Egypt's Bibliotheca Alexandrina and Washington-Based Development Gateway Launch Arabic Language Portal on Development.WASHINGTON & TUNIS -- Bibliotheca Alexandrina The Bibliotheca Alexandrina is a major library and cultural center located on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea in the Egyptian city of Alexandria. It is both a commemoration of the Library of Alexandria that was lost in antiquity and an attempt to rekindle something of the (BA) and the Development Gateway Foundation today unveiled plans for a new Arabic language Arabic language Ancient Semitic language whose dialects are spoken throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Though Arabic words and proper names are found in Aramaic inscriptions, abundant documentation of the language begins only with the rise of Islam, whose main texts web portal See portal. on development. The portal, a preview of which was presented at the World Summit on the Information Society The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) was a pair of United Nations-sponsored conferences about information, communication and, in broad terms, the information society that took place in 2003 in Geneva and in 2005 in Tunis. , aims to address the existing shortage of development information for the Arab World “Arab States” redirects here. For the political alliance, see Arab League. The Arab World (Arabic: العالم العربي; Transliteration: al-`alam al-`arabi) stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the . BA will create the Arabic portal within the Development Gateway's global portal on development, by translating and augmenting the Development Gateway's collection of information resources (1) The data and information assets of an organization, department or unit. See data administration. (2) Another name for the Information Systems (IS) or Information Technology (IT) department. See IT. relevant to the region. The Library will also launch an online community of practice that will exchange information and connect with peers to address social, economic, political and cultural reform in the Arab World. This broad array of targeted information resources and services will be accessible through an Arabic language home page and translated navigational tools. BA is leading the new initiative as part of its mandate to produce and disseminate knowledge and advance understanding between cultures and peoples. The Development Gateway is coordinating and hosting the new initiative on its global website, where an extensive network of dgCommunities partners and members currently exchanges information and collaborates on some 30 development issues. "We are working to fulfill the strong regional demand for information on development," said Bibliotheca Alexandrina Director Ismail Serageldin Ismail Serageldin, Director, Library of Alexandria, also chairs the Boards of Directors for each of the BA's affiliated research institutes and museums and is Distinguished Professor at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. . "And as we build this online community, we can ensure that reform is more widely addressed from within the Arab World - at the same time that we show how reform is being handled in other regions." Alan J. Rossi, Chief Executive Officer of the Development Gateway, added, "We are proud to work with the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. By hosting an Arabic language gateway, we can help build strong connections between our current audience of development professionals and the network the Library is creating." About the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Egypt's Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA), the new Library of Alexandria The Royal Library of Alexandria in Alexandria, Egypt, was once the largest library in the world. It is generally thought to have been founded at the beginning of the 3rd century BC, during the reign of Ptolemy II of Egypt. , was inaugurated in 2002 to recapture the spirit of the ancient Library of Alexandria, a center of world learning from 300 BC to 400 AD. The new Library and its affiliated research centers are devoted to using the newest technology to preserve the past and to promote access to the products of the human intellect. It is committed to work with partners all over the world, and is a center for intercultural dialogue, learning and understanding. For more information visit http://www.bibalex.org. About the Development Gateway Foundation The Development Gateway Foundation puts the Internet to work for developing countries, helping improve lives by enabling more effective development worldwide. Bringing hundreds of partners together with information-sharing tools, services and related grants, the foundation acts as a catalyst, enhancing aid effectiveness Aid effectiveness is the effectiveness of development aid in achieving economic development (or development targets). Aid agencies are always looking for new ways to improve aid effectiveness, including conditionality, capacity building and support for improved governance. , improving government efficiency and building local enterprise. The Development Gateway is a public foundation based in Washington, DC, with activities in 60 countries. For more information visit www.developmentgateway.org |
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