The Bank continued to mainstream new instruments for knowledge-sharing such as videoconferences, web-based consultations, and CSO internet portals. As mentioned earlier, videoconferencing was used increasingly to carry out consultations and provide training to CSOs in the developing world. These videoconferences either used videoconferencing facilities at 70 Bank offices or took place at sites maintained by the Global Development Learning Network. The 2003 World Development Report on sustainable development held three videoconferences with CSOs in 15 countries that involved more than 100 participants from countries as varied as China, Jordan, and Colombia. In addition, several CSOs used the Bank’s videoconferencing facilities to carry out their own training or policy dialogue activities. The Rigoberta Menchu Foundation (Mexico) and Uraccan University (Nicaragua) organized several videoconferences in 2001 to allow indigenous leaders from 10 countries to strategize and prepare policy positions for the United Nations Conference on Human Rights, held in South Africa.
The lead unit in this area is the World Bank Institute (WBI), whose work includes training courses, long-distance learning programs, and electronic consultations often carried out in partnership with local research institutions. The WBI has helped launch the Global Development Learning Network (GDLN) which is a network of 60 independent learning centers with interactive video-conferencing and internet access capabilities. The World Bank Institute also introduced a permanent site for web-based discussions called Development Forum (DevForum) which sponsored numerous “electronic dialogues” over the past three years on such topics as governance, PRSPs, AIDS, youth, and corporate social responsibility. CSOs that have used the platform to promote dialogue include Transparency International, Panos Institute London, and the Bretton Woods Project. The Bank also consolidated several programs to strengthen civil society knowledge management initiatives on the internet. This included funding information and communications technologies via InfoDev as well as inviting CSO participation in the Development Gateway, a global web-based portal for promoting knowledge and information exchange on development.
In cyberspace, the World Bank helped launch the Development Gateway, - a global internet portal on development - in partnership with dozens of governments and CSOs. Today the Development Gateway Foundation is an independent foundation based in Washington and managed by a multi-stakeholder board of directors. The Gateway’s AIDA, projects database contains information on over 400,000 development initiatives funded by over 38 donor agencies. The Gateway also maintains thematic pages on Civil Society, Indigenous Peoples, and Glocalization, which have thousands of subscribers. The Development Gateway has also spawned the establishment of Country Gateways in nearly 50 countries many managed by CSOs, geared to generating local development content.
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