🔊 Take a moment and listen

GKP International Forum on Cross-Sector Partnerships 2006 was held in Hotel Hilton, Colombo, Sri Lanka from 8-9th May 2006, followed by GKP Annual meeting.

Knowledge Partnership (GKP) is a unique and leading international multi-stakeholder network, committed to harnessing the potential of ICTs for sustainable and equitable development. Through working together, GKP members increase their organisational influence and visibility. Founded in 1997, GKP, which is governed by an elected Executive Committee and supported by a Secretariat based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, continues to grow and now comprises more than 90 members from over 40 countries, covering all continents.

In the opening ceremony on 8th May, the lighting of the traditional Sri Lankan oil lamps was done by Prof Tissa Vitarana, Hon. Minister for Science and Technology, Sri Lanka in the presence of other honourable guests such as Walter Fust, Chair, GKP Executive Committee and Director General, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), V. K. Samaranayake, Chairman, Information and Communi-cation Technology Agency (ICTA), Sri Lanka and Renalia Abdul Rahim, Executive Director, GKP. It was followed by the opening address by Walter Fust and special remarks by the honourable guests. After the press conference for invited media representatives, hosted by Walter Fust and Prof Tissa Vitarana, the plenary sessions started.

The first plenary session was on ‘Spotlight on Innovations’. The speakers were Mr. Walter Fust, Daan Boom (Principal Knowledge Management Specialist, Asian Development Bank), Sridhar Y. Ramaswamy  (Director, South Asia, Marketing, Intel Cooperation) and Ashok Khosla (Chairman, Development Alternatives, India). The moderator was Renalia Abdul Rahim. There were three panels on three different topics: ‘ICT in Sri Lanka’, ‘Redefining context’ and ‘ICT for peace’.

Thematic open space sessions were held in two rounds. Each open space group discussion consisted of six to ten participants.  These sessions were facilitated by the open space specialist Allen Gunn. Each of the open space sessions consisted of a facilitator and one member of each group was given the task to take notes on the discussions.

In the first round, the topics covered were as follows: (1) Innovative uses of ICT in educational initiatives and learning, (2) Telecentres in remote and rural areas, (3) Community and innovation

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