From RAE strategies to development realities... and back.

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From RAE strategies to development realities...
and back.
An
exploration of ICTs, Integrated Water
Management and Ecological Economics
Sandrine SIMON, Systems
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Networks Non-markets forms of economy Regulatory
environments Scientific and local knowledge
...
Nature geopolitics conflicts Impacts of
bio-technologies on South ICTs in development
...
Human/ natural
Market/ non-market
Focus on interdependencies
People/ places
Globalisation inter-actions Networks for
knowledge production ...
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Illustrative examples ---gt from Mali
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(Multi-party) Republic of Mali
4th poorest country in the world Landlocked
country of which most (60) lies in the Sahara.
Economy dominated by agriculture (47 GDP).
Cotton 40 exports 3rd largest gold producer
gold revenues keep finances relatively healthy.
12 million people. Population growth rate 2.8.
4th highest child mortality in world Sub-Saharan
Africa highest rate of Malaria related deaths
(791 per 100 000 children)
UN Poverty report to halve world poverty by 2015
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Festival au Desert Jan.2005 Essakane, 65 km North
of Timbuktu, MALI
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Reviving and extending the Temakanit Platform
for learning and creativity Peace and economic
implications
Culture Development
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1. ICT platforms development issues
- The trigger - ICTs in the desert? Ikatel nous
rapproche! health online a
Telecentre in Timbuktu
- other examples of ICTs uses in Mali
- ICTs initiatives in Africa
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What are ICTs?
ICTs refer to contemporary electronic and digital
media and data processing, including
telecommunications and the internet.
ICTs and development issues

• ICT as open platforms that can by-pass
  institutional constraints
• giving a voice to various minorities

• reciprocal movement of information, shared
  social learning
• new avenues for civil and political activism
  cyberactivism
• - deliberative procedures for decision-support,
  policy definition evaluation

• up to date quantitative and qualitative
  information can be solicited
• - systemic understanding of issues - making the
  inter-connections visible

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ICTs development - The role of academic
research
Address digital divide access to ICTs
Research appropriate forms of expression,
communication and representation through ICTs
Empowerment of people how?
Areas of priorities applications and needs
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2. Integrated Water Management development
- The trigger - water in the desert?
- Water problems in Mali water borne
diseases urban sanitation water scarcity
desertification River to be saved
from extinction
- Water management at the core of development
issues
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1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking
water 2.4 billion people lack adequate
sanitation gt 2.2 million people in developing
countries die of water related diseases In
developing countries, 90 to 95 of sewage and 70
of industrial wastes are dumped un-treated in
waters.
WSSD water targets 1/2 people without access to
adequate sanitation by 2015 Prioritise action to
reach the sanitation and water targets Develop
plans for integrated water management by 2005 EU
water initiative and investments in water
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What is integrated water management?
Approach that helps understand and manage water
issues in a systemic way by taking into account
the interactions between the various types of
water demands (by natural ecosystems, civil
society economic sectors).
Integrated water management and development issues
Managing water conflicts - from Potential
Conflicts to Co-operation
Allocating scarce resources
Making the hidden connections visible -
bio-physical dimensions - economic links -
variety of networks a new water governance
system
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IWM development - The role of academic research
Overall analysis and presentation of hidden
inter-connections
Water crisis crisis in management -
institutional dimensions - umbrella
institutions - governance issues - international
water laws? -water markets vs water rights
Tools for IWM
Linking IWM and water conflict prevention
Value best practices social learning
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3. Ecological Economics as a paradigm for
development issues
Water, wastes, forests, climate change,
desertification, human ecosystem health and
how they are linked
Ecological Economics takes an overall approach to
analyse the inter-connections between human
activity and ecosystems functioning
Main characteristics
- Redefining economics
- The problem with monetary values

ecological social values
problems of incommensurability
misleading policy indicators
Restoration costs defensive expenditures /...
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- Interdependencies / symbiosis
Human systems as sub-systems on ecological systems
Human dependency on ecological functions and
services
Alternative views on conservation, human health
ecological health
- Wealth versus welfare indicators
Political relevance of economic indicators
the quest for poverty alleviation
Alternative evaluation deliberative democracy,
cultural capital, sustainability
Ecological Economics development - The role of
academic research
Introducing a new paradigm
Alternative decision policy-making processes
tools
Suggest new measures of performance
Publicise best practice reciprocal learning
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Various forms of Integration - - disciplinary,
- institutional...
Bio-physical dimensions of
sustainable development
decision-support management tools
Value non-elite voices and knowledge
GOVERNANCE
Participatory practices are relevant but...
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need to be challenged!
Problems with - Using Western cultures as the
basis for thinking about development -
Abstracting the cultural as a metaphorical space
outside material condition - Considering the
community as homogenous and harmonious -
Assuming that models of cognition are mediated by
language ...
We need to constructively offer views on
participation that - enhance collaborative,
reciprocal forms of learning - identify and/or
help construct communities capacity to
implement solutions and to work better with
local authorities - value cultural diversity as
a human right and a source of alternative
development strategies - strengthen our position
of action researchers and re-think our research
culture
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Festival au Desert Jan.2005

Global Alliance for Cultural Diversity Project-
UNESCO
- Transmission of values that contribute to
social cohesion - cultural enterprises fastest
growing sectors in the world (7.2) - Alliance
catalyst for networks that value cultural
diversity - Funding areas of education,
vocational training culture - networks between
private and public sectors towards better
governance for development
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Conclusions

• We need to confront our research strategy with
  development
• realities

• The innovative dimensions of research in ICTs,
  IWM EE relate to
• new models of governance

• Appropriate models of governance would benefit
  from valuing
• cultural diversity creative, reciprocal
  learning processes