[APC Africa-ICT-Policy Monitor] [APCNews] APCNews - December 2004 - No. 48

[APCNews]

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           *APCNews, the monthly newsletter of the
      Association for Progressive Communications (APC)*
                - December 2004 No. 48 -
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-- NEWS FROM THE MEMBERS --
-- NEWS FROM APC --
-- ICT POLICY & INTERNET RIGHTS --
-- BUILDING CAPACITY & STRATEGIC USE OF ICTs --
-- WOMEN & ICTs --
-- COLLABORATING OPPORTUNITIES -
-- ONLINE TOOLS & RESOURCES --
-- WHERE IN THE WORLD IS APC IN JANUARY? --
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-- NEWS FROM THE MEMBERS --

ALIN-EA, Kenya: Annual Report 2004 online

Arid Lands Information Network-Eastern Africa (ALIN-EA) -an APC member in
Kenya- promotes exchange of ideas, information and experiences among change
agents working in the arid and semi-arid lands of Eastern Africa. Currently,
the Network has over 1000 members working hand-in-hand with communities in
the arid areas of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia. During this year,
ALIN took the leadership of the Kenya Civil Society Caucus to the World
Summit on Information Society. You can learn more about ALIN-EA recent
activities in its annual report 2004. - ALIN-EA
http://www.apc.org/english/about/history/alin_ar2004.pdf

BlueLink, Bulgaria: New information portal for Bulgarian civil society

BlueLink, the APC member in Bulgaria, officially launched its civil society
information portal www.bluelink.info. The portal provides a wealth of
information for Bulgarian non-profits working on gender issues, youth,
volunteering and community development. During the launch event, BlueLink
also presented the manual on "Strategic use of internet for civil society
organisations". - BlueLink
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=29750

CEPES, Peru: Wi-fi web reaches farmers in Peru

A network of community computer centres, linked by wireless technology, is
providing a helping hand for poor farmers in Peru. The initiative is being
coordinated by APC member in Peru, Cepes. The BBC Online reports following a
story picked up in APCNews last month. - BBC Online
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4071645.stm

FMA, Philippines: Interrogating communication rights - Philippines holds
validation workshop

After months of research, the Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA) - APC
member in the Philippines- convened a validation workshop to discuss the
findings of its ongoing Philippine Communication Rights Report at the
University of Manila. "Interrogating Communication Rights: Philippine Spaces
for Articulation and Action" gathered civil society organisations, members
of academia and the media and government officials. - FMA
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=29758

Jinbonet, South Korea: IPLeft launching Korean Open Access License

IPLeft, a social group for information commons in South Korea since 1999,
launched Korean Open Access License (KOAL) in October, 2004. KOAL it's a
newly-introduced model of open access to information in South Korea.
Jinbonet, APC member in the Asian country, has participated in IPLeft
activities to develop this new initiative. - Jinbonet
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=29857

RITS, Brazil: From Rio to Cape Town, I-Links, CRIS Brazil and internet
governance

The members of RITS -APC member in Brazil- were very busy at the end of
November and beginning of December. Carlos Antônio participated in the Third
Latin America-Carribean and European Union Ministerial Forum on the
Information Society, held in Rio de Janeiro, were along with Vecam from
France the project I-Enlaces (I-Links) was presented. Almost simultaneously,
they participated in the first planning meeting for CRIS Brazil- whose
objective is to affirm the human right to communicate. Furthermore, Carlos
Afonso, RITS Planning and Strategy Director, participated in key meetings on
internet governance in Geneva and Cape Town. - Rits
http://www.apc.org/espanol/news/index.shtml?x=29806 (Spanish)

ZaMirNET, Croatia: Training journalists and activists in ex-Yugoslavia to
get the most out of internet

ZaMirNET, the APC member in Croatia, held -within its MediaNET project- a
NetActivism workshop last month. Twenty young journalists and civil society
representatives from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia and
Montenegro learned how to use internet as a tool for organising civil
society social movements. - APCNews
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=29754

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-- NEWS FROM APC --

ANNOUNCEMENT: 2004-5 APC Africa Hafkin Prize - Recognising community
connectivity projects for economic development

"Connectivity is a term referring to the means by which people are connected
to or are able to access communications channels such as the internet,
email, computer and people networks." The theme for this year's Hafkin Prize
recognises community initiatives that use the internet and other digital
communication networks to access markets, skills and opportunities to derive
real economic benefits. The competition is open to civil society
organisations, government institutions, educational organisations,
community-based groups, networks, social movements or individuals anywhere
in Africa. Applications will be accepted in both English and French.
The prize: USD$ 7,500.00 will be shared amongst up to three winning
initiatives.
Deadline for nominations: February 14 2005. - APC

Find out more about the prize:
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=29601
Visit the prize site directly: http://www.apc.org/english/hafkin (English)
or http://www.apc.org/francais/hafkin (French)

APC AT THE WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: Porto Alegre, Brazil, January 26-31 2005

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay -- APC is among the more than 60,000 people already
registered to attend the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The WSF
is the world's largest gathering of social movements, non-profits, and
progressive groups who believe that "another world is possible".

We'll be producing a multilingual "APCNews Special Edition" covering the
debates, panels, workshops, and stories that illustrate the use of internet
and ICTs for social justice and sustainable development.

World Social Forum: http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br (English, Spanish,
French, Portuguese)

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-- ICT POLICY & INTERNET RIGHTS --

LATINAMERICAN WORKSHOP: Common policy stategies and objectives for ICT in
the region

Via its Information Communication Technologies (ICT) Policy Monitor for
Latin America and the Caribbean project, APC held a workshop in Rosario,
Argentina on ICT policy strategies for the region, which was attended by the
Latin-American members of APC, as well as important organisations in the
region involved in the subject. "The workshop was aimed at stimulating
collaborative work between organisations with their peers in the region so
that they can jointly assume political commitments for collective action,"
explained Valeria Betancourt, Coordinator of the ICT Policy Monitor. -
APCNews
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=29804

REPORT: Internet governance - the first meeting of the UN working group

During the month of November and the beginning of December, Carlos Afonso,
Planning and Strategy Director of Rits -APC's member in Brazil-,
participated in meetings on internet governance. The first took place in
Geneva, Switzerland, from 23-25 November and attended the first meeting of
the Working Group on Internet Governance established by the United Nations
in October 2004. The working group's mission - of which Karen Banks, APC's
networking and advocacy coordinator, is also a member- is to research and
formulate proposals to the UN on the subject that, according to Carlos
Afonso, "goes much farther than what Internet Corporation for Assigned Names
and Numbers (ICANN) does today (it assings numeric internet protocol address
space), and there's still not a consistent proposal that covers all its
facets."

Report in its original Portuguese:
http://www.apc.org/espanol/news/index.shtml?x=29860
Report in Spanish: http://www.apc.org/espanol/news/index.shtml?x=29858
(Translation: APC)
This report is being translated from Portuguese into English by APC and will
be available in January.

NATIONAL WORKSHOP: ICT policies for Argentinian organisations

APC, with its Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Policy
Monitor for Latin America and the Caribbean project and Nodo TAU,
Argentinian member of APC, held a workshop on ICT policy for organisations
in said country. The objective of the initiative was to raise awareness and
stimulate debate on key ICT policy issues at the national and regional
level, as well as facilitate the creation of alliances for collective
multisectoral action to affect ICT policy processes. - APCNews
http://www.apc.org/espanol/news/index.shtml?x=29798 (Spanish)

WORKSHOP IN ECUADOR: information communication technology capacity building.

Between 24-27 November, within the working framework of the Ecuadorian
Information and Communication for Development Network, (Red Ecuatoriana de
Información y Comunicación para el Desarrollo), Infodesarrollo.ec, and with
the support of the International Institute for Communication and Development
(IICD) and APC, the"Information Communication Technology (ICT) Policy
Capacity Building Workshop" was held in Quito. It was attended by
international experts and representatives from different organisations and
governmental institutions, private entities and civil society envolved with
ICT and social development- Red Infodesarrollo.ec
http://www.apc.org/espanol/news/index.shtml?x=29800 (Spanish)

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-- BUILDING CAPACITY & STRATEGIC USE OF ICTs --

REPORT: Meeting on up-scaling ICT for poverty reduction

MS Swaminathan Research Foundation and the Swiss Agency for Development and
Cooperation called an expert group meeting on "Up-scaling ICT for Poverty
Reduction". The event was held in Chennai, India, from 17-19 November 2004.
APC Women's Networking Support Programme (WNSP) Asia Pacific Coordinator,
Cheekay Cinco, was among the participants. "One of the more interesting
points raised during the meeting was the need to focus on upscaling poverty
reduction and not ICTs," she said. "A distinction was made between 'poverty
reduction' and 'development', largely in reaction to the Millenium
Development Goals (MDG) on decreasing poverty worldwide by 50%". - APCNews.
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=29756

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-- WOMEN & ICTs --

GenARDIS: Gender issues in information and communication technologies for
agricultural and rural development

The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA),
the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the International
Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) and the Humanist
Institute for Cooperation with Developing Countries (Hivos) are inviting
applications for the second round of the GenARDIS small grants programme.
Ten grant funds of up to 5,000 Euros each will be given to address gender
issues in ICTs for agricultural and rural development in Africa, the
Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP countries). Submission deadline is 25
February 2005.
http://www.cta.int/about/genardis_round2.htm

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-- COLLABORATING OPPORTUNITIES -

Stockholm Challenge: 2006 prize

Innovative teams from all over the world who use ICT to improve living
conditions and economic growth are invited to register their projects for
the Challenge. Projects compete in six categories and the winners receive
Challenge trophies at an event in the Stockholm City Hall, venue of the
Nobel Prize ceremonies, in May 2006.
For more information visit: http://www.stockholmchallenge.se

International Fellowship Programme: Central and Eastern European Foundations
and NGOs

A new fellowship programme aims to strengthen civil society in Central and
Eastern Europe and international cooperation of NGOs by means of
fellowships. In the initial phase, the IFP is open for staff of foundations
and NGOs in five countries only: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland,
Slovakia and Slovenia. Deadline for submissions: 31 January 2005.
http://www.bosch-stiftung.de/foerderung/voelker2/fr_buster.html?02040421.htm
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Digital Communities 2005: Call for papers and organisers

Digital Communities is an international network of scholars, policy makers,
and urban analysts who share an interest in the relationship between
information technologies and urban life. The next Digital Communities
conference in 2005 will be held in Italy and will explore a wide range of
themes associated with information technology, the knowledge economy,
technology policy, and the significance of place in cyberspace. Of special
interest is the experience of locations within the Mediterranean region. To
present a paper or organise a session:
http://www.ssc.msu.edu/~espace/DC2005Location.html

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-- ONLINE TOOLS & RESOURCES --

APC's Latest Annual Report: 2003 - The year technology policy became social
policy

In spite of the wide range of activities that took place during last year,
for APC, 2003 is memorable for one particular process that galvanised our
efforts - the World Summit on the Information Society which took place in
Geneva in December 2003. WSIS was a watershed in public participation as
information and communications policy shifted from the obscure world of
techno-jargon to be recognised as social policy that affects everyone. From
APC's perspective as a network of 'social techies' this was a major
break-through. APC'S latest annual report includes APC's advocacy work for
WSIS and other major highlights as well as achievements from APC members on
five continents building of a better world for all through technology.
http://www.apc.org/books/apc_ar2003_EN.pdf

ALERT: Fraud was detected in the donation of computers to NGO

The British Council in Bulgaria detected a fraudulent message announcing the
donation of computer equipment for non-government organisations (NGO) in
exchange for an advanced payment. The Council contacted BlueLink - an APC
member in Bulgaria and the national information network for civil society
organisations- to disseminate the information and alert the potential
victims of these types of scams. It is the first time an attempt like this
specifically directed at NGO has been detected. - APCNews
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=29802

REPORT: Mainstreaming ICTs - Achieving the Millennium Development Goals in
South Asia

Mainstreaming ICTs, a new bimonthly print publication of One World South
Asia, aims to create a platform for critical debates on the use of ICTs in
development interventions. The first issue adresses the problem of food
security and hunger through a series of articles and interviews. - One World
South Asia
http://southasia.oneworld.net/section/mict

DISCUSSION: What has South Asian ICT4D network "BytesforAll" been discussing
in November?

APC's newest member, BytesforAll, is an online citizen's network that
connects the people of South Asia on the issues of ICT and development.
BytesforAll produces a summary of previous month's hottest discussion topics
on the network. APCNews will now be featuring the summaries on a regular
basis. In November deliberations ranged from the FLOSS (Free/libre and open
source software) movement in non-profit organisations, ICTs for development,
internet governance, and transparency and accountability in transactions to
internet standards. - BytesforAll
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=29760

Report of the expert meeting on free and open-source software: Policy and
development implications.

This report outlines the key outcomes of the "Expert meeting on Free and
Open Source Software: Policy and development implications", convened by
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) during 22-24
September 2004 in Geneva. Representatives of UN agencies, private and public
sector and civil society organisations debated on the policy and development
implications of free and open source software (FOSS). This was primarily to
provide a policy perspective and to facilitate an exchange of experience
among experts from UNCTAD member States and FOSS specialists from the
academia, business and civil society. Experts from the developed and
developing countries, gathered in this meeting, expressed the need of
contextualising FOSS in the global development agenda - the UN's Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) - and deepening the digital inclusion. - Digital
Opportunity Channel
Read the report: http://www.digitalopportunity.org/article/view/99566/1/
Share your view on these and other issues at the discussion forum FOSS:
Policy and Development Implications:
http://lists.apdip.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/foss-pdi

Guide: How to set up and operate a successful computer refurbishment centre
in Africa

"Second-hand computers aren't ideal, but they will probably be a reality for
Africa at least in the short term," says Teresa Peters, Executive Director
of bridges.org, an international non-profit organisation based in South
Africa. "As environmental mandates in North America and Europe start to
kick-in during the next few years, used computers will be shipped to Africa
in unprecedented numbers." There are only a few successful computer
refurbishment centres in Africa at present, and very little is documented
about their experiences for others to learn from. "How to Set Up and Operate
a Successful Computer Refurbishment Centre in Africa:  A Planning and
Management Guide" is the result of a study undertaken by bridges.org in
early 2004, which examined the methods and strategies of the computer
refurbishment industry, focusing on Africa.
Full report:
http://www.bridges.org/refurb/Refurb_Centre_Guide_bridges.org.pdf

REPORT: UNCTAD's E-commerce and Development Report 2004

The E-commerce and Development Report 2004, recently released by the United
Nations Conference on Trade and Development is intended to provide
policy-makers and practitioners with information and analysis to better
assess the implications of the growing role of ICTs in economic development.
Full report:
http://www.unctad.org/Templates/WebFlyer.asp?intItemID=3356&lang=1

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-- WHERE IN THE WORLD IS APC IN JANUARY? --

You can meet up with APC and/or APC WNSP (APC women's programme)
representatives at the events below during January 2005. Write to
events at apc.org to obtain contact information. See you there!

South Asian Regional Consultation on the World Summit on the Information
Society (WSIS), Co-organised by APC, Bangladesh Friendship Education Society
(BFES) and One World South Asia
Jan 5-7, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Mediterranean Social Forum - International General Assembly meeting
Jan 14-16, Marseilles, France
http://www.fsmed.info

Meeting on Economic and Social Implications of ICT
Jan 18-19, Antigua, Guatemala
http://www.oecd.org/document/47/0,2340,en_2649_33703_33938223_1_1_1_1,00.htm
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Building Communications Opportunities (BCO) partner meeting
Jan 24-25, London, UK

V World Social Forum
Jan 26-31, Porto Alegre, Brazil
http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br

Asia Source
Jan 28-Feb 5, Bangalore, India
http://www.tacticaltech.org/asiasource

Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) Africa Day
Jan 30-31, Accra, Ghana
http://www.globalknowledge.org/gkps_portal/eventsmaster.cfm?action=detail&me
nuid=85&retrieveid=763

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APCNews, in English, and APCNoticias, in Spanish, are distributed monthly by
APC - a worldwide network supporting the use of internet and ICTs for social
justice and sustainable development since 1990.
APCNews Archive: http://www.apc.org/english/news/apcnews/

CopyLeft. 2004 Association for Progressive Communications (APC). Permission
is granted to use this document for personal use, for training and
educational publications, and activities by peace, environmental, human
rights or development organisations. Please provide an acknowledgment to
APC.

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