بيست و سه نفر از نقاط مختلف جهان انتخاب شده اند تا به ژنو سفر کنند و همزمان با اجلاس جهانی جامعه اطلاعات WSIS، جوايز خود را دريافت کنند. علت انتخاب اين گروه ها يا افراد، استفاده موثر از تکنولوژی های اينترنتی و اطلاعاتی برای حل مشکلات واقعی جوامع آنها بوده است.
از جمله اين برندگان، يک برنامه راديويی برای کشاورزان بوليوی، شبکه ای از زنان شهردار در اروپای شرقی و يک پروژه برای کمک به جوانان تهيدست در کامبوج است. مبلغ کل جوايز اسکار اينترنتی به 60 هزار دلار می رسد که در چهار زمينه اعطاء می شود: زنان، رسانه ها، کاهش فقر و جوانان.
"شراکت جهانی دانش" يا به اختصار GKP شبکه بين المللی از سازمان هايی است که متعهد به استفاده از تکنولوژی ارتباطات برای تسهيل رشد و توسعه برابر و سالم در جهان هستند. GKP با همکاری نهادها و سازمان های ديگر اين جوايز را تدارک ديده است که طی مراسمی در شب 11 دسامبر داده خواهد شد.
‘Cyber Oscars’ to recognise ICT use to solve Real World problems Twenty-three winners from all parts of the world arrive in Geneva. Gala awards ceremony on December 11 during the World Summit.
Geneva, Switzerland: 9 December 2003 What do a daily radio programme for Bolivian farmers, a network of women mayors in Eastern Europe and a Cambodian project to empower disadvantaged youth have in common? They all rely heavily or entirely on information and communications technologies (ICTs) to achieve their goals. For doing that exceptionally well, they have just been selected to receive the inaugural ICT for development awards – dubbed the ‘Cyber Oscars’. These three initiatives are among 23 winners – individuals or organisations – from all parts of the world that will be recognised for their excellence, commitment and innovation in using ICTs for development. The Awards, representing a combined worth of nearly US$ 60,000, are aimed at promoting specific, targeted applications of ICTs in four thematic areas: gender, media, poverty reduction and youth. The Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP), a worldwide network of organisations committed to using ICTs for sustainable and equitable development, has facilitated these awards in collaboration with several other organisations. The awards are to be presented at a gala ceremony on the evening of December 11 at the ICT4D Platform, a key parallel event of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva. Heads of state, other industry and civil society leaders will be among those who present awards at the ceremony Award winners from far corners of the planet have been sponsored to travel to Geneva to personally accept the awards. “These awards are an integral part of GKP’s efforts to enhance global understanding and appreciation of how ICTs can be used strategically and innovatively to solve problems for individuals, communities and nations,” says Ambassador Walter Fust, Chairman of GKP. Mr. Fust, who is also Director General of the Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation (SDC), adds: “We know there is a lot of digital hype going around. We hope these awards will help us to discern fact from fiction, and rhetoric from reality – and at the same time recognise the outstanding efforts of the award winners.”
GKP follows a broad definition of ICTs to include both the ‘traditional’ ICTs of telephone, radio and television, as well as the newer ICTs -- Personal Computers, mobile phones, satellite and wireless technologies, Internet and the World Wide Web. The scope of the awards cover this full range.
“We are more interested in people than technology,” says Rinalia Abdul Rahim, Executive Director of GKP. “The awards salute outstanding women and men who have dared to be different, who have persevered against many odds, to solve social, economic, health, environmental and other problems in their communities. ICTs are powerful tools in their attempt to create a better world.” The GKP has facilitated the four award categories in collaboration with organisations that have expertise and experience at global level. These partners are: · Gender and ICT Awards: Association for Progressive Communication-Women's Networking Support Programme (APC WNSP), http://www.apcwomen.org
· Media Awards: The Panos Institute, London, http://www.panos.org.uk
· ICT Stories Tony Zeitoun Awards (poverty reduction): Information for Development Programme (infoDev) of the World Bank (http://www.infodev.org) and International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD), http://www.iicd.org
· Youth Award: Youth Creating Digital Opportunities (YCDO) Coalition, http://www.ycdo.net The selection process was guided by well defined eligibility and selection criteria, announced in advance. Hundreds of nominations were received in response to the open calls issued by the GKP and partners in early 2003. Nominated projects went through a comprehensive assessment by international panels of jurors drawn from government, civil society, academic and inter-governmental organisations, ensuring adequate geographical representation. The Awards are meant to serve as mechanisms for gathering success stories in the use of information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D). At the same time, GKP is bringing out a new book that collates information on these success stories. It will be one of three publications to be launched at the Awards Celebration. The awards – which GKP and partners hope to continue on a regular basis – are meant not only to recognise outstanding initiatives in ICT4D, but also to enable greater networking and collaboration among them. “Our experience over the last few years shows that scarce resources can be more effectively used through better co-ordination, information exchange, and increased collaborative opportunities,” says Rinalia Abdul Rahim. The Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) is a worldwide network committed to harnessing the potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for sustainable and equitable development. GKP’s vision is a world of equal opportunities where all people can access and use knowledge and information to improve their lives. The network enables the sharing of information, experiences and resources to help reduce poverty and empower peoples. Within the GKP framework, governments, civil society groups, donor agencies, private sector companies and inter-governmental organisations have come together for the first time as equals to apply ICTs for development -- now abbreviated as ICT4D. Such alliances are known as ‘multi-stakeholder partnerships’, a relatively new approach to forging collaborations among different sectors sharing a common vision and goal. http://www.globalknowledge.org