Objectives: At the end of the workshop, the participants should be able to:

- identify challenges faced by people of developing countries in contributing to and utilizing the resources of The Cochrane Collaboration;

- identify and prioritize healthcare needs in developing countries where evidence on interventions is urgently required;

- identify the deficiencies in the currently available Cochrane Collaboration resources for developing countries;

- identify specific manpower, material and skill/technology resources in developing countries that can be used to further the activities of the Collaboration;

- propose concrete solutions to the above;

- identify partnerships with interested persons/organizations from the developed world so that developing countries can participate meaningfully in the Collaboration.

Summary: This workshop is targeted towards members from developing countries as well as those from developed nations who share a common interest in furthering the universal nature of The Cochrane Collaboration. The facilitators will make two brief presentations of 10-15 minutes each, outlining the current scenario in developing countries with respect to contributions towards and utilization of the Collaboration resources. The participants will then break into small groups of 10-12 comprising members from developing and developed countries in order to discuss specific problems, suggest feasible solutions and propose partnerships with developed countries, in keeping with the objectives listed. At the end of this discussion over 45 minutes, participants will reassemble and the conclusions of individual groups will be shared among the entire group. A brief document outlining the specific challenges, possible solutions and meaningful partnerships that can be established will be prepared and presented to the Steering Committee of The Cochrane Collaboration by the facilitators of the workshop.

Level of knowledge required to attend: basic/intermediate/advanced.