Knowledge Management for Sustainable Development
Time: 31 October 2002, 13:45-14:30 Location: Salle A Chair: Peter Sissons Presenters/ Participants: Werner Kasel, IBEX Reporter: Julie Archer (ICVolunteers) Languages: English Key words: Sustainable development, knowledge centre, knowledge-sharing, IBEX
Mr. Werner Kasel from IBEX Knowledge Systems introduced his organization's Sustainable Development Knowledge Centre, which he described as an action-oriented tool with a scientific approach for planning and implementing sustainable development projects.
Mr. Kasel opened by describing the large network of senior people in a wide variety of disciplines in science and engineering who have contributed their skills and expertise to the building of the Knowledge Centre, which is currently half-finished. The Knowledge Centre, he continued, is designed to provide a portfolio of services - data, methodologies, models and systems - for the assessment, strategic planning, financing, implementation, support and measurement of sustainable development projects. Collaboration with people at the country- and project-level, sharing information and providing training are important components of the Knowledge Centre, explained Mr. Kasel. The Knowledge Centre also provides a list of projects in progress, which users can use to pursue partnership opportunities.
Interesting Questions
In the question period that followed, a Bulgarian delegate talked about her government's new Balkan Information Centre for Sustainable Development, which will produce a database on sustainable development projects, organizations and suppliers. She asked Mr. Kasel about how to go about approaching donors for the project, and he responded by saying that the most important thing was to have a solid business case clearly stating the value of the project and its audience. Another delegate provided information on potential funding sources.
Another delegate asked about how accessible the Knowledge Centre really is given that there is little internet access in sub-Saharan Africa. The delegate also wanted to know how indigenous knowledge, experience and technologies were being added to the Knowledge Centre. Mr. Kasel answered that the most important thing was to make a start with the collection of data, even if it was not yet truly accessible everywhere, in order to prove that the system works. He acknowledged that next steps for the project included the gathering of information from less accessible regions.
In answer to a question about the possible expansion of offices for the Knowledge Centre in developing countries, Mr. Kasel replied that there was no need to open offices in other countries because they are working with the skills and experience of partners already in those countries.
Conclusions
Mr. Kasel concluded that there is no new information on the planet and no need to reinvent anything if there is a globally accessible electronic data source that has collected information based on the experience and knowledge of people from around the world. Mr. Kasel sees major strengths in the potential global accessibility and local adaptability of the Knowledge Centre, and he emphasized the system's focus on knowledge-sharing and -transfer.
