiles - http://www.idn.org/#NGO/Project Profiles
Internet Radio in Sri Lanka
The Internet is increasingly used for broadcasting radio programmes. The
Kothmale Internet Community radio project in Sri Lanka demonstrates that
this a particularly interesting approach in rural areas.
This pilot project, which aims at assessing the potential benefits of
new communication technologies to remote areas, is being implemented by
UNESCO in collaboration with the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications
and the Media, Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, Sri Lanka
Telecommunication Regulatory Commission and the University of Colombo.
Read details about this project.
_______________________________________________________________________
NEW LINKS - http://www.idn.org/#New Links
Added May 16, 1999
Arbor Nutrition Guide - metaindex for nutrition related information and
organizations.
Concern - Irish NGO that works to eliminate extreme poverty in the least
developed countries of the world.
HealthLink - a project of the Health Systems Trust established to help
meet the communication and information needs of health workers in South
Africa.
Healthlink Worldwide - works to improve the health of poor and
vulnerable communities by strengthening the provision, use and impact of
information.
Instituto de Nutrición de Centro América y Panamá - La misión del INCAP
es contribuir al desarrollo de la ciencia de la nutrición, promover su
aplicación y fortalecer la capacidad de los Países Miembros para
resolver sus problemas alimentario-nutricionales.
International Agricultural Centre - internationally oriented institute
that acts as a platform for exchange and transfer of applied knowledge
on sustainable management of renewable natural resources in developing
countries.
International Council for the Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders - A
nonprofit nongovernment organization for the sustainable elimination of
iodine deficiency worldwide.
The International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) - a worldwide
foundation that is making a difference in public health by advancing the
understanding of scientific issues related to nutrition, food safety,
toxicology, and the environment.
The International Network of Food Data Systems (INFOODS) - is a
comprehensive effort, under the United Nations University Food and
Nutrition Programme and co-sponsored by the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations, to improve data on the nutrient
composition of foods from all parts of the world.
The International Vitamin A Consultative Group (IVACG) - primary
objective is to provide a forum for the exchange of new ideas, research
findings, and programmatic interventions which may contribute to the
eradication of vitamin A deficiency.
Kiwanis International Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD) Project -
working to raise $75 million to virtually eliminate the world's most
prevalent, preventable cause of mental retardation, iodine deficiency
disorders (IDD).
Micronutrient Initiative (MI) - mission is to facilitate the achievement
of the following goals related to the elimination of micronutrient
malnutrition by supporting effective and sustainable programs.
(English/French)
MN-NET A Global Micronutrient Network - Micronutrient Initiative's
efforts to facilitate dissemination and sharing of currently available
information and knowledge related to the elimination and control of
micronutrient deficiencies.
Program Against Micronutrient Malnutrition (PAMM) - is a
multi-disciplinary team that engineers innovative solutions with public
health officials worldwide to end hidden hunger through participatory
training, customized technical support and strategic alliance building.
Added May 9, 1999
Association for Global Internet Services (AGIS) - promotes global access
to new information and communication technologies as a means of
addressing social and economic development problems and fostering
international cooperation.
Egyptian Organization for Human Rights - monitors the human rights
situation in Egypt and defends the rights of Egyptian citizens against
human rights violations regardless of the identity or the affiliation of
the victim(s) or of the violator(s).
Environmental Health Project (EHP) - sponsored by the U.S. Agency for
International Development, the EHP assists development organizations to
address environment related health problems. EHP focuses on the
prevention of three diseases: acute respiratory infections, diarrheal
diseases, and malaria. EHP also provides technical assistance in the
areas of water supply, sanitation, wastewater, solid waste, and air
pollution.
Georgia State University Russian Federation Fiscal Reform Project -
provides technical assistance to the Government of the Russian
Federation in the areas of Tax Policy and Legislation, Intergovernmental
Fiscal Relations, Economic Analysis and Revenue Estimation, and Property
Taxation.
Health Sector Reform Initiative (HSR)/Iniciativa de Reforma del Sector
Salud (RSS) - The Latin America and Caribbean Regional Health Sector
Reform Initiative supports national reform processes to promote more
effective basic health services. (English/Spanish)
Interfaith Hunger Appeal (IHA) - is a partnership of people and
agencies, rooted in faith, who are committed to ending global hunger.
The Micro-Biz Network - Business Development Services for
Microenterprises and Small Businesses.
National NGO Commission for Population and Development of Egypt -
provides technical assistance to NGOs especially by networking and
training for capacity building and developing projects proposals and
fund raising that help them in maintaining sustainability.
Partnerships in South Africa - fostering the development of urban
partnerships in South Africa.
The Southern Africa Regional Telecommunications Restructuring Program -
funded by USAID and managed by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, the objective is
to help ensure that SADC member states realize the significant economic
and social benefits of a modern information infrastructure and
have the resources, both technical and financial, to develop it.
Swiss Centre for Development Cooperation in Technology and Management
(SKAT) - is a Swiss consultancy firm working internationally in the
areas of Water and Sanitation, Architecture and Building, Transport
Infrastructure, and Urban Development.
US/Brazil Learning Technologies Network - strives to provide Brazilian
and U.S. Educators, public sector professionals, researchers, and
business people with convenient access to quality information on
different aspects of educational technologies and an effective means for
professionals working with educational technologies to meet, share
experiences, and collaborate via the Internet. (English/Portuguese)
_______________________________________________________________________
The IDN plans to continue our growth and to expand the depth and breadth
of our information services. If you have not yet thought about a
membership/sponsorship in the IDN, we encourage you to consider becoming
a sponsor/member of the fastest growing, most comprehensive and current
International Development Web Site on the Internet! Information is
available at http://www.idn.org/membership/
|
