Message-ID: <36DA0B39.56C8FA3A@idn.org> Date: Sun, 28 Feb 1999 22:36:25 -0500 From: Christopher Byrne <mailto:info@IDN.ORG> Subject: IDN Looks at Agency Transparency on First Anniversary To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
The International Development Network at http://www.idn.org/ turned one year old last week and in the latest update to our web site, we provide a snapshot look at the transparency of some of the bilateral and multilateral agencies and show you how often they have provided current news to the public through their web sites. It may or may not surprise you that USAID comes in dead last, but how poorly they compare may indeed surprise you. The results are posted at http://www.idn.org/ and will be updated each week.In our first year, we have welcomed over 20,000 visitors and we look forward to continued growth.
Here is what else is new at the IDN Web Site this week:
NEW MEMBERS
Dr. Ancha Srinivasan, is the newest sponsoring member of the IDN. Dr. Srinivasan is a Senior Researcher at the Geospatial Analysis Center of the Regional Science Institute (RSI). He has over 15 years experience as an agronomist/consultant/project manager with expertise in crop-climate interactions, environmental issues and information systems. He has an MSc in agronomy from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, and a PhD from Cambridge University (UK). Prior to joining the RSI, he worked at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hokkaido National Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS). Dr. Srinivasan is looking for challenging opportunities in agricultural research and development and is willing to work on short-term assignments. You may download his curriculum vitae from the IDN Web Site in Word 97 format or in Adobe PDF.
Information on how to become a sponsoring members may be found at http://www.idn.org/membership/ _______________________________________________________________________
TOOLS YOU CAN USE
Canadian International Development Agency Planned Consultations for 1999
This week's tool is a link to the current schedule for 1999 Canadian International Development Agency Planned or Foreseen Consultations _______________________________________________________________________
QUICK LINK OF THE WEEK
United Nations Standard Product and Service Codes
On February 23, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Dun & Bradstreet, the world's leading provider of business credit, marketing and purchasing information, announced the introduction of the first global coding system intended to classify over 8,000 products and services and to streamline their procurement and marketing, especially via the internet.
The new system is the result of a merger of the UN's Common Coding System (UNCCS) with Dun & Bradstreet's Standard Products and Services Codes (SPSC). UNDP is the world's largest provider of grants for technical assistance in developing countries, with a mandate to help developing countries eradicate poverty, protect the environment, and improve governance and national institutions and opportunities for people. _______________________________________________________________________
NEW LINKS
Development Bank of South Africa
Handicap International - Multi-field programs to improve the living conditions of people in situations of handicap or vulnerability. (French)
Human Rights Internet - key objective of the organization is to support the work of the global non-governmental community in its struggle to obtain human rights for all.
International Health Programs (IHP) - is a provider of training, research and technical assistance to health care delivery and training organizations throughout the world.
International Institute for Environment and Development - principal aim is to improve the management of natural resources so that communities and countries of the South can improve living standards without jeopardising their resource base.
Management of Social Transformations (MOST) - is a research programme, designed by UNESCO, to promote international comparative social science research.
Partners in Population and Development - represents an alliance of developing countries established specifically to realise the concepts of South-South collaboration elaborated in the Cairo Programme of Action.
Students' International Health Association - Inter-disciplinary student group at the University of Alberta with development projects in Guyana and Tanzania.
Sustainable Development Department of the Interamerican Development Bank - includes publications, strategies and policies on Environment, Social Development, Microenterprise, SME Financial Markets, Indigenous Peoples, Women in Development.
Sustainable Development Studies (THAILAND) - A study-abroad program of Kalamazoo College (USA) for undergraduate students, is an academically challenging experiential learning program focused on the questions surrounding what ""sustainability"" means in a globalized world. Rigorous classroom study and seminars are coupled with experiential ""field based"" learning opportunities with NGOs.
UNDP Bolivia (English/Spanish)
UNICEF Caribbean Area Office
These links were added on February 14:
Center for Economic Policy Analysis (CEPA) - is the research center of the Department of Economics at the New School for Social Research.
Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) - is the multilateral bank for the integration and development of Central America, whose purpose is to contribute in the raising of the quality of life of the population, providing financial and technical cooperation resources, so as to satisfy the needs of three countries within a culture of service and regional vision. (English/Spanish)
Central American Integration System (SICA) (Spanish)
International Arid Lands Consortium - an independent, nonprofit research organization supporting ecological sustainability in arid and semiarid lands worldwide.
Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association - an international association of economists with common research interests in Latin America.
Latin American Integration Association (LAIA)
UNDP Gender in Development Programme - advises, supports and facilitates UNDP gender equality policy, dialogue and practice, and promotes the empowerment of women.
USC-Canada - is a non-profit voluntary organization committed to the enhancement of human development through an international partnership of people linked in the challenge to eradicate poverty.
United Nations Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) - dedicated to improving the information available to the humanitarian and international communities on crises in sub-Saharan Africa.
WomenWatch - The UN Internet Gateway on the Advancement and Empowerment of Women
Links with an (*) are modified links or link descriptions. _______________________________________________________________________
New Publications
Trends in Private Investment in Developing Countries
National accounts normally do not break down gross domestic investment into its private and public sector components. Private investment is defined in this paper as the difference between total gross domestic investment (from national accounts) and consolidated public investment. Consolidated public investment data for each country were found mainly in World Bank Country Economic Memoranda, Public Investment Review, Public Expenditure Reviews, and other World Bank country reports. They reflect efforts by World Bank missions to compile public sector data. Where World Bank data are not available, country data were used. The countries included in this edition represent all the developing countries for which the relevant data are available.
You can download the data sets through the IDN Web Site. _______________________________________________________________________
Conferences
Information on the following upcoming conferences is available:
BYU's Marriott School to Host Second Annual MicroEnterprise Conference
UNESCO Conference: "Indigenous and Rural Women Weavers in Latin America; Microfinance And the Development of Micro-enterprises"
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The IDN plans to continue our growth and to expand the depth and breadth of our information services. If you have not yet thought about a membership/sponsorship in the IDN, we encourage you to consider becoming a sponsor/member of the fastest growing, most comprehensive and current International Development Web Site on the Internet! Information is available at http://www.idn.org/membership/