The Sustainable Development Communications Network, 1996-2001: An Evaluation

The evaluation of the Sustainable Development Communications Network (1996-2001) finds that the network successfully established the SD Gateway as a leading global portal for sustainable development knowledge, particularly for the global south, and effectively built the communications capacity of its members through collaborative projects. However, it faced challenges with institutional priorities overriding network goals and a lack of member-led fundraising. The report recommends shifting to a 'community of practice' model focused on individual practitioners rather than institutional membership.

• The SD Gateway was highly successful as a portal for sustainable development knowledge, achieving a high ranking in Google search results and being recognized by Tomorrow Magazine in April 2001 as the top SD portal on the Internet. By the time of evaluation, traffic had doubled, averaging nearly 80,000 page downloads per month in the fall, with over 50% of content in the 'SD In-depth' and 'SD Topics' sections originating from southern or transitional country members.
• The SDCN successfully built communications capacity for its members, particularly through 'learning by doing' during the production of joint modules. Members reported that the collaborative process helped them understand converging and diverging views on sustainability and improved their ability to carry out joint communications projects, even though the process was described as cumbersome by the Network Coordination Unit.

APA

Creech, H. (2002). The Sustainable Development Communications Network, 1996-2001: An Evaluation. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/network_sdcn_eval.pdf

Chicago

Creech, Heather. The Sustainable Development Communications Network, 1996-2001: An Evaluation. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2002. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/network_sdcn_eval.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Creech |first1=Heather |title=The Sustainable Development Communications Network, 1996-2001: An Evaluation |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2002 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/network_sdcn_eval.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{creech2002sustainable, author = {Creech, Heather}, title = {{The Sustainable Development Communications Network, 1996-2001: An Evaluation}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2002}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/network_sdcn_eval.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }