Nov 14 2004
The Government of Australia and Development Gateway Foundation have launched the Australian Country Gateway, a web portal dedicated to advancing social and economic development throughout the Asia-Pacific Region.
The Australian Development Gateway joins a network of 50 Country Gateways being established by the Development Gateway and its partners around the world. Country Gateways are locally owned and managed information service enterprises that support national and regional development. Because Country Gateways use web technologies, they are efficient platforms for sharing development information, enabling collaboration, and supporting local enterprise.
The Australian portal currently focuses on agriculture, education, governance, health, information technology, and water. Development professionals can exchange information in these areas through a range of interactive features, including directories of organizations and individuals with development experience in the Asia-Pacific region, listings of business opportunities, development discussion forums, and a directory of aid projects and programs. More than 700 free resources are today available on the website, including case studies, reports, toolkits, and publications.
“The Australian Development Gateway aims to improve the effectiveness of poverty reduction efforts in a region where nearly 700 million people live on less than $2 a day,” said Bruce Billson, Australia’s Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Trade. “It aims to provide the international development community with instant access to Australian experience in a range of areas vital to helping people in the region improve their social and economic potential and overcome development challenges.”
Mr. Billson praised those already contributing to the effort: “The invaluable voluntary support of Australian organizations and suggestions from people throughout the Asia-Pacific have created a high quality and extremely relevant website.”
The Government of Australia has become the first of the countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to develop a Country Gateway – important because it can, in turn, support information sharing among poorer countries in the region.
Australia is a founding member of the Development Gateway Foundation, contributing US$5 million over 3 years in support of its work.
To visit the Australian Country Gateway, go to: http://www.developmentgateway.com.au/