Weitzenegger's Websites of the Month 2005

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December

EU development finance
http://www.euforic.org/detail_page.phtml?page=actors_eufinance
See Euforic's new page on European finance for development is now on line. It provides an overview of the main development finance institutions and instruments, featuring also information on what the EU is doing in relation to microcredit and microfinance.

Evaluation guidelines produced by members of the DAC Network on Development Evaluation
http://www.oecd.org/document/11/0,2340,en_35038640_35039563_35126667_1_1_1_1,00.html
This webpage of the DAC Evaluation Resource Center provides links to a large number of guidelines for monitoring and evaluation developed by donor agencies.

Engagement of New Member States (NMS) in EU Development Co-operation
http://www.presidencyfund.org
In the spring of 2004 the Presidency Fund was established to strengthen the engagement of New Member States (NMS) in EU Development Co-operation. This initiative was launched in recognition of the role that the 10 NMS have on future EU Development Co-operation. Having successfully facilitated the EU expansion in May 2004, the Irish Government took the leadership role in spearheading the Presidency Fund, with the view that it would grow with the support of subsequent Presidency countries, leading to the Dutch Government's contribution. The Fund is managed by Eurostep with the support of an Advisory Board comprising highly-placed individuals working in the development sector as well as political representatives. The Fund has an initial operating capital of € 1 million to be used over three years and operates through Calls for Proposals. These will be issued through its website. On 4 November the Fund has published its first Call for Proposals.

Tool for investment promotion: The Investment Gateway
http://www.investway.info
The Investment Gateway is an online information system designed as a catalyst for sector-specific interaction, fostering strategic alliances and investment. This service, developed by UNCTAD provides market regulators with a mechanism for implementing e-administration techniques and simplifying the domestic legal framework dealing with investment.

Tool: Sector Profile for Your Web Site
http://www.fdipromotion.com/toolkit/Documents/1/Sector_Profilefor_the_Web.pdf
Is your marketing message properly integrated in your sector profiles? Are you including the existing investors? Download this template and make sure you keep these headlines when you post your location sector opportunities online. You can also use the template as a checklist for developing the backbone of in-depth sector overviews and respond to investor enquiries. Source: Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA).

AVBAN Africa Virtual Business Association Network
http://www.avban.org
AVBAN is providing African business associations with online resources and communication tools to help them promote good governance of their associations and their countries, hold governments accountable to their constituents, and demand an economic environment that will increase efficiency and productivity. AVBAN is supported by the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) is a non-profit affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Anti-Corruption Gateway for Europe and Eurasia
http://www.nobribes.org
This site has the latest information, news, and reports on corruption in dozens of countries in Europe and Asia. The best way to start is by clicking on ''Reference Centre'' in the left column. There you'll find information on corruption, news about corruption in various countries, anti-corruption strategies, various treaties and codes of ethics, and assessments of countries. There are also discussion groups, programs, and a calendar of events related to anti-corruption. (FITA)

e-Government Grants Program of the Development Gateway Foundation
http://egovernment.developmentgateway.org
The Development Gateway Foundation's e-Government Grants Program provides a mechanism for the rapid implementation of locally-driven and scalable e-government initiatives in developing countries. It is a key component of the foundation's overall efforts to increase transparency in development processes and build local capacity to create new economic opportunities.

IALE Intercomunicación América Latina - Europa
http://www.migrantesenlinea.org
Frente a la realidad de exclusión de grandes mayorías en América Latina y asumiendo la realidad de crecientes migraciones tanto internas en Latinoamérica, como desde allí hacia Europa, se desarrollará un sistema satelital e informático de intercomunicación entre Europa y Latinoamérica, con el empleo de radioemisoras comunitarias y educativas y de la red Internet, que poniendo especial atención en el hecho migratorio, favorecerá la transmisión de información veraz sobre esa realidad, el desarrollo de proyectos productivos y la promoción de un sistema de finanzas éticas. Paralelamente se favorecerá el intercambio cultural, político y en el campo del desarrollo social y económico entre ambas regiones, proponiéndose incrementar las posibilidades y oportunidades de desarrollo de ciudadanos y ciudadanas excluidas y excluidos en América Latina.

November

Tools: Compass Your Competition
http://compass.unctad.org
The Investment Compass is an interactive tool comprising 60 indicators, compiled from international statistics and specific national surveys conducted by UNCTAD, analyzing the main economic and policy determinants affecting the investment environment. You can use the Compass to compare your country to another country, or region, or even a 'best performer' for a given indicator. You can also pull an overview of all your country indicators, and obtain your country climate profile. The Investment Compass benchmarks the degree of policy freedom in six major areas: resource assets, infrastructure, operating costs, economic performance and governance, taxation and incentives and regulatory framework. Source: UNCTAD

Geneva Peoples Alliance
http://www.omc-wto.org
Coalition of NGOs, unions and social movements that are calling on social movements and civil society organisations to be present during the General Council meetings in Geneva to hold WTO members accountable and ensure that the interests of developing countries, peoples around the world and the environment are not further trampled in the stampede of trade liberalisation.

SANGONeT launches South African NGO portal
http://www.sangonet.org.za
The Southern African NGO Network (SANGONeT) is pleased to announce the launch of a new Internet portal for and about the NGO sector in South Africa. This portal is primed to become the gateway to the South African NGO sector, boasting the most comprehensive, validated and easily searchable NGO directory in the country. Source: Sangonet

IFIs Latin American Monitor
http://ifis.choike.org
This initiative aims at contributing to the Latin American and global IFI campaigns for reform of the Bretton Woods institutions by translating key information, producing and disseminating analysis and providing a point of access to research results, opinions and campaigning activities, thus promoting dialogue and collaboration between key actors. Subscribe to receive what's new on IFIs. http://www.choike.org/nuevo_eng/tools/suscripcion3.html

Groupe One on sustainable development
http://www.info-durable.be
''Groupe One'', a sustainable development and local economic development research and action group announces the opening of its site www.info-durable.be, devoted to sustainable development and aimed at the general public providing daily news, useful links, practical advice, etc. to help you participate in sustainable development. Two new articles will be published every week on sustainable development themes which affect all our lives: housing, well-being, mobility, climatic change, etc. Over the months, quizzes, games and competitions and numerous other surprises will be added to the vast range of useful information published on the site.

The Open Content Alliance
http://www.opencontentalliance.org
The Open Content Alliance is formed by a group of cultural, technology, nonprofit, and governmental organizations from around the world seeking to help build a permanent archive of multilingual digitized text and multimedia content.

UNIDO International Technology Centres
http://www.unido.org/doc/4908
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has a network of international technology centers located primarily in developing and transition countries. UNIDO also actively cooperates with two international and two national technology promotion. Source: John Daly

New Value Chain Development Project and Webpage
http://www.business-ethiopia.com
SNV, Netherlands Development Organisation, started a new project ''Business Associations and their Access to Markets (BOAM)''. The project focussing on value chain development in milk, honey/beeswax, edible oil and pineapple and on cross cutting issues like networking and policy dialogue. On the webpage you will find information on value chains: economic background, intervention areas, suppliers, markets and main stakeholders;business support institutions, business associations and links to specific web sites. In the library all project and value chain specific documents are available for download.

INFOBEL Worldwide Phone Lookups
http://www.infobel.com/teldir/default.asp
Infobel a site where you can look up phone numbers from 184 countries worldwide. Just select a country or a region, and in many cases you'll be given several types of directory to search (white pages, yellow pages, e-mail, etc.). You can also find international dialling codes with the click of a mouse. Source: FITA

ISO Standards Glossary
http://www.standardsglossary.com
Anyone who's involved in foreign trade is affected by the International Standards Organization's classification system. The ISO has a set of international standards that can be used in any type of business and are accepted around the world as proof that a business can provide assured quality. Simply click on an ISO number at the home page, and you'll see what products are covered by that number. Source. FITA

SME TOOLKIT
http://www.smetoolkit.org
If you're a small business, you face a lot of challenges, especially if you want to get involved in world trade. Never fear, however: there are plenty of resources on the Web to help you. One that looks promising is SME Toolkit: A project of the International Finance Corporation, the SME Toolkit offers free business management information and training for small businesses and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The subjects covered are: Accounting and Finance, Business Planning, Human Resources (HR), Marketing and Sales, Operations, and Information Technology (IT). Within these categories there are many subcategories (look under Marketing & Sales for International Business). The SME Toolkit offers how-to articles, hundreds of business forms, free business software, online training, self-assessment exercises, quizzes, and resources to help entrepreneurs, business owners, and managers in emerging markets and developing countries grow their businesses. Source. FITA

Consorcio Latinoamericano para Capacitación en Microfinanciamiento
http://www.colcami.org
COLCAMI está encabezado por un consejo de expertos en microfinanciemiento y opera bajo una dirección de combina la experiencia práctica con la docencia y reúne a las instituciones financieras formales e informales más prestigiadas de Latinoamérica en el campo del microfinanciamiento. Está integrado por la Universidad Anáhuac del Sur, el Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo, BancoSol en Bolivia, Compartamos en México, FENACOAC en Guatemala y Bandesarrollo en Chile.

New Privatization Database
http://rru.worldbank.org/Privatization/
This new World Bank database provides information on more than 9,000 privatization transactions in developing countries from 1988 to 2003. Search transactions by country, region, sector, and year. Data can be viewed by proceeds or number of transactions per year, and can be downloaded in excel files. See the background paper that describes recent trends: ''Privatization: Trends and Recent Developments,'' by Sunita Kikeri and Aishetu Fatima Kolo.

New website on ACP Cotton
http://www.coton-acp.org

Programme to support the integration of the ACP States into the Multilateral Trading System http://www.mtsacpeu.org

October

EC launches information campaign on MDGs (Millennium Development Goals)
http://www.europe-cares.org
The European Commission has launched an information campaign on the internet and through audiovisual spots to promote the EU's support to the Millennium Development Goals. The website displays the European Union's policy priorities in supporting the MDGs: additional funds, improved policy-coherence and coordination and increased speed of aid delivery. The website also displays the state of achievement of the MDGs, shows examples of EU aid projects and features an open forum for debate.

152 e-Governance Case Studies from Developing & in Transition Countries
http://216.197.119.113/artman/publish/casestudies.shtml
Links to 152 e-Governance Case-studies from over 55 developing and transition countries.

ELDIS: Business and the MDGs
http://www.eldis.org/csr/
Businesses have an important role to play in achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The impact which businesses have on many developing countries is immense, and can be both negative and positive. In order for the private sector to be a constructive driving force in achieving the MDGs, the negative impacts have to be mitigated and the positive ones need to be harnessed effectively

The World Bank's Doing Business database http://www.doingbusiness.org/
The World Bank has launched the 2006 edition of its Doing Business series. This report analyzes regulations that enhance or restrict investment productivity and growth, and presents data for a series of doing-business indicators by country. The 2006 edition focuses specifically on job creation and employment. In addition, the report ranks countries according to the ease of doing business -- http://www.doingbusiness.org/EconomyRankings/. New Zealand, Singapore, the United States, Canada and Norway are the top five countries in the rankings, while Lithuania, Estonia and Thailand are the top-ranked developing countries. The full set of data from the latest report is available on the Doing Business Web site in English and Spanish.
http://publications.worldbank.org/ecommerce/catalog/product-detail?product_id=1385010

World Economy & Development in brief
http://www.world-economy-and-development.org
World Economy & Development in brief is a bi-monthly information service on globalisation, international development and environmental issues which will be published regularly as of April 2006.

Import Desk Latin America
http://www.lateinamerika-importdesk.de
In January 2005 GTZ and BGA, the Federation of German Wholesale and Foreign Trade, entered a strategic partnership for the promotion of ecological food with Latin American provenience. In this context both partners launched a new website, which is intended to serve as import desk.

Insecurityforum.org -A new way to debate issues of insecurity and development
http://www.insecurityforum.org
EADI has launched Insecurityforum - a new online platform on issues of insecurity and development. Insecurityforum with the help of a weblog will create a space for substantive discussion on the internet by attracting new ideas, views, research findings and information on international development issues and trends.

Eldis Trade resource guide
http://www.eldis.org/trade/index.htm
The Eldis Trade Resource Guide has undergone a radical transformation. This is to facilitate the exploration of various key themes and sub-themes within the broad area of trade policy and development. New themes include 'EU and trade', with categories on the Everything but Arms and Economic Partnership Agreements; 'Intellectual Property Rights'; trade and agriculture; and trade liberalisation and protection.

Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East & Southern Africa (CIPESA)
http://www.cipesa.org
CIPESA commentaries are short informative articles or essays on current issues affecting East and Southern African stakeholders. They focus specifically on international policy-making processes related to information and communications technology (ICT), and the use of ICT for poverty reduction. CIPESA was established under the Catalysing Access to ICTs in Africa (CATIA) initiative, funded by the UK Department for International Development. CIPESA is a program of bridges.org.

EthicsWorld
http://www.ethicsworld.com
EthicsWorld is the forum on the web for business ethics, governance, and anti-corruption. EthicsWorld contributes to the work of professionals engaged in improving corporate integrity, accountability, and social responsibility; strengthening private sector ethics compliance; forging good governance in the public sector

The Robert Schuman Foundation
http://www.robert-schuman.org
This Foundation processes and distributes a great amount of European information that is available to the researchers and the broader public.

IFIs Latin American Monitor
http://ifis.choike.org
This initiative aims at contributing to the Latin American and global International Financial Institutions (IFIs) campaigns for reform of the Bretton Woods institutions by translating key information, producing and disseminating analysis and providing a point of access to research results,opinions and campaigning activities, thus promoting dialogue and collaboration between key actors. This is a project of the Instituto del Tercer Mundo (ITeM) with the financial support of the Mott Foundation.

ELDIS: Microfinance and commercial banks: are they compatible?
http://www.eldis.org/finance
Microfinance has its supporters and its detractors, but there is no denying that it has grown exponentially over the last decade. What microfinance has shown is that poor people are bankable. Commercial banks are realising the potential of this market and some are beginning to develop their own microfinance products. This week ELDIS considers the benefits and drawbacks of this new relationship, featuring viewpoints from Women's News and the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor, in addition to four new resources from USAID.

ALIBABA.COM marketing services for importers and exporters
http://www.alibaba.com
Alibaba.com is the world's largest marketplace for global trade and is the leading provider of online marketing services for importers and exporters. With over 4 million registered members worldwide, Alibaba.com is the number one destination for volume buyers and qualified sellers to find trade opportunities and promote their businesses online.

Customs Rulings Online Search System
http://rulings.cbp.gov
At this site you can search a database of more than 125,000 rulings, with more added regularly. There are some hair-raising accounts of CBP agents on the trail of drug smugglers, illegal aliens, and suspected terrorists. There are also links to the Harmonized Tariff schedule, Customs Bulletins, Informed Compliance, Code of Federal Regulations, and more.

Capacity.org relaunch with new partners
http://www.capacity.org
The website now includes a number of additional interactive features so that readers can more easily provide feedback and contribute their knowledge and share experiences. The printed journal now has twice as many pages, and is more easily accessible in terms of design and content. Subscriptions to the journal are free of charge and can be requested at www.capacity.org

September

Business Action for Africa (BAA)
http://www.businessactionforafrica.org
BAA was launched at the G8 summit; for the impressive list of the corporate partners.

The SME Department of the World Bank
http://rru.worldbank.org/Themes/SmallMediumEnterprises
has launched a database on SMEs in over 70 countries (definitions, structure, participation in the economy etc.) It can be found on the SME section of the World Bank's RRU site (under 'Data' on the right hand side).

Database ''Developing your Business
http://www.evd.nl/bid
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched this new database , to stimulate business with and in emerging markets. The new database, at www.evd.nl/DyB, provides detailed information about grant programmes.

New World Bank Development Blog
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/aideffectiveness/
The Private Sector Development Blog, or PSD Blog, is the first World Bank Group venture into the blogosphere! The Blog will be authored by WBG staff and will address some of the key challenges faced by developing countries and development practitioners.

E-Learning Guru
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/elearning/rc/ItemDetail.do~1005041?intcmp=907
E-Guru provides this extensive set of links to articles on e-learning. The coverage is quite broad. Several groups are specifically related to monitoring and evaluation: ''Evaluating e-Learning: Intro to Kirkpatrick''; Usability & Interface Design; Return on Investment in e-Learning; and Case Studies (of Great ROI).

Improved Global Directory AiDA of Development Projects
http://aida.developmentgateway.org/?intcmp=800
The world's largest directory of bilateral and multilateral development activities, known as AiDA and located on our website, has been enhanced. The directory is searchable by country, sector or donor and now includes over 100,000 ongoing and planned development activities. To help us understand how AiDA serves you, or could serve you better, please visit AiDA and complete the user survey. Take the AiDA survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=95711176589

ISDR Campaign on microfinance
http://www.unisdr.org/eng/publicaware/worldcamp/2005/2005-international-day-DR.htm
An information kit on 'microfinance as a potential tool to reduce the impact of natural hazards on population' can be consulted on the Inter-Agency Secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) website.

Now available! Spanish version of the Doing Business database
http://espanol.doingbusiness.org/Default.aspx
The entire Doing Business database of the World Bank is now available in Spanish. Watch for 2005 data coming to the site in mid-September.

Internet Travel Tips
http://home.netcom.com/~rcowen/
If you're wondering which one of the many travel Web sites to use when you plan your next trip, you may want to start with Internet Travel Tips. This site, by travel guru Bob Cowen, is a gateway to tons of free travel information on the Internet, and it has tips and comparisons to help you find the best site for your needs. (FITA)

August

CGAP's online Microfinance Technology Center http://www.cgap.org/technology

CGAP help you find funding, select the right software, and learn about advanced technologies. Tell us how well your information systems work, or see how others use hand-held PCs, credit scoring, or ATMs. The Tech Resource Center goes live in July-don't struggle with technology all alone.

Utstein4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre
http://www.u4.no
The U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre is a web based knowledge bank established by the Utstein Development Agencies to strengthen their efforts against corruption The ministers of international development from Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom first got together as a 'Group' at Utstein Abbey in Norway in 1999. The Website gives easy access to a selection of the best anti-corruption literature and aswers to practitioners' queries

The Nelson Mandela Institution for Knowledge Building and the Advancement of Science and Technology in Sub-Saharan Africa
http://www.nmiscience.org
The Nelson Mandela Institution for Knowledge Building and the Advancement of Science and Technology in Sub-Saharan Africa is a private and independent organization established to provide the leadership needed to address the growing knowledge gap between Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and the rest of the world, and to play both direct and catalytic roles in improving learning and the application of science and technology to the development needs of SSA.

ECLAC social indicators database now available in English
http://www.eclac.cl/badeinso/Badeinso.asp
The English version of Badeinso, the social indicators and statistics database maintained by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), is now available on the web. The database gives free access to data on about 130 social indicators on demography, education, health, housing, employment, wages, poverty and income distribution, the economy, as well as those used to monitor the Millennium Development Goals, for Latin American and Caribbean countries.

Tools: Develop the List of Company Leads
http://www.zapdata.com/popups/demo/dbdemo.html
Creating the marketing database for your next targeting campaign will be easier after you have had a look at this tool. Whether you are seeking to identify companies with a business need to relocate, or you are in the process of developing the profile of the investor which might be interested in what your location has to offer, this list building tool will help you highlight searchable company characteristics. The demo will show you how to go from subsector selection to making the long list of potential investor companies matching your investor profile.

GDNet Knowledge Base
http://www.gdnet.org/knowledgebase/researchpapers/
Freely accessible to all from the GDN website, the Knowledge Base provides access to thousands of full-text research papers and literature, with a particular focus on material from developing and transition countries, from one easily searchable database.

FreeTechBooks
http://www.freetechbooks.com
This site lists free online computer science books and lecture notes. Some books in related fields are also listed. The website developers assure users that ''all of which are freely and legally available over the Internet.''

New Directory of international and national Private Sector Development (PSD) related Projects in Ethiopia
http://www.ethiopianchamber.com/projects/
The Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce just published a new directory of Private Sector Development related projects with international support and PSD related national institutions: UNIDO, UNDP, UNCTAD, ILO, GTZ, USAID, SNV, SEQUA, EU, SIDA, World Bank, Enterprise Ethiopia, Ministry of Capacity Building, FeMSEDA, ReMSEDAs. (Source: bds-ethiopia.net)

Devaid: Making Aid Work
http://www.devaid.org
This new UNDP website focuses on aid coordination and management and is meant to support the implementation of the Rome Declaration on Harmonisation and to follow up on the findings of the Millennium Project in a pragmatic way.

World Airport Guide
http://www.worldairportguide.com
There are lots of places online where you can book airline tickets, but you may want to know more about your destination than just the airport code on your ticket. It would be convenient to know, for instance, how many terminals the airport has, and if it's easy to get around them on foot. You can find out that information and lots more at World Airport Guide. This handy site has airport guides for most of the world's major airports, and they're chock- full of useful information. (Source: FITA)

Tariff and Tax Information
http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/tic/tariff/
Tariffs are a fact of life in international trade, and smart businesspeople stay up to date on the intricacies of tariff regulations. Here's a good way to do that. Tariff and Tax Information from the Trade Information Center at the U.S. Department of Commerce, has links to many resources about tariffs. There's a tutorial to get you started, a glossary of trade terms, an online tariff database, tariff and tax information for 97 countries, helpful tips for importing products into the U.S., and much more.

WEBEC's International Trade Page
http://www.helsinki.fi/WebEc/framef.html
This Page has tons of links to some of the best international trade research on the Net. WebEc has been around for 11 years, and it's a site for economists, but don't let that scare you off. As I said, it's got some of the most useful, and cost-effective, research online, in all areas of economics. Scroll down the list of links to international trade, and you'll see a Who's Who of organizations, institutions, and publications, with research and reports you can download for free. In addition, there are plenty of other categories of economic research you can look at, simply by clicking on topics in the left column. (Source: FITA)

Some NGO Directories
http://www.choike.org/nuevoeng/links.html
http://www.gdnet.org/knowledgebase/
http://www.coop4coop.org/index.html
http://www.devdir.org
http://www.trialog.or.at

July

EU launches second phase of its on-line Export Helpdesk for developing countries
http://export-help.cec.eu.int
The European Commission launched the second phase of its on-line export helpdesk for developing countries. The new service provides detailed information on the specific import requirements of the EU and Member States, as well as up to date notice of internal taxes. By providing information on the EU's preferential access schemes and guiding exporters through the process of exporting to the EU, the service is designed to help producers in developing countries benefit fully from the EU market. Users of the helpdesk are invited to make suggestions as to further information which they consider could be usefully added to the helpdesk to better serve their needs. Info: export-help@cec.eu.int

FDI Newswire
http://www.fdi-market.com
FDI Newswire promotes foreign direct investment by offering state of the art global communication technologies to present project investment opportunities to financial analysts, investment banks, individual investors, institutions and governmental organizations FDI Newswire is THE source of FDI news in today's competitive investment world. You can use FDI Newswire to keep track of the news and consider using us to promote your projects requiring investment. Please feel free to register yourself or your organization - there is no cost or obligation to register. More info: info@fdi-market.com.

Micro, small, and medium enterprise participation rates
http://rru.worldbank.org/PapersLinks/Open.aspx?id=6358
This World Bank database provides publicly available, country-level data on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in an easily accessible format. This database is a collection of secondary data collected from external sources and remains a work in progress. Updates and improvements will be made as new data becomes available.

GEOnet Geographic Names Server (GNS)
http://earth-info.nga.mil/gns/html/index.html
The GEOnet Names Server (GNS) provides access to the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency NGA database of foreign geographic feature names. The database is the official repository of foreign place-name decisions approved by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (US BGN). Approximately 20,000 of the database's features are updated monthly. If you don't mind being on a military Website, you can download almost all African village names with positions to your GIS or GPS.

CSG calculators and converters
http://www.csgnetwork.com/converters.html
CSG Calculators and Converters are especially useful for importers and exporters. Just go to the home page (close the pop-up window) and scroll down to Grouped Converters and Calculators, then click on Business and Financial in the drop-down box. That brings you to a page with lots of great business calculators. Scroll down to Export Price Index (XPI) Calculator. This is an inflation calculator for adjusting costs from one year to another using the International Price Index (IPI) inflation index as a foundation, and is a useful tool for U.S. exporters. There's also an Import Price Index (MPI) Calculator, and many other handy business calculators. (FITA)

June

ReliefWeb
http://www.reliefweb.int
Recently-launched new site, designed to help the international aid community improve the speed and effectiveness of relief efforts by making it easier for decision makers to access critically-needed information on global emergencies and natural disasters on a 24/7 basis. It is updated by a team of 16 staff spread across the globe.

Millennium Development Goals Website Updated with the Latest Data
http://ddp-ext.worldbank.org/ext/MDG/home.do
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) website maintained by the World Bank's Development Data Group (in association withnumerous partners) has been updated with recent data from the World Development Indicators 2005 published in April this year,and new charting to compare and track progress. The MDGs set targets for reductions in poverty, improvements in health and education and protection of the environment. This website contains information about the goals themselves, collection of data, statistical capacity building, Bank research and country studies relevant to the MDGs, and perspectives from the various developing regions.

The First Anholt-GMI Nation Brands Index
http://www.nationbrandindex.com/ The Anholt-GMI Nation Brands Index is the first analytical ranking of the brand i
mages of nations - a highly revealing and innovative way of looking at national competitiveness in today's world. Each quarter, the Index led by nation brands expert, Simon Anholt.

Investment Climate Surveys database
http://rru.worldbank.org/InvestmentClimate/
Investment climate data for four new countries are now available: Bhutan, Mozambique, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. You can easily generate informative ''snapshot'' reports on the investment climate of these countries, and manipulate the data to draw comparisons between and within countries. The database also allows analysis of investment climate issues by firm characteristics, such as size, sector, ownership (domestic or foreign), exporter/non-exporter.

World Bank Data and Statistics
http://www.worldbank.org/data/countryclass/classgroups.htm
The World Bank is an organization that collects economic data about countries, and its Data and Statistics page groups countries according to their level of income and indebtedness, with categories from low to high income, and severely indebted to less indebted. It's a great way to get a snapshot of a country's economy. There are links on this page to more useful information (Quick Reference, Maps, etc.), some of which is free, and some fee-based.

ICT Development Digital Library (ICT DevLibrary)
http://www.ictdevlibrary.org
The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization's ICT Development Digital Library (ICT DevLibrary) provides a unique collection of ICT-for-development reports and documents for policy-makers and practitioners in developing countries.

EC launches five-year strategy to boost the digital economy
http://europa.eu.int/i2010
The European Commission adopted the initiative -i2010: European Information Society 2010- to foster growth and jobs in the information society and media industries. i2010 is a comprehensive strategy for modernising and deploying all EU policy instruments to encourage the development of the digital economy: regulatory instruments, research and partnerships with industry. The Commission will in particular promote high-speed and secure broadband networks offering rich and diverse content in Europe.

WBI Evaluation Toolkit
http://web.worldbank.org/
This online toolkit provides a set of tools for Measuring Learning in a Course. It is provided by the World Bank Institute.

Lanzamiento del portal Microfinanzas en Costa Rica
http://www.microfinanzascr.com
Como parte del proyecto de la Red de Portales de Microfinanzas en América Latina, se realizó el lanzamiento del Portal de ''Microfinanzas en Costa Rica'', con información relevante de las afiliadas de la Red Costarricense de Microfinanzas REDCOM. En este portal Web Usted podrá encontrar información actualizada acerca de las afiliadas a REDCOM. Además cuenta con apartados de noticias, eventos, publicaciones en el campo de las microfinanzas de Costa Rica.

ADB Institute starts a new E-Mail Notification Service
http://www.adbi.org/email.notification/register.php
The ADB Institute, ADB's Tokyo-based research and capacity building arm, has started an E-Mail Notification Service for its publications. Notification is possible for ADBI's daily e-newsline, which provides development-related news from Asia, as well as analysis and research publications.

May

World Bank's Projects Database
http://web.worldbank.org/
Much of the Bank's core business involves development lending through projects. This site provides detailed information about planned, current and completed projects, including summaries, related documents and status. Projects may be located by country or region, development goal and specific sector. Searching for projects can be done by a variety of criteria, including approval date, status, type of lending, environmental category, etc. more

CGAP Savings Information and Resource Center
http://www.cgap.org/savings
Send your comments, questions, case studies to: savings@worldbank.org

GTZ Library online
http://www2.gtz.de/wbf/library/search.asp
The German GTZ made their library for economic development and employment searchable online.

Capacity Development Network (CDNet)
http://www.capacitywhoiswho.net
CDNet is an open source virtual ''workspace'' providing opportunity for dialogue, exchange and learning on capacity development. Its main feature are the ''CD Resource Corners''. These offer a dynamic space (''discussion / mail list'') that can serve as ''incubators'' for compiling, validating or developing tools and other resources. They will also offer ''Resource Guides'' on a given theme that are quality managed and point to pertinent research and analysis, tools and guidelines, case experiences, learning materials, expertise and related sites. CDNet also provides registered users the option to create their own discussions, working groups and libraries on CD topics of their choosing. Users can also participate in on-line discussions, search the library and find out about events and link to other relevant sites.

European Expert Network (EE-Net)
http://www.europeanexpert.net
The year 2005 is the fifth year in which the European Expert Network (EE-Net) has been successful in operation as the premier forum for professionals throughout Europe. The website has been updated to reflect the changes in our services and the developments in knowledge exchange and networking.

OECD Evaluation Network
http://www.oecd.org/document/5/0,2340,en_21571361_34047972_34079941_1_1_1_1,00.html
The OECD Evaluation Network has launched a new website designed to improve information exchange and knowledge sharing among Network members and the wider evaluation community. On the new site users will find - detailed information on the Network's current work programme; Network publications, guidelines and meeting documents; dedicated members' pages with background information and publications and news and events from the evaluation community.

International Tax Laws by Country
http://www.law-library.info/page/tax-international.htm
At International Tax Laws By Country you'll find links to hundreds of sites about taxes, categorized by country. There are sites about tax policy, regulations, instructions, advice, various types of taxes, tax software, and much more.

Free Web Hosting
http://www.free-webhosts.com/
Free Webspace'' is a directory list of free web hosting providers, with over 700 top free web space hosts with reviews and ratings, and is updated daily.

WTO Online Forum on the future of the WTO
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/events_e/symp05_e/symposium_2005_e.htm
This online forum has been launched in parallel with the WTO Public Symposium which has for a theme this year the 10th anniversary of the WTO. The aim of the forum is to encourage people to further discuss the topics covered by the symposium and also the recent report by the Director-General's Consultative Board on the future of the WTO. Join the discussion at: http://forums.prospero.com/wto_10anniv/start Report by the Director-General's Consultative Board on the future of the WTO: http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/10anniv_e/10anniv_e.htm#future

Sending Money Home
http://www.sendmoneyhome.org
DFID launched the results of a UK survey into the best ways for people to send money to relatives and friends in developing countries. This is the first survey of its kind in the UK, and addresses a chronic lack of information available to diaspora wishing to send money back to friends, family, and communities. The survey results are being made available through a full report, summary, and country specific leaflets. International Development Minister Gareth Thomas opened the launch event with diaspora and community leaders, senior bankers and money transfer operator representatives, government agencies and press. Gareth Thomas said that: ''We commissioned this report to encourage competition among money transfer operators to ensure openness and lower costs. ''We want to make remittances contribute more effectively to international development, and making it easier and cheaper for people to send money home to families and communities abroad is an important way to do this. We also want to ensure that it's easier for people in other countries to access the money.'' The minister also called on banks, building societies and money transfer organisations to view diaspora in the UK as an attractive market for financial services, including remittances, and to further improve their service offer to them.

April

GRC Exchange about governance in development
http://www.grc-exchange.org
The Governance Resource Centre (GRC) is an information service designed to meet the growing demand for governance advice and expertise within DFID. Hosted by the Governance Resource Centre (GRC) of the UK Department for International Development (DFID), and compiled by leading international experts, the GRC Exchange provides a focal point for sharing ideas in governance. It provides a range of tailored, high quality information services to support the implementation of DFID's Governance Target Strategy Paper, 'Making Governments Work for Poor People' (2001). These services are available to DFID through an intranet style website.

Innovation Funders Network (IFN)
http://www.innovationfunders.org
IFN is a network of funders who seek to strengthen nonprofits and improve the lives of communities and people worldwide through the innovative use of information and communication technology.

ACP-EU cooperation: Are you getting regular updates and news?
http://www.dgroups.org/groups/cool
More than 50 weekly updates, including news, press clippings, links, official reports from EC meetings - - and documentation not available anywhere else. Topics ranging from EU budget to Common Security Policy and Non-state actors. Simple yet intuitive design, tailored for access in the South. Service that everyone is praising and talking about! Keeping you in the ACP-EU loop!

Phil Bradley's Finding Information
http://www.philb.com/whichengine.htm
Phil Bradley's Finding Information not only has some recent additions to the search engine universe, it also tells you in plain English exactly how to use them. This site helps you to define what you need (''I want an overview of a subject,'' ''I want to see thumbnails of pages before visiting them,'' ''I need access to academic resources,'' etc.). And it has dozens of search engines here, including several I never knew about. (FITA)

Tutorials Directory
http://www.tutorialsdirectory.com
Tutorials Directory is a listing of some of sites for self-learners, although limited to computer topics. Here you'll find tutorials on things like operating systems, Web design, Microsoft Office, computer graphics, Internet marketing, and programming. These links will help you to find solutions to the computer problems that cause you to lose sleep, grumble at your spouse, and kick the dog. (FITA)

March

Access to Europe's largest research collection on economic and social change in developing countries http://www.gdnet.org/online_services/journals/journal_services/document_delivery/ BLDS, based at the UK Institute of Development Studies, holds Europe's largest research collection on economic and social change in developing countries. It has over 1000 journals and 5000 serials concerned specifically with development, plus over 80,000 books and reports much of which is not available digitally. As well as stocking major international journals, the BLDS unique collection specialises in information from developing country governments, NGOs and research institutes. It includes both statistics and grey literature, and has particular strengths in African and South Asian resources. (GDNET)

World Bank Group index - updated http://rru.worldbank.org/Features/RoadMap/ Use this guide to view Web sites on private sector development in the World Bank Group. You'll find an organizational snapshot of the main private sector development-related sites, a subject index to help you find a specific product, service, or topic. Resources have also been sorted by various World Bank Group activities for/with the private sector.

World Bank's PovertyNet http://web.worldbank.org/ This site provides an introduction to key issues in poverty measurement, monitoring and analysis, as well as on poverty reduction strategies. The coverage includes views by topic and sector, as well as special features, statistical data and other resources.

World SME's Global E-Marketplaces Centre http://www.WorldTradExnet.com This is one of the most serious Global E-marketplaces projects which is made to increase the exports of SMEs. It has been using by World SMEs with its global promotion, creating trade mark, improving export, online education and other services. It is also reaching thousands of small and medium sized enterprises. It is expected to reach 600.000 member SMEs by end of 2005.

World Trade Point Federation http://www.wtpfed.org/newsite/ This organization, which grew out of a United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, assists small and medium- sized companies in 90 countries. You'll find many useful features at this site, but one of the best is ''Market Point'' in the left column. Click on it, and then click on ''Country Information'', and you'll find a valuable resource for market research. You simply select a country, and you'll see a country profile, with links to economic statistics, guides to doing business in that country, tax guides, import-export data, and more. In the Market Point category there are also links to useful contacts, trade-related sites, and industry information. (FITA)

Fragomen Country Briefs http://www.fragomen.com/resources/cdbase.shtml In these times of heightened national security, many countries have expanded their entry requirements for visitors. It's important to know what documents are required before you travel, and a good place to find that out is Fragomen Country Briefs. Just click on a country at this page, and you'll get an excellent overview of the rules and regulations concerning passports, visas, immigration documents, corporate applications, and other relevant matters for that country. (FITA)

Red de Portales Web de Organizaciones de Microfinanzas en América Latina http://topics.developmentgateway.org/poverty/rc/ItemDetail.do~1031302?intcmp=700 Este documento resume los aspectos más importantes del Proyecto de la Red de Portales, sus principales características, miembros del Proyecto y sus principales servicios.

Newsletter de @LIS
http://www.alis-online.org First Newsletter of @LIS (Alianza para la Sociedad de la Información), a strategic programme of the European Commission for cooperation between Europe and Latin America with the objective to promote economic development and participation of the civil society in a globalised Information Society.

February

Millennium Campaign website
http://www.millenniumcampaign.org
This website, initiated by the United Nations, supports citizens' efforts to hold their government to account for the Millennium promise. The site outlines the Millenium Development Goals and provides information on how to campaign in the different fields of relevance.

Database on OECD Committees and Groups
http://webnet3.oecd.org/OECDgroups/
This site lists all committees and working groups of the organization and describes their membership and mandates.

Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM)
http://www.gemconsortium.org
The report, based on research carried out in 34 countries, looks at levels of entrepreneurial activity and the factors which lead people to become entrepreneurs. The results are used as key benchmarking indicators by policy-makers around the world.

Investment Climate Surveys: Survey results from more than 27,000 firms
http://rru.worldbank.org/InvestmentClimate/
Did you know that companies in Guatemala lose 9 percent of annual sales to crimes such as theft and arson? Or that firms in Uzbekistan face 20 percent in annual sales losses due to interruptions in the water supply? These facts come from the new online database, which captures information on the investment climate of 51 developing countries, based on extensive surveys of more than 27,000 firms. Indicators covered by the database include: electrical and telephone service outages, water service failures, business costs of providing security for workers, time spent to claim imports from customs, workforce unionization, production time lost due to strikes, and much more. The database allows you to generate data reports.

FODAD: Forum on Debt and Development
http://www.fondad.org
FONDAD is an independent policy research centre and a forum for international discussion established in the Netherlands. Supported by a worldwide network of experts, we provide policy-oriented research on North-South issues in a globalising world, in particular international financial issues for developing countries.

January

Microfinance Gateway Library: Publications You Could Use!
http://www.microfinancegateway.org
Each month, the Microfinance Gateway adds valuable material received from industry participants to our online library of over 3800 documents. In the month of December, 131 new documents were added to the Gateway repository. Of these documents, 75 were published in 2004 alone. The topics that generated the greatest amount of literature were product development and investments in microfinance.

Virtual Developing Country
http://www.bized.ac.uk/virtual/dc/copper/theory/th18.htm
This site introduces you to many of the issues and ideas that are of interest in the field of development economics. Many development economists are concerned with role of the MNEs in low income countries and identify a number of problems associated with foreign direct investment. Equally other economists and politicians argue that MNE activity can drive growth and development.

The Anti-Corruption Gateway for Europe and Eurasia
http://www.nobribes.org
The Anti-Corruption Gateway for Europe and Eurasia is a significant entrance way to information about combating corruption. It offers primary materials and direct links to major information sources for anti-corruption practitioners and analysts engaged in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union. The Gateway serves as an easily accessible repository of anti-corruption project documentation, legislation, regional and international agreements, news, survey results, reports, and research.

GTZ in English
http://www.gtz.de/en/
GTZ went on-line with the core content of the new English WebPages. The English version serves the needs of a broad international public seeking information on GTZ's operations worldwide.

International Association for Impact Assessment IAIA
http://www.iaia.org
The web site of IAIA has a section, Publications and Reference Materials, which includes a number of resources available to no-members. These include International Principles for Social Impact Assessment, published in May 2003.

American Library Association's Best Free Reference Sites 2004
http://www.ala.org/ala/rusa/rusaourassoc/rusasections/mars/marspubs/MARSBestRef2004.htm
A collection of sites that librarians recommend. It's a page worth bookmarking, because it has links to sites about history, the environment, banking, food, science, market research, homework help, company research, word definitions, and much more.

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