IICD - International Institute for Communication and Development

www.iicd.org

With the right tools, people in developing countries can considerably improve their livelihoods and quality of life. Better access to information and communication technology (ICT) is particularly vital in enabling them to achieve their goals. This is why the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) creates practical and sustainable solutions that connect people and enable them to benefit from ICT. IICD is active in Africa, Latin-America and the Caribbean, where we create and enhance development opportunities in education, good governance, livelihoods, health and the environment. Our approach includes linking local, national and international organisations as well as formulating and implementing ICT-supported development policies and projects.

IICD’s approach to ICT tools includes both modern and traditional technologies, with the focus on how to use these tools appropriately and sustainably. The importance of capacity development is incorporated in IICD's country programmes and in thematic knowledge sharing. IICD raises awareness on, and supports capacity building in the use of ICT tools, in order to empower and increase insight into their uses, and take advantage of the opportunities they create.

Web 2.0 technologies are on the rise and quickly dominating the way information is spread on the internet as well as providing new forms of online knowledge sharing and online collaboration. Therefore a conference on the use of Web 2.0 tools in a development context, which includes training and awareness raising, as well as opportunities to find synergies and match partners, is an ideal opportunity for IICD to be involved in.

IICD has incorporated Web 2.0 tools in combination with face to face workshops to facilitate harvesting lessons learned and collaboration. By using a collaborative based online tool, the learning and harvesting process is expanded beyond the time and geographical constraints of schedules and location. The Web 2.0 platform continues to evolve through input from participants and remains a learning resource for participants to tap into on a need to know and just in time basis.

The iConnect web platform, hosted by IICD, is one of the products of the Building Communications Opportunities (BCO) alliance - a multi-stakeholder global platform – of which IICD is the lead organisation. Plans for this platform in 2007 will reflect the shift Web 2.0 tools have brought about, namely empowering consumers to become producers. By incorporating more Web 2.0 tools within the iConnect platform, the content generated will truly reflect a bottom-up approach, thereby increasing the southern ownership of the content. iConnect already incorporates thematic related RSS feeds from different sources and generates RSS feeds of its own. In 2007 sector related blogs, wikis and social bookmarking feeds will be included on the platform.