Information sharing on various levels has become something of a modern day phenomenon, no doubt fuelled by the extensive use of the internet. Perhaps it is also a result of a heightened sense of anxiety that has taken a firm foothold since September the 11th, but the premise that the sooner we are aware or informed, the better positioned we will be to preempt bad things from happening to us, is a notion that practically everyone is familiar with. Of course, information sharing existed long before this, but the incident certainly played a part in pushing it to the forefront on such a global scale. However, this tool is not only used by intelligence, security and law enforcement agencies, but is now firmly established within the corporate sector and humanitarian organisations have also followed suit.
Last week in Sri Lanka saw the launch of the latest initiative in the quest for access to and dissemination of current, accurate and relevant information relating to humanitarian aid, development, poverty, peace and conflict. The Civil Society Network on Information Sharing (CSNIS) was established by six organisations and is an attempt at bringing these, as well as others, under one umbrella in order to share knowledge, information and expertise in a transparent and cooperative manner. These six organisations are Berghof Foundation for Conflict Studies, Centre for Poverty Analysis, Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies, National Peace Council, Save The Children in Sri Lanka and Social Scientists’ Association, but the list of members has already extended far beyond these five. Their mission is to function as a collaborative effort towards increasing accessibility, accountability and transparency in information sharing.
Networks such as these are on the increase as a result of a growing need for reliable and multilingual sources of print and electronic data to coordinate information management with network members as well as other stakeholders, such as governmental organisations and the general public. Information sharing networks could be used for any number of reasons, such as performing a search for an expert or academic research in a particular field.
But who really has access to these networks? If information is merely passed around various intellectuals within civil society, it takes a very proactive approach from all involved to ensure that what is shared also reaches beyond the network itself and has an affect on the bigger picture. According to Jehan Perera from the National Peace Council, “the website will help resource persons, teachers and lecturers to gain knowledge and increase there own capacity and then disseminate it among the general population. Because we know that in our country most people don’t have access to this type of resource so we can’t expect them to benefit directly.â€Â
Like many of its kind, The CSNIS intends to make the most of modern information communication technology by establishing a website, releasing email bulletins and creating a shared database which can be accessed via the internet, regardless of geographical constraints. There is also a heavy emphasis on the networks such as this one being user friendly so that they develop as genuine sources of information that can be easily accessed for all kinds of development related purposes. Alternative and communal communication of this kind is crucial because not only does it avoid duplicate efforts in the same field, but it also provides a further platform to counteract the lack of unbiased information in mainstream media and encourages the dissemination of information based on facts rather than hear’ say.
In Sri Lanka today, humanitarian work is particularly problematic, coming face to face with not only criticism time and time again, but obstacles as a result of a volatile security situation and continuing ethnic friction on a national scale. The question must therefore be raised what exactly it is that information sharing can achieve in the face of such adversity and when the power ultimately lies with the two main stakeholders of the conflict. Compared to these, civil society is much weaker but if one thinks along the lines of strength in numbers, one unanimous voice may well be louder and clearer and as Jehan Perera said, “nevertheless by raising our voice, pointing out a different direction, being consistent in what we say and do, I think we continue to be an example of what Sri Lanka could be.”