1. Financing Information and Communication Infrastructure Needs in the Developing World: Public and Private Roles (World Bank, February 2005)

Infrastructure Needs in the Developing World: Public and Private Roles -- emphasizing the role of public-private partnerships in ensuring that more people in the Developing World can access modern tools of communication. The draft report suggests that considerable progress has been made in narrowing the digital divide over the last ten years, but much remains to be done by both the private and public sectors.

2.  Scaling up ICT access is crucial to meeting the MDGs. (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC/DSC, 2005)

This paper argues for the key role that information and communication technologies (ICTs) can play in reducing poverty, and enhancing empowerment, opportunity and security; this potential is despite the fact that ICTs have had a relatively small impact on realising the MDGs so far. Improving access to ICTs will have knock-on effects for further reducing access barriers, improved productive competitiveness and overall help to meet PRS goals. Improving access should be mainstreamed into implementation of sectoral components. Complementing the poverty-reducing priorities of the national ICT strategy. Targeted pro-poor regulations and policies arte key.

3. Estrategies and Monitoring and Evaluation Toolkit.( World Bank, Janurary 2005)

The focus of this toolkit is premised on the fact that effective Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) is integral to the design and implementation of effective e-strategies. Developing M&E components of e-strategies is a means by which to ensure that the strategies are explicit and realistic with regard to what they aim to achieve, and that their implementation is regularly assessed and realigned to ensure the efficient use of scarce resources. In many respects, the credibility and efficiency of e-strategies depends on their having a strong M&E spine.

4.  e-Primers for the Information Economy, Society, and Polity Series. (UNDP, Asia-Pacific Development Information Program )

The e-Primers on the Information Economy is a regional public information effort of UNDP-APDIP and the e-ASEAN Task Force Secretariat to provide policy makers and opinion leaders in developing countries of the Asia-Pacific with a clear understanding of the various terminologies, definitions, trends and issues surrounding the information economy, as well as, the specific implications of ICT for their societies. Seven topics are currently covered.

The report looks at:

• moving towards pro-poor ICT-based sustainable development models
• why local content is central to African ICT4D
• how informational needs are critical both for individual development (broader literacy) and for project success
• the growing role of capacity building in Africa
• the need for credible action research; and the increasing need for multi-level coordination

The paper highlights the objectives, channels and context that distinguish knowledge-based development from knowledge sharing in business. The case of the Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG) is taken as the basis for discussion. ITDG is positioning itself as a broker of practical information for Southern audiences and building the partnerships to support a network of practical information providers and infomediaries to share this information with end users. The implications of ITDG?s research into reaching the last mile, including partnership models, business models and the relevance of information communication technologies (ICTs) are outlined and insights that are relevant to other domains of knowledge sharing.