OPEN WORLD

Using Cyberlaw to Expand Opportunities In Impoverished Regions

An IBO-Openworld Initiative for Equity and Economic Growth

InternetBar and Openworld have launched a project to bring online dispute resolution (ODR) resources to impoverished areas of the world in ways that generate near-term benefits for business and social entrepreneurs, as well as practitioners specializing in cyberlaw solutions.

What is it?

Around the world, awareness is growing of the key role that neutral dispute resolution systems play in establishing conditions for prosperity. Internet Bar Organization is a nonprofit group that creates global resources for online dispute avoidance, mediation, and resolution. It offers these through partnerships with a special focus on approaches that can lead to new skills for practitioners, and jobs and investments in areas that lack transparent justice systems.

Openworld, Inc., an IBO partner, is a nonprofit group specializing in global markets for telework and technology-enabled free economic zones. It is active in providing microscholarships, telework projects, and other digital resources to grassroots individuals and community development organizations that work to expand opportunities in economically-lagging areas of the world.

The newly-launched IBO-Openworld Cyberlaw Initiative for Equity and Economic Growth is an outgrowth of a series of symposia at Tufts University and Bentley College, which explored "challenge offers" of online resources for communities that take steps to awaken dormant capital through digitally recorded land registries and commitments to resolve disputes online.

The value of the offers, as envisaged by the IBO-Openworld Cyberlaw Initiative, will increase as local allies take further steps to extend Internet-enabled dispute resolution systems and introduce business-friendly environments to areas on the scale of Singapore, the Special Economic Zones of China, and the free zones of Dubai.

How you can help

IBO welcomes partnerships that lead to development of ODR toolkits and global web based and executive training/certification resources for dispute resolution practitioners and global business executives, as well as community leaders in economically-lagging areas. IBO is now working with leading legal practitioners and university groups to design new Online Dispute Resolution resources, including a forthcoming portal that will help ODR practitioners acquire new standards-based online training and certifications.

To promote grassroots response to the new Cyberlaw opportunities, Openworld also welcomes partners in providing "challenge offers" of microscholarships that help students and residents in poor areas prepare for entry into rapidly growing, ODR-enabled global markets for telework. Further background on the challenge strategy can be viewed Openworld.com and at at IBO's and Bentley College (Waltham, USA) series of leading-edge global video seminars and collaborations on how "early wins" for economic growth can be implemented through success-sharing strategies and partnerships.

Contact:

Jeff Aresty, Internet Bar jarresty@bentley.edu
Mark Frazier, Openworld mfrazier@openworld.com