Foreword

Somewhere between our history and our future lies our present – a middling period that we often lose sight of. We are enamoured of the many things we will achieve, and perennially polish shelf-ornaments of the things we have done; but rarely do we survey our own worlds to ask: “What are we doing?”

The BEYOND TUNIS series of publications is about this question, which we will ask all the way to our next world event, the 3rd Global Knowledge Conference, at the end of 2007.

FLIGHTPLAN is the first leg of the series. How will the other episodes evolve? We’re not quite sure – but we have an idea. The thing you are now reading is the GKP response to this project brief (see facing page): this publication is the airport from where we take-off; its articles are our runway lights; and we hope our aircraft heads toward sharing more knowledge and building new partnerships.

GKP is a living network, buzzing with ideas and activities. The samplers in this magazine are from across the network, and they are delivered unadulterated. So:

IMPORTANT SAFETY MESSAGES:


THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS PUBLICATION ARE THE OPINIONS OF INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTORS AND DO NOT REPRESENT GKP AS A WHOLE.

NOTE: THE TEXT PRESENTED IS AS RECEIVED FROM THE AUTHORS, WITHOUT CORRECTIONS OR EDITING OF ANY SORT.

COPYRIGHT REMAINS WITH RESPECTIVE CONTRIBUTORS, BUT CONFORMS TO GKP PRACTICE ON OPEN ACESS TO KNOWLEDGE - HENCE SHOULD YOU REFER TO OR QUOTE FROM THE BEYOND TUNIS, PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE THE SOURCE.

Sit back and enjoy the flight!

 Introduction

The premise of Beyond Tunis is simple enough: take a snapshot of the state of the ICT4D community after the WSIS process and try to look ahead to what might happen in the short, medium and longer-term. Do it in a series of at least 3 publications that will lead into the next GKP global event (end-2007). This is # 1: Flightplan.

WSIS Tunis was a milestone that allowed us to visualize ICT4D more holistically than before. The process output a critical mass of understanding, and an affinity for the theory and practice of ICT4D.

There now exists in a common global framework amongst the majority of ICT4D practitioners.

This critical mass exists in 'bits' and 'bytes' that ICT4D practitioners, in their various realms of expertise, carry about with them and continue to use or apply as measures and benchmarks for the evolution of their own work.

But the future products of their work cannot be fully known (chiefly because so many variables are in flux: from the social acceptance of ICT, to the ICT itself, to the innovations that will inevitably arise from the application of ICT in various contexts – which themselves are as yet unknown).

This publication points toward the 'tomorrow' of ICT4D. It is not a prediction or a projection; but a set of strategic markers and signposts, the 'runway lights' that ICT4D players use to bring their ideas down to the ground.



To find out more, email: BeyondTunis@gkps.org.my