Recent developments

Regional Seminar for Labour-Based Practitioners

The eighth Regional Seminar for Labour-Based Practitioners was held in Cairo recently. You may have a look at the brief report outlining the outcome of the Regional Seminar here. (14 November 2000)

ASISTDOC is now online!

Courtesy of the ASIST programme, the database ASISTDOC is put online. This is a bibliographic database on labour-based technology containing over 9000 documents.

You may search information on a number of predefined subject areas or among key words of your choice. It is of course possible to make a direct search by author or title of a document that you may have heard about.

Following your selection of documents, you may order these documents from ASIST by forwarding a request for a proforma invoice. All this has been built into the online system which you will find under the ASISTDOC Document Database Search. ( 6 November 2000)

New Bulletin and Sourcebook

A new ASIST Bulletin no. 11 has been sent out to subscribers recently. You will also be able to read it here on the WEB.

Following the success of previous editions of the publications catalogue and interest for updates on available documentation, ASIST has issued a new Sourcebook 2000. In addition to the version here on the WEB page, you may order a printed version from the ASIST Information Services. (25 October 2000)

Africa

The present phase of ASIST in Africa is coming to an end in terms of donor funding by the end of this year. A new programme document has been developed for the period starting in January 2001.

Please have a look at this document!
ASIST Programme Document.

You may wish to comment on the Programme Document by writing to ASIST in Harare.

Asia

Discussion Platform of the Regional University Network Asia and the Pacific

The Discussion Platform of the Regional University Network Asia and the Pacific (RUN-AP) will start interactive discussions early January 2001. This will be on "Mainstreaming of the Three Poverty Reduction Strategies: i) Appropriate Technology, ii) Participatory Local Level Access Planning, and iii) Contractor Development.

The network, coordinated by the Civil Engineering Department of the Gadjah Mada University in cooperation with ASIST-AP, has engaged a full time moderator, Ms. Noor Mahmudah. She will start in January and will initiate the first discussions mid January. Ms. Noor Mahmudah holds besides a Civil Engineering Degree from the Gadjah Mada University, also a post graduate degree in Transport and Roads Engineering obtained at the Institute of Hydrology and Engineering of the Technical University in Delft, Netherlands. She has participated in, amongst others, courses on Low Cost Mobility and Labour-Based Technology.

ASIST-AP and the Gadjah Mada University hope that this full time engagement will be the start of a revived regional university network and that a vivid discussion panel will emerge.

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Extension of Labour-Based Programme in Cambodia

Sida concluded it's annual consultations, deciding to extend the Cambodian Upstream Project with 18 months and to provide some US$ 1.77 mill. in additional resources. This will represent Sida's final contribution to the rural roads sector. With this additional injection the Royal Government of Cambodia will be in a better position to mainstream LBT and IRAP.

Local Planning, Appropriate Technology and Employment for Community Development in Thailand

With financing from the Bangkok Regional ILO Office, ASIST-AP will start the reproduction of 7000 "Guidelines for Local Planning, Appropriate Technology and Employment for Community Development" to start informing local governments about alternative technologies and planning procedures. Included in the manual will be, in the Thai language, a video CD of the introduction-course "Training Modules on Labour-Based Road Construction and Maintenance".

The guidelines will be integrated into the existing training-programme of the Technical Training Institute (TTI) of the Public Works Department. A total of 6747 local district administrative officers will be trained in the coming three years, starting in January 2001. In addition, the 75 provincial offices will be provided with the complete set of 8 video CD's for reference purposes.