UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
Project of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana
PROJECT DOCUMENT
Project Budget Number: GUY/97/001/A/03/99
Project Title: Sustainable Development Networking Programme
Duration: 24 Months
Executing Agency: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Implementing Agency: Ministry of Information
Financing: UNDP Inputs: US$150,000 (Exchange Rate: G$139=US$1)
| Classification
Information
Acc Sector: 0900 Communication and Information Acc Sub Sector: 0950 Information Infrastructure
|
Type of Intervention:
Capacity Building /Technology Adaptation |
| Area of
Focus/Sub-Focus:
Promoting Environmental Sustainability/ Improvement of data and information on sustainable development |
Target Beneficiaries:
Public Managers/Community Leaders/ population at large |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
The Sustainable Development Networking Programme evolved out of the 1992 Rio Conference, Agenda 21 and its supporting instrument Capacity 21. The SDNP will provide for computer mediated communications between users and the suppliers of sustainable development information relevant to Guyana’s development. SDNP aims at (i) contributing to achieve sustainable development by enhancing the capacity for informed and participatory decision-making by stakeholderss for sustainable development at all levels of the economy and society across Guyana and (ii) promote the use of computer mediated communication, and especially the INTERNET as a tool for sharing information, experience, knowledge and for enhancing collaboration between various users. This project is also consistent with the deliberations of the recent Bolivian Summit on Sustainable Development (December, 1996) at which SDNP was endorsed in the Plan of Action by Hemispheric Heads of State and Government.
Approved:
______________________________________________ _______________________
Hon. Clement J. Rohee Date
Minister of Foreign Affairs
______________________________________________ _______________________
Hon. Moses Nagamootoo Date
Minister of Information
______________________________________________ ______________________
Mr. Navin Chandarpal Date
Advisor to the President on Science & Technology
______________________________________________ ______________________
Mr. Carlos Felipe Martinez Date
UNDP Resident Representative
Guyana is a developing country on the North Coast of South America. It has a multiracial population of approximately 800,000 people and a land area of roughly 219,000 square km. About 90% of the country’s population resides on the narrow coastal plain and the remainder in small scattered hinterland settlements where mining and subsistence agriculture are the major occupations.
The country has a high incidence of absolute and structural poverty which needs to be addressed urgently to ensure that large segments of the society do not become marginalized, underprivileged and impoverished. Data obtained from the Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) and the Living Standards Measurement Survey (LSMS) undertaken in 1992-93, indicated that 78% of the nation’s household earned insufficient incomes to procure a basket of essential goods and therefore fell below the poverty line. Similarly, with respect to consumption 43.2% of the population consumed basis food and other items below the poverty line.
While there are positive indications that the Guyana economy has shown signs of improving over the last few years, there is still need for more to be done to ensure its long term stability and sustainable growth. The economy continues to be fragile with a very narrow economic base. It is still heavily dependent on sugar, bauxite and rice and lately on gold as the major foreign export earners and contributors to gross domestic product.
There is evidence to suggest that there is a positive correlation between the nature of the economy and general environmental conditions in Guyana. The depressed state of the economy has made it difficult for funding to be provided to carry out infrastructural works in most of the urban centres in Guyana. The result is rather widespread squalor and degradation. Also it has forced many Guyanese to find alternative sources of employment such as mining and logging. These also further impacted upon the environmental conditions in Guyana.
In general, the transport and communication networks which are crucial elements to the promotion of developmental activities are at best rudimentary in coastal areas and in the hinterland severely limited. The result is that the dissemination of vital information is often restricted posting constraints to the effective delivery of socio-economic and technological information when they are most needed. Recently, efforts have been made to deal with the communication issue by privatising the sector. However, progress has been very slow and the hinterland has still not benefited from any network expansion.
Arising out of these developments, is a problem of exchange of information pertaining to the availability and use of environmental resources for national development. There is, therefore, a limited amount of knowledge of the overall state of the environment including its biodiversity, the extent to which it is affected by various socio-economic activities, its carrying capacity and its general conditions. Similarly, the lack of capacity has restricted the country with respect to the benefits it could derive from activities pertaining to sustainable development in other countries.
In an attempt to promote economic growth, social equity, gender empowerment and long term sustainable development in Guyana, it is necessary that the relationship between the environment on the one hand and development needs of the country on the other should be clearly defined and highlighted. While Guyana remains one of the few countries of the world with almost all of its tropical rainforest undisturbed, it is a well-known fact that there are immense pressures from several local and foreign private sector investors to exploit the country’s natural resources, particularly timber and minerals. This prospect, of course, seems very attractive given the huge foreign debts and impoverished state of the national economy. However, there are indications that the current resource exploitation and utilization techniques can be inimical to the thrust of promoting sustainable development.
At the international level, Guyana has been a participant to the Rio Conference (UNCED) as well as a number of other major conferences on the environment. It is also a signatory to a number of agreements and protocols relating to environmental protection and conservation and the promotion of sustainable development. These agreements include the Treaty of Amazonian Cooperation, the Montreal Protocol, Agenda 21 and other related agreements that emerged from the conferences. This is a clear indication of the Government’s commitment to work towards promoting environmentally sound development policies in line with those adumbrated and accepted by the international community.
At the domestic level a number of initiatives have also been undertaken to come to terms with the potential conflicts that prevail between resource exploitation and environmental protection and conservation. This includes the launching of the Iwokrama Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development which is intended to make available 360,000 hectares of tropical rainforest accessible to international scientists for research in biodiversity and sustainable utilization of tropical forest. Also, there are the National Forestry Action Plan (NFAP), the National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP), and more recently the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The NFAP, for example, is designed to optimize the contribution of forestry sector to the socio-economic sector in harmony with environmental considerations and the need to conserve the tropical forest eco-system. The EPA has been set up to strengthen environmental monitoring and conservation and to promote environmentally sound development policies in Guyana.
At the local level also a plethora of agencies have been involved in the environmental sector in areas such as mining and forestry. The Government of Guyana is well aware that in order to attract foreign investment into the country it is now necessary for it to confirm to certain requirements set out by international lending agencies with respect to the use of the environment. In this regard, it has therefore become critical that all data pertaining to environmental resources for the promotion of national development become easily available to all sectors of the Guyanese and international community. Simultaneously, national development plans and programmes will be enhanced through improved communication networks once SDNP is in place and helps facilitate the easy access of information sources focused on sustainable development issues.
The establishment of the Sustainable Development Networking Programme (SDNP) in Guyana is perceived as an attempt to provide access to data bases that could facilitate a holistic and integrated approach for policy, strategy and management of the development process. It is expected that when the SDNP becomes fully established national development will be advanced in areas of economic, fiscal, trade, agriculture, industrial and all other policies and programmes, in an economic, social and ecological sustainable manner. It is also a technological option that is expected to take the host country into the 21st Century where the exchange of information will be a prerequisite and indeed a pivotal and integral component of sustainable growth and development. It is within this context that the conceptualization of the SDNP project has been circumscribed and expected to become functional and also within these parameters that financial support is being sought.
As an initial step, a group of Guyanese Management and Technical Consultants were contracted by the UNDP to conduct an SDNP feasibility study. In this study interviews were conducted with a wide range of agencies including private, public, NGOs and international organizations. The study urged a speedy implementation of SDNP in Guyana and covered a number of issues such as the options available for its implementation including cost considerations, training, data requirements, the location of the facility among others. Altogether, the report made twenty-two recommendations for the establishment of SDNP in Guyana.
It is intended that the establishment of SDNP in Guyana should provide scope for the exchange of information for all sectors of the Guyanese society and be integrally linked to the information, educational and training sectors. Also, it should work very closely with the school system, teacher training and the academic community to promote awareness, increased capacity and skills. Some of the key partners to be responsible for the direction and pace of change necessary for the successful realisation of sustainable development will include the government departments such as the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education.
In addition, there are a number of other agencies in both the private and public sector which have a special role to play. These include National Environment Action Plan Committee, the recently established Environmental Protection Committee, the Guyana Forestry Commission, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and the Private Sector Commission.
At present there is a severe lack of access to information about sustainable development and related issues in Guyana, and indeed in the region and across the globe. The dearth of information covers such aspects as the state of the environment, and current trends and policies on issues pertaining to sustainable development and biodiversity. A significant amount of information currently exists in Guyana but this is not always readily accessible. The SDNP feasibility study identified some of the key information sources relevant to sustainable development. In addition, there is lack of public awareness of the principles and practices of sustainable development as they relate to Guyana.
Activities in the mining and forestry sectors as well as other sectors of the economy along with the evidence of widespread structural and absolute poverty in Guyana have all raised concerns about the extent to which the environment will be affected and for which information needs to be provided. Also, at present the country has a distinct lack of capacity to monitor, evaluate and disseminate information on resources that can be utilized to promote long term sustainable development.
Currently, there is an urgent need for government departments, the donor community, NGOs, academics, the private sector and other bodies to have an improved system for ready and effective communication. This coordinated effort is necessary to provide a framework for easy and ready access both within Guyana and externally to tackle the concerns pertaining to the utilization of environmental resources, especially those at the local and community level. The totality of issues surrounding the promotion of sustainable development should also be linked to this proposed framework.
SDNP, with Internet as one of its major tools, has a pivotal role to play in fostering sustainable development and averting environmental degradation in Guyana. With the establishment of the network in association with the government, NGOs, academia and the private sector it is anticipated that the project will facilitate greater connectivity within Guyana as well as with other countries for the preparation of data sources and the dissemination of information on sustainable development.
The results of the feasibility study indicate that the SDNP requires an inter-disciplinary approach. It is also clear that the project is intended to benefit all sectors of the Guyanese society but in particular government agencies, the private sector, NGOs, international donor agencies, teaching and research institutions and persons who wish to acquire information on such aspects as markets and investment opportunities, policies that need to be adhered to, environmental protection, pollution control, natural resources management and sustainable development and policy and programme information for planning purposes. In addition, individuals and groups, both private and public, external to Guyana are expected to benefit from the establishment of the SDNP communication network.
The First phase of the project has been designed for 24 months during which time all efforts will be made to provide financial and other support. At the end of that period, however, it is expected that the SDNP will become self-sustaining and expanded. Most of the activities will be ongoing and some are likely to be reviewed during the course of implementation as circumstances change.
Since the decision was taken to move towards the implementation of SDNP in Guyana, an interim steering committee representing various interest groups was established. This committee was tasked with the responsibility of taking the project through to the implementation phase and also to provide advice, direction and support to the SDNP Coordinator and SDNP Unit Staff when the network becomes fully operational. To date, it took responsibility, for example, for supervising the conduct of the feasibility study for the project. This study highlighted among other things the arrangements that needed to be in place to facilitate the implementation of SDNP in Guyana.
A number of options were considered for the implementation of SDNP in Guyana. However, it was determined that in prevailing circumstances, lack of knowledge of the network, limited financial resources and constraints of the communication infrastructure, the initial approach should focus on the provision of a minimum service option to all stake holders. This option, as the name suggests, envisages the need to run a non-profit ISP as part of SDNP with training and other services to be offered from the very start and the establishment of at least one public access point.
The programme of work will be prepared by the SDNP project manager/coordinator and once this is in place it will have to be approved by the Steering Committee. Upon approval, the plan is implemented by the manager/coordinator whose task is also to determine the needs of the community as well as potential users of SDNP. The manager will also be expected to demonstrate and publicize what the network has to offer and simultaneously prepare a business plan which should include proposals for cost recovery. This plan will also be reviewed by the National Steering Committee, the local UNDP office and the SDNP headquarters unit based in New York.
It is anticipated that funding for the establishment of SDNP in Guyana will be provided by a grant from the UNDP along with other international organizations, the private sector and an in kind contribution from the Government of Guyana.
It is recommended that in the initial phase when a minimum service is proposed, the establishment of SDNP in Guyana has a total of three (3) staff members. Among these would be the project information/network specialist. As the demand grows, the system expands and becomes self-sustaining, more staff will be recruited. They will be assisted with inputs from the interim management committee, especially with respect to policy decisions and the direction in which the project is to proceed.
The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) resulted in Agenda 21 which promotes a comprehensive plan of action for sustainable development. Guyana participated in UNCED and as such adheres to Agenda 21. UNCED also identified UNDP as the lead agency to assist developing countries to acquire the capacity to implement the recommendations of Agenda 21. UNDP responded with the Capacity 21 programme and with the SDNP.
There is no doubt that the establishment of SDNP in Guyana will positively impact upon the efforts to implement a sustainable development programme in Guyana. However, due to the paucity of financial resources and the numerous development priorities faced by the government, UNDP’s assistance is required for the implementation of SDNP in Guyana.
In addition to the above considerations, it will also be necessary to seek additional funding from the private sector and other funding agencies, so that all partners will have unlimited access to the use of the SDNP. It is hoped that in the long run the project will become sustainable by generating its own funds and at the same time maintain its independence.
A further justification for the implementation of the project is that it is expected to focus on the promotion of sustainable development for women, the indigenous community and other disadvantaged groups within the Guyanese society as well as community based organizations. These groups form significant segments of the nation and produce well below their capacity due in part to lack of access to facilities and information sources. In attempting to improve the living standards some of these groups have been forced to engage in activities that are not always compatible with the goals of sustainable development. It is expected that this project will provide support for and assist in alleviating some of the problems of poverty and deprivation.
The Government of Guyana is anticipated to be one of the major users of SDNP when it is fully established in Guyana. Its commitment to sustainable development is unequivocal as borne out by its involvement at various meetings both local and international and its commitment to the various Plans of Action evolving from these meetings. Also, the government is represented in the interim steering committee established to oversee the implementation of the network in Guyana.
The primary objectives of the project are as follows:
a) To contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in Guyana by facilitating the dissemination of information to all sectors of the society through the establishment of connectivity between users and suppliers of information;
b) To contribute to the achievement of sustainable development by enhancing the capacity for informed and participatory decision-making by stakeholders for sustainable development at all levels of the economy and society across Guyana;
c) Having regard to the above, propose a sustainable mechanism for facilitating access to information and for encouraging increased collaboration, participation and communication and networking between stakeholders locally, nationally, regionally and internationally;
d) To enhance the capacity for using computer mediated communication, and especially the Internet as a tool for sharing information, experience, knowledge and for enhancing collaboration between various of users.
OBJECTIVE ONE: To establish an organization mechanism for networking stakeholders for sustainable development
Output One: An active SDNP Steering Committee.
Activity: The identification and establishment of a broad-based SDNP Steering Committee.
Output Two: An active SDNP operational Unit
Activities:
• Hire the SDNP Coordinator, and Unit Staff;
• Establish the legal framework for SDNP;
• Establish the SDNP Operational Network;
• Prepare a detailed work programme using the outputs of the SDNP feasibility study and the Objective Two below.
OBJECTIVE TWO: To promote the development of communications and connectivity between the users and providers of information pertaining to sustainable development in Guyana.
Output One: A SDNP Internet compatible computer network with full international connectivity linked to a wide cross-section of the Guyanese society across all the regions with communication network.
Activities:
• A public awareness campaign to raise public consciousness on the use of computer mediated communications;
• Work in close collaboration with the UN system in Guyana along with the donor community and other international agencies and end users to increase connectivity;
• Identify and establish wherever possible (especially the urban centres of New Amsterdam, Linden, Rosehall, Corriverton and Anna Regina) SDNP nodes to develop a nation-wide network in the long run;
• Identify key institutions involved in the process of sustainable development in Guyana, through face-to-face meetings and the use of e-mail, tele-conferencing, video-conferencing and other available on-line network tools;
• Training and educating participants in the SDNP and the public to contribute to ensuring that information resources are managed more effectively and efficiently in Guyana;
• Conducting user-training and user-education programmes for potential users of Internet services and tools.
Output Two: An SDNP information server on sustainable Development in Guyana
Activities:
• Encourage the creation and/or acquisition and/or linking of Guyanese information resources especially electronic sources of information to sustainable development.
• Encourage users and subscribers to load information on the SDNP computer server and to use Internet applications to share this information as appropriate;
• Acquire the resources to permit access to this server throughout Guyana by negotiating better terms and conditions of access and by encouraging participants to make best use of their own resources to connect to the SDNP server.
OBJECTIVE THREE: To establish and develop the capacity to use and apply technologies for computer mediated communications for informed decision-making.
Output One: A training programme for SDNP hosts and users that will provide introductory and on-going support.
Activities:
• Identify potential trainees and their needs;
• Identify existing training activities and institutions which to collaborate in providing training;
• Develop training modules;
• Train end users on how to use information sources for their benefit, beyond the advantages of access to the Internet;
• Seek support for additional training.
OBJECTIVE FOUR: To establish a mechanism to ensure the long-term sustainability of the SDNP
Output One: A business plan, including a marketing and communications plan outlining the strategy for self-sustained SDNP growth.
Activities:
• List the categories of market in Guyana for various types of information and knowledge resources for sustainable development. This should be an on-going activity;
• Identify key users and providers of information on sustainable development in Guyana;
• Prepare a plan and strategy to meet the information needs and circumstances affecting the key stakeholders for sustainable development in Guyana;
• Options for additional revenue to be considered including selling information services to the network and selling specialized training packages.
OBJECTIVE FIVE: To develop products and services that meet the needs and circumstances of stakeholders for sustainable development in Guyana.
Output one: A "Sourcebook" of information and other resources, including people and their expertise, on sustainable development in Guyana prepared and disseminated.
Activities:
• Develop and/or provide access to a directory describing key information and knowledge resources that could interest SDNP users;
• Provide information about key stakeholder groups, their nature, objectives, activities, contacts and other relevant information;
• Publish and distribute a Sourcebook on sustainable development at the end of the first year of operation and share output electronically on an appropriate SDNP information server or platform;
• Update the electronic version of the Sourcebook on an on-going basis so that by the end of year two, hard copies can be published again.
Output Two: Products and services to meet the needs of key stakeholders for sustainable development.
Activities:
• Identify and develop products and services to meet the needs of users and of key stakeholders for sustainable development using computer mediated communications;
• Develop appropriate applications for Guyanese SDNP server;
• Make available and/or market the products and services agreed upon.
The inputs required for phase one of the project include:
(a) Personnel: The SDNP Coordinating Unit will consist of the following personnel:
• Project Manager
• Information Specialist/Network Specialist
• Administrative Assistant
(b) Equipment: The basic equipment required for the operation of an SDNP node in Guyana will be the following:
• 1 Intel Pentium Pro Internet Server with 4 gig hard drive and 128MG RAM running Lnux OS
• 1 Back up server/workstation with specifications as the server running Windows 95
• 1 Laptop computer
• 1 Laserjet Printer
• 1 UPS
• 1 HP Color Scanner
• 1 Digital Camera
• 15-25 Telephone lines
• 15-25 high speed dial up modems
• 1 CISCO router 2511
• 2 Digital modems (CSU/DSU)
• Cables and connectors required
(c ) Training
(d) Publications
(a) Host Institution
(b) SDNP New York Contribution
The SDNP unit in New York has been given basic support to the process of launching SDNP in Guyana. Once the project is approved by the Government, SDNP will continue to support it by providing technical and managerial backstopping and helping the project with the purchase and installation of the equipment as needed and required by Guyana.
The project would be subject to a biannual review. The coordinator of the project will produce reports every six months on the operations, activities and financial status of the project and an annual Project Performance and Evaluation Report (PPER) will be submitted to the UNDP and Government. These reports will be reviewed and discussed by the National SDNP Steering Committee, the local UNDP office in Guyana and the SDNP unit in New York.
The Activities and results of SDNP Guyana will be monitored following the parameters described in the guidelines elaborated by the Capacity 21 Unit in New York and in particular in accordance to the indicators specifically design for SDNP activities.
This project document shall be the instrument referred to as such in Article I of the Standard Basic Agreement between the Government of Guyana and the United Nations Development Programme, signed by the parties on May 3, 1997. The host country implementing agency shall for the purpose of the Standard Basic Assistance Agreement refer to the government co-operating agency described in that agreement.
The following types of revisions may be made to this project document with the signature of the UNDP Resident Representative only provided he/she is assured that the other signatories of the project document have no objections to the proposed changes:
i. Revisions in or addition of any of the annexes of the project document;
ii. Revisions which do not involve significant changes in the immediate objectives, outputs or activities of the project, but are caused by the rearrangement of inputs already agreed to or by cost increased due to inflation; and
iii. Mandatory annual revisions which rephase the delivery of agreed project inputs, or reflect increased expert or other costs due to inflation, or take into account agency expenditure flexibility.
The SDNP Steering Committee (SC) is an integral part of the overall implementation of the project in any given country. The SC is the organizational entity that enables the different sectors of society (and stakeholders) direct involvement in basic aspects of the project. Each sector of society, including the national government (ministries), private businesses, NGOs, Universities and Research institutions, the media, etc., may have a representative in the Sc.
The role of the SDNP Steering Committee is to provide advice, direction and support to the SDNP Coordinator and the Coordination Unit staff on an ongoing basis. This will be done through:
• review of plans, activities and achievements with the SDNP Coordinator;
• involvement in long term planning;
• support the objective of cost recovery;
• addressing broader policy issues when necessary;
• sensitizing actual and potential user-groups;
• monitoring the effectiveness of training;
• providing advice on material inappropriate for distribution;
• recommending what kinds of information are crucial to the country;
• recommending the level of fees to charge users of the SDNP;
• resolve specific conflicts between SDNP users/members; and
• focusing on the end-users of the technology and information.
The Steering Committee will be responsible for representing stakeholder groups and networks with these stakeholders on issues related to sustainable development. The Steering Committee is the vehicle for reflecting stakeholder participation in the management and operation of SDNP. In due course a key task will be to review the business plan and forecast expenditure and revenues and slowly introduce a sliding scale for cost recovery based on ability to pay.
While the Steering Committee will play a major role in guiding and orienting the SDNP and insuring proper function of the activities undertaken by it, it does not have direct responsibility for financial management, although it should have knowledge of the financial status of the project.
The Committee will seek consensus on decisions. Where consensus is not possible, a majority vote will carry weight and dissenting rationale can be listed in the minutes if requested by a member.
The Committee will have a permanent chairperson for a definitive period of time (one year maximum), after which time a new chairperson will be selected. The secretary to the Committee will permanently reside in a specific location. Wherever possible, an external individual will be given the task of taking and compiling draft minutes to ensure maximum participation from all members. Meetings will take place at least quarterly, or more often as required. Meetings will be called for by the chairperson or secretary. Any member of the Committee can call for an extra-ordinary meeting if they feel it is necessary. Quorum for a meeting of the Committee is 50% of membership.
• Under the direction of the Steering Committee, the SDNP Coordinator will be responsible for all aspects of establishing and managing the SDNP project.
• The SDNP Coordinator will be expected to have a very good understanding of the issues related to and main players involved in promoting sustainable development in Guyana and a demonstrated understanding of the use of information technology for computer mediated communications, demonstrated and strong managerial skills, good writing skills, and good interpersonal and communication skills along with initiative and drive.
• The SDNP Coordinator will be responsible for helping to develop, adapt and implement the programme of work and a detailed budget based on the approved project document. He or she will be responsible for managing the small SDNP secretariat, for undertaking and/or supervising the ongoing tasks of research and analysis, for making recommendations regarding priorities and the expenditure of funds, and for doing this in consultation with members of the SDNP Steering Committee.
• The SDNP Coordinator will also be responsible for developing a marketing and business plan and/or other plans for the ongoing operation of the SDNP. The SDNP Coordinator will be an entrepreneur for the SDNP.
• The SDNP Coordinator will work closely with the SDNP Steering Committee, the Executing Agency, the Director of the UNDP/SDNP in New York and with UNDP focal point in Georgetown. Ongoing communications will be maintained.
• The Coordinator will be responsible for submitting timely reports to the executing agency and others as required, including the Steering Committee and the Director of the UNDP/SDNP in New York and the Resident Representative UNDP Guyana.
• In consultation with other SDNP staff, the SDNP Steering Committee and others as appropriate, the SDNP Coordinator will help develop the main programme areas for the SDNP to focus on. This will include identifying local and other sources of information and expertise on issues related to sustainable development in Guyana, and developing a variety of information products and services to disseminate and communicate this information.
• A key component of this will be marketing information products and services. The SDNP Coordinator, with the help of the Steering Committee will develop and implement a marketing plan and eventually, the business plan for the SDNP.
• The SDNP Coordinator, in consultation with the Information Specialist, the Steering Committee and with users and beneficiaries, will help identify and develop training activities to support the national SDNP.
• Opportunities for regional networking will also be considered as and when appropriate and in consultation with the Steering Committee and SDNP/New York.
Under the supervision of the SDNP Coordinator, the Information Specialist will be responsible for developing and managing the information technology aspects of an operational SDNP node and this will be based on the use of computer mediated communication. S/He will establish the necessary hook ups, acquire and install the hardware and software. S/He will help train SDNP staff and SDNP users or members as required.
S/He will be responsible for establishing the SDNP information server. This will be done by searching for and acquiring relevant information, by encouraging SDNP network users and stakeholders to contribute information electronically, by establishing electronic conferences through which this information can be shared, and by maintaining this information on the SDNP server. S/He will use various software applications for this purpose.
The Information Specialist will also be responsible for responding to the needs of SDNP users for information and will search sources in country or elsewhere. When appropriate searches will be conducted using the Internet.
S/He will have a good understanding of and demonstrated experience using computer mediated communications, especially computer networking. The ideal candidate will also have a good understanding of sustainable development and of the information needs of the user community. S/He will have Unix skills, and be familiar with the TCP/IP networking protocols.
S/He will have the usual communication skills and the ability to express himself or herself in writing and orally. Good presentation skills will be very useful. Flexibility and willingness to undertake other tasks as necessary will also be required.
S/He will assist the SDNP Coordinator and the Information Specialist in the administrative running of the SDNP’s secretariat.
S/He will be in charge of all secretarial duties, in addition to the following: documentation management and filing; storekeeping of the office and working materials, supplies and consumables.
S/He will sometimes be delegated for duties related to demonstration or presentations of the SDNP services and monitoring of the needs of users.
S/He should have computer skills on word processing, spreadsheet, database and computer graphics. Knowledge of accounting and office practice will be an added advantage.
Usual communication skills and the ability to express self in writing and orally are useful. Good presentation skills are also needed.
