“Emerging People, Emerging Markets, Emerging Technologies,”
IDRC at the Global Knowledge Forum (GK3) in Kuala Lumpur
Ottawa, Canada, December 10, 2007 – Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are powerful tools for reducing poverty, for combating HIV/AIDS, and for promoting good governance. At the Third Global Knowledge Forum (GK3), Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and its research partners will be showcasing some of the innovative ways in which ICTs can foster human development. The GK3 will take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, December 11-13, 2007.
For more than a decade, IDRC has been working with researchers to harness the power of ICTs for development; these efforts have produced real results. In Malaysia, IDRC has contributed to the creation of eHomemakers, a virtual network that supports Southeast Asian women who wish to balance work and domestic life. In Mongolia, IDRC helped establish the country’s first Internet connection. In Nallavadu, a village near Pondicherry, India, the loudspeakers and siren of an information community centre run by the IDRC-supported MS. Swaminathan Research Foundation warned the village of the impending Asian tsunami. Although 150 houses and 200 fishing boats were destroyed, the villagers made it to safety and no lives were lost.
At GK3, IDRC will host workshops, panels, and demonstrations where participants can explore the next steps in ICTs for development. Highlights include:
a two-part multimedia quiz show that will challenge preconceptions about how the poor use telecom and Internet technologies;
panels on generating relevant content in local languages; disaster prevention, and open access to research collections;
Hands-on demonstrations where visitors can create their own interactive map using open source software, build their own toll free telecommunications network, and join an online talk show with distance education experts; and
an IDRC booth where participants can meet and hear from IDRC’s research partners about the latest in ICTs for development, listen to interviews and podcasts, and watch videos by other participants.
For more information about IDRC’s activities at GK3, consult www.idrc.ca/gk3. IDRC and its partners from Canada and the developing world will be available for interviews.
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About IDRC
Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is one of the world's leading institutions in the generation and application of new knowledge to meet the challenges of international development. For more than 40 years, IDRC has worked in close collaboration with researchers from the developing world to build healthier, more equitable, and more prosperous societies.
For information:
In Malaysia:
Chantal Schryer
(+1 613) 796-8754
[email protected]
Vivien Chiam
+65 97606821
[email protected]
In Canada:
Isabelle Bourgeault-Tassé
(+1 613) 236-6163, ext. 2343
[email protected]
