CAPACITY BUILDING FOR THE INFORMATION SOCIETY: CAPACITY BUILDING FOR THE INFORMATION SOCIETY Russel C. Jones, Ph.D., P.E. President WFEO Committee on Capacity Building RCJonesPE@aol.com


Capacity Building for Economic Development: Capacity Building for Economic Development “Give a person a fish: you have fed them for today. Teach a person to fish: you have fed them for a lifetime.” And: teach them how to process and package fish for export, and you have stimulated economic development.


Capacity Building Definition: Capacity Building Definition Capacity building is a dedication to the strengthening of economies, governments, institutions and individuals through education, training, mentoring, and the infusion of resources. Capacity building aims at developing secure, stable, and sustainable structures, systems and organizations, with a particular emphasis on using motivation and inspiration for people to improve their lives. Must be responsive to expressed needs of those to be served.


Results of Aid to Date: Results of Aid to Date “The Elusive Quest for Growth”, by William Easterly (MIT Press, 2002): Previous efforts have tried to use foreign aid, investment in machines, fostering education at the primary and secondary levels, controlling population growth, and giving loans and debt relief conditional on reforms to stimulate the economic growth that would allow these countries to move toward self sufficiency all of these efforts over the past few decades have failed to lead to the desired economic growth these massive and expensive efforts have failed because they did not hit the fundamental human behavioral chord that “people respond to incentives”


What Would Work?: What Would Work? Easterly argues that there are two areas that can likely lead to the desired economic growth in developing countries, that can lead them toward economic self sufficiency: utilization of advanced technologies, and education that leads to high skills in technological areas


What outcomes are desired? : What outcomes are desired? A solid base of technologically prepared people in developing countries to attract investments by multinational companies to assist in making the most of foreign aid funds to provide a basis for business development by local entrepreneurs


Two complementary approaches : Two complementary approaches UNESCO “Cross-sectoral activities in technical capacity building”, to enhance engineering programs within that organization WFEO Committee on Capacity Building, to provide an action oriented program for forward motion


UNESCO Plans for Capacity Building – 2005: UNESCO Plans for Capacity Building – 2005 Draft decision presented by the US and supported by 23 countries, May 2005 UNESCO Executive Board adoption Requests DG to develop cross-sectoral activities within UNESCO to emphasize building capacities in developing countries to address elements of the Millennium Goals, particularly safe drinking water and poverty reduction Includes strengthening the existing engineering program within UNESCO


WFEO Standing Committee on Capacity Building: WFEO Standing Committee on Capacity Building Established in October 2003 at the World Federation of Engineering Organizations’ General Assembly in Tunis, based on a proposal from the United States Hosted by the American Association of Engineering Societies in Washington DC To complement UNESCO in-house efforts


Current Projects for WFEO CCB: Current Projects for WFEO CCB Engineering for the Americas African initiatives Virtual exhibit e-conferences Entrepreneurial conference South-south programs Collaboration with others: Engineers Without Borders, Gender issues, FIDIC UNESCO interactions


Engineering for the Americas: Engineering for the Americas WFEO CCB collaborating with the Organization of American States to promote technical capacity building throughout Latin America and the Caribbean Resolution adopted by OAS Ministers of Science and Technology at Lima in November 2005 Input to Summit of the Americas in Argentina in November 2005 Major implementation conference planned for 30 November – 2 December 2005 in Lima, with financial support from US TDA and corporate sponsors


African Initiatives : African Initiatives Engineering education workshops in sub-Saharan Africa, organized through Capetown University Quality assurance mechanism development, built upon South African membership in Washington Accord Joint engineering – business school effort in educating graduates for entrepreneurship Internship program, with international companies operating in sub-Saharan Africa Engineers Without Borders workshop in Cameroon (Foundation funds being sought with assistance of development consultant supported by UNESCO/US State Department funds


Current Projects for WFEO CCB: Current Projects for WFEO CCB Engineering for the Americas African initiatives Virtual exhibit e-conferences Entrepreneurial conference South-south programs Collaboration with others: Engineers Without Borders, Gender issues, FIDIC UNESCO interactions