Weaving the knowledge web for development sector of Pakistan

["Irfan Khan" <khania2@super.net.pk>]

ScienceDotCom, Dawn (28 June 2003)


Weaving the knowledge web for development sector of Pakistan

By Seema Javed Amin


We all come across a lot of useful informative material in our daily 
lives, some of which we read; the rest, more often than not, piles up 
in our to-read-later tray. The problem is that many organizations in 
Pakistan are working hard and quietly behind the scenes in collecting 
and analyzing important data. Much of this information exists in 
isolation; organizations, constrained by policy, are reluctant to 
share them with the public at large, and are almost never woven 
together in the form of knowledge networks.

But the question is: what is Knowledge Management? There are many 
definitions, but according to Karl E. Sveiby's epistemology-based 
understanding of Knowledge Management, it is, "The art of creating 
value from an organization's Intangible Assets." 
www.kmnework.com/kmdefs.htm.

The Sustainable Development Networking Programme (SDNP) Pakistan 
www.sdnpk.org, has been trying to bring together development sector 
organizations that have valuable information to share on the 
internet. SDNP is now a part of the education, communication and 
knowledge management group of IUCN,the World Conservation Union's 
Pakistan Programme. Formerly, a global programme of UNDP, SDNP has 
been working since early 1993 to promote access to information on 
sustainable human development among different sectors of society. 
During its initial phase, when there were no public electronic 
networking services available in Pakistan, SDNP introduced the 
facilities, such as email and internet. Later, as large service 
providers entered the arena of internet connectivity, it focused its 
efforts on setting up development information services and building 
the capacity of Pakistan's development sector in this area.

SDNP has also trained more than 260 organizations from the 
development sector to set up, maintain and update their websites, 
contributing significantly to the local content about Pakistan on the 
web.

SDNP also held an international workshop on Urdu internet domain 
names, keywords and routing to bring together experts working in this 
field www.urduworkshop .sdnpk.org. Training in web publishing has 
also been conducted in Urdu and Sindhi. More than 160 information-
rich Pakistani websites, related to both Government and NGO sectors, 
have been set up as a result of this activity. Other initiatives 
undertaken by SDNP include the creation of district websites and 
Cyber Community Centres, promotion of open software, such as Linux, 
special training for women in Information and Communication 
Technologies (ICTs), and an Asia Pacific Development Information 
Programme's (APDIP) grant to research, in collaboration with the 
Pakistan Institute of the Deaf www.pad.sdnpk.org the effectiveness of 
ICTs on learning of the deaf.

SDNP has also developed an online searchable news database 
asp.isb.sdnpk.org/sdnpnews/today_news.asp containing two years' news 
of over 19026 records as of 29th May 2003 for Pakistan's development 
sector. News items are only collected from five top Pakistani

newspapers available on the web. They are Business Recorder 
www.brecorder.com; Daily Times www.dailytimes. com.pk; Dawn www.dawn. 
com; The Nation www.nation.com.pk and The News www.jang-group 
.com/thenews/index.html. Thecopyright remains with the newspapers as 
nothing is added or omitted.

The news items are placed in the online database under categories 
that are both thematic and regional. They are agriculture; Azad 
Kashmir, Balochistan, civil society, culture, drought, economy, 
education, energy, environment, FATA,federal capital, gender, 
governance, health, human resources, information technology, media, 
Northern Areas, population, poverty alleviation, Punjab, relief and 
disaster, Sarhad, science and technology, Sindh, special 
sector,transport and communication, and water.

This news system is an integral part of its flagship product on the 
internet, the Pakistan Development Gateway www.pdg.org.pk, a portal 
for development information and news related to Pakistan. National 
and international information resources are described under 26 
different development categories. These include advocacy, 
agriculture, forestry and fisheries, area development, communication 
and information, culture, development administration, economic 
development, education, energy, environment, gender, governance, 
health, human resource development, humanitarian assistance, relief 
and disaster management, human settlements, industry, knowledge 
management, natural resources, political affairs, population, poverty 
alleviation, science and technology, social development, trade and 
development and transportation. News and discussion forums on wide-
ranging development topics are also available on this site.

Aware that the majority of Pakistanis speak Urdu, their national 
language, SDNP has also developed the Pakistan Development Gateway in 
Urdu at www.pdg-urdu.org.pk. A downloadable Urdu font is required to 
view this website.

SDNP has also been working on and developing databases related to 
education, health, human resources and population at the federal, 
provincial and district levels in the form of District Management 
Information Systems in Rawalpindi www.dmis.sdnpk.org and Thatta.

Models of e-governance, such as district websites of Abbottabad 
www.abbottabad .sdnpk.org,Chakwal www. chakwal.sdnpk.org, Chitral 
www.chitral.sdnpk.org, Dadu www.dadu.sdnpk.org, Gwadar 
www.gwadar.sdnpk.org, Kech www.kech.sdnpk.org, Kohat 
www.kohat.sdnpk.org, Mardan www.mardan.sdnpk.org, and Tharparkar 
www.tharparkar .sdnpk.org have already been launched. These websites 
represent the diversity of cultural heritage, customs, governance and 
other related information of these districts. Both government and 
civil society sources have contributed to information on these 
websites and there is a great ownership among the stakeholders for 
them. The issue, though, is to find an institutional home for them.

SDNP is willing to build capacity of the relevant stakeholders so 
that they are able to maintain them on a regular basis. Work on some 
other district websites, such as Kalat and Peshawar is also in 
progress.

SDNP is also in the process of supporting the Bureaus of Statistics 
of Sindh and NWFP, and the Planning and Development Department of 
Balochistan. The website of the Sindh Bureau of Statistics contains 
socio-economic indicators and district profiles of the province 
available at www.sbos.sdnpk.org.

The NWFP Bureau of Statistics at www.nwfpbos.sdnpk.org also contains 
FATA's socio-economic indicators on area and population, agriculture, 
crops production, education, health, transport and communication, 
housing, labour force, electricity, local bodies, public health 
engineering and annual development programmes.

The Balochistan Districts Database contains comprehensive information 
on the twenty six districts in the Balochistan province. The 
information goes beyond mere statistics to cover more than 50 
categories, such as administrative division, agriculture, energy, 
finance, climate, health, and population, etc. It is accessible at 
www.bdd.sdnpk.org.

And now, as a part of IUCN Pakistan's ECK Group, SDNP has also 
developed an electronic Knowledge Web to highlight the web resources 
that IUCNP has set up for the conservation and development 
communities in Pakistan.

Founded in 1948 and based in Gland, Switzerland, IUCN, the World 
Conservation Union www.iucn.org is a world leader in developing 
knowledge and understanding for effective conservation action. A 
unique worldwide partnership, IUCN brings together states, government 
agencies and NGO members, and some 10,000 scientists and experts from 
181 countries in a global web of networks to provide a neutral forum 
for dialogue and action on environment and sustainable development 
issues.

IUCN Pakistan www.iucn.org/places/pakistan/index.html has five 
programme offices in Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta, 
multiple field offices, a large portfolio of projects and a staff of 
nearly 300. It is one of the six country offices of IUCN's Asia 
Programme www.iucn.org/places/asia, covering 17 countries with a 
workforce of more than 500.

Aimed at government, civil society, media, experts, donors and the 
general public, the recently launched Pakistan Water Gateway 
www.waterinfo.net.pk is intended to enhance access to information 
related to water resources and issues in Pakistan available online.

The Northern Areas Development Gateway (NADG) 
www.northernareas.org.pk aims to provide access to development 
information related to this most picturesque of areas in Pakistan. 
Sixteen background papers can be downloaded from the Northern Areas 
Strategy for Sustainable Development (NASSD) www.northernareas 
.org.pk/nassd. Twenty-three chapters, together with twelve maps and 
seven appendices of the Balochistan Conservation Strategy (BCS) can 
be downloaded from www.bcs.iucnp.org. Eighteen chapters of the Sarhad 
Provincial Conservation Strategy (SPCS) are accessible at 
www.spcs.iucnp.org. The district Conservation Strategies of 
Abbottabad www.acs.iucnp .org, and studies and sector papers of 
Chitral www.ccs.iucnp .org are all available online.

IUCN Pakistan's education unit www.edu.iucnp.org is committed to 
raising the awareness of the broader community about environmental 
issues and motivating all sectors of society to make commitments to 
sustainable practices. The site has rich and in-depth content 
pertaining to different environmental issues like biodiversity, 
conservation efforts and various technical research papers. It has 
two separate sections. One is for teachers, so that they can raise 
environmental awareness among the students.

The other one is meant for kids, the content of which is very simple 
and easy to understand. A unique feature of this website is an Urdu 
section on environmental issues for children.

Completely developed in Urdu, Jareeda Online www.jareeda.iucnp.org is 
IUCNP's Urdu magazine and by far it's most popular publication. 
Launched in 1992 under the Pakistan National Conservation Strategy, 
it is dedicated to raise awareness about the challenges of 
conservation and sustainable development in the country.

Pakistan is facing acute drought conditions in certain areas of Sindh 
and most of Balochistan. The Drought Situation in Pakistan 
www.drought. iucnp.org keeps stakeholders updated on the latest news.

IUCN's Sindh Programme www.sindh.iucnp.org focuses on Pakistan's 
coastal and marine areas; freshwater resources; forestry and 
biodiversity. The Coastal and Marine Resources Management and Poverty 
Reduction in South Asia TA for Integrated Coastal Zone Management 
www.iczm-sa.org /index.html will identify and pilot test the 
approaches to promote and protect ecologically sensitive coastal and 
marine areas, poverty reduction interventions and regional 
cooperation in India, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

IUCNP's Mountain Areas Conservancy Project (MACP) www.macp-pk.org 
aims to protect biodiversity and ensure its sustainable use in 
Pakistan's Karakorum, Hindu Kush, and Western Himalayas mountain 
ranges through application of a community-based conservation 
approach. The Biodiversity Action Plan for Pakistan is also 
downloadable from this site.

The primary goal of the World Commission on Dams Consultative Process 
in Pakistan Project (WCD-CPP) www.wcdcpp.iucnp.org is to ensure that 
future water and energy development in Pakistan with respect to large 
dams is economically viable, socially equitable and environmentally 
sustainable. Critical consultation reports, downloadable 
presentations and documents form key components of IUCNP's website 
prepared for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) 
www.wssd.iucnp.org.

SDNP's upcoming projects for IUCNP include developing comprehensive 
web resources for the Support for Environmental Rehabilitation in 
NWFP and the Punjab (SERNP), Northern Areas Management Information 
System (NAMIS), Sarhad Sustainable Development Gateway (SSDG) and the 
Balochistan Development Gateway (BDG).

SDNP is also the only organization in Pakistan which is a member of 
the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN's) ISP 
Constituency; but more importantly, of the Non-Commercial Domain Name 
Holders Constituency.

The latter has been formed to defend the rights of not-for-profit 
organizations against increasing commercial interests on the 
internet.


The writer is a content developer for SDNP/IUCN Pakistan's Education, 
Communication and Knowledge Management (ECK) wing