Press Release
DiploProjects has held a conference on issues related to web-management for international organisations at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP).

Ambassador Gérard Stoudmann and
Mr. José Maria Figueres

The newly appointed Director of the GCSP, Ambassador Gérard Stoudmann, welcomed Mr. José Maria Figueres, former President of Costa Rica and the Managing Director of the World Economic Forum, who gave the opening keynote speech. Mr Figueres underlined the value of information and communication technologies(ICT) in achieving the challenge set by the United Nations Millennium Declaration and particularly in assisting developing nations with growth and development. He suggested the introduction of an international scorecard for development assistance in the field of ICT. Scorecards, he said would create peer-to-peer pressure and positive competition amongst governments of donor countries. It would lead towards more investment in the ICT and gradual reduction of the digital divide. He highlighted the importance of the World Summit on Information Society for the future of the development of ICT in the world.

Mr Pierre Gagné
The second keynote speech was given by Mr Pierre Gagné, executive director of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS), who outlined the activities of the WSIS for the coming months. He highlighted importance of the regional preparatory conferences that would provide the forum for discussion among various stakeholders involved in the field of ICT. Mr Gagné emphasized the global nature of the endeavour in addressing the respective needs of developed and less developed countries. He also stressed the importance of adapting action plans to regional needs.

The topics addressed at the conference included: case studies of websites, security issues, web policy and development methodologies and other web based operations such as distance learning.

The conference marked the launch of the book Building.org: A Guide to Creating Successful Websites for International Organisation by Michal Olejarnik and Igor Nuk (2002 DiploPublishing).

Who were the Participants? 

The panel of speakers consisted of practitioners in the field of web management from International Organisations.

The participants were information managers and web masters from various organisations based in Geneva, the United States, Africa and the Far East.

Who are the Organisers 

DiploProjects is a non-profit project established by the Governments of Switzerland and Malta. Its basic support is provided by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. Its goal is to assist all countries, especially those with limited human and financial resources, to participate equally and meaningfully in international affairs. 


Media co-ordinator : Yasmeen Ariff.