IBM spearheads drive to eradicate world's slums

The World Urban Forum (WUF) is holding what it hopes will be the world's largest ever fully interactive global event on the Internet over three days in December to help eradicate the world's slums.

Far from being a Bob Geldof-style plea for funds, Habitat JAM aims to "engage, empower and stimulate" thousands of people with the ultimate goal of turning ideas into action. The project will work using IBM's own JAM, a system set up to allow all off IBM's employees to contribute to interactive discussions on strategic matters.

The first IBM JAM was held in 2001 and involved all the company's employees contributing to a structured discussion on the future of the company, what worked and what didn't, what the company should do in the future and so on. While a JAM runs as a collection of discussions involving small groups, whole departments or individuals it is structured so that ideas, opinions and plans are drawn out automatically, enabling ideas and conversations to be properly structured, according to IBM's vice-president for social services, Chris Gibbon.

Habitat JAM was officially launched in London on Friday by Charles Kelly, the WUF commissioner general and the Canadian Government representative at the World Economic Forum 3, which will be held next year.

According to Kelly, Habitat JAM will generate ideas and engage people who can discuss ideas collectively and individually on the Web in one of its six forums.

Jockin Arpurtham, president of the Shack/Slum Dwellers International, which represents slum dwellers in 21 countries, said that Habitat Jam represented a "great opportunity to get people involved".

But with only a minority of the world having access to the Internet, how can slum dwellers, many illiterate take part? "We can always find a way," Arpurtham said.

Or as another delegate, from Africa, put it: "Our people are illiterate and have no access to the Internet but, as we say, nothing is impossible to a willing man."

The project is untried and Kelly freely admits that he is not sure if it will succeed in its aim to stimulate a worldwide discussion and develop ideas on dealing with the issues around slums, find ways to improve people's lives, and create safe, humane and environmentally stable environments. Will enough people take part in the discussions? Will the systems work if too many people tune in? Is it the right way to try and discuss these issues?

"From the interview point of view it is like Sputnik," said Canada's Kelly. "It isn't important to be the best-looking, it is important to be first."

The Canadian Government is contributing $3m to the project of which $1m will go to IBM, which is providing the infrastructure and software, know-how and another $2m.