The Singapore office of the International Development and Research Centre, (IDRC) has launched a new site for their successful Pan Asia Networking (PAN) program.

While IDRC themselves are indeed, as they claim, "pioneers of information networking in Asia," the PAN program itself follows in the footsteps of many indigenous computer networking initiatives spanning both South and East Asia.

Asia Link, India Link, Peoples Access, Interdoc, Pactok, GeoNet, Computer Communication Access for NGOs and the Asia Monitor Resource Centre are just a few of the organisations and network providers that have been active in the region. Published in 1990, Grahame Lane's "Communications for Progress" (ISBN 1-85287-069-9) provides an overview of the terrain, including case studies of international email initiatives pre-dating the Internet.

"Pan Asia Networking - An Asian Survey" (ISBN 981-00-6389-X) identified broad communications expertise throughout the Asia NGO community. The survey, conducted in 1994, grew out of IDRC's knowledge of the region, and that of the community of NGO networks active there.

PAN has achieved a great deal of success in the provision of funding, technical and administrative resources towards network development in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Laos and Mongolia. It aims to serve the networking requirements of government agencies, non-government organisations, universities, research institutions and the general public.

If you have Web access and provide assistance to networking projects in developing countries, you may find this site of interest. You'll find an explanation of the technical implementation of the PAN program, the Pan Asia Networking Survey, publications listings and pointers to conferences.

The site is expected to grow as an information hub of the program. It has been designed for both low and high end browsers.

www.PanAsia.org.sg

Between 10 - 14 June, the first PAN conference, Networking Asian Interests, will be held. Ulaanbataar, Mongolia, is host to this gathering which will enquire into the future of regional technical development, policy, regulatory and cultural issues. Visit the PAN site for more information.

Contact the Pan Asia office via:

International Development Research Centre
Asia Regional Office
7th Floor RELC Building
30 Orange Grove Road
Tanglin PO Box 101
Singapore 912404

Tel. 65 235 1344
Fax. 65 235 1849
PanAsia@idrc.org.sg

First Russian Anti-militarist Site

Women, Development and Environment

AID/WATCH Report on Bougainville

Mount Everest Live!