UNFPA and the Government of Ireland develop free open source software for knowledge sharing & Jordan chosen to develop Arabic version

The new software was developed by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, and Business Information Systems, University College Cork, Ireland, with full funding from the Government of Ireland. The CD-ROM will be distributed free of charge.

pKADS is a CD-ROM version of UNFPA's Intranet-based Knowledge Asset Development System. The new software will improve the ability of organizations, countries and communities to capture, synthesize and apply their own Knowledge Assets - or knowledge resources - as well as outside knowledge vital for their own development. Such Knowledge Assets, which are living repositories of collective know-how, can improve results and inform policy and development strategies.

"We are very pleased to be working in partnership with the University College Cork and the Government of Ireland to make UNFPA's innovative approach to knowledge sharing available to all, especially the developing countries," said Imelda Henkin, Deputy Executive Director of UNFPA. "We see pKADS as a valuable contribution to bridging the digital divide and a way for UNFPA to help developing countries and others manage their own knowledge and attain their development goals."

"The opportunity to partner with the UNFPA and University College Cork in the development of pKADS was one that the Government of Ireland welcomed and embraced," said Dermot Ahern, T.D., the Irish Minister of Communication, Marine and Natural Sciences. "The development of pKADS ensures a spotlight on the 'knowledge divide' and a focus on the use of knowledge to develop sustainable initiatives that particularly address the needs of the developing world. Ireland is committed to the future development of this initiative."

"We are excited at the opportunity of building bridges of cooperation between global and local learning institutions for the development of pKADS in the Arabic language" added Dr. Fawaz Zu'bi, the Jordanian Minister of Information and Communications Technology and Minister of Administrative Development. "The application of such knowledge management software both within and outside of government presents a prospect for knowledge sharing between development projects in Jordan and across the region. We want to capitalize on that."

UNFPA will make French and Spanish versions of the CD-ROM available by the end of January 2004. The Government of Jordan has offered to produce an Arabic version.