Announcement

TechNet Conference Manager (mailto:technet@LAN.VITA.ORG)
Mon, 17 Jun 1996 16:18:17 -0400

Message-ID:  <Pine.3.89.9606171648.B14680-0100000@lan.vita.org>
Date:         Mon, 17 Jun 1996 16:18:17 -0400
From: TechNet Conference Manager <mailto:technet@LAN.VITA.ORG>
Subject:      Announcement
To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L <mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU>

     THE WORLD BANK'S TECHNET: THINK TANK ELECTRONIC CONFERENCES

This message has been cross posted to multiple discussion lists and news groups. We apologize to readers who have seen it more than once. Feel free to cross post this message to RELEVANT lists.

It is with pleasure that I invite you to participate in TechNet's Second Think Tank Electronic Conference. This think tank discussion addresses the topic of Rural Community-Based Communication Centers, an approach to development that provides a mechanism for building new partnerships among stakeholders (governments, NGOs, private sector, etc.) and for shifting control and accountability from central authorities to the local level.

It will start June 17 and is scheduled to close on July 17.

This conference and subsequent ones are being conducted by the World Bank in cooperation with the Volunteers in Technical Assistance (VITA). TechNet will be hosting a series of five separate Think Tanks over the next six months on subjects related to science, technology and information in development.

HOW IT WORKS

A Think Tank is a conference discussion that is conducted entirely through electronic means. Approximately 20 experts from government, private sector, academia, NGOs, international organizations and the World Bank will discuss each topic for a period of four weeks. The discussion will be "broadcast only" to subscribers, but readers are encouraged to comment and to ask questions.

During the next several months, five Think Tanks will be initiated. The second Think Tank is on "Rural Community-Based Communication Centers".

The objective of this Think Tank is to discuss and debate the concept of the usefulness to developing countries in establishing community-based centers for the retrieval, dissemination and aggregation of data and information, and the provision of computer assisted services. The focus of the discussion is rural, although the lessons learned will have application to urban areas as well.

To participate in the Think Tank discussion on Community-based Communication Centers, you may subscribe by visiting the TechNet Web site: http://www.worldbank.org/html/fpd/technet/

or by sending an email message as follows:

To: mailto:listproc@vita.org Subject: (Leave Blank) Text: sub centers FirstName LastName

(Give your own FirstName and Last Name)

You can subscribe to this or any other Think Tank by visiting the TechNet conference page:

http://www.vita.org/technet

Thank you.

Ron Epstein VITA TechNet Conference Manager