carla valle undesa/dpadm/kmb - united...

Knowledge for Development

Carla ValleUNDESA/DPADM/KMB

Carla Valle - UNDESA/DPADM/KMB Slide: 2

Outline

• Basics on:– Knowledge for Development– Knowledge Economy– Knowledge Society

• Cases– International: UNPAN– Regional’s case studies:

• Caribbean: TASF• Africa: AGI

– Country case study:• Tanzania

• Conclusion


Why should we worry about Knowledge?

• Knowledge is like light. Weightless and intangible, it can easily travel the world, enlightening the lives of people everywhere.

– But there are billions of people living in the dark

• E.g. children still die from simple diarrhea• E.g. spread of AIDS because of lack of

prevention, early death

Source: World Bank


Types of Knowledge

• Definition: the facts, feelings or experiences known by a person or group of people– E.g. 41, 42 41°C, 42°F what do you wear?

• Knowledge Management viewpoint– E.g. Tacit x Explicit

• Knowledge for Development viewpoint– Knowledge about technology

• i.e. “know-how” knowledge gap• Suggestions: nutrition, birth control, software engineering

– Knowledge about attributes• i.e. quality of a product, of a process information problems• Suggestions: product standards, training certificates

Source: World Bank

Source: Collins Dictionary


Knowledge Gap and Issues

• Industrial countries ≠ Developing countries

• Critical issues– Knowledge creation

(or acquiring)– Knowledge dissemination

(and absorbing)– Knowledge utilization

(and communicating)• E.g. the green revolution

Source: UNDESA, World Bank


The Role of Governments

• Change the trade regimes• Support life-long learning• Establish regulatory

environment• Provide information to

verify quality

Policies for:- Acquiring- Absorbing- Communicating

Knowledge

Source: World Bank


The Role of International Organizations

• Provide international public goods • Act as intermediary in the transfer of

knowledge• Manage bodies of knowledge about

development

Source: World Bank


Knowledge Economy

• An Economy that makes effective use of knowledgefor its economic and social development. This includes tapping foreign knowledge as well as adapting and creating knowledge for its specifics needs

• Four pillars– Incentives for the efficient use of existing and new

knowledge…– Educated and skilled population – A dynamic information infrastructure– An efficient innovation system

Source: World Bank


Knowledge Society

• Knowledge Society is one in which institutions and organizations enable people and information to develop without limits and open oportunities for all kinds of knowledge to be mass-produced and mass-utilizedthroughout the whole society.

• Main assets:– People: quantity and characteristics– Information Knowledge

Source: UNDESA


What International Organizations are doing

• A few examples– UN

• DESA/DPADM: UNPAN, TASF, AGI• UN Library (e.g. personal knowlegde management)

– UNDP• Knowledge Groups

– World Bank• Knowledge for Development (external)• Knowledge Management Program (internal)


Cases


International: UNPAN

Source: UNDESA



• Motivation from the 90’s– Information about Public Administration was located

in many different places– What was available online was focused on the USA– Various organizations had difficulties in disseminating

information– UN Member States had difficulty in finding information

about Public Administration

Source: UNDESA



• Objectives: – Immediate: to establish a network linking the regional an

national institutions devoted to public administration and finance for information exchange, experience sharing and training in the area of public sector policy and management.

– Long-term: to build the capacity of these regional and national institutions to access, process and disseminate relevant information via up-to-date information and communication technologies (ICTs) for the promotion of better public administration.

Source: UNDESA

What would you do?


United Nations Online Network in Public Administration and Finance (UNPAN)



• Questionnaires to evaluate what was available and interest in taking part of the initiative

• General Assembly Resolution 50/225• Active since March 2001

– Outcome services (online)• Information, Training, Advisory, Conference, Directory

– Examples: • Legislation, Case studies• Country profiles, Analytical reports• Technical project highlights• Statistical databases • Major developments and trends• Calendar of events, Searchable thematic web links

Source: UNDESA


International: UNPAN• International partners

• UNDESA (Coordinator)• CIIAP• IIAS• UNCRD• INSTRAW

Source: UNDESA

– Africa• AAPAM• OFPA• IDEP• CAFRAD• CPSI• ECA

– Arab States• ARADO• ESCWA

– Asia & Pacific• EROPA• RCOCI• CGG

– Europe• NISPAcee• UNTC• CAIMED• ECE

– Latin America & Caribbean

• CARICAD• CLAD• ECLAC

– North America• ASPA• IPAC/IAPC• IPMA-HR• ICCE

• Regional partners



Conceptual design

Assessment of regional centers and system design

System development at UNDESA

System implementation in regional partners

System trialUser acceptance

Content development, Maintenance, Outreach activities

UNPAN Phase II(2006/2007)

1999

1999/2000

1999/2000

2000

2001

Since then


Lessons Learnedfrom UNPAN

• Vision of Management (Leadership)• Systematic way of working• Capacity building (difficult, digital divide)• Organizational restructure (what to share, how to share)• Reallocation of resources• Increase the awareness of countries• Strengthen the capacity of international, regional and national

institutions in public administration and finance• Facilitate south-south cooperation (e.g. training)• Technical assistance on IT facilities• Awareness of using ICT solutions offered by UNPAN• Ownership• Sustainability: leadership and partnership

Source: UNDESA


Caribbean: TASF


Caribbean Region: TASF

• Motivation:– Administrative reform and e-Government capacity

building by the countries in the Caribbean region

• 5 Ministerial Consultation Meetings (2000-2004)– The 3rd, 4th, and 5th Meeting focused on

e-Government• Main activity related to TASF was the Endorsement of the

“Action-Oriented E-Government Strategy”– Need for capacity building– Use of ICT to take advantage of new development– Improve quality of public services

Source: UNDESA



• Partners– Government of Italy– UNDESA/DPADM– CARICOM/CARICAD– UNESCO (started in 2005)

• Collaborators– Local Government– Private sector– Civil Society

Source: UNDESA



What would you do?

• Issues– Need for capacity building– Use of ICT to take advantage of new development– Improve quality of public services

Source: UNDESA



• Outcome of the cooperation:– Customization and testing of the methodology– e-Government readiness assessment in 9 countries– Creation of a website

http://www.unpan.org/lacwig/latin-caribbean-working-group.asp

– “Action-Oriented E-Government Strategy” (document)– Technical and Advisory Support Facility (TASF)

• Advisory services• Guidelines and Standards• Caribbean E-Government Knowledge Bank

Source: UNDESA



Sept 2005

Local staff- Knowledge and Inform. Manager- Research AssistantDESA – New York- Chief Technical Advisor

Future…

Oct-Nov-Dec 2005

1. Seminar on Agriculture and Change Mgmt2. Inventory on Information Mgmt in St. Lucia3. St. Lucia: e-Health4. St. Vincent & the Grenadine: study on ICT

Jan - June 2006

1. Assessment of the Inform. Mgmt. Protocol by Fisheries Mechanism 2. Dominica, St. Vincent & the Grenadine,

and Grenada: Series of Workshops3. Saint Lucia: National Identification Card System, Workshop4. Barbados: Project Doc. for a Commonwealth Secretariat Policy5. Belize: Series of Workshops Action Plan for e-Government6. Caribbean E-Government Knowledge Bank starts in July

...

...

Source: UNDESA


Lessons Learned from TASF

• Capacity building• Collecting information • Transforming information into knowledge• Difficulty in understanding their own request

(if I know what I know…)

Source: UNDESA


Africa: AGI

BeninBotswana

Burkina FasoCameroon

Congo- BrazzavilleEthiopia

GabonGambia

GhanaKenya

LesothoMadagascar

MalawiMali

MauritaniaMauritius

MozambiqueNamibiaNiger NigeriaRwandaSenegalSomaliaSouth AfricaSwazilandTanzaniaTogoTunisiaUgandaZambiaZimbabwe

31 countries

Source: UNDESA


Africa: AGI

• Motivation:– Knowledge sharing on governance initiatives

undertaken by African countries

Source: UNDESA


Africa: AGI

• Activities– 1997: UNDP organized the First Africa Governance Forum

• Outcome: request for an inventory of governance projects– 1998: UNDP & UNDESA conceptualized and realized a pilot project

(no Internet) 14 countries– 1999: UNDP, the Government of Italy & UNDESA:

African Governance Inventory (AGI) in a local database (not interactive and not online)

– 2002 Follow-up meeting: • Need for focal points of each Government (engagement!)

– 2003: ???– 2004-2005-2006

Follow-up meetings


Africa: AGI

• Partners– Government of Italy– UNDP– UNDESA/DPADM

• Collaborators– National Governments– UNDP country offices

Source: UNDESA


Africa: AGI

• Issues– Exchange of information– Coordination– Participation

What would you do?

Source: UNDESA


Africa: AGI

• AGI (Africa Governance Inventory) portal: 2003– Assists governments and their development partners

by providing:• analytical information and data on national governance

activities, to improve programming, coordination, monitoring, evaluation, transparency and resource mobilization for good governance http://www.unpan.org/agiportal

– Supports sharing governance experiences and promoting regional partnerships

Source: UNDESA


Africa: AGI

• How the collaboration works

AGI National Data

Focal Point

``CompilationAnalysisManagement

UNDESA

Training

AnalysisManagementMonitoring

UNDP

Support

Input Data

Input Data

GOVERNMENT

PARTNERS

Identify

Source: UNDESA


Africa: AGI

• Main Governance Areas

Source: UNDESA


Africa: AGI

Source: UNDESA


Report Example

Funding Source Budget (US$) % of Total

Budget (US$)

Classification Area : Civil society empowerment

UNDP 125,600.00 100.000 Total Budget for this

Classification 125,600.00 0.294

Classification Area : Communication, press and media

Australia 81,456.00 57.080 UNDP 61,250.00 42.920

Total Budget for this Classification

142,706.00 0.334

Classification Area : Decentralization

Germany 4,796,600.00 86.439 UNDP 752,500.00 13.561


5,549,100.00 12.979

Classification Area : Electoral system

Ireland 155,000.00 100.000 Total Budget for this

Classification 155,000.00 0.363

Classification Area : Parliamentary system

UNDP 384,350.00 81.716 United Kingdom 86,000.00 18.284


470,350.00 1.100

Classification Area : Public administration

Germany 805,000.00 21.177 Government 1,410,927.00 37.118 Ireland 1,519,000.00 39.961

“Funding source by classification” report in Lesotho (US$ Million)

Source: UNDESA


Report Example“Pipeline budget by classification” report - Mauritania (US$ Million)

Source: UNDESA


Lessons Learned from AGI• Project is vast• Engagement from key governance actors

– Need commitment from Governments– Sustainability of the AGI system (non-paid focal points, turn-over)

• Innovation– System is designed to allow Governments to disseminate the access to it

(“decentralized”)• Needs for continuous training (new focal points)

– Monitoring data quality• Sensitization of the use of AGI (as a planning and monitoring tool)• Ownership (government mechanism for managing/updating information) • Funding (for data validation, sensitization, and training)• NEPAD/African Union (regional coordination)• Need for two versions: online and offline• Language-wise (data)

– Portuguese language is important– Arabic may become as important

Source: UNDESA


Tanzania: Communicating local farming knowledge

Source: World Bank and FAO



• Motivation:– Documentation of local knowledge and

dissemination is weak– Subsidies would not longer exist




• Partners– World Bank– Government– Donor agencies



• Main Goal of Uluguru Mountains Agricultural Development Project (UMADEP) – improve the agricultural productivity and the socio-

economic conditions of the small-scale farmers in a specific region

– Smaller Goal: farmer-to-farmer training and knowledge sharing

What would you do?




• A solution which is NOT based on ICT!!!– Accessing the know-how of the innovation

• Workshops: farmers (experts), local artist, project staff and extension officers

– Defining communication needs– Targeting the audience– Visualization and production of artwork– Field testing– Farmer-to-farmer dissemination




• Visual materials: – posters, booklets and leaflets

• Simple instruction, comic like• Attractive draws



Lessons Learned from “Communicating local farming knowledge”

• Testing visual poster permits valuable feedback• Participation brings sense of ownership• Cultural identity (local artist)• Promoted conservation and multiplication of

indigenous plants• Improved the farmer skills

(farmer to farmer dissemination)



Conclusion

• Integrated initiative to (human) development• Treating people and information as main assets• Leadership• Engagement of local people (all over the process)• Key questions:

– To share or not to share?– With whom to share– What to share– How to share

• Context is very important (no direct transfer)• Keep it simple: e.g. communities of practice, storytelling• Think about sustainability


Sources

• Websites– http://www.unpan.org– http://www.undp.org/knowledge/– http://www.worldbank.org/

• Reports & Papers– Understanding Knowledge Societies, UNDESA, 2005– Knowledge for Development, World Bank, 1998/99– Article: “Finland as a Knowledge Economy – Elements of Success and

Lessons Learned”, World Bank– http://www.km4dev.org/journal

• Cases– UNPAN: http://www.unpan.org– TASF: http://www.unpan.org/lacwig/latin-caribbean-working-group.asp– AGI: http://www.unpan.org/agiportal– Tanzania: http://www.fao.org/sd/2001/PE0404a_en.htm


Thank [email protected]

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