Tuesday, August 17, 2004
ICT for Development
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have long been praised as a panacea for development. Of course, we all know that ICTs didn't change the rules of the game. In some aspects technology even has a bad impact on development projects. Technologist often have the bad habit of wanting to find solutions to problems and neglecting the (social) environment in the process. In that aspect they often forget the people that will be involved in owning and using the technologies. In a development project this means the individuals, the communities and their values. In order that ICTs can unfold their full potential, technologist must become humble, play the role of mediators and help communities develop their own solutions based on their own history, values and aspirations.
Monday, August 16, 2004
Missing out on the grassroots
This interview with Dr Jean-Louis Lamboray, one of the founders of UNAIDS, the joint United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS, shows that the big organizations still are missing out the grassroots level.
After years of meagre results or even failure we still aren't learning that we must value people's lives and work, their experience and knowledge in order to make progress in development and cooperation.
I agree with Dr. Lamboray that we must ajust top-down policies and we have to have give people a feeling of `ownership,' that they are in charge of the response from the bottom up. Being told from the top what to do and what not to do is not good enough.
interview
After years of meagre results or even failure we still aren't learning that we must value people's lives and work, their experience and knowledge in order to make progress in development and cooperation.
I agree with Dr. Lamboray that we must ajust top-down policies and we have to have give people a feeling of `ownership,' that they are in charge of the response from the bottom up. Being told from the top what to do and what not to do is not good enough.
interview
Thursday, August 05, 2004
Millennium Development Goals
Currently, I can see now real commitment of the international community to the development goals defined at the turning point of centuries...
"The Millennium Development Goals commit the international community to an expanded vision of development, one that vigorously promotes human development as the key to sustaining social and economic progress in all countries, and recognizes the importance of creating a global partnership for development. The goals have been commonly accepted as a framework for measuring development progress".
On the MDG Website you can observe progress on your own...
MDG Website
"The Millennium Development Goals commit the international community to an expanded vision of development, one that vigorously promotes human development as the key to sustaining social and economic progress in all countries, and recognizes the importance of creating a global partnership for development. The goals have been commonly accepted as a framework for measuring development progress".
On the MDG Website you can observe progress on your own...
MDG Website
