The Jamaica Sustainable Development Network Networking at the National Level

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The Jamaica Sustainable Development Network
Networking at the National Level

• Prepared for Workshop on
• Using Information for Decision-making on
  Sustainable Development- Issues and Challenges
  for Caribbean SIDS
• Organisation of American States and UN Department
  of Economic and Social Affairs
• May 27-28, 2003, Rex St Lucia, St Lucia

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Genesis of the SDN

• SDN - a UNDP initiative developed in response to
  Agenda 21.
• Objectives To facilitate access to information
  and support the process of SD through the use of
  ICTs.

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Attributes of ICT4D

• ICTs offer a powerful mechanism to
• Facilitate cost effective access to and
  dissemination of information
• Promote non discriminatory dialogue
• Establish communities of interest across borders
• Provide visual representations of complex
  development issues eg through GIS
• Provide opportunities for modelling various
  outcomes based on specific scenarios

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JSNDP

• Jamaica SDNP operationalised in 1998
• Mission
• To enhance citizens capacity to access,
  understand, distribute and utilise information to
  enable them to sustain their livelihoods and
  socio-cultural values while conserving their
  natural environment.

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INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS

• Multidisciplinary steering committee including
  private sector, public sector and academia
  representatives
• Institutionalised in October 2002 as not for
  profit NGO
• Multidisciplinary Board
• Continued support from UNDP/GOJ

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FOCUS

• Connectivity
• Capacity
• Content
• Cost

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ACTIVITIES

• Rural telecentre establishment
• Capacity building in basic computer use and the
  Internet as well as other applications
• SD web site establishment maintenance
• Web page development and hosting
• Database establishment and information management

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Community focal points

• A combination of a community telecentre and
  information focal points
• Partnerships developed based on criteria
• Must have a community development and or an
  information dissemination mandate
• Must have a secure location
• Must have trainable staff
• Must be willing to function as a node for a
  community information network

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Community focal points (contd)

• Must have proven ability to network and serve a
  wide constituency of community interests
• Location must have community consensus

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Features of Agreement

• JSDNP provides
• Equipment
• Training for staff and community members
• Training material, operating guidelines

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Features of Agreement(contd)

• Partner delivers
• Secure location
• Trainable staff
• Ready access and assistance to public
• Quarterly reports on users, user profile,
  revenue, expenditure
• Information sub-committee

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Focal point partnerships

• Liguanea Cybercentre, St Andrew
• Bluefields Peoples Community Association
• Browns Town Branch Library
• Montego Bay Marine Park
• International School of Jamaica, St Mary
• Caribbean Coastal Area Management Programme,
  Clarendon

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WHERE WE ARE

• Six rural community focal points
  established-several have leveraged additional
  support for their activities
• More than 500 persons at the community level
  trained in basic computer applications and use of
  the Internet
• Provision of Internet/computer access to over
  4,000 persons in the seven locations which are
  served by JSDN cybercentres
• Standardized operating guidelines and business
  model established for community cybercentres
• Business Development programme underway to ensure
  financial sustainability of the Network

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WHERE WE WANT TO BE

• Want to
• create a culture that values information at all
  levels
• make the point that information, unlike other
  commodities, increases in value the more it
  circulates
• foster recognition of the value of local
  knowledge and have communities recognised as
  legitimate custodians of their own information

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WHERE WE WANT TO BE

• support focal points in their quest to respond to
  the development needs of their constituents
• Via literacy, distance learning, online
  discussions
• Livelihood enhancement using tools such as
  ecommerce, digital art, digital music
• Increased involvement of youth in community
  development process

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WHERE WE WANT TO BE

• Support new and emerging resource management
  groups such as local forestry management
  committees, local watershed committees, water
  users associations etc
• Facilitate emerging governance structures and
  processes such as Parish Development committees,
  and local sustainable development planning
  processes

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Strategies to get there

• Development of community web sites,
• Development of a community information network
  involving local partners and stakeholders
• Establishment of a GIS based Development
  Information system with community level detail
• Provision of access to tools and relevant
  applications to emerging local management groups
• Extending the network of community focal points

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Features of community websites

• Community profile -demographics,economic
  activities, resource organisations
• Projects-ongoing and planned
• Community events
• Issues of concern
• Plans to link these with online newsapers

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Development Information system

• Should be a community owned and maintained
  resource
• Should make use of GIS and overlay demographic
  and other social and economic features on natural
  resource base maps

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Lessons Learned

• CBOs NGOs and other CSOs have an increasing role
  to play in the SD process
• ICTs are a valuable tool to support the SD
  process on a number of fronts and at various
  levels
• CSOs operating at the community level are well
  placed to introduce the technology and adapt to
  the development needs of the community
• Capacity building at the local level to harness
  use and disseminate information using available
  technology needs to be an ongoing process
• The process of empowerment of citizens to
  effectively participate in SD is a time consuming
  and involved one and should not be compromised
  for short term gains

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• Thank You
• For Your Attention