Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme
Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme is an initiative of the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) and "aims to promote the development and application of information and communication technologies (or, ICTs) for sustainable human development". Its sphere of work is the Asia-Pacific region.
APDIP says it "aims to meet its goals by focussing on three inter-related core areas". The first is policy development and dialogue, the second is access, and the third being content development and knowledge management.
Aims, approach
From its publications, APDIP says it "collaborates with national governments, regional, international and multi-lateral development organisations, UN agencies, educational and research organisations, civil society groups, and the private sector". It does this with the aim of "integrating ICTs in the development process.
Stragegies
To reach its tasks it also employs what it terms a dynamic mic of strategies -- awareness raising, capacity building, technical assistance and advice, research and development, knowledge sharing and partnership building.
IOSN
Among the techie community, one of the better-known initiatives of the APDIP is the International Open Source Network (or, ISON), which is supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada.
IOSN has been termed a "centre of excellence for Free/Open Source Software (FOSS), Open Content and Open Standards" in the Asia-Pacific region.
In 2006, IOSN undertook plans for expansion of its activities with three more "centres of excellence". Till this time, it was largely a network with a small secretariat based at the UNDP Regional Centre in Bangkok.
It is now to have three more centres -- IOSN ASEAN+3, IOSN PIC (Pacific Island Countries) and IOSN South Asia. These centres will be based at Manila (the Philippines), Suva (Fiji) and Chennai (India), respectively.
IOSN is more focussed on policy and technical advice on FOSS (also called FLOSS, or Free/Libre and Open Source Software) to governments, civil society and the private sector. It produces reports which are put out under the Creative Commons license, and available for download from its website.
Contact details for IOSN and its regional centres are as follows:
- IOSN, c/o Asia-Pacific Development Information programme, UNDP Regional Centre in Bangkok, 3rd Floor, United Nations Service Building, Rajdamnern Nok Avenue, Bangkok 10200, Thailand Tel +66 2 288 1234; 288 2129
- IOSN ASEAN+3