Pan Asia Networking (PAN)
PAN is a programme initiative of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada (www.idrc.ca/pan) which helps researchers and communities in the developing world find solutions to their social, economic, and environmental problems. People in Asia are increasingly aware of the critical role that information and communication technologies (ICTs) play in the global economy. Whereas Asian economies once depended on raw materials for industrial production and commercial exchange, now innovation in the use of ICTs is fueling trade and commerce in the region.
Asian institutions are recognizing the complex issues relating to the information society and their implications for people’s well being. Building on IDRC’s 25 years of supporting research on information sciences in the developing countries of Asia, the PAN Asia Networking programme initiative has helped institutions to adopt ICTs as a means to address development problems. All its activities are based on the premise that ICTs can offer people living in poverty an opportunity for better lives.
