The Global Development Learning Network (GDLN)

The Global Development Learning Network (GDLN), a World Bank initiative, aims to improve development effectiveness by enhancing the capacity of development practitioners through the use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) and distance learning methodologies in support of knowledge sharing between and within countries.

GDLN is a partnership between the World Bank and public, private and nongovernmental organizations which facilitates cooperation between affiliated Distance Learning Centers (DLCs) that provide services and support to government agencies, development organizations and other development practitioners.

These affiliated Centers deliver seminars, training events, and meetings using a full range of learning tools and technologies to connect country clients with their counterparts around the world through videoconferencing and web-based activities. The GDLN currently interconnects over 60 Distance Learning Centers spanning 50 countries, numerous time zones and more than 30 languages.

A majority of GDLN activities fall into one of two categories: Global Dialogues and GDLN Courses. Global Dialogues are generally two hour long videoconferences with one or two speakers making brief presentations on a particular topic. These dialogues are structured to optimize the time for interactive discussion amongst the various sites and the speakers and provide an ideal forum for rapid knowledge exchange. GDLN Courses are generally spread over several weeks or months and are delivered using a blend of media, including video conferencing, CD-ROM or web-based material, email communication and face-to-face classroom learning, thus providing for much more in depth coverage of a topic. Many of these programs are provided by the Bank's Europe and Central Asia (ECA) operating region, in partnership with the World Bank Institute, the Bank's provider of learning programs for its client countries, and other internal and external partners.

Many affiliated Distance Learning Centers are based in universities with existing distance learning capabilities, with GDLN activities as only one of several uses of these facilities. Therefore, affiliating with GDLN can be done in a flexible way that benefits both the university as well as GDLN by providing a link to global knowledge as well as newly affiliated sites in the network. GDLN centers typically charge a fee to program providers to deliver GDLN courses and/or charge participants fees. Providers may also cover the costs of local facilitation and interpretation.

Central Asia Knowledge Sharing Initiative - CAKSI

As of July 2004, there were 17 affiliated GDLN centers in the ECA region, where the Bank utilizes its own offices to facilitate GDLN event participation in countries, such as those in Central Asia, where no GDLN affiliate exists.

In the CIS countries, there are currently GDLN centers in St. Petersburg State University and in the civil service training academies in Ukraine and Russia. In both these countries, initial centers were opened in the primary facility of these academies in Kiev and Moscow, respectively, and are now branching out to incorporate affiliates in other cities in both countries, creating virtual national GDLN networks. GDLN's focus on capacity building amongst government staff makes it particular appealing to civil services training institutions. In addition, there is a GDLN center located in the World Bank's Moscow office.

In 2002, the World Bank launched the Central Asia Knowledge Sharing Initiative (CAKSI) with the objective to support development efforts in five Central Asian republics: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan through the establishment of an integrated regional grouping of Global Development Learning Network (GDLN) centers.

The central objective of CAKSI is to link the region directly with knowledge sources in other parts of the world and at the same time provide an institutional framework for increased regional communication, collaborative problem solving and knowledge exchange. Partnerships with the respective governments of the region as well as scientific and educational institutions, NGOs and the donor community will be actively developed in support of CAKSI's key objective - capacity building.

In addition to the continued use of Bank videoconferencing facilities for the delivery of GDLN programming, CAKSI is interested in establishing outside facilities in the region to broaden the scope of this initiative. CAKSI's goal is the establishment of networks of GDLN centers within each Central Asian country, to enable knowledge sharing and country-specific programming from outside the countries to be widely disseminated in each country, as well as to enable dialogue and training between local centers. In furthering this goal, preliminary discussions have been held with numerous governmental agencies, universities, civil service training institutes, NGOs and donors to explore the possibility of developing a much broader GDLN partnership in Central Asia. This joint effort in expanding the reach of CAKSI envisages developing GDLN capabilities within such agencies and institutions to increase the number of sites where videoconferencing is available.

Synergies with Other Efforts

CAKSI addresses a narrow but significant and increasingly vital niche in the development needs of the Central Asian countries: regional cooperation and the sharing of experience with other countries. The Bank and other donors have spent a considerable amount of effort in ensuring the countries themselves are empowered to participate in the development process.

Approaches such as the Comprehensive Development Framework are only part of the way in which donors are promoting ownership of the development process with countries themselves. This entire process presupposes that the clients (in the broadest sense of the word, including civil society) are able to draw on a wide set of skills and experience.

The CAKSI framework provides low-cost access to policy experts and counterparts across the entire world. Once in place, CAKSI would also serve as a important tool for the donor community to ensure their projects can benefit from expertise anywhere in the world.

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