[gu-new] (04/14/06) UN University workshop on 4/13/06

Fri Apr 14 18:21:48 EDT 2006

<<April 14, 2006>>
Archived distributions can be retrieved at;
<http://makeashorterlink.com/?G28312E0C>
This archive includes a html version of this list distribution and its
MS/WORD version with its filename as “month-date-year.doc.”  You can also
access all of its attachments, if any.

Philipp Schmidt <schmidt at merit.unu.edu>

Rishab Aiyer Ghosh <rishab at dxm.org>

Kaisa Kautto-Koivula, Lic.Techn., Ph.D. <kaisa.kautto-koivula at kolumbus.fi>

Dear Philipp:

(1) Many thanks for your invitation to the following workshop yesterday
afternoon at the United Nations building in Manhattan;

> Challenging Intellectual Property: Access to Knowledge Issues in Open Source
> and Medicine

It was certainly very interesting workshop.  I enjoyed it very much and
learned a lot from its stimulating and inspiring discussions.

Dear E-Colleagues:

(2) Pls visit the following web sites about this workshop;

> (a) http://www.merit.unu.edu/ -- brief news release,
> (b) http://www.merit.unu.edu/seminars/docs/NYAgenda.pdf — agenda of the
> workshop,
> (c) Rishab Aiyer Ghosh and Philipp Schmidt
> “Policy Brief: Open Source and Open Standards: A New Frontier for Economic
> Development?
> http://www.merit.unu.edu/publications/pb/unu_pb_2006_01.pdf

I strongly commend that you read the last one through.

> Dear Philipp and Rashab:
> 
> This is an excellent write-up.  My wholehearted congratulations!!

(3) A few passages from this policy brief are;

The opportunity to “create and add value” provided by open source is
particularly important for developing countries and other economically
disadvantaged communities. Access alone limits them to the role of passive
consumers in the knowledge economy; the ability to create transforms them
into active participants.

As we shall see in the first part of this Policy Brief, open source software
appears to provide a training environment that enables this ability to
create; it increases the earning capacity of community participants without
any explicit investment in training and is perhaps a novel form of
technology transfer.

“Access [to ICTs] is not enough, it is the ability to create, to add value,
that is important”—Felipe Gonzalez, former Spanish Prime Minister

The adoption of open source policies provides environments that promote
skills development and the ability to create.

the benefits to a single user are significantly enhanced if there are many
other users of the same technology.

FLOSSPOLS—Free/Libre/Open Source Software: Policy Support Three specific
tracks:
government policy towards open source; gender issues in open source; and the
efficiency of open source as a system for collaborative problem-solving.
http://www.flosspols.org

(4) This direction is similar to our following project;

> "Global University System with Globally Collaborative Innovation Network";
> Paper to be presented at the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) in
> Tunis, Tunisia, November 14-18, 2005
> http://makeashorterlink.com/?W155410BB

(5) This direction is also similar to the discussion forum on the Open
Content which is now being concluded by;

> Susan d'Antoni
> International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP)
> UNESCO
> 7-9 rue Eugene Delacroix
> 75116 Paris France
> tel   +33 1 45 03 77 00
> fax  +33 1 40 72 83 66
> virtual.university at iiep.unesco.org.
> s.dantoni at IIEP.UNESCO.ORG
> http://www.unesco.org/iiep/virtualuniversity/
> 
Dear Kaisa:

(6) You may include this direction in your new book which will be sequel to
the following;

> Kaisa Kautto-Koivula and Marita Huhtaniemi, Nokia Ventures Organization
> "Evolution Towards Human-Centric Knowledge Society. Can Societies Learn from
> Global Corporations?"

Dear E-Colleagues in developing countries:

(7) One of panelists urged the availability of broadband Internet for
accessing vast amount info, e.g., human genome, etc.

The new direction to have such broadband Internet is to have optical fiber
network, which requires huge initial investment, e.g., East African
Submarine Cable which is now being deployed at 20 Gbps.

It is absolutely necessary to share its high cost which can only be done
when you aggregate demands by forming consortium of higher learning and
healthcare institutions in each of your countries, e.g., Nigeria, Sierra
Leone, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mongolia, China, etc., etc..  And
then, you also need to increase its use for sustainability by promoting
e-learning and e-healthcare/telemedicine.

These are the prime objectives of our Global University System (GUS)
project.

Best, Tak

List of Distribution

Philipp Schmidt <schmidt at merit.unu.edu>

Rishab Aiyer Ghosh
Senior Researcher
UNU-MERIT
UNITED NATIONS UNIVERSITY
Keizer Korelplein 19
6211 TC Maastricht
The Netherlands
+ 31 (0)43‑3883 749
F + 31 (0)43‑3506 399
rishab at dxm.org
www.merit.unu.edu

Kaisa Kautto-Koivula, Lic.Techn., Ph.D.
Docent, New Learning Environments
Tampere University
Finland
Mobile: +358 400 403 632
kaisa.kautto-koivula at kolumbus.fi

****************************************************************************
***
* Takeshi Utsumi, Ph.D., P.E., Chairman, GLOSAS/USA
*
* (GLObal Systems Analysis and Simulation Association in the U.S.A.)
*
* Laureate of Lord Perry Award for Excellence in Distance Education
*
* Founder and V.P. for Technology and Coordination of
*
*   Global University System (GUS)
*
* 43-23 Colden Street, Flushing, NY 11355-5913, U.S.A.
*
* Tel: 718-939-0928; Email: utsumi at columbia.edu
*
* 
http://www.itu.int/wsis/goldenbook/search/display.asp?Quest=8032562&lang=en
*
* http://www.friends-partners.org/GLOSAS/
*
* Tax Exempt ID: 11-2999676
*
****************************************************************************
***