Report of the Regional Workshop - Escap

ICT support of stakeholders
they do is distributed without its intervention. This allows ESCAP to enhance
the capacity of institutions that train local government, thereby enabling them
to act as a multiplier of ESCAP’s trainings. This method is a combination of
resource facility with a cascading network.
The general elements involved when discussing networks include the
internal requirements such as structure, process, and content. To facilitate the
external elements, inputs, outputs, and actions are needed. ESCAP’s Regional
Resource Centre (RRC) is a network that assists ESCAP in training its partners
and LGAs. As ESCAP is a regional organization with a regional mandate, it
needs to work at the regional level, but its Regional Resource Centre can be
replicated at national, district or even local level. The cascading network has
three levels (not necessarily top down): other regional resource centres (or
RRC); national centres; and local centres, NGOs or LGAs. The functions at
each level are different. There is a constant flow of information, knowledge
and data through the three levels. The main function of each level of the network
is to provide support to the other levels, not necessarily to intervene externally,
but to enhance their capacity. The level that largely acts externally in
the real world is level three, the rest of the structure supports their interaction
externally. The goal of the Regional Resource Facility (level one) is to acquire
and transfer knowledge and build capacities on innovative practices and policies.
Its targets are local, sub-national and national governmental partners
(organization, communities). The RRC is a repository of a number of databases
and tools for learning, thereby facilitating communication without having
to go through the centre. Internet-based tools available on the RRC include
distance learning programmes, interactive discussions, mailing lists and online
advisor services. The RRC functions start and end with the next level. The target
group is one level. It is impossible for any one organization to target all
levels since no one organization has that capacity. Another aspect of the RRC
is that it enables different levels to be directly involved with the training of the
next level, by providing tools to the next level, that can be adapted to their
needs. Thirdly, the network does not have to be Internet-based.
It was vital to the survival of the network to establish and maintain the
links between levels. He gave an example of how the system works, using the
issue of women in local government. Having selected the issue, a regional
seminar was organized and held. From this seminar, national organizations
interested in starting a ‘women in local government network’ in their country
were identified. They then identify other local partners to work with. Because
the network was content driven, it must remain fluid, allowing people and organizations
to join the network according to their interest. There are no regulations
on who is able to join the network. Consuming the information was the
primary aim. Every single person was an information consumer and producer.
Information must flow in every direction and mechanisms needed to be created
to deliver and make information useful at the ground level.
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