BOX 1.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT NETWORKING PROGRAMME (SDNP)


SDNP is a pilot project launched by UNDP in May 1992 with the primary focus of having an impact on SHD. A direct result of the 1992 United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development (the Rio Earth Summit), SDNP has already linked together government organizations, the private sector, universities, NGOs and individuals in 24 developing countries through electronic and other networking vehicles for the express purpose of exchanging critical information on sustainable development. As an autonomous initiative, the SDNP objective is to assist Capacity 21 countries to have access to information technologies that empower all sectors of society and to enable them to pursue sustainable development strategies in a participatory manner. It complements the existing human network by using every available and appropriate communications tool, from e-mail to electronic bulletin boards, faxes, telephones and posters. SDNP does not compete with or duplicate already existing networking operations. It works with many different partners, from financial institutions to bilateral to national and international NGOs. The results are already remarkable and the creation of a "culture of information" is beginning to emerge in most developing nations.

*SDNP promotes the participation of a wide spectrum of institutions and civil society groups through having access to information on sustainable development so that they can become better informed about decision-making processes in their countries, cities and villages. Citizens in those countries have the power at their fingertips to become better informed and improve their lives. In Pakistan, for example, there was only one other e-mail provider when SDNP first started. Pakistan's SDNP now handles 2,500 nodes catering to nearly 5,000 users country-wide through its offices in four cities and eight competitive e-mail providers have entered the field in that country, encouraged by the success of SDNP. Bolivia, a country with poor infrastructure and communication, now boasts about having 180 organizations and tens of thousands of users thanks to the SDNP network.

*Accessibility to information for all levels of civil society is particularly important in developing countries that are undergoing difficult transitions to democracy. For example, the creation of an SNDP node in Estonia - a country emerging from decades of communist rule - has catalysed the organization of a local database that routinely registers more than 30,000 hits per week on its website. The country already boasts more permanent Internet connections per capita than many European Union members and 80 per cent of its schools are on-line. In Nicaragua, another successful example, citizens use the SDNP as a forum to lobby their Congress on issues relating to SHD. With good staff training and an effective Steering Committee, this SDNP has helped to - update environmental laws and has become known as the source for reliable information on the environment and development.

*Every SDN node is a country-owned, non-profit information networking system that supports decision-makers and key stakeholders from all sectors of civil society on issues pertaining to SHD. All of SDNP's efforts are geared towards national capacity-building and training. Effective steering committees are an important ingredient in a successful SDNP. National consultants and staff can best formulate project proposals and manage the national programme. The Pakistan SDNP node, for example, offers consulting services to other e-mail providers, which generates revenue; it also provides government institutions with expert advice on network legislation. In Bolivia, the SDNP has had a positive impact on land-use planning.

*SDNP provides seed money, typically for two years, to enable each node to build its own user community and shift from external to domestic financing. In Africa, SDNP has facilitated the creation of the African Internet Forum, a consortium of development partners whose goal is to provide Internet access to the continent. Although few users are willing to pay for information at the outset, there is hard evidence that a user community can be steadily built and financially sustain its network once the value of that information for their work is understood.

Using limited resources, SDNP is helping resource-poor developing countries to become participants in the global economy by expanding their access to critical information through modern information technology. With increased access to information, millions of citizens have been empowered to make informed choices.