FUNREDES NETWORKS AND DEVELOPMENT FUNDATION "information without barriers" DEFINITION FUNREDES is an International Non-Governmental Organisation, NGO, dedicated to disseminate the Newer Information and Communications Technologies (NICT) in developing countries.. MISSION To promote and facilitate the use of Newer Information and Communication Technologies in developing countries, and especially in Latin America and the Caribbean, together withinternational organizations, NGO's, Governments, public and private interested institutions, with the purpose to contribute to the regional development and integration. OBJECTIVES 1) To establish dissemination strategies for the NICT (networks,added-value networks, electronic libraries, interactive multimedia ), which: -respect the social-cultural environments as well asthe individual and collective freedom; -participates in the people, nations and interested regions progress; -takes into consideration the globalization of the information exchange patterns. 2) To promote the creation, structuration, preservation and dissemination of the Scientific and Technical Information (STI), within national and international frames, with a particular emphasis in the regional and the South-South context. 3) To participate in the organization of end-user groups in order to allow their responsible control over technology,and their mature participation in the management of technological solutions. This objective implies the demythologization of technologies and the understanding of their sociological and human impacts. 4) To Participate in the creation and development of new research networks both national and sectorial, and to organize technical assistance and added value services to existing networks. 5) To Participate in all corollary activities related to the development of the infrastructures related to Science and Technology, Research, Higher Education and Telecommunications, such as: - bringing content to existing networks; - systematic surveying of networks end-users; - the design of context-appropriate disseminationmethodologies; - organizing effective STI flows; - improving the quality of the information and communication interfaces; -providing assistance for the negotiation of specialtelecommunications tariffs; -developing and organizing systematic free access to electronic directories and conferences about researchs and STI; -globalizing he concept of national research sector, by integrating the researchers not working in their home countries. 6) To promote and facilitate women's access to the NICT integrating the gender perspective in the dissemination strategies as a basic requirement for their advance in the society and their equitable integration in the development process. 7) To contribute to the structuration and consolidation of the institutional process, as the key requirement for the advance of democratic and integral development. ACTIVITIES FUNREDES is a structure for thinking, socializing and acting on the impact of networks upon scientific, economic, cultural and social matters. It carries out a series of permanent activitiesand it is devoted to prepare, to set up and to manage specific projects according to the above mentioned objectives. PERMANENT ACTIVITIES - To coordinate electronic conferences, libraries, and directories of general and sectorial interest. - To provide technological watch on NITC. - To maintain professional relationships with the field players. - To edit newsletters about NICT themes. - To organize and execute training programs specific to NICT users. - To publish pamphlets creating awareness and promoting NICT. - To conduct research on the social and cultural impact of NICT. - To conduct research on the appropriate methodologiesfor the creation, set up and promotion of networks in developing countries. - To design systematic evaluation frameworks ofexisting NICT products (networks, softwares, hardwares, protocols). SPECIAL ACTIVITIES / PROJECTS: - reinforcing regional integration, - of network accessible applications, - of software easing the use of NICT and STI access, - for lauching national academic and research networks, - on added value services to existing networks, - promoting systematic use of electronic conferences and directories. ORIENTATION FUNREDES pursues, as its main orientation, the facilitation of NICT services to its potential users and the demythification of the associated technics. FUNREDES implements the research-action concept and stresses the cultural and social components in every action. The fundamental strategy is the user's participation during all phases of the NICT development. FUNREDES supports the organization of institutional participative,open and pluralistic structures. The FUNREDES activities will consider as priority constraints: - Its participation in the development of persons, countries and regions, - The incentive for regional integration, sustainable and equitable economic development, - The pursue of results likely to gain sustainable autonomy, - The adoption of a systemic and integral vision of the problems of development. Communication (specially inter-cultural and interregional) and Information (specially STI) will be, above technology, the key words of FUNREDES. STRUCTURE The structural elements of FUNREDES are: -The General Assembly of Members which appoints a President for a two years term. The members of FUNREDES are individuals or organizations involved in the NTIC. -A Consultive Board including outstanding personalities who are internationally reknowned in different disciplines related to FUNREDES activities. These persons, while not members of the General Assembly, are invited to attend as observers and have free access to FUNREDES information. They may intervene in specific points and may express a collective point of view in an Annual Report. The Consultive Board represents a guarantee for the scientific and ethic quality of FUNREDES.The initial operational framework consist of: - An International Head Office in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. - A European Office in Nice, France. - A Latin-American and Caribbean Office in Caracas, Venezuela. - Correspondents for FUNREDES, both national and sub- regional. - Group of FUNREDES Consultants (documentation, computer science, satellites, multimedia,telecommunications) BACKGROUND FUNREDES objective is to follow on, extending and expanding the activities which have been carried out by the REDALC Office of UNION LATINA, during the period from January 1988 to August 1993,some of which have been supported by the EEC and executed in collaboration with UNESCO/CRESALC and Latin American Science Academy (ACAL). - REDALC (a comprehensive regional project foracademic and research networking in LA&C) - MULBRI (a PC based user interface to networks) - REDALC Electronic Conference - Study of the potential impact of REDALC upon the French West Indies - REDALC Methodology (definition of an appropriate methodology for the creation of national networks in Developing Countries) - Planning and co-sponsorship of the Peruvian National Network (RCP) - Dominican National Network (REDID) - Haitian National Network (REHRED) -.Training workshops for the networks users - Study on the recommended Telecommunication Tariff Policies for Developing Countries. - Study on Higher Education in the Dominican Republic. FUNREDES: PEOPLE & CONTACTS International Head Office: Dominican Republic. Casa de Fancia c/ Las Damas n§42, zona colonial. P.O.Box 2972 Tel (1-809) 535-2422 Fax: (1-809) 535-6646 URLs:http://www.funredes.org gopher://gopher.funredes.org e-mail: info@funredes.org funredes!sede@redid.org.do HEAD Daniel Pimienta e-mail: pimienta@funredes.org pimienta!daniel@redid.org.do Project Officer Yacine Khelladi e-mail: yacine@funredes.org funredes!yacine@redid.org.do EUROPEAN OFFICE: FRANCE Les Hauts du Cimiez-B, Av. Cap-de-Croix, 06100, Nice, Francia Tel.: 33-93 81 74 50 European Executive Officer Didier Dupuy d'Angeac e-mail: 100572@compuserve REGIONAL OFICE Latin American and Caribbean Office: Venezuela Ave. Codazzi, Qta Ananke, Prados del Este, Caracas 1080 Tel: (58-2) 77 14 71 Fax: (58-2) 21 49 86 Regional Executive Officer Pablo Liendo e-mail: pliendo@conicit.ve p.liendo@funredes.org