Dear GKD list members,
Many, if not most, of you were part of the discussion last October-November
about the World Bank's Development Gateway plans. I thought you would be
interested in a new briefing we have put together to outline the problems
with the Gateway's all-encompassing approach to content management on
development. Many of the comments given on this list have not been
adequately dealt with and the Bank's team is rushing ahead to launch the
Gateway on 1 July.
The briefing contains extracts from some of the postings on this list last
year and from the latest Gateway documents. It concludes that the Gateway
has useful elements, but that its core content management approach is
unworkable and not desirable. It will discriminate against those people who
most lack a voice on the Net and fail to capture cross-cutting issues such
as gender and climate change.
The World Bank should focus on how it can help the continued emergence of
diverse, decentralised content approaches on the internet, or face a public
campaign against the Gateway. Some campaign suggestions are outlined,
including some which use the Internet itself.
More details of the briefing are below: please circulate to your lists and
contacts, or link from your sites. We are very keen to get feedback on this
briefing.
Best wishes,
Alex Wilks
Bretton Woods Project www.brettonwoodsproject.org
>>>> NEW BRIEFING <<<<<<
A Tower of Babel on the internet? The World Bank's Development Gateway
LONDON MAY 1, 2001, WORLD BANK INTERNET SCHEME CONTESTED
As its Spring Meetings end in Washington, the World Bank is in the final
stages of planning a major new web initiative. The Bank claims that the
site (the Development Gateway) will contain all points of view on over 130
development topics. The site aims to attract a wide audience of officials,
NGOs, journalists and researchers in many countries, to become the "premier
web entry point on poverty and sustainable development".
A number of civil society groups have been discussing the Development
Gateway over the last year and have concluded that its approach is flawed
and will do little or nothing to help people who currently lack the ability
to get their voices heard on the internet. In recent weeks major NGO
networks in South Africa and Latin America have taken formal positions not
to join the Gateway.
A new briefing from the Bretton Woods Project, a London-based NGO which has
been following the Gateway for over a year, presents extracts from current
Gateway planning documents and the reasons why the Gateway is being
contested. These include:
1) the site's chosen topic sections are too rigid and do not represent the
way that many people in developing countries view development issues;
2) it is impossible to choose editors who will be trusted by the wide range
of people the Gateway aims to serve;
3) the claim that the Gateway will contain only "high quality" material is
controversial, while quality remains undefined;
4) the multi-million dollar site will compete unfairly with existing
internet sites;
5) the site's interactive features will help promote the opinions of people
in richer countries and office-based workers in developing countries;
6) the Gateway's independent governance arrangements are too little, too late
Many of these points have been raised with the Bank's Gateway team, which
has proved unwilling to engage with questions about the fundamentals of
their initiative. Unless they change their approach, civil society groups
will have little option but to use the internet and e-mail to challenge the
Gateway, while continuing to build up independent sites. The briefing ends
with some suggestions and an appeal for people to help with this.
NOTES
A Tower of Babel on the Internet? can be viewed or downloaded at:
www.brettonwoodsproject.org/topic/knowledgebank/index.html
Or e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] asking for a copy by e-mail
attachment (specify format if you do not want it in Word 2000).
Spanish version coming soon.
Note to editors: the Bretton Woods Project is happy to provide articles or
features on this issue.
Note to web managers: please link to this briefing from your site.
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
The Bretton Woods Project works with NGOs and researchers
to monitor the World Bank and IMF
Tel: +44 (0)20 7561 7546
* April-May Bretton Woods Update now on:
www.brettonwoodsproject.org/update
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