Networking and Sustainability Workshop for the @LIS Projects in Brazil

Date: 24^thof November 2004

Place: Rio Othon Palace Hotel  - Av. Atlântica, 3264, Copacabana - Rio de Janeiro

Objectives:

1. promote the @LIS Programme and projects among Brazilan actors

2. build sustainability opportunities for the @LIS projects in the country

3. present the “Community Building” activities of @LIS ISN and animate the Brazilian actors to join the @LIS community

Participants:
Public authorities in the sectors of eLearning, eHealth, eGovernance, eInclusion, companies, NGOs, universities, research centres, civil society actors, etc.

08:45 h. - Registration

09:00 h. – Welcome and introductory speeches

09:15 h. - Presentation of @LIS and of @LIS ISN- objectives of the workshop

09:30 h. - Presentation of the @LIS projects in Brazil

10:30h. - Coffe Break

11:30 h. - Presentation of the @LIS projects in Brazil

13:00 h. - Lunch

14:30 h. – Introduction to the @LIS ISN sustainability building and networking methodology

15:00 h. - Debate on sustainability and network building and presentation from other actors

16:30 h. – Coffee Break

16:45 h. - Debate on sustainability and network building

17:15 h. - Conclusions

17:45 h. – End of the workshop

Background information on @LIS and @LIS ISN

The Workshop is organised in the frame of @LIS, Alliance for the Information Society, a cooperation programme of the European Commission aiming to promote the information society and fight the digital divide throughout Latin America. Adopted in 2001, the @LIS programme has a budget of € 77.5 millions of which € 63.5 millions will be financed by the European Commission. @LIS covers a wide spectrum of objectives aiming at creating a long-term partnership between the two regions in the field of the Information Society.

@LIS supports:

• 19 Demonstration Projects on e-local governance, education and cultural diversity, e-public health and e-inclusion. A Policy and Regulatory dialogue aiming at consolidating the relations between EU and LA ( ).

• A Policy and Regulatory Dialogue, aimed at contributing to the creation of a permanent Information Society related policy experiences and practices exchange

• A Dialogue on Open and Global standards aiming at favouring a better integration of Latin-American countries in the Global Information Society.

• An Exchange and support platform for Latin-American Regulators, Operators and companies and a programme of for the staff of Latin-American regulatory organisations.

• An Infrastructure Network reinforcing the interconnection between research and development communities across Europe and Latin America.

• An International Stakeholders Network stimulating dialogue and collaboration amongst policy makers, civil society and research community and building an active community of stakeholders around the @LIS programme.

Among these actions, @LIS ISN aims at maximising the Programme impact through specific support. ISN will create, structure, animate and maintain a link between the relevant stakeholders which will benefit from the demonstration projects activities and outputs, and the EU and LA national and regional policy makers who are in charge of public measures to support the full deployment of Information Society in economy and society. The challenge to be met by the @LIS ISN action is to build up and strengthen a sustainable partnership between Latin America and the European Union by relating networks of stakeholders (national and regional policy makers, local authorities, educational bodies, non-profit organisations, civil society actors), by establishing a knowledge network between the two continents (intensively using the tools and approaches of the Information Society itself). www.alis-online.org, the ISN web portal, will be the meeting point for all the actors interested in the development of Information Society issues involving Europe and Latin America.

The ISN component is implemented by a European Consortium composed by the MENON Network (coordinator), APISEL (Association for the Promotion of the Information Society between Europe and Latin America), AHCIET (Asociación Hispanoamericana de Centros de Investigación y Empresas de Telecomunicaciones) and VECAM (an ONG active in supporting local development and cooperation through the use of IT).