ODI has been key in writing the ODI/FDC WSIS Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships Issue Paper. This publication is part of the Global Knowledge Partnership's (GKP) "Knowledge For Development Series", an overall effort to increase the availability of information and knowledge on various issues in the area of Information & Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D). The report helps to mainstream understanding about Multi Sector Partnerships (MSPs), how they work, how they can be effectively formed and sustained, and their potential and actual contribution to the global effort to bridge the digital divide, deliver digital dividends and realise the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The United Nations-sponsored World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) took place from 10 to 12 December 2003 in Geneva, with a second conference scheduled from 16 to 18 November 2005 in Tunisia (see www.itu.int/wsis/index.html).

ODI has collaborated with the Foundation for Development Cooperation (Australia) in both writing the report and in proposing a strategy for harnessing the pro-poor development potential of the summit through a pioneer programme of multi-sector ICT4D partnerships.

Presentations on this proposal were made to the conference delegates at PrepCom-2 in February 2003, in conjunction with a workshop to evaluate two different business models for providing affordable rural access to telephony and internet services: (i) out-based least-cost subsidy vs (ii) multi-sectoral partnerships.