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| Updated: May 2003 | NATO Publications |
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The Virtual Silk Highway Project 5. Project Expansion
While the SILK Project will deliver several improvements to the communication systems in the participating countries, it is only a medium-term solution to the Internet connectivity problems in the region. NATO sponsorship is providing the required infrastructure and connectivity to meet the region's immediate needs. However, funding is available only until 2005. Therefore, steps are being taken concurrently with project development to transfer the knowledge and expertise required to maintain and manage the SILK Network. A major priority to guarantee the continued success of the project and to ensure the SILK infrastructure continues to be updated along with technological developments in the field, is to secure additional sources of funding for use in the long-term. Additionally, it is critical to provide proper project management structures for the SILK Network. As a result, NRENs have been tasked with seeking out and contracting sustainable financial and managerial structures that will allow the SILK infrastructure to continue to be useful in the years to come, following the termination of NATO funding. There is also a possibility that the SILK Project may expand to include use by various international organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that are active in the region. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which is involved in enhancing connectivity with governments and NGOs in the region, and the SOROS Foundation, an NGO seeking to promote democracy in the area through connectivity, are the two first organisations to consider this possibility.
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| © NATO - OTAN 2004 - |
NATO Public Diplomacy Division, 1110 Brussels, Belgium, web site: www.nato.int e-mail: natodoc@hq.nato.int |
