From V.Nath@lse.ac.uk Thu Apr 5 11:40:11 2001 From: V.Nath@lse.ac.uk (Nath,V (pgt)) Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2001 12:40:11 +0100 Subject: [Wsf] E- Governance in South/ Developing Countries Updates (DigitalGove rnance.org) Message-ID: <43CE1CB09DEDD11196DF000629054FBB059C0BBC@exchs2.lse.ac.uk> Dear Colleagues at WSF, Greetings from London from the Community. The Digital Governance website was launched a month back to explore INNOVATIVE e-Governance Models in South based on the application of Knowledge Management principles and Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The website is a part of the KnowNet Initiative at http://www.knownet.org which harnesses the potential of ICT and Remote Volunteering to catalyse Human Development. DigitalGovernance.org has been tediously identifying and documenting actual E-Practices in the South which enable Transparent, Efficient, and Accountable Governance Mechanisms based on "Information Democratisation" to ones which catalyse "Interactive Governance Processes" that are Inclusionary in characteristics. Some of the Emerging Knowledge Products relating to e-Governance Practices in South (based on Digital Governance's research) are: 1. e-Governance is certainly making its entree in the South progessing from stages of "Wider-Domain Models" or "Critical Flow Models" to the more complex and technology driven "Interactive Service Models". The description of these models is available at the website. An example of "Critical-Flow Model" is the Indian website www.tehelka.com (a leanly funded media organization with limited resources) which exposed a major scam in the Defence Establishment in India relating to corruption and bribery. It led to major political upheavals and a strong civil society unrest. Similarly in Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosovic regime was toppled by the technology of the Internet and satellite comunications. Internet is also increasingly becoming Africa's political corrupticians' nightmare. 2. e-Governance seem to have greater marginal benefits in countries with moderate development indices, and where alternate channels of communications are weak and governance processes are largely democratic to the extent that they are Information- Driven. Example in Brazil, India, Malaysia, Estonia etc. In such cases, e-governance strengthens the two-way communication channel- enabling the civil society to get more acquainted with decisions (as well as decision-makers) which affect their quality of lives and providing them avenues to express/ make an informed choice. The latter is usually provided through conventional Governance processes. The e-Governance models therefore function in complementary to the existing Governance models. 3. e-Governance processes have an equal or greater potential in the South if applied in local geographical domains. Wider-Domain Governance models when applied locally can promote "democratisation of information which is of significance" ranging from basic District-level Governmental Information, to Agriculture and Health related information, to information about disasters, food rations etc. 4. Complex e-Governance models in South (based on advocacy and direct-interaction with the Government) have so far been largely directed towards issues of Global/International Significance. The models have fostered inter-South support on many issues such as Agriculture and Trade Policies, Issues of Big Dams, Genetic Engineering etc. to put up a collective Southern Agenda. Nevertheless, this is a sign of empowered and value-driven civil society movements: an Empowered civil society which can work alongside the National Governments on issues of International significance can fundamentally raise its voice on National Concerns to promote the larger agenda. DigitalGovernance.org functions on a continuous learning mode. More knowledge products would be brought into light in the subsequent updates. You may subscribe to these updates by sending a blank email to digitalgovernance-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Please have a look at the Key website updates and some of the feedforward received from over 50 countries towards the end of this email. I welcome your intellectual contributions and feedforward about the DigitalGovernance.org Project to further enrich this website and to catalyse Innovative E-Governance in South. Lastly, Please help spread the word around about this initiative. Warm Regards, Vikas Nath Inlaks Fellow, London School of Economics, UK Home Page : http://www.vikasnath.org ----------------------------------------------------- Innovator, KnowNet Initiative and Digital Governance Conceiver, DevNetJobs.org Email : knownet@knownetweaver.org or V.Nath@lse.ac.uk Phone: + 44 (0) 7887 920080 ----------------------------------------------------- Following are some of the Interesting Case-Studies, Publications and Links added to the Digital Governance website. ** Key Case Studies Added (Case-Studies archived on the website = 31) Estonia: The Little Country That Could The medieval streets of old Tallinn have changed little in the last few centuries. But high atop Toompea, the hill that has been the seat of power in Estonia for almost 800 years, there is an experiment in 21st-century government under way. Inside the chancellery building, Linnar Viik, information technology adviser to Prime Minister Mart Laar, leads the way through elegant government offices to a shiny new cabinet meeting room. India: Free Internet access to Orissa High Court records Litigants fighting cases in the Orissa High Court will now have free Internet access to case records following the inauguration of two Web sites by state Chief Justice N.Y. Hanumanthappa. A litigant can easily find out in which court his case is appearing and its listing. Besides, the search engines of the Web site will help a litigant or the general public to find details related to a particular case. India : Kerala panchayats adopt e-governance http://persmin.nic.in/arpg/egov.htm#6 The Ernakulam district panchayat had made a quiet entry into the IT world by taking up a unique model of e-governance. The Electronic Industrialisation Infrastructure Development(EIID), a scientific society under the district panchayat, is providing guidance to three gram panchayats in the district to establish information networks as part of their plan projects. And the EIID is doing all this with software that are freely available with open source codes. India: Madhya Pradesh's E-governance site (Jabalpur) The Government has gone online in Jabalpur division. The administration has launched its interactive website and CD containing all information on government departments and schemes at www.suvidha.org ( Pakistan : Punjab Government goes online The website contains information about the economy, culture, government, cabinet, rules of business 1974, and much more. The website says, "Punjab Government may adopt 'SAAF Model' of E-Government. The model is devised in order to formulate a future paradigm for a stable and organised government. In its literal meanings, it connotes, 'transparency and openness', (the two significant hallmarks of Islamic government). It also echoes the concept of public participation in the political process and its access to the information." Peru: Government Goes High Tech One evening, a few months ago, Enrique Normand, a partner in the law firm of Estudio Rubio, Leguia, Normand & Associates, was finishing up contract negotiations between a Peruvian company and a group of US investors when he realized they were missing a crucial document. They needed to obtain it from the Oficina Registral de Lima y Callao (ORLC), the notoriously slow public registry for Lima and its seaport, Callao. In short, they needed a miracle. Portugal : INFOCID A great portal site on Public Administrative information and issues in Portuguese. Provides name and addresses of the Government and all public organisations, relevant documents and debates etc. ** Key Publications Added (Publications archived on the website =45) Governments Closing Gap Between Political Rhetoric and eGovernment Reality Online service delivery has never been higher on the political agenda than it is today. From the United Kingdom to the United States, Belgium to Brazil and Malaysia to Mexico, governments are talking about the significant benefits that can be realised by migrating traditionally paper-based and face-to-face services to the Internet. Digital Growth in Africa - things governments can do for free or nearly free News Update asked 25 individuals and organisations drawn from development agencies, the private sector, NGOs and trusts involved in digital development in Africa to make suggestions about things that African governments (or others) could do for little or money to encourage digital development. There was almost a complete consensus on the kinds of things they felt ought to be done Surfing villages: Can Indian villages be logged on to the infotech highway? Are they for real and do they stand to benefit from artificial intelligence? Can India's villages ride on the infotech highway to development? To a certain extent this is already happening but it is a knotty situation. Can IT evolve to serve rural Indiaâs needs? The dairy cooperatives of Anand in Gujarat are using IT applications to streamline procedures, making a significant difference to the lives of milk producers in surrounding villages. The Role of Online Publication in the Promotion of Democracy The Internet is Africa's political corrupticians' nightmare. In other words, news- media- information censorship by political dictators is curtailed at the door of the Internet. Ask Yugoslav's Slobodan Milosovic whose regime was toppled by the technology of the Internet and satellite comunications. The irony is that the "unimportant" people that the media target in under-developed and developing countries like Sierra Leone for instance, are hardly in a position to access the Internet. Dictatorships in the Digital Age: Some Considerations on the Internet n China and Cuba The belief that the Internet will spread democracy throughout the developing world is so firmly held in Washington, D.C. policy circles that it is becoming an article of faith. There may be something to the underlying proposition, but this is an analytical question that should be subjected to close investigation before firm conclusions are drawn. The use of Internet in Government Service Delivery Governments have begun to use the World Wide Web to assist in service delivery. This includes, but goes far beyond, the dissemination of information to the general public and involves a variety of other governmental functions. In reviewing some govern-ment websites it is clear that the use of the web for service delivery is still in its infancy. The types of services that can be delivered through the web are still in the process of being imagined and organized by both government and the private sector. Electronic governance and commercial development in Africa: the grassroots perspective This presentation explores the emergence of the concept of 'governance' and speculates on the opportunities provided by new electronic technologies for the development of more participatory forms of governance than those experienced in the past. The presentation identifies the possibilities for direct democracy and the greater use of client/user feedback in the shaping of governance structures. Electronic Governance: Re-inventing Good Governance This article examines the significance of the emergence of Electronic Governance (eGovernance) as a mode of practice in the re-invention of Good Governance. It presents eGovernance as inclusive of Electronic Democracy (eDemocracy), Electronic Government (eGovernment) and Electronic Business (eBusiness), examines the nature and scope of developments in this emerging field and provides a wealth of examples to illustrate essential, embedded concepts and modes of practice. ** Key Links Added (Exsiting Links on the website =52) Anti-Corruption Network for Transition Economies The Anti-Corruption Network for Transition Economies provides a forum for the exchange of information between anti-corruption practitioners and analysts in Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Union. It also serves as a repository of anti-corruption project documentation, legislation, regional and international agreements, survey results, reports, research and other information. Chapter 2 Network The Chapter 2 Network is a clearinghouse of information and communication for social justice issues in South Africa. Through its website, it provides information about advocacy campaigns; training on Advocacy and lobbying, including learning practical skills through the Advocacy game; research on political intelligence, policy analysis and legislation monitoring and networking opportunities to interact with other civil society organisations who are engaged in social justice advocacy. Costa Rica : Democracia Digital A non-profit civic initiative directed towards using information and communication technology for the extension and the enrichment of the democratic coexistence of the Costa Rican society, facing the beginning of a new century. The strategy aims at information dissemination on subjects relative to the public interest and creation of new spaces of consultation. International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance International IDEA promotes and advances sustainable democracy and improves and consolidates electoral processes world-wide. It provides a forum for discussions and action among individuals and organizations involved in democracy promotion. Global in ownership and score, independent of national interests, and flexible and quick in its responses, International IDEA is the only international organization with this unique mandate. ** Key Events on E-Governance (Events Posted on the website = 8) Worldwide Forum on Electronic Democracy May 17, 2001, Paris, France This 2nd Forum will be the occasion to make a new point on the "Revolution of the e-democracy", by advancing the new relations created by the network among the citizens and their elected members and the emergence of the e-citizen. International IDEA Democracy Forum 2001: Democracy and the Information Revolution June 27-29 2001, Stockholm, Sweden By combining a focus on key practical issues with exposure to the latest cutting edge research in the ICT field, the Democracy Forum 2001 will provide a unique opportunity for all concerned with the societal implications of the IT revolution - from academics, ICT specialists and business leaders, to election managers, development experts and politicians - to come together to debate, reflect and develop creative policy options for the future. ****FEEDFORWARD RECEIVED**** I agree that if the people are empowered with right information, automatically they will demand better governance/performance from politica/officer class people. Can one use your network to expose some murky dealings so that concerned people can email the CEO of state and demand action. Collective action means some results. (Bangalore, India) It is very amazing to find a great Net like this. I hope we could help in anyway. (Sudan, Africa) I am trying to establish similar digital government in Japan. (Okazaki, Japan) I am working in Civil Society and networking in rural Guatemala and was curious as to what is out there. (Guatemala) I heard about the Digital Governance initiative through the imfundo discussion group. I find it very interesting, and I would like to implement it in my country. (Argentina) I am trying to develop an special project to disseminate telecentres in Peru starting through a pilot programme. Is it possible to get linked through you with other institutions than can collaborate with this type of project? (Peru) Such a knowledge initiative is critical in developing a more transparent governance, trade and development for my Africa region.That is a good move. I subscribe to the aspirations. (Accra, Ghana) It is a very important and useful knowlege which we really need to change the destructive regimes we have in developing countries to moblize civil society organizations and empower it for better development. Along with Good Governance, Digital Governance are important for true progress, democracy, transparency and so on for these countries. I gained this insight while, as a young primary school pupil, I saw my old grand mother struggling just to retrieve a copy of my birth certificate from corrupt municipal civil servants who were mainly recruited among the mayor's family. (Canada) From palmieri@mire.net Mon Apr 9 16:11:18 2001 From: palmieri@mire.net (palmieri@mire.net) Date: Mon, 09 Apr 2001 17:11:18 +0100 Subject: [Wsf] FSM - Suivi de l'atelier "Communication et =?iso-8859-1?Q?citoyennet=E9?=" Message-ID: <3AD1DF26.C93CD4A5@mire.net> Cher-es ami-es, Veuillez nous excuser pour le retard de cette communication. Un événement en rattrappant un autre, le suivi a du mal à se gérer... L’atelier " Communication et citoyenneté ", que nous avons organisé dans le cadre du Forum Social Mondial (FSM), a réuni une large audience (plus de cent personnes, en incluant les représentants d’organisations), a suscité de multiples propositions, a formulé des recommandations et a finalement abouti à des accords concrets. Les premières recommandations, en direction des organisateurs du FSM, qui ont déjà réagi, mettent l’accent sur la nécessité de donner une place de choix au thème de la communication, comme enjeu de taille dans la lutte contre le néo-libéralisme. Les accords ont porté sur deux niveaux. Le premier repose sur la nécessité des échanges et réflexions. Il s’agit d’ouvrir un large débat, au niveau international, sur la communication et les nouvelles technologies, ce qui permettrait de mettre à bas le point de vue de la pensée unique, avec la certitude que les changements en ce sens sont inéluctables et nécessaires pour le bien de l’humanité. Ceci implique, par exemple, la remise en question des tendances à la concentration, à la marchandisation de l’information, à la marginalisation systématique des voix de certains secteurs de la population (femmes, pauvres, minorités ethniques, etc.), ou le discours promotionnel des nouvelles technologies qui illustre assez bien les tendances de la mondialisation néo-libérale. Il est temps d’ouvrir ce débat à tous les espaces. Très spécifiquement, au cours de l’atelier, nous nous sommes mis d’accord sur le fait que l’activité de cette liste de discussion wsf@lists.sn.apc.org continue et constitue un point de référence pour la préparation dudit thème pour le 2e FSM. Le deuxième point d’accord de l’atelier se réfère à la mutualisation des efforts sur le plan des pratiques en communication. L’expérience de la "Ciranda Internacional de la Información Independiente" s’est particulièrement illustrée par la panoplie des efforts déployés pour couvrir l’événement, dans une démarche indépendante, qui signifie non seulement une réelle capacité de production d’informations collective mais également une maîtrise des nouvelles technologies au service des luttes sociales, ce qui peut, in fine, représenter une alternative concrète à l’information-marchandise. En ce sens, cela représente une initiative qui s’insère totalement dans la démarche globale du FSM qui postule " un autre monde est possible " face au pouvoir des médias et système de communication dominants. Environ 30 journalistes ont participé à la Ciranda, qui ont écrit plus de 200 papiers. Le résultat peut se voir sur le site : http://fsm.rits.org.br/fsm/. Les Pénélopes, représentant WomenAction, en étaient et produisaient 5 à 6 brèves par jour en français ou en anglais qui ont également été diffusées sur des listes internationales comme Attac, Womenaction... Dans une certaine mesure, la Ciranda renoue avec des expériences similaires, comme, par exemple, la couverture média organisée par WomenAction lors de Pékin+5, en juin 2000 (http://www.womenaction.org). Justement, un des accords conclu lors de l’atelier consiste à vouloir reproduire l’expérience au cours d’autres événements. Concrètement, nous nous sommes mis d’accord sur la mise en place d’un mécanisme pour les prochains événements de l’agenda social des Amériques : Forum des Amériques pour la diversité et la pluralité, à Quito en mars, les événements d’avril sur le Sommet des Peuples, en Argentine et au Québec (une équipe de WomenAction va déployer la même activité). Nous vous en donnerons des nouvelles dans un prochain message. Enfin, au cours des échanges, les participant-es ont formulé diverses propositions, que, pour des raisons de temps, nous n’avons pas pu approfondir. Nous essaierons de les résumer ici dans les prochaines semaines, mais surtout, n’hésitez pas à communiquer vos propres propositions! Joelle Palmieri Les Pénélopes – France Info@penelopes.org From V.Nath@lse.ac.uk Mon Apr 23 15:52:47 2001 From: V.Nath@lse.ac.uk (Nath,V (pgt)) Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2001 16:52:47 +0100 Subject: [Wsf] KnowNet Initiative and ICTNetJobs: Growing niche for ICT Profes sionals in Non-Profit Sector Message-ID: <43CE1CB09DEDD11196DF000629054FBB059C0ED6@exchs2.lse.ac.uk> Dear Colleagues, Greetings from London from the KnowNet Initiative! Over the last couple of years there has been an increasing interest in the area of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Knowledge Management (KM) in the domain of non-profit and voluntary organisations. This sector continues to be as professional and challenging as compared to any other sector and therefore there is an increasing demand for professionals who can amalgamate existing knowledge with the upcoming technologies. A free comprehensive websection "ICTNetJobs" on worldwide Professional Opportunities arising in ICT, Knowledge Networking and Knowledge Management areas has now been set up by KnowNet Initiative at http://members.tripod.com/dev_jobs/ictnetjobs.html This section is a part of the MegaPortal developed by KnowNet Initiative "DevNetJobs" at http://www.DevNetJobs.org which lists jobs in Environment and Development Sector. The Megaportal provides free weekly updates of Jobs in ICT, KM, Environment and Development Sector which could be subscribed by sending a blank email to developmentjobs-subscribe@egroups.com Warm Regards, Vikas Nath ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Inlaks Fellow (2000-1), London School of Economics, UK Innovator, KnowNet Initiative, http://www.knownet.org http://www.DigitalGovernance.org Conceiver, DevNet Jobs, http://www.devnetjobs.org HomePage: http://www.vikasnath.org Email: V.nath@lse.ac.uk or jobs@devnetjobs.org Phone: +44 (0) 7887 92 0080 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ From info@alainet.org Tue Apr 24 20:20:58 2001 From: info@alainet.org (ALAI) Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2001 15:20:58 -0500 Subject: [Wsf] Workshop Agreements (English) In-Reply-To: <3AD1DF26.C93CD4A5@mire.net> Message-ID: <200104241531.f3OFVqM17082@mweb.alainet.org> With apologies for the delay, here is the English version of the Workshop Agreements. Workshop on Communication and Citizenship: Agreements World Social Forum, Porto Alegre 2728 January 2001 The Communication and Citizenship Workshop, held at the World Social Forum (WSF), had a wide range of participants (more than 100 people, including representatives of some 67 organisations), stimulated various proposals, formulated recommendations and reached concrete agreements about followup measures. The first recommendations, addressed to the organisers of the World Social Forum and which have already been distributed, emphasised the need to highlight the theme of communication as a central aspect of the struggle against Neoliberalism. The followup agreements are on two levels. The first is that of exchanges and reflections, an aspect related to the need to open a wide debate at a world level on communication and the new technologies, which will allow us to reexamine the different versions of the single system of values, which state that these changes are inevitable and for the good of humanity. This implies, for example, the questioning of the tendency to centralisation, of the commercialisation of information, of the systematic exclusion of the voices of certain sectors of the population (women, the poor, ethnic minorities, etc), or the promotional discourse of the new technologies with which the virtues of globalisation are demonstrated. It is necessary to take this debate to all spheres. Specifically, in the Workshop it was agreed that the mailing list will be a reference point for the preparation of this theme for the next WSF. (For subscriptions, go to: http://lists.sn.apc.org/mailman/listinfo/wsf). The second level of Workshop agreements refers to the coordination of initiatives at the level of communication practice. The success of the International "Ciranda" (Network) of Independent Information was highlighted, being a communal effort to cover the information on the WSF from an independent position. This means not only strengthening the informative work of each person or media by sharing what they produce, and making the new technologies work for social struggles, but it also constitutes a concrete alternative to information as a merchandise. In this sense, it is an initiative which fits into the vision of the WSF that =F4another world is possible=F6, against the power of the mass media and communication systems. Some 30 press entities participated, creating more than 120 articles. The results can be seen at this web site: http://fsm.rits.org.br/fsm/. In some ways, the =F4Ciranda=F6 brings together other similar past experiences, such as, for example, that carried out at the worldwide Women Action initiative, in the framework of Beijing + 5 (cf. http://www.womenaction.org). In fact, one of the agreements of the Workshop was to reproduce this experience at other events. Concretely, a mechanism was agreed on for the next events on the social agenda in the Americas: The Americas Forum for Diversity and Plurality, in Quito in March, the April events around the FTAA in Argentina and Quebec. Translation: APC ____________________________________________________ Agencia Latinomericana de Informacion INTERNET: info@alainet.org Direccion: Casilla 17-12-877, Quito-Ecuador Telefono: (593 2) 505074 Fax: (593 2) 505073 URL: http://alainet.org ____________________________________________________ From V.Nath at lse.ac.uk Thu Apr 5 13:40:11 2001 From: V.Nath at lse.ac.uk (Nath,V (pgt)) Date: Tue Feb 27 13:57:28 2007 Subject: [Wsf] E- Governance in South/ Developing Countries Updates (DigitalGove rnance.org) Message-ID: <43CE1CB09DEDD11196DF000629054FBB059C0BBC@exchs2.lse.ac.uk> Dear Colleagues at WSF, Greetings from London from the Community. The Digital Governance website was launched a month back to explore INNOVATIVE e-Governance Models in South based on the application of Knowledge Management principles and Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The website is a part of the KnowNet Initiative at http://www.knownet.org which harnesses the potential of ICT and Remote Volunteering to catalyse Human Development. DigitalGovernance.org has been tediously identifying and documenting actual E-Practices in the South which enable Transparent, Efficient, and Accountable Governance Mechanisms based on "Information Democratisation" to ones which catalyse "Interactive Governance Processes" that are Inclusionary in characteristics. Some of the Emerging Knowledge Products relating to e-Governance Practices in South (based on Digital Governance's research) are: 1. e-Governance is certainly making its entree in the South progessing from stages of "Wider-Domain Models" or "Critical Flow Models" to the more complex and technology driven "Interactive Service Models". The description of these models is available at the website. An example of "Critical-Flow Model" is the Indian website www.tehelka.com (a leanly funded media organization with limited resources) which exposed a major scam in the Defence Establishment in India relating to corruption and bribery. It led to major political upheavals and a strong civil society unrest. Similarly in Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosovic regime was toppled by the technology of the Internet and satellite comunications. Internet is also increasingly becoming Africa's political corrupticians' nightmare. 2. e-Governance seem to have greater marginal benefits in countries with moderate development indices, and where alternate channels of communications are weak and governance processes are largely democratic to the extent that they are Information- Driven. Example in Brazil, India, Malaysia, Estonia etc. In such cases, e-governance strengthens the two-way communication channel- enabling the civil society to get more acquainted with decisions (as well as decision-makers) which affect their quality of lives and providing them avenues to express/ make an informed choice. The latter is usually provided through conventional Governance processes. The e-Governance models therefore function in complementary to the existing Governance models. 3. e-Governance processes have an equal or greater potential in the South if applied in local geographical domains. Wider-Domain Governance models when applied locally can promote "democratisation of information which is of significance" ranging from basic District-level Governmental Information, to Agriculture and Health related information, to information about disasters, food rations etc. 4. Complex e-Governance models in South (based on advocacy and direct-interaction with the Government) have so far been largely directed towards issues of Global/International Significance. The models have fostered inter-South support on many issues such as Agriculture and Trade Policies, Issues of Big Dams, Genetic Engineering etc. to put up a collective Southern Agenda. Nevertheless, this is a sign of empowered and value-driven civil society movements: an Empowered civil society which can work alongside the National Governments on issues of International significance can fundamentally raise its voice on National Concerns to promote the larger agenda. DigitalGovernance.org functions on a continuous learning mode. More knowledge products would be brought into light in the subsequent updates. You may subscribe to these updates by sending a blank email to digitalgovernance-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Please have a look at the Key website updates and some of the feedforward received from over 50 countries towards the end of this email. I welcome your intellectual contributions and feedforward about the DigitalGovernance.org Project to further enrich this website and to catalyse Innovative E-Governance in South. Lastly, Please help spread the word around about this initiative. Warm Regards, Vikas Nath Inlaks Fellow, London School of Economics, UK Home Page : http://www.vikasnath.org ----------------------------------------------------- Innovator, KnowNet Initiative and Digital Governance Conceiver, DevNetJobs.org Email : knownet@knownetweaver.org or V.Nath@lse.ac.uk Phone: + 44 (0) 7887 920080 ----------------------------------------------------- Following are some of the Interesting Case-Studies, Publications and Links added to the Digital Governance website. ** Key Case Studies Added (Case-Studies archived on the website = 31) Estonia: The Little Country That Could The medieval streets of old Tallinn have changed little in the last few centuries. But high atop Toompea, the hill that has been the seat of power in Estonia for almost 800 years, there is an experiment in 21st-century government under way. Inside the chancellery building, Linnar Viik, information technology adviser to Prime Minister Mart Laar, leads the way through elegant government offices to a shiny new cabinet meeting room. India: Free Internet access to Orissa High Court records Litigants fighting cases in the Orissa High Court will now have free Internet access to case records following the inauguration of two Web sites by state Chief Justice N.Y. Hanumanthappa. A litigant can easily find out in which court his case is appearing and its listing. Besides, the search engines of the Web site will help a litigant or the general public to find details related to a particular case. India : Kerala panchayats adopt e-governance http://persmin.nic.in/arpg/egov.htm#6 The Ernakulam district panchayat had made a quiet entry into the IT world by taking up a unique model of e-governance. The Electronic Industrialisation Infrastructure Development(EIID), a scientific society under the district panchayat, is providing guidance to three gram panchayats in the district to establish information networks as part of their plan projects. And the EIID is doing all this with software that are freely available with open source codes. India: Madhya Pradesh's E-governance site (Jabalpur) The Government has gone online in Jabalpur division. The administration has launched its interactive website and CD containing all information on government departments and schemes at www.suvidha.org ( Pakistan : Punjab Government goes online The website contains information about the economy, culture, government, cabinet, rules of business 1974, and much more. The website says, "Punjab Government may adopt 'SAAF Model' of E-Government. The model is devised in order to formulate a future paradigm for a stable and organised government. In its literal meanings, it connotes, 'transparency and openness', (the two significant hallmarks of Islamic government). It also echoes the concept of public participation in the political process and its access to the information." Peru: Government Goes High Tech One evening, a few months ago, Enrique Normand, a partner in the law firm of Estudio Rubio, Leguia, Normand & Associates, was finishing up contract negotiations between a Peruvian company and a group of US investors when he realized they were missing a crucial document. They needed to obtain it from the Oficina Registral de Lima y Callao (ORLC), the notoriously slow public registry for Lima and its seaport, Callao. In short, they needed a miracle. Portugal : INFOCID A great portal site on Public Administrative information and issues in Portuguese. Provides name and addresses of the Government and all public organisations, relevant documents and debates etc. ** Key Publications Added (Publications archived on the website =45) Governments Closing Gap Between Political Rhetoric and eGovernment Reality Online service delivery has never been higher on the political agenda than it is today. From the United Kingdom to the United States, Belgium to Brazil and Malaysia to Mexico, governments are talking about the significant benefits that can be realised by migrating traditionally paper-based and face-to-face services to the Internet. Digital Growth in Africa - things governments can do for free or nearly free News Update asked 25 individuals and organisations drawn from development agencies, the private sector, NGOs and trusts involved in digital development in Africa to make suggestions about things that African governments (or others) could do for little or money to encourage digital development. There was almost a complete consensus on the kinds of things they felt ought to be done Surfing villages: Can Indian villages be logged on to the infotech highway? Are they for real and do they stand to benefit from artificial intelligence? Can India's villages ride on the infotech highway to development? To a certain extent this is already happening but it is a knotty situation. Can IT evolve to serve rural India?s needs? The dairy cooperatives of Anand in Gujarat are using IT applications to streamline procedures, making a significant difference to the lives of milk producers in surrounding villages. The Role of Online Publication in the Promotion of Democracy The Internet is Africa's political corrupticians' nightmare. In other words, news- media- information censorship by political dictators is curtailed at the door of the Internet. Ask Yugoslav's Slobodan Milosovic whose regime was toppled by the technology of the Internet and satellite comunications. The irony is that the "unimportant" people that the media target in under-developed and developing countries like Sierra Leone for instance, are hardly in a position to access the Internet. Dictatorships in the Digital Age: Some Considerations on the Internet n China and Cuba The belief that the Internet will spread democracy throughout the developing world is so firmly held in Washington, D.C. policy circles that it is becoming an article of faith. There may be something to the underlying proposition, but this is an analytical question that should be subjected to close investigation before firm conclusions are drawn. The use of Internet in Government Service Delivery Governments have begun to use the World Wide Web to assist in service delivery. This includes, but goes far beyond, the dissemination of information to the general public and involves a variety of other governmental functions. In reviewing some govern-ment websites it is clear that the use of the web for service delivery is still in its infancy. The types of services that can be delivered through the web are still in the process of being imagined and organized by both government and the private sector. Electronic governance and commercial development in Africa: the grassroots perspective This presentation explores the emergence of the concept of 'governance' and speculates on the opportunities provided by new electronic technologies for the development of more participatory forms of governance than those experienced in the past. The presentation identifies the possibilities for direct democracy and the greater use of client/user feedback in the shaping of governance structures. Electronic Governance: Re-inventing Good Governance This article examines the significance of the emergence of Electronic Governance (eGovernance) as a mode of practice in the re-invention of Good Governance. It presents eGovernance as inclusive of Electronic Democracy (eDemocracy), Electronic Government (eGovernment) and Electronic Business (eBusiness), examines the nature and scope of developments in this emerging field and provides a wealth of examples to illustrate essential, embedded concepts and modes of practice. ** Key Links Added (Exsiting Links on the website =52) Anti-Corruption Network for Transition Economies The Anti-Corruption Network for Transition Economies provides a forum for the exchange of information between anti-corruption practitioners and analysts in Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Union. It also serves as a repository of anti-corruption project documentation, legislation, regional and international agreements, survey results, reports, research and other information. Chapter 2 Network The Chapter 2 Network is a clearinghouse of information and communication for social justice issues in South Africa. Through its website, it provides information about advocacy campaigns; training on Advocacy and lobbying, including learning practical skills through the Advocacy game; research on political intelligence, policy analysis and legislation monitoring and networking opportunities to interact with other civil society organisations who are engaged in social justice advocacy. Costa Rica : Democracia Digital A non-profit civic initiative directed towards using information and communication technology for the extension and the enrichment of the democratic coexistence of the Costa Rican society, facing the beginning of a new century. The strategy aims at information dissemination on subjects relative to the public interest and creation of new spaces of consultation. International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance International IDEA promotes and advances sustainable democracy and improves and consolidates electoral processes world-wide. It provides a forum for discussions and action among individuals and organizations involved in democracy promotion. Global in ownership and score, independent of national interests, and flexible and quick in its responses, International IDEA is the only international organization with this unique mandate. ** Key Events on E-Governance (Events Posted on the website = 8) Worldwide Forum on Electronic Democracy May 17, 2001, Paris, France This 2nd Forum will be the occasion to make a new point on the "Revolution of the e-democracy", by advancing the new relations created by the network among the citizens and their elected members and the emergence of the e-citizen. International IDEA Democracy Forum 2001: Democracy and the Information Revolution June 27-29 2001, Stockholm, Sweden By combining a focus on key practical issues with exposure to the latest cutting edge research in the ICT field, the Democracy Forum 2001 will provide a unique opportunity for all concerned with the societal implications of the IT revolution - from academics, ICT specialists and business leaders, to election managers, development experts and politicians - to come together to debate, reflect and develop creative policy options for the future. ****FEEDFORWARD RECEIVED**** I agree that if the people are empowered with right information, automatically they will demand better governance/performance from politica/officer class people. Can one use your network to expose some murky dealings so that concerned people can email the CEO of state and demand action. Collective action means some results. (Bangalore, India) It is very amazing to find a great Net like this. I hope we could help in anyway. (Sudan, Africa) I am trying to establish similar digital government in Japan. (Okazaki, Japan) I am working in Civil Society and networking in rural Guatemala and was curious as to what is out there. (Guatemala) I heard about the Digital Governance initiative through the imfundo discussion group. I find it very interesting, and I would like to implement it in my country. (Argentina) I am trying to develop an special project to disseminate telecentres in Peru starting through a pilot programme. Is it possible to get linked through you with other institutions than can collaborate with this type of project? (Peru) Such a knowledge initiative is critical in developing a more transparent governance, trade and development for my Africa region.That is a good move. I subscribe to the aspirations. (Accra, Ghana) It is a very important and useful knowlege which we really need to change the destructive regimes we have in developing countries to moblize civil society organizations and empower it for better development. Along with Good Governance, Digital Governance are important for true progress, democracy, transparency and so on for these countries. I gained this insight while, as a young primary school pupil, I saw my old grand mother struggling just to retrieve a copy of my birth certificate from corrupt municipal civil servants who were mainly recruited among the mayor's family. (Canada) From palmieri at mire.net Mon Apr 9 18:11:18 2001 From: palmieri at mire.net (palmieri@mire.net) Date: Tue Feb 27 13:57:28 2007 Subject: [Wsf] FSM - Suivi de l'atelier "Communication et =?iso-8859-1?Q?citoyennet=E9?=" Message-ID: <3AD1DF26.C93CD4A5@mire.net> Cher-es ami-es, Veuillez nous excuser pour le retard de cette communication. Un ?v?nement en rattrappant un autre, le suivi a du mal ? se g?rer... L?atelier " Communication et citoyennet? ", que nous avons organis? dans le cadre du Forum Social Mondial (FSM), a r?uni une large audience (plus de cent personnes, en incluant les repr?sentants d?organisations), a suscit? de multiples propositions, a formul? des recommandations et a finalement abouti ? des accords concrets. Les premi?res recommandations, en direction des organisateurs du FSM, qui ont d?j? r?agi, mettent l?accent sur la n?cessit? de donner une place de choix au th?me de la communication, comme enjeu de taille dans la lutte contre le n?o-lib?ralisme. Les accords ont port? sur deux niveaux. Le premier repose sur la n?cessit? des ?changes et r?flexions. Il s?agit d?ouvrir un large d?bat, au niveau international, sur la communication et les nouvelles technologies, ce qui permettrait de mettre ? bas le point de vue de la pens?e unique, avec la certitude que les changements en ce sens sont in?luctables et n?cessaires pour le bien de l?humanit?. Ceci implique, par exemple, la remise en question des tendances ? la concentration, ? la marchandisation de l?information, ? la marginalisation syst?matique des voix de certains secteurs de la population (femmes, pauvres, minorit?s ethniques, etc.), ou le discours promotionnel des nouvelles technologies qui illustre assez bien les tendances de la mondialisation n?o-lib?rale. Il est temps d?ouvrir ce d?bat ? tous les espaces. Tr?s sp?cifiquement, au cours de l?atelier, nous nous sommes mis d?accord sur le fait que l?activit? de cette liste de discussion wsf@lists.sn.apc.org continue et constitue un point de r?f?rence pour la pr?paration dudit th?me pour le 2e FSM. Le deuxi?me point d?accord de l?atelier se r?f?re ? la mutualisation des efforts sur le plan des pratiques en communication. L?exp?rience de la "Ciranda Internacional de la Informaci?n Independiente" s?est particuli?rement illustr?e par la panoplie des efforts d?ploy?s pour couvrir l??v?nement, dans une d?marche ind?pendante, qui signifie non seulement une r?elle capacit? de production d?informations collective mais ?galement une ma?trise des nouvelles technologies au service des luttes sociales, ce qui peut, in fine, repr?senter une alternative concr?te ? l?information-marchandise. En ce sens, cela repr?sente une initiative qui s?ins?re totalement dans la d?marche globale du FSM qui postule " un autre monde est possible " face au pouvoir des m?dias et syst?me de communication dominants. Environ 30 journalistes ont particip? ? la Ciranda, qui ont ?crit plus de 200 papiers. Le r?sultat peut se voir sur le site : http://fsm.rits.org.br/fsm/. Les P?n?lopes, repr?sentant WomenAction, en ?taient et produisaient 5 ? 6 br?ves par jour en fran?ais ou en anglais qui ont ?galement ?t? diffus?es sur des listes internationales comme Attac, Womenaction... Dans une certaine mesure, la Ciranda renoue avec des exp?riences similaires, comme, par exemple, la couverture m?dia organis?e par WomenAction lors de P?kin+5, en juin 2000 (http://www.womenaction.org). Justement, un des accords conclu lors de l?atelier consiste ? vouloir reproduire l?exp?rience au cours d?autres ?v?nements. Concr?tement, nous nous sommes mis d?accord sur la mise en place d?un m?canisme pour les prochains ?v?nements de l?agenda social des Am?riques : Forum des Am?riques pour la diversit? et la pluralit?, ? Quito en mars, les ?v?nements d?avril sur le Sommet des Peuples, en Argentine et au Qu?bec (une ?quipe de WomenAction va d?ployer la m?me activit?). Nous vous en donnerons des nouvelles dans un prochain message. Enfin, au cours des ?changes, les participant-es ont formul? diverses propositions, que, pour des raisons de temps, nous n?avons pas pu approfondir. Nous essaierons de les r?sumer ici dans les prochaines semaines, mais surtout, n?h?sitez pas ? communiquer vos propres propositions! Joelle Palmieri Les P?n?lopes ? France Info@penelopes.org From V.Nath at lse.ac.uk Mon Apr 23 17:52:47 2001 From: V.Nath at lse.ac.uk (Nath,V (pgt)) Date: Tue Feb 27 13:57:28 2007 Subject: [Wsf] KnowNet Initiative and ICTNetJobs: Growing niche for ICT Profes sionals in Non-Profit Sector Message-ID: <43CE1CB09DEDD11196DF000629054FBB059C0ED6@exchs2.lse.ac.uk> Dear Colleagues, Greetings from London from the KnowNet Initiative! Over the last couple of years there has been an increasing interest in the area of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Knowledge Management (KM) in the domain of non-profit and voluntary organisations. This sector continues to be as professional and challenging as compared to any other sector and therefore there is an increasing demand for professionals who can amalgamate existing knowledge with the upcoming technologies. A free comprehensive websection "ICTNetJobs" on worldwide Professional Opportunities arising in ICT, Knowledge Networking and Knowledge Management areas has now been set up by KnowNet Initiative at http://members.tripod.com/dev_jobs/ictnetjobs.html This section is a part of the MegaPortal developed by KnowNet Initiative "DevNetJobs" at http://www.DevNetJobs.org which lists jobs in Environment and Development Sector. The Megaportal provides free weekly updates of Jobs in ICT, KM, Environment and Development Sector which could be subscribed by sending a blank email to developmentjobs-subscribe@egroups.com Warm Regards, Vikas Nath ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Inlaks Fellow (2000-1), London School of Economics, UK Innovator, KnowNet Initiative, http://www.knownet.org http://www.DigitalGovernance.org Conceiver, DevNet Jobs, http://www.devnetjobs.org HomePage: http://www.vikasnath.org Email: V.nath@lse.ac.uk or jobs@devnetjobs.org Phone: +44 (0) 7887 92 0080 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ From info at alainet.org Tue Apr 24 22:20:58 2001 From: info at alainet.org (ALAI) Date: Tue Feb 27 13:57:28 2007 Subject: [Wsf] Workshop Agreements (English) In-Reply-To: <3AD1DF26.C93CD4A5@mire.net> Message-ID: <200104241531.f3OFVqM17082@mweb.alainet.org> With apologies for the delay, here is the English version of the Workshop Agreements. Workshop on Communication and Citizenship: Agreements World Social Forum, Porto Alegre 2728 January 2001 The Communication and Citizenship Workshop, held at the World Social Forum (WSF), had a wide range of participants (more than 100 people, including representatives of some 67 organisations), stimulated various proposals, formulated recommendations and reached concrete agreements about followup measures. The first recommendations, addressed to the organisers of the World Social Forum and which have already been distributed, emphasised the need to highlight the theme of communication as a central aspect of the struggle against Neoliberalism. The followup agreements are on two levels. The first is that of exchanges and reflections, an aspect related to the need to open a wide debate at a world level on communication and the new technologies, which will allow us to reexamine the different versions of the single system of values, which state that these changes are inevitable and for the good of humanity. This implies, for example, the questioning of the tendency to centralisation, of the commercialisation of information, of the systematic exclusion of the voices of certain sectors of the population (women, the poor, ethnic minorities, etc), or the promotional discourse of the new technologies with which the virtues of globalisation are demonstrated. It is necessary to take this debate to all spheres. Specifically, in the Workshop it was agreed that the mailing list will be a reference point for the preparation of this theme for the next WSF. (For subscriptions, go to: http://lists.sn.apc.org/mailman/listinfo/wsf). The second level of Workshop agreements refers to the coordination of initiatives at the level of communication practice. The success of the International "Ciranda" (Network) of Independent Information was highlighted, being a communal effort to cover the information on the WSF from an independent position. This means not only strengthening the informative work of each person or media by sharing what they produce, and making the new technologies work for social struggles, but it also constitutes a concrete alternative to information as a merchandise. In this sense, it is an initiative which fits into the vision of the WSF that ?another world is possible?, against the power of the mass media and communication systems. Some 30 press entities participated, creating more than 120 articles. The results can be seen at this web site: http://fsm.rits.org.br/fsm/. In some ways, the ?Ciranda? brings together other similar past experiences, such as, for example, that carried out at the worldwide Women Action initiative, in the framework of Beijing + 5 (cf. http://www.womenaction.org). In fact, one of the agreements of the Workshop was to reproduce this experience at other events. Concretely, a mechanism was agreed on for the next events on the social agenda in the Americas: The Americas Forum for Diversity and Plurality, in Quito in March, the April events around the FTAA in Argentina and Quebec. Translation: APC ____________________________________________________ Agencia Latinomericana de Informacion INTERNET: info@alainet.org Direccion: Casilla 17-12-877, Quito-Ecuador Telefono: (593 2) 505074 Fax: (593 2) 505073 URL: http://alainet.org ____________________________________________________ From V.Nath at lse.ac.uk Thu Apr 5 13:40:11 2001 From: V.Nath at lse.ac.uk (Nath,V (pgt)) Date: Tue Feb 27 14:19:36 2007 Subject: [Wsf] E- Governance in South/ Developing Countries Updates (DigitalGove rnance.org) Message-ID: <43CE1CB09DEDD11196DF000629054FBB059C0BBC@exchs2.lse.ac.uk> Dear Colleagues at WSF, Greetings from London from the Community. The Digital Governance website was launched a month back to explore INNOVATIVE e-Governance Models in South based on the application of Knowledge Management principles and Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The website is a part of the KnowNet Initiative at http://www.knownet.org which harnesses the potential of ICT and Remote Volunteering to catalyse Human Development. DigitalGovernance.org has been tediously identifying and documenting actual E-Practices in the South which enable Transparent, Efficient, and Accountable Governance Mechanisms based on "Information Democratisation" to ones which catalyse "Interactive Governance Processes" that are Inclusionary in characteristics. Some of the Emerging Knowledge Products relating to e-Governance Practices in South (based on Digital Governance's research) are: 1. e-Governance is certainly making its entree in the South progessing from stages of "Wider-Domain Models" or "Critical Flow Models" to the more complex and technology driven "Interactive Service Models". The description of these models is available at the website. An example of "Critical-Flow Model" is the Indian website www.tehelka.com (a leanly funded media organization with limited resources) which exposed a major scam in the Defence Establishment in India relating to corruption and bribery. It led to major political upheavals and a strong civil society unrest. Similarly in Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosovic regime was toppled by the technology of the Internet and satellite comunications. Internet is also increasingly becoming Africa's political corrupticians' nightmare. 2. e-Governance seem to have greater marginal benefits in countries with moderate development indices, and where alternate channels of communications are weak and governance processes are largely democratic to the extent that they are Information- Driven. Example in Brazil, India, Malaysia, Estonia etc. In such cases, e-governance strengthens the two-way communication channel- enabling the civil society to get more acquainted with decisions (as well as decision-makers) which affect their quality of lives and providing them avenues to express/ make an informed choice. The latter is usually provided through conventional Governance processes. The e-Governance models therefore function in complementary to the existing Governance models. 3. e-Governance processes have an equal or greater potential in the South if applied in local geographical domains. Wider-Domain Governance models when applied locally can promote "democratisation of information which is of significance" ranging from basic District-level Governmental Information, to Agriculture and Health related information, to information about disasters, food rations etc. 4. Complex e-Governance models in South (based on advocacy and direct-interaction with the Government) have so far been largely directed towards issues of Global/International Significance. The models have fostered inter-South support on many issues such as Agriculture and Trade Policies, Issues of Big Dams, Genetic Engineering etc. to put up a collective Southern Agenda. Nevertheless, this is a sign of empowered and value-driven civil society movements: an Empowered civil society which can work alongside the National Governments on issues of International significance can fundamentally raise its voice on National Concerns to promote the larger agenda. DigitalGovernance.org functions on a continuous learning mode. More knowledge products would be brought into light in the subsequent updates. You may subscribe to these updates by sending a blank email to digitalgovernance-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Please have a look at the Key website updates and some of the feedforward received from over 50 countries towards the end of this email. I welcome your intellectual contributions and feedforward about the DigitalGovernance.org Project to further enrich this website and to catalyse Innovative E-Governance in South. Lastly, Please help spread the word around about this initiative. Warm Regards, Vikas Nath Inlaks Fellow, London School of Economics, UK Home Page : http://www.vikasnath.org ----------------------------------------------------- Innovator, KnowNet Initiative and Digital Governance Conceiver, DevNetJobs.org Email : knownet@knownetweaver.org or V.Nath@lse.ac.uk Phone: + 44 (0) 7887 920080 ----------------------------------------------------- Following are some of the Interesting Case-Studies, Publications and Links added to the Digital Governance website. ** Key Case Studies Added (Case-Studies archived on the website = 31) Estonia: The Little Country That Could The medieval streets of old Tallinn have changed little in the last few centuries. But high atop Toompea, the hill that has been the seat of power in Estonia for almost 800 years, there is an experiment in 21st-century government under way. Inside the chancellery building, Linnar Viik, information technology adviser to Prime Minister Mart Laar, leads the way through elegant government offices to a shiny new cabinet meeting room. India: Free Internet access to Orissa High Court records Litigants fighting cases in the Orissa High Court will now have free Internet access to case records following the inauguration of two Web sites by state Chief Justice N.Y. Hanumanthappa. A litigant can easily find out in which court his case is appearing and its listing. Besides, the search engines of the Web site will help a litigant or the general public to find details related to a particular case. India : Kerala panchayats adopt e-governance http://persmin.nic.in/arpg/egov.htm#6 The Ernakulam district panchayat had made a quiet entry into the IT world by taking up a unique model of e-governance. The Electronic Industrialisation Infrastructure Development(EIID), a scientific society under the district panchayat, is providing guidance to three gram panchayats in the district to establish information networks as part of their plan projects. And the EIID is doing all this with software that are freely available with open source codes. India: Madhya Pradesh's E-governance site (Jabalpur) The Government has gone online in Jabalpur division. The administration has launched its interactive website and CD containing all information on government departments and schemes at www.suvidha.org ( Pakistan : Punjab Government goes online The website contains information about the economy, culture, government, cabinet, rules of business 1974, and much more. The website says, "Punjab Government may adopt 'SAAF Model' of E-Government. The model is devised in order to formulate a future paradigm for a stable and organised government. In its literal meanings, it connotes, 'transparency and openness', (the two significant hallmarks of Islamic government). It also echoes the concept of public participation in the political process and its access to the information." Peru: Government Goes High Tech One evening, a few months ago, Enrique Normand, a partner in the law firm of Estudio Rubio, Leguia, Normand & Associates, was finishing up contract negotiations between a Peruvian company and a group of US investors when he realized they were missing a crucial document. They needed to obtain it from the Oficina Registral de Lima y Callao (ORLC), the notoriously slow public registry for Lima and its seaport, Callao. In short, they needed a miracle. Portugal : INFOCID A great portal site on Public Administrative information and issues in Portuguese. Provides name and addresses of the Government and all public organisations, relevant documents and debates etc. ** Key Publications Added (Publications archived on the website =45) Governments Closing Gap Between Political Rhetoric and eGovernment Reality Online service delivery has never been higher on the political agenda than it is today. From the United Kingdom to the United States, Belgium to Brazil and Malaysia to Mexico, governments are talking about the significant benefits that can be realised by migrating traditionally paper-based and face-to-face services to the Internet. Digital Growth in Africa - things governments can do for free or nearly free News Update asked 25 individuals and organisations drawn from development agencies, the private sector, NGOs and trusts involved in digital development in Africa to make suggestions about things that African governments (or others) could do for little or money to encourage digital development. There was almost a complete consensus on the kinds of things they felt ought to be done Surfing villages: Can Indian villages be logged on to the infotech highway? Are they for real and do they stand to benefit from artificial intelligence? Can India's villages ride on the infotech highway to development? To a certain extent this is already happening but it is a knotty situation. Can IT evolve to serve rural India?s needs? The dairy cooperatives of Anand in Gujarat are using IT applications to streamline procedures, making a significant difference to the lives of milk producers in surrounding villages. The Role of Online Publication in the Promotion of Democracy The Internet is Africa's political corrupticians' nightmare. In other words, news- media- information censorship by political dictators is curtailed at the door of the Internet. Ask Yugoslav's Slobodan Milosovic whose regime was toppled by the technology of the Internet and satellite comunications. The irony is that the "unimportant" people that the media target in under-developed and developing countries like Sierra Leone for instance, are hardly in a position to access the Internet. Dictatorships in the Digital Age: Some Considerations on the Internet n China and Cuba The belief that the Internet will spread democracy throughout the developing world is so firmly held in Washington, D.C. policy circles that it is becoming an article of faith. There may be something to the underlying proposition, but this is an analytical question that should be subjected to close investigation before firm conclusions are drawn. The use of Internet in Government Service Delivery Governments have begun to use the World Wide Web to assist in service delivery. This includes, but goes far beyond, the dissemination of information to the general public and involves a variety of other governmental functions. In reviewing some govern-ment websites it is clear that the use of the web for service delivery is still in its infancy. The types of services that can be delivered through the web are still in the process of being imagined and organized by both government and the private sector. Electronic governance and commercial development in Africa: the grassroots perspective This presentation explores the emergence of the concept of 'governance' and speculates on the opportunities provided by new electronic technologies for the development of more participatory forms of governance than those experienced in the past. The presentation identifies the possibilities for direct democracy and the greater use of client/user feedback in the shaping of governance structures. Electronic Governance: Re-inventing Good Governance This article examines the significance of the emergence of Electronic Governance (eGovernance) as a mode of practice in the re-invention of Good Governance. It presents eGovernance as inclusive of Electronic Democracy (eDemocracy), Electronic Government (eGovernment) and Electronic Business (eBusiness), examines the nature and scope of developments in this emerging field and provides a wealth of examples to illustrate essential, embedded concepts and modes of practice. ** Key Links Added (Exsiting Links on the website =52) Anti-Corruption Network for Transition Economies The Anti-Corruption Network for Transition Economies provides a forum for the exchange of information between anti-corruption practitioners and analysts in Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Union. It also serves as a repository of anti-corruption project documentation, legislation, regional and international agreements, survey results, reports, research and other information. Chapter 2 Network The Chapter 2 Network is a clearinghouse of information and communication for social justice issues in South Africa. Through its website, it provides information about advocacy campaigns; training on Advocacy and lobbying, including learning practical skills through the Advocacy game; research on political intelligence, policy analysis and legislation monitoring and networking opportunities to interact with other civil society organisations who are engaged in social justice advocacy. Costa Rica : Democracia Digital A non-profit civic initiative directed towards using information and communication technology for the extension and the enrichment of the democratic coexistence of the Costa Rican society, facing the beginning of a new century. The strategy aims at information dissemination on subjects relative to the public interest and creation of new spaces of consultation. International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance International IDEA promotes and advances sustainable democracy and improves and consolidates electoral processes world-wide. It provides a forum for discussions and action among individuals and organizations involved in democracy promotion. Global in ownership and score, independent of national interests, and flexible and quick in its responses, International IDEA is the only international organization with this unique mandate. ** Key Events on E-Governance (Events Posted on the website = 8) Worldwide Forum on Electronic Democracy May 17, 2001, Paris, France This 2nd Forum will be the occasion to make a new point on the "Revolution of the e-democracy", by advancing the new relations created by the network among the citizens and their elected members and the emergence of the e-citizen. International IDEA Democracy Forum 2001: Democracy and the Information Revolution June 27-29 2001, Stockholm, Sweden By combining a focus on key practical issues with exposure to the latest cutting edge research in the ICT field, the Democracy Forum 2001 will provide a unique opportunity for all concerned with the societal implications of the IT revolution - from academics, ICT specialists and business leaders, to election managers, development experts and politicians - to come together to debate, reflect and develop creative policy options for the future. ****FEEDFORWARD RECEIVED**** I agree that if the people are empowered with right information, automatically they will demand better governance/performance from politica/officer class people. Can one use your network to expose some murky dealings so that concerned people can email the CEO of state and demand action. Collective action means some results. (Bangalore, India) It is very amazing to find a great Net like this. I hope we could help in anyway. (Sudan, Africa) I am trying to establish similar digital government in Japan. (Okazaki, Japan) I am working in Civil Society and networking in rural Guatemala and was curious as to what is out there. (Guatemala) I heard about the Digital Governance initiative through the imfundo discussion group. I find it very interesting, and I would like to implement it in my country. (Argentina) I am trying to develop an special project to disseminate telecentres in Peru starting through a pilot programme. Is it possible to get linked through you with other institutions than can collaborate with this type of project? (Peru) Such a knowledge initiative is critical in developing a more transparent governance, trade and development for my Africa region.That is a good move. I subscribe to the aspirations. (Accra, Ghana) It is a very important and useful knowlege which we really need to change the destructive regimes we have in developing countries to moblize civil society organizations and empower it for better development. Along with Good Governance, Digital Governance are important for true progress, democracy, transparency and so on for these countries. I gained this insight while, as a young primary school pupil, I saw my old grand mother struggling just to retrieve a copy of my birth certificate from corrupt municipal civil servants who were mainly recruited among the mayor's family. (Canada) From palmieri at mire.net Mon Apr 9 18:11:18 2001 From: palmieri at mire.net (palmieri@mire.net) Date: Tue Feb 27 14:19:36 2007 Subject: [Wsf] FSM - Suivi de l'atelier "Communication et =?iso-8859-1?Q?citoyennet=E9?=" Message-ID: <3AD1DF26.C93CD4A5@mire.net> Cher-es ami-es, Veuillez nous excuser pour le retard de cette communication. Un ?v?nement en rattrappant un autre, le suivi a du mal ? se g?rer... L?atelier " Communication et citoyennet? ", que nous avons organis? dans le cadre du Forum Social Mondial (FSM), a r?uni une large audience (plus de cent personnes, en incluant les repr?sentants d?organisations), a suscit? de multiples propositions, a formul? des recommandations et a finalement abouti ? des accords concrets. Les premi?res recommandations, en direction des organisateurs du FSM, qui ont d?j? r?agi, mettent l?accent sur la n?cessit? de donner une place de choix au th?me de la communication, comme enjeu de taille dans la lutte contre le n?o-lib?ralisme. Les accords ont port? sur deux niveaux. Le premier repose sur la n?cessit? des ?changes et r?flexions. Il s?agit d?ouvrir un large d?bat, au niveau international, sur la communication et les nouvelles technologies, ce qui permettrait de mettre ? bas le point de vue de la pens?e unique, avec la certitude que les changements en ce sens sont in?luctables et n?cessaires pour le bien de l?humanit?. Ceci implique, par exemple, la remise en question des tendances ? la concentration, ? la marchandisation de l?information, ? la marginalisation syst?matique des voix de certains secteurs de la population (femmes, pauvres, minorit?s ethniques, etc.), ou le discours promotionnel des nouvelles technologies qui illustre assez bien les tendances de la mondialisation n?o-lib?rale. Il est temps d?ouvrir ce d?bat ? tous les espaces. Tr?s sp?cifiquement, au cours de l?atelier, nous nous sommes mis d?accord sur le fait que l?activit? de cette liste de discussion wsf@lists.sn.apc.org continue et constitue un point de r?f?rence pour la pr?paration dudit th?me pour le 2e FSM. Le deuxi?me point d?accord de l?atelier se r?f?re ? la mutualisation des efforts sur le plan des pratiques en communication. L?exp?rience de la "Ciranda Internacional de la Informaci?n Independiente" s?est particuli?rement illustr?e par la panoplie des efforts d?ploy?s pour couvrir l??v?nement, dans une d?marche ind?pendante, qui signifie non seulement une r?elle capacit? de production d?informations collective mais ?galement une ma?trise des nouvelles technologies au service des luttes sociales, ce qui peut, in fine, repr?senter une alternative concr?te ? l?information-marchandise. En ce sens, cela repr?sente une initiative qui s?ins?re totalement dans la d?marche globale du FSM qui postule " un autre monde est possible " face au pouvoir des m?dias et syst?me de communication dominants. Environ 30 journalistes ont particip? ? la Ciranda, qui ont ?crit plus de 200 papiers. Le r?sultat peut se voir sur le site : http://fsm.rits.org.br/fsm/. Les P?n?lopes, repr?sentant WomenAction, en ?taient et produisaient 5 ? 6 br?ves par jour en fran?ais ou en anglais qui ont ?galement ?t? diffus?es sur des listes internationales comme Attac, Womenaction... Dans une certaine mesure, la Ciranda renoue avec des exp?riences similaires, comme, par exemple, la couverture m?dia organis?e par WomenAction lors de P?kin+5, en juin 2000 (http://www.womenaction.org). Justement, un des accords conclu lors de l?atelier consiste ? vouloir reproduire l?exp?rience au cours d?autres ?v?nements. Concr?tement, nous nous sommes mis d?accord sur la mise en place d?un m?canisme pour les prochains ?v?nements de l?agenda social des Am?riques : Forum des Am?riques pour la diversit? et la pluralit?, ? Quito en mars, les ?v?nements d?avril sur le Sommet des Peuples, en Argentine et au Qu?bec (une ?quipe de WomenAction va d?ployer la m?me activit?). Nous vous en donnerons des nouvelles dans un prochain message. Enfin, au cours des ?changes, les participant-es ont formul? diverses propositions, que, pour des raisons de temps, nous n?avons pas pu approfondir. Nous essaierons de les r?sumer ici dans les prochaines semaines, mais surtout, n?h?sitez pas ? communiquer vos propres propositions! Joelle Palmieri Les P?n?lopes ? France Info@penelopes.org From V.Nath at lse.ac.uk Mon Apr 23 17:52:47 2001 From: V.Nath at lse.ac.uk (Nath,V (pgt)) Date: Tue Feb 27 14:19:36 2007 Subject: [Wsf] KnowNet Initiative and ICTNetJobs: Growing niche for ICT Profes sionals in Non-Profit Sector Message-ID: <43CE1CB09DEDD11196DF000629054FBB059C0ED6@exchs2.lse.ac.uk> Dear Colleagues, Greetings from London from the KnowNet Initiative! Over the last couple of years there has been an increasing interest in the area of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Knowledge Management (KM) in the domain of non-profit and voluntary organisations. This sector continues to be as professional and challenging as compared to any other sector and therefore there is an increasing demand for professionals who can amalgamate existing knowledge with the upcoming technologies. A free comprehensive websection "ICTNetJobs" on worldwide Professional Opportunities arising in ICT, Knowledge Networking and Knowledge Management areas has now been set up by KnowNet Initiative at http://members.tripod.com/dev_jobs/ictnetjobs.html This section is a part of the MegaPortal developed by KnowNet Initiative "DevNetJobs" at http://www.DevNetJobs.org which lists jobs in Environment and Development Sector. The Megaportal provides free weekly updates of Jobs in ICT, KM, Environment and Development Sector which could be subscribed by sending a blank email to developmentjobs-subscribe@egroups.com Warm Regards, Vikas Nath ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Inlaks Fellow (2000-1), London School of Economics, UK Innovator, KnowNet Initiative, http://www.knownet.org http://www.DigitalGovernance.org Conceiver, DevNet Jobs, http://www.devnetjobs.org HomePage: http://www.vikasnath.org Email: V.nath@lse.ac.uk or jobs@devnetjobs.org Phone: +44 (0) 7887 92 0080 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ From info at alainet.org Tue Apr 24 22:20:58 2001 From: info at alainet.org (ALAI) Date: Tue Feb 27 14:19:36 2007 Subject: [Wsf] Workshop Agreements (English) In-Reply-To: <3AD1DF26.C93CD4A5@mire.net> Message-ID: <200104241531.f3OFVqM17082@mweb.alainet.org> With apologies for the delay, here is the English version of the Workshop Agreements. Workshop on Communication and Citizenship: Agreements World Social Forum, Porto Alegre 2728 January 2001 The Communication and Citizenship Workshop, held at the World Social Forum (WSF), had a wide range of participants (more than 100 people, including representatives of some 67 organisations), stimulated various proposals, formulated recommendations and reached concrete agreements about followup measures. The first recommendations, addressed to the organisers of the World Social Forum and which have already been distributed, emphasised the need to highlight the theme of communication as a central aspect of the struggle against Neoliberalism. The followup agreements are on two levels. The first is that of exchanges and reflections, an aspect related to the need to open a wide debate at a world level on communication and the new technologies, which will allow us to reexamine the different versions of the single system of values, which state that these changes are inevitable and for the good of humanity. This implies, for example, the questioning of the tendency to centralisation, of the commercialisation of information, of the systematic exclusion of the voices of certain sectors of the population (women, the poor, ethnic minorities, etc), or the promotional discourse of the new technologies with which the virtues of globalisation are demonstrated. It is necessary to take this debate to all spheres. Specifically, in the Workshop it was agreed that the mailing list will be a reference point for the preparation of this theme for the next WSF. (For subscriptions, go to: http://lists.sn.apc.org/mailman/listinfo/wsf). The second level of Workshop agreements refers to the coordination of initiatives at the level of communication practice. The success of the International "Ciranda" (Network) of Independent Information was highlighted, being a communal effort to cover the information on the WSF from an independent position. This means not only strengthening the informative work of each person or media by sharing what they produce, and making the new technologies work for social struggles, but it also constitutes a concrete alternative to information as a merchandise. In this sense, it is an initiative which fits into the vision of the WSF that ?another world is possible?, against the power of the mass media and communication systems. Some 30 press entities participated, creating more than 120 articles. The results can be seen at this web site: http://fsm.rits.org.br/fsm/. In some ways, the ?Ciranda? brings together other similar past experiences, such as, for example, that carried out at the worldwide Women Action initiative, in the framework of Beijing + 5 (cf. http://www.womenaction.org). In fact, one of the agreements of the Workshop was to reproduce this experience at other events. Concretely, a mechanism was agreed on for the next events on the social agenda in the Americas: The Americas Forum for Diversity and Plurality, in Quito in March, the April events around the FTAA in Argentina and Quebec. Translation: APC ____________________________________________________ Agencia Latinomericana de Informacion INTERNET: info@alainet.org Direccion: Casilla 17-12-877, Quito-Ecuador Telefono: (593 2) 505074 Fax: (593 2) 505073 URL: http://alainet.org ____________________________________________________ From V.Nath at lse.ac.uk Thu Apr 5 13:40:11 2001 From: V.Nath at lse.ac.uk (Nath,V (pgt)) Date: Tue Apr 17 18:23:38 2007 Subject: [Wsf] E- Governance in South/ Developing Countries Updates (DigitalGove rnance.org) Message-ID: <43CE1CB09DEDD11196DF000629054FBB059C0BBC@exchs2.lse.ac.uk> Dear Colleagues at WSF, Greetings from London from the Community. The Digital Governance website was launched a month back to explore INNOVATIVE e-Governance Models in South based on the application of Knowledge Management principles and Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The website is a part of the KnowNet Initiative at http://www.knownet.org which harnesses the potential of ICT and Remote Volunteering to catalyse Human Development. DigitalGovernance.org has been tediously identifying and documenting actual E-Practices in the South which enable Transparent, Efficient, and Accountable Governance Mechanisms based on "Information Democratisation" to ones which catalyse "Interactive Governance Processes" that are Inclusionary in characteristics. Some of the Emerging Knowledge Products relating to e-Governance Practices in South (based on Digital Governance's research) are: 1. e-Governance is certainly making its entree in the South progessing from stages of "Wider-Domain Models" or "Critical Flow Models" to the more complex and technology driven "Interactive Service Models". The description of these models is available at the website. An example of "Critical-Flow Model" is the Indian website www.tehelka.com (a leanly funded media organization with limited resources) which exposed a major scam in the Defence Establishment in India relating to corruption and bribery. It led to major political upheavals and a strong civil society unrest. Similarly in Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosovic regime was toppled by the technology of the Internet and satellite comunications. Internet is also increasingly becoming Africa's political corrupticians' nightmare. 2. e-Governance seem to have greater marginal benefits in countries with moderate development indices, and where alternate channels of communications are weak and governance processes are largely democratic to the extent that they are Information- Driven. Example in Brazil, India, Malaysia, Estonia etc. In such cases, e-governance strengthens the two-way communication channel- enabling the civil society to get more acquainted with decisions (as well as decision-makers) which affect their quality of lives and providing them avenues to express/ make an informed choice. The latter is usually provided through conventional Governance processes. The e-Governance models therefore function in complementary to the existing Governance models. 3. e-Governance processes have an equal or greater potential in the South if applied in local geographical domains. Wider-Domain Governance models when applied locally can promote "democratisation of information which is of significance" ranging from basic District-level Governmental Information, to Agriculture and Health related information, to information about disasters, food rations etc. 4. Complex e-Governance models in South (based on advocacy and direct-interaction with the Government) have so far been largely directed towards issues of Global/International Significance. The models have fostered inter-South support on many issues such as Agriculture and Trade Policies, Issues of Big Dams, Genetic Engineering etc. to put up a collective Southern Agenda. Nevertheless, this is a sign of empowered and value-driven civil society movements: an Empowered civil society which can work alongside the National Governments on issues of International significance can fundamentally raise its voice on National Concerns to promote the larger agenda. DigitalGovernance.org functions on a continuous learning mode. More knowledge products would be brought into light in the subsequent updates. You may subscribe to these updates by sending a blank email to digitalgovernance-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Please have a look at the Key website updates and some of the feedforward received from over 50 countries towards the end of this email. I welcome your intellectual contributions and feedforward about the DigitalGovernance.org Project to further enrich this website and to catalyse Innovative E-Governance in South. Lastly, Please help spread the word around about this initiative. Warm Regards, Vikas Nath Inlaks Fellow, London School of Economics, UK Home Page : http://www.vikasnath.org ----------------------------------------------------- Innovator, KnowNet Initiative and Digital Governance Conceiver, DevNetJobs.org Email : knownet@knownetweaver.org or V.Nath@lse.ac.uk Phone: + 44 (0) 7887 920080 ----------------------------------------------------- Following are some of the Interesting Case-Studies, Publications and Links added to the Digital Governance website. ** Key Case Studies Added (Case-Studies archived on the website = 31) Estonia: The Little Country That Could The medieval streets of old Tallinn have changed little in the last few centuries. But high atop Toompea, the hill that has been the seat of power in Estonia for almost 800 years, there is an experiment in 21st-century government under way. Inside the chancellery building, Linnar Viik, information technology adviser to Prime Minister Mart Laar, leads the way through elegant government offices to a shiny new cabinet meeting room. India: Free Internet access to Orissa High Court records Litigants fighting cases in the Orissa High Court will now have free Internet access to case records following the inauguration of two Web sites by state Chief Justice N.Y. Hanumanthappa. A litigant can easily find out in which court his case is appearing and its listing. Besides, the search engines of the Web site will help a litigant or the general public to find details related to a particular case. India : Kerala panchayats adopt e-governance http://persmin.nic.in/arpg/egov.htm#6 The Ernakulam district panchayat had made a quiet entry into the IT world by taking up a unique model of e-governance. The Electronic Industrialisation Infrastructure Development(EIID), a scientific society under the district panchayat, is providing guidance to three gram panchayats in the district to establish information networks as part of their plan projects. And the EIID is doing all this with software that are freely available with open source codes. India: Madhya Pradesh's E-governance site (Jabalpur) The Government has gone online in Jabalpur division. The administration has launched its interactive website and CD containing all information on government departments and schemes at www.suvidha.org ( Pakistan : Punjab Government goes online The website contains information about the economy, culture, government, cabinet, rules of business 1974, and much more. The website says, "Punjab Government may adopt 'SAAF Model' of E-Government. The model is devised in order to formulate a future paradigm for a stable and organised government. In its literal meanings, it connotes, 'transparency and openness', (the two significant hallmarks of Islamic government). It also echoes the concept of public participation in the political process and its access to the information." Peru: Government Goes High Tech One evening, a few months ago, Enrique Normand, a partner in the law firm of Estudio Rubio, Leguia, Normand & Associates, was finishing up contract negotiations between a Peruvian company and a group of US investors when he realized they were missing a crucial document. They needed to obtain it from the Oficina Registral de Lima y Callao (ORLC), the notoriously slow public registry for Lima and its seaport, Callao. In short, they needed a miracle. Portugal : INFOCID A great portal site on Public Administrative information and issues in Portuguese. Provides name and addresses of the Government and all public organisations, relevant documents and debates etc. ** Key Publications Added (Publications archived on the website =45) Governments Closing Gap Between Political Rhetoric and eGovernment Reality Online service delivery has never been higher on the political agenda than it is today. From the United Kingdom to the United States, Belgium to Brazil and Malaysia to Mexico, governments are talking about the significant benefits that can be realised by migrating traditionally paper-based and face-to-face services to the Internet. Digital Growth in Africa - things governments can do for free or nearly free News Update asked 25 individuals and organisations drawn from development agencies, the private sector, NGOs and trusts involved in digital development in Africa to make suggestions about things that African governments (or others) could do for little or money to encourage digital development. There was almost a complete consensus on the kinds of things they felt ought to be done Surfing villages: Can Indian villages be logged on to the infotech highway? Are they for real and do they stand to benefit from artificial intelligence? Can India's villages ride on the infotech highway to development? To a certain extent this is already happening but it is a knotty situation. Can IT evolve to serve rural India?s needs? The dairy cooperatives of Anand in Gujarat are using IT applications to streamline procedures, making a significant difference to the lives of milk producers in surrounding villages. The Role of Online Publication in the Promotion of Democracy The Internet is Africa's political corrupticians' nightmare. In other words, news- media- information censorship by political dictators is curtailed at the door of the Internet. Ask Yugoslav's Slobodan Milosovic whose regime was toppled by the technology of the Internet and satellite comunications. The irony is that the "unimportant" people that the media target in under-developed and developing countries like Sierra Leone for instance, are hardly in a position to access the Internet. Dictatorships in the Digital Age: Some Considerations on the Internet n China and Cuba The belief that the Internet will spread democracy throughout the developing world is so firmly held in Washington, D.C. policy circles that it is becoming an article of faith. There may be something to the underlying proposition, but this is an analytical question that should be subjected to close investigation before firm conclusions are drawn. The use of Internet in Government Service Delivery Governments have begun to use the World Wide Web to assist in service delivery. This includes, but goes far beyond, the dissemination of information to the general public and involves a variety of other governmental functions. In reviewing some govern-ment websites it is clear that the use of the web for service delivery is still in its infancy. The types of services that can be delivered through the web are still in the process of being imagined and organized by both government and the private sector. Electronic governance and commercial development in Africa: the grassroots perspective This presentation explores the emergence of the concept of 'governance' and speculates on the opportunities provided by new electronic technologies for the development of more participatory forms of governance than those experienced in the past. The presentation identifies the possibilities for direct democracy and the greater use of client/user feedback in the shaping of governance structures. Electronic Governance: Re-inventing Good Governance This article examines the significance of the emergence of Electronic Governance (eGovernance) as a mode of practice in the re-invention of Good Governance. It presents eGovernance as inclusive of Electronic Democracy (eDemocracy), Electronic Government (eGovernment) and Electronic Business (eBusiness), examines the nature and scope of developments in this emerging field and provides a wealth of examples to illustrate essential, embedded concepts and modes of practice. ** Key Links Added (Exsiting Links on the website =52) Anti-Corruption Network for Transition Economies The Anti-Corruption Network for Transition Economies provides a forum for the exchange of information between anti-corruption practitioners and analysts in Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Union. It also serves as a repository of anti-corruption project documentation, legislation, regional and international agreements, survey results, reports, research and other information. Chapter 2 Network The Chapter 2 Network is a clearinghouse of information and communication for social justice issues in South Africa. Through its website, it provides information about advocacy campaigns; training on Advocacy and lobbying, including learning practical skills through the Advocacy game; research on political intelligence, policy analysis and legislation monitoring and networking opportunities to interact with other civil society organisations who are engaged in social justice advocacy. Costa Rica : Democracia Digital A non-profit civic initiative directed towards using information and communication technology for the extension and the enrichment of the democratic coexistence of the Costa Rican society, facing the beginning of a new century. The strategy aims at information dissemination on subjects relative to the public interest and creation of new spaces of consultation. International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance International IDEA promotes and advances sustainable democracy and improves and consolidates electoral processes world-wide. It provides a forum for discussions and action among individuals and organizations involved in democracy promotion. Global in ownership and score, independent of national interests, and flexible and quick in its responses, International IDEA is the only international organization with this unique mandate. ** Key Events on E-Governance (Events Posted on the website = 8) Worldwide Forum on Electronic Democracy May 17, 2001, Paris, France This 2nd Forum will be the occasion to make a new point on the "Revolution of the e-democracy", by advancing the new relations created by the network among the citizens and their elected members and the emergence of the e-citizen. International IDEA Democracy Forum 2001: Democracy and the Information Revolution June 27-29 2001, Stockholm, Sweden By combining a focus on key practical issues with exposure to the latest cutting edge research in the ICT field, the Democracy Forum 2001 will provide a unique opportunity for all concerned with the societal implications of the IT revolution - from academics, ICT specialists and business leaders, to election managers, development experts and politicians - to come together to debate, reflect and develop creative policy options for the future. ****FEEDFORWARD RECEIVED**** I agree that if the people are empowered with right information, automatically they will demand better governance/performance from politica/officer class people. Can one use your network to expose some murky dealings so that concerned people can email the CEO of state and demand action. Collective action means some results. (Bangalore, India) It is very amazing to find a great Net like this. I hope we could help in anyway. (Sudan, Africa) I am trying to establish similar digital government in Japan. (Okazaki, Japan) I am working in Civil Society and networking in rural Guatemala and was curious as to what is out there. (Guatemala) I heard about the Digital Governance initiative through the imfundo discussion group. I find it very interesting, and I would like to implement it in my country. (Argentina) I am trying to develop an special project to disseminate telecentres in Peru starting through a pilot programme. Is it possible to get linked through you with other institutions than can collaborate with this type of project? (Peru) Such a knowledge initiative is critical in developing a more transparent governance, trade and development for my Africa region.That is a good move. I subscribe to the aspirations. (Accra, Ghana) It is a very important and useful knowlege which we really need to change the destructive regimes we have in developing countries to moblize civil society organizations and empower it for better development. Along with Good Governance, Digital Governance are important for true progress, democracy, transparency and so on for these countries. I gained this insight while, as a young primary school pupil, I saw my old grand mother struggling just to retrieve a copy of my birth certificate from corrupt municipal civil servants who were mainly recruited among the mayor's family. (Canada) From palmieri at mire.net Mon Apr 9 18:11:18 2001 From: palmieri at mire.net (palmieri@mire.net) Date: Tue Apr 17 18:23:38 2007 Subject: [Wsf] FSM - Suivi de l'atelier "Communication et =?iso-8859-1?Q?citoyennet=E9?=" Message-ID: <3AD1DF26.C93CD4A5@mire.net> Cher-es ami-es, Veuillez nous excuser pour le retard de cette communication. Un ?v?nement en rattrappant un autre, le suivi a du mal ? se g?rer... L?atelier " Communication et citoyennet? ", que nous avons organis? dans le cadre du Forum Social Mondial (FSM), a r?uni une large audience (plus de cent personnes, en incluant les repr?sentants d?organisations), a suscit? de multiples propositions, a formul? des recommandations et a finalement abouti ? des accords concrets. Les premi?res recommandations, en direction des organisateurs du FSM, qui ont d?j? r?agi, mettent l?accent sur la n?cessit? de donner une place de choix au th?me de la communication, comme enjeu de taille dans la lutte contre le n?o-lib?ralisme. Les accords ont port? sur deux niveaux. Le premier repose sur la n?cessit? des ?changes et r?flexions. Il s?agit d?ouvrir un large d?bat, au niveau international, sur la communication et les nouvelles technologies, ce qui permettrait de mettre ? bas le point de vue de la pens?e unique, avec la certitude que les changements en ce sens sont in?luctables et n?cessaires pour le bien de l?humanit?. Ceci implique, par exemple, la remise en question des tendances ? la concentration, ? la marchandisation de l?information, ? la marginalisation syst?matique des voix de certains secteurs de la population (femmes, pauvres, minorit?s ethniques, etc.), ou le discours promotionnel des nouvelles technologies qui illustre assez bien les tendances de la mondialisation n?o-lib?rale. Il est temps d?ouvrir ce d?bat ? tous les espaces. Tr?s sp?cifiquement, au cours de l?atelier, nous nous sommes mis d?accord sur le fait que l?activit? de cette liste de discussion wsf@lists.sn.apc.org continue et constitue un point de r?f?rence pour la pr?paration dudit th?me pour le 2e FSM. Le deuxi?me point d?accord de l?atelier se r?f?re ? la mutualisation des efforts sur le plan des pratiques en communication. L?exp?rience de la "Ciranda Internacional de la Informaci?n Independiente" s?est particuli?rement illustr?e par la panoplie des efforts d?ploy?s pour couvrir l??v?nement, dans une d?marche ind?pendante, qui signifie non seulement une r?elle capacit? de production d?informations collective mais ?galement une ma?trise des nouvelles technologies au service des luttes sociales, ce qui peut, in fine, repr?senter une alternative concr?te ? l?information-marchandise. En ce sens, cela repr?sente une initiative qui s?ins?re totalement dans la d?marche globale du FSM qui postule " un autre monde est possible " face au pouvoir des m?dias et syst?me de communication dominants. Environ 30 journalistes ont particip? ? la Ciranda, qui ont ?crit plus de 200 papiers. Le r?sultat peut se voir sur le site : http://fsm.rits.org.br/fsm/. Les P?n?lopes, repr?sentant WomenAction, en ?taient et produisaient 5 ? 6 br?ves par jour en fran?ais ou en anglais qui ont ?galement ?t? diffus?es sur des listes internationales comme Attac, Womenaction... Dans une certaine mesure, la Ciranda renoue avec des exp?riences similaires, comme, par exemple, la couverture m?dia organis?e par WomenAction lors de P?kin+5, en juin 2000 (http://www.womenaction.org). Justement, un des accords conclu lors de l?atelier consiste ? vouloir reproduire l?exp?rience au cours d?autres ?v?nements. Concr?tement, nous nous sommes mis d?accord sur la mise en place d?un m?canisme pour les prochains ?v?nements de l?agenda social des Am?riques : Forum des Am?riques pour la diversit? et la pluralit?, ? Quito en mars, les ?v?nements d?avril sur le Sommet des Peuples, en Argentine et au Qu?bec (une ?quipe de WomenAction va d?ployer la m?me activit?). Nous vous en donnerons des nouvelles dans un prochain message. Enfin, au cours des ?changes, les participant-es ont formul? diverses propositions, que, pour des raisons de temps, nous n?avons pas pu approfondir. Nous essaierons de les r?sumer ici dans les prochaines semaines, mais surtout, n?h?sitez pas ? communiquer vos propres propositions! Joelle Palmieri Les P?n?lopes ? France Info@penelopes.org From V.Nath at lse.ac.uk Mon Apr 23 17:52:47 2001 From: V.Nath at lse.ac.uk (Nath,V (pgt)) Date: Tue Apr 17 18:23:38 2007 Subject: [Wsf] KnowNet Initiative and ICTNetJobs: Growing niche for ICT Profes sionals in Non-Profit Sector Message-ID: <43CE1CB09DEDD11196DF000629054FBB059C0ED6@exchs2.lse.ac.uk> Dear Colleagues, Greetings from London from the KnowNet Initiative! Over the last couple of years there has been an increasing interest in the area of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Knowledge Management (KM) in the domain of non-profit and voluntary organisations. This sector continues to be as professional and challenging as compared to any other sector and therefore there is an increasing demand for professionals who can amalgamate existing knowledge with the upcoming technologies. A free comprehensive websection "ICTNetJobs" on worldwide Professional Opportunities arising in ICT, Knowledge Networking and Knowledge Management areas has now been set up by KnowNet Initiative at http://members.tripod.com/dev_jobs/ictnetjobs.html This section is a part of the MegaPortal developed by KnowNet Initiative "DevNetJobs" at http://www.DevNetJobs.org which lists jobs in Environment and Development Sector. The Megaportal provides free weekly updates of Jobs in ICT, KM, Environment and Development Sector which could be subscribed by sending a blank email to developmentjobs-subscribe@egroups.com Warm Regards, Vikas Nath ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Inlaks Fellow (2000-1), London School of Economics, UK Innovator, KnowNet Initiative, http://www.knownet.org http://www.DigitalGovernance.org Conceiver, DevNet Jobs, http://www.devnetjobs.org HomePage: http://www.vikasnath.org Email: V.nath@lse.ac.uk or jobs@devnetjobs.org Phone: +44 (0) 7887 92 0080 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ From info at alainet.org Tue Apr 24 22:20:58 2001 From: info at alainet.org (ALAI) Date: Tue Apr 17 18:23:38 2007 Subject: [Wsf] Workshop Agreements (English) In-Reply-To: <3AD1DF26.C93CD4A5@mire.net> Message-ID: <200104241531.f3OFVqM17082@mweb.alainet.org> With apologies for the delay, here is the English version of the Workshop Agreements. Workshop on Communication and Citizenship: Agreements World Social Forum, Porto Alegre 2728 January 2001 The Communication and Citizenship Workshop, held at the World Social Forum (WSF), had a wide range of participants (more than 100 people, including representatives of some 67 organisations), stimulated various proposals, formulated recommendations and reached concrete agreements about followup measures. The first recommendations, addressed to the organisers of the World Social Forum and which have already been distributed, emphasised the need to highlight the theme of communication as a central aspect of the struggle against Neoliberalism. The followup agreements are on two levels. The first is that of exchanges and reflections, an aspect related to the need to open a wide debate at a world level on communication and the new technologies, which will allow us to reexamine the different versions of the single system of values, which state that these changes are inevitable and for the good of humanity. This implies, for example, the questioning of the tendency to centralisation, of the commercialisation of information, of the systematic exclusion of the voices of certain sectors of the population (women, the poor, ethnic minorities, etc), or the promotional discourse of the new technologies with which the virtues of globalisation are demonstrated. It is necessary to take this debate to all spheres. Specifically, in the Workshop it was agreed that the mailing list will be a reference point for the preparation of this theme for the next WSF. (For subscriptions, go to: http://lists.sn.apc.org/mailman/listinfo/wsf). The second level of Workshop agreements refers to the coordination of initiatives at the level of communication practice. The success of the International "Ciranda" (Network) of Independent Information was highlighted, being a communal effort to cover the information on the WSF from an independent position. This means not only strengthening the informative work of each person or media by sharing what they produce, and making the new technologies work for social struggles, but it also constitutes a concrete alternative to information as a merchandise. In this sense, it is an initiative which fits into the vision of the WSF that ?another world is possible?, against the power of the mass media and communication systems. Some 30 press entities participated, creating more than 120 articles. The results can be seen at this web site: http://fsm.rits.org.br/fsm/. In some ways, the ?Ciranda? brings together other similar past experiences, such as, for example, that carried out at the worldwide Women Action initiative, in the framework of Beijing + 5 (cf. http://www.womenaction.org). In fact, one of the agreements of the Workshop was to reproduce this experience at other events. Concretely, a mechanism was agreed on for the next events on the social agenda in the Americas: The Americas Forum for Diversity and Plurality, in Quito in March, the April events around the FTAA in Argentina and Quebec. Translation: APC ____________________________________________________ Agencia Latinomericana de Informacion INTERNET: info@alainet.org Direccion: Casilla 17-12-877, Quito-Ecuador Telefono: (593 2) 505074 Fax: (593 2) 505073 URL: http://alainet.org ____________________________________________________ From V.Nath at lse.ac.uk Thu Apr 5 13:40:11 2001 From: V.Nath at lse.ac.uk (Nath,V (pgt)) Date: Wed May 23 11:11:09 2007 Subject: [Wsf] E- Governance in South/ Developing Countries Updates (DigitalGove rnance.org) Message-ID: <43CE1CB09DEDD11196DF000629054FBB059C0BBC@exchs2.lse.ac.uk> Dear Colleagues at WSF, Greetings from London from the Community. The Digital Governance website was launched a month back to explore INNOVATIVE e-Governance Models in South based on the application of Knowledge Management principles and Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The website is a part of the KnowNet Initiative at http://www.knownet.org which harnesses the potential of ICT and Remote Volunteering to catalyse Human Development. DigitalGovernance.org has been tediously identifying and documenting actual E-Practices in the South which enable Transparent, Efficient, and Accountable Governance Mechanisms based on "Information Democratisation" to ones which catalyse "Interactive Governance Processes" that are Inclusionary in characteristics. Some of the Emerging Knowledge Products relating to e-Governance Practices in South (based on Digital Governance's research) are: 1. e-Governance is certainly making its entree in the South progessing from stages of "Wider-Domain Models" or "Critical Flow Models" to the more complex and technology driven "Interactive Service Models". The description of these models is available at the website. An example of "Critical-Flow Model" is the Indian website www.tehelka.com (a leanly funded media organization with limited resources) which exposed a major scam in the Defence Establishment in India relating to corruption and bribery. It led to major political upheavals and a strong civil society unrest. Similarly in Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milosovic regime was toppled by the technology of the Internet and satellite comunications. Internet is also increasingly becoming Africa's political corrupticians' nightmare. 2. e-Governance seem to have greater marginal benefits in countries with moderate development indices, and where alternate channels of communications are weak and governance processes are largely democratic to the extent that they are Information- Driven. Example in Brazil, India, Malaysia, Estonia etc. In such cases, e-governance strengthens the two-way communication channel- enabling the civil society to get more acquainted with decisions (as well as decision-makers) which affect their quality of lives and providing them avenues to express/ make an informed choice. The latter is usually provided through conventional Governance processes. The e-Governance models therefore function in complementary to the existing Governance models. 3. e-Governance processes have an equal or greater potential in the South if applied in local geographical domains. Wider-Domain Governance models when applied locally can promote "democratisation of information which is of significance" ranging from basic District-level Governmental Information, to Agriculture and Health related information, to information about disasters, food rations etc. 4. Complex e-Governance models in South (based on advocacy and direct-interaction with the Government) have so far been largely directed towards issues of Global/International Significance. The models have fostered inter-South support on many issues such as Agriculture and Trade Policies, Issues of Big Dams, Genetic Engineering etc. to put up a collective Southern Agenda. Nevertheless, this is a sign of empowered and value-driven civil society movements: an Empowered civil society which can work alongside the National Governments on issues of International significance can fundamentally raise its voice on National Concerns to promote the larger agenda. DigitalGovernance.org functions on a continuous learning mode. More knowledge products would be brought into light in the subsequent updates. You may subscribe to these updates by sending a blank email to digitalgovernance-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Please have a look at the Key website updates and some of the feedforward received from over 50 countries towards the end of this email. I welcome your intellectual contributions and feedforward about the DigitalGovernance.org Project to further enrich this website and to catalyse Innovative E-Governance in South. Lastly, Please help spread the word around about this initiative. Warm Regards, Vikas Nath Inlaks Fellow, London School of Economics, UK Home Page : http://www.vikasnath.org ----------------------------------------------------- Innovator, KnowNet Initiative and Digital Governance Conceiver, DevNetJobs.org Email : knownet@knownetweaver.org or V.Nath@lse.ac.uk Phone: + 44 (0) 7887 920080 ----------------------------------------------------- Following are some of the Interesting Case-Studies, Publications and Links added to the Digital Governance website. ** Key Case Studies Added (Case-Studies archived on the website = 31) Estonia: The Little Country That Could The medieval streets of old Tallinn have changed little in the last few centuries. But high atop Toompea, the hill that has been the seat of power in Estonia for almost 800 years, there is an experiment in 21st-century government under way. Inside the chancellery building, Linnar Viik, information technology adviser to Prime Minister Mart Laar, leads the way through elegant government offices to a shiny new cabinet meeting room. India: Free Internet access to Orissa High Court records Litigants fighting cases in the Orissa High Court will now have free Internet access to case records following the inauguration of two Web sites by state Chief Justice N.Y. Hanumanthappa. A litigant can easily find out in which court his case is appearing and its listing. Besides, the search engines of the Web site will help a litigant or the general public to find details related to a particular case. India : Kerala panchayats adopt e-governance http://persmin.nic.in/arpg/egov.htm#6 The Ernakulam district panchayat had made a quiet entry into the IT world by taking up a unique model of e-governance. The Electronic Industrialisation Infrastructure Development(EIID), a scientific society under the district panchayat, is providing guidance to three gram panchayats in the district to establish information networks as part of their plan projects. And the EIID is doing all this with software that are freely available with open source codes. India: Madhya Pradesh's E-governance site (Jabalpur) The Government has gone online in Jabalpur division. The administration has launched its interactive website and CD containing all information on government departments and schemes at www.suvidha.org ( Pakistan : Punjab Government goes online The website contains information about the economy, culture, government, cabinet, rules of business 1974, and much more. The website says, "Punjab Government may adopt 'SAAF Model' of E-Government. The model is devised in order to formulate a future paradigm for a stable and organised government. In its literal meanings, it connotes, 'transparency and openness', (the two significant hallmarks of Islamic government). It also echoes the concept of public participation in the political process and its access to the information." Peru: Government Goes High Tech One evening, a few months ago, Enrique Normand, a partner in the law firm of Estudio Rubio, Leguia, Normand & Associates, was finishing up contract negotiations between a Peruvian company and a group of US investors when he realized they were missing a crucial document. They needed to obtain it from the Oficina Registral de Lima y Callao (ORLC), the notoriously slow public registry for Lima and its seaport, Callao. In short, they needed a miracle. Portugal : INFOCID A great portal site on Public Administrative information and issues in Portuguese. Provides name and addresses of the Government and all public organisations, relevant documents and debates etc. ** Key Publications Added (Publications archived on the website =45) Governments Closing Gap Between Political Rhetoric and eGovernment Reality Online service delivery has never been higher on the political agenda than it is today. From the United Kingdom to the United States, Belgium to Brazil and Malaysia to Mexico, governments are talking about the significant benefits that can be realised by migrating traditionally paper-based and face-to-face services to the Internet. Digital Growth in Africa - things governments can do for free or nearly free News Update asked 25 individuals and organisations drawn from development agencies, the private sector, NGOs and trusts involved in digital development in Africa to make suggestions about things that African governments (or others) could do for little or money to encourage digital development. There was almost a complete consensus on the kinds of things they felt ought to be done Surfing villages: Can Indian villages be logged on to the infotech highway? Are they for real and do they stand to benefit from artificial intelligence? Can India's villages ride on the infotech highway to development? To a certain extent this is already happening but it is a knotty situation. Can IT evolve to serve rural India?s needs? The dairy cooperatives of Anand in Gujarat are using IT applications to streamline procedures, making a significant difference to the lives of milk producers in surrounding villages. The Role of Online Publication in the Promotion of Democracy The Internet is Africa's political corrupticians' nightmare. In other words, news- media- information censorship by political dictators is curtailed at the door of the Internet. Ask Yugoslav's Slobodan Milosovic whose regime was toppled by the technology of the Internet and satellite comunications. The irony is that the "unimportant" people that the media target in under-developed and developing countries like Sierra Leone for instance, are hardly in a position to access the Internet. Dictatorships in the Digital Age: Some Considerations on the Internet n China and Cuba The belief that the Internet will spread democracy throughout the developing world is so firmly held in Washington, D.C. policy circles that it is becoming an article of faith. There may be something to the underlying proposition, but this is an analytical question that should be subjected to close investigation before firm conclusions are drawn. The use of Internet in Government Service Delivery Governments have begun to use the World Wide Web to assist in service delivery. This includes, but goes far beyond, the dissemination of information to the general public and involves a variety of other governmental functions. In reviewing some govern-ment websites it is clear that the use of the web for service delivery is still in its infancy. The types of services that can be delivered through the web are still in the process of being imagined and organized by both government and the private sector. Electronic governance and commercial development in Africa: the grassroots perspective This presentation explores the emergence of the concept of 'governance' and speculates on the opportunities provided by new electronic technologies for the development of more participatory forms of governance than those experienced in the past. The presentation identifies the possibilities for direct democracy and the greater use of client/user feedback in the shaping of governance structures. Electronic Governance: Re-inventing Good Governance This article examines the significance of the emergence of Electronic Governance (eGovernance) as a mode of practice in the re-invention of Good Governance. It presents eGovernance as inclusive of Electronic Democracy (eDemocracy), Electronic Government (eGovernment) and Electronic Business (eBusiness), examines the nature and scope of developments in this emerging field and provides a wealth of examples to illustrate essential, embedded concepts and modes of practice. ** Key Links Added (Exsiting Links on the website =52) Anti-Corruption Network for Transition Economies The Anti-Corruption Network for Transition Economies provides a forum for the exchange of information between anti-corruption practitioners and analysts in Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Union. It also serves as a repository of anti-corruption project documentation, legislation, regional and international agreements, survey results, reports, research and other information. Chapter 2 Network The Chapter 2 Network is a clearinghouse of information and communication for social justice issues in South Africa. Through its website, it provides information about advocacy campaigns; training on Advocacy and lobbying, including learning practical skills through the Advocacy game; research on political intelligence, policy analysis and legislation monitoring and networking opportunities to interact with other civil society organisations who are engaged in social justice advocacy. Costa Rica : Democracia Digital A non-profit civic initiative directed towards using information and communication technology for the extension and the enrichment of the democratic coexistence of the Costa Rican society, facing the beginning of a new century. The strategy aims at information dissemination on subjects relative to the public interest and creation of new spaces of consultation. International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance International IDEA promotes and advances sustainable democracy and improves and consolidates electoral processes world-wide. It provides a forum for discussions and action among individuals and organizations involved in democracy promotion. Global in ownership and score, independent of national interests, and flexible and quick in its responses, International IDEA is the only international organization with this unique mandate. ** Key Events on E-Governance (Events Posted on the website = 8) Worldwide Forum on Electronic Democracy May 17, 2001, Paris, France This 2nd Forum will be the occasion to make a new point on the "Revolution of the e-democracy", by advancing the new relations created by the network among the citizens and their elected members and the emergence of the e-citizen. International IDEA Democracy Forum 2001: Democracy and the Information Revolution June 27-29 2001, Stockholm, Sweden By combining a focus on key practical issues with exposure to the latest cutting edge research in the ICT field, the Democracy Forum 2001 will provide a unique opportunity for all concerned with the societal implications of the IT revolution - from academics, ICT specialists and business leaders, to election managers, development experts and politicians - to come together to debate, reflect and develop creative policy options for the future. ****FEEDFORWARD RECEIVED**** I agree that if the people are empowered with right information, automatically they will demand better governance/performance from politica/officer class people. Can one use your network to expose some murky dealings so that concerned people can email the CEO of state and demand action. Collective action means some results. (Bangalore, India) It is very amazing to find a great Net like this. I hope we could help in anyway. (Sudan, Africa) I am trying to establish similar digital government in Japan. (Okazaki, Japan) I am working in Civil Society and networking in rural Guatemala and was curious as to what is out there. (Guatemala) I heard about the Digital Governance initiative through the imfundo discussion group. I find it very interesting, and I would like to implement it in my country. (Argentina) I am trying to develop an special project to disseminate telecentres in Peru starting through a pilot programme. Is it possible to get linked through you with other institutions than can collaborate with this type of project? (Peru) Such a knowledge initiative is critical in developing a more transparent governance, trade and development for my Africa region.That is a good move. I subscribe to the aspirations. (Accra, Ghana) It is a very important and useful knowlege which we really need to change the destructive regimes we have in developing countries to moblize civil society organizations and empower it for better development. Along with Good Governance, Digital Governance are important for true progress, democracy, transparency and so on for these countries. I gained this insight while, as a young primary school pupil, I saw my old grand mother struggling just to retrieve a copy of my birth certificate from corrupt municipal civil servants who were mainly recruited among the mayor's family. (Canada) From palmieri at mire.net Mon Apr 9 18:11:18 2001 From: palmieri at mire.net (palmieri@mire.net) Date: Wed May 23 11:11:09 2007 Subject: [Wsf] FSM - Suivi de l'atelier "Communication et =?iso-8859-1?Q?citoyennet=E9?=" Message-ID: <3AD1DF26.C93CD4A5@mire.net> Cher-es ami-es, Veuillez nous excuser pour le retard de cette communication. Un ?v?nement en rattrappant un autre, le suivi a du mal ? se g?rer... L?atelier " Communication et citoyennet? ", que nous avons organis? dans le cadre du Forum Social Mondial (FSM), a r?uni une large audience (plus de cent personnes, en incluant les repr?sentants d?organisations), a suscit? de multiples propositions, a formul? des recommandations et a finalement abouti ? des accords concrets. Les premi?res recommandations, en direction des organisateurs du FSM, qui ont d?j? r?agi, mettent l?accent sur la n?cessit? de donner une place de choix au th?me de la communication, comme enjeu de taille dans la lutte contre le n?o-lib?ralisme. Les accords ont port? sur deux niveaux. Le premier repose sur la n?cessit? des ?changes et r?flexions. Il s?agit d?ouvrir un large d?bat, au niveau international, sur la communication et les nouvelles technologies, ce qui permettrait de mettre ? bas le point de vue de la pens?e unique, avec la certitude que les changements en ce sens sont in?luctables et n?cessaires pour le bien de l?humanit?. Ceci implique, par exemple, la remise en question des tendances ? la concentration, ? la marchandisation de l?information, ? la marginalisation syst?matique des voix de certains secteurs de la population (femmes, pauvres, minorit?s ethniques, etc.), ou le discours promotionnel des nouvelles technologies qui illustre assez bien les tendances de la mondialisation n?o-lib?rale. Il est temps d?ouvrir ce d?bat ? tous les espaces. Tr?s sp?cifiquement, au cours de l?atelier, nous nous sommes mis d?accord sur le fait que l?activit? de cette liste de discussion wsf@lists.sn.apc.org continue et constitue un point de r?f?rence pour la pr?paration dudit th?me pour le 2e FSM. Le deuxi?me point d?accord de l?atelier se r?f?re ? la mutualisation des efforts sur le plan des pratiques en communication. L?exp?rience de la "Ciranda Internacional de la Informaci?n Independiente" s?est particuli?rement illustr?e par la panoplie des efforts d?ploy?s pour couvrir l??v?nement, dans une d?marche ind?pendante, qui signifie non seulement une r?elle capacit? de production d?informations collective mais ?galement une ma?trise des nouvelles technologies au service des luttes sociales, ce qui peut, in fine, repr?senter une alternative concr?te ? l?information-marchandise. En ce sens, cela repr?sente une initiative qui s?ins?re totalement dans la d?marche globale du FSM qui postule " un autre monde est possible " face au pouvoir des m?dias et syst?me de communication dominants. Environ 30 journalistes ont particip? ? la Ciranda, qui ont ?crit plus de 200 papiers. Le r?sultat peut se voir sur le site : http://fsm.rits.org.br/fsm/. Les P?n?lopes, repr?sentant WomenAction, en ?taient et produisaient 5 ? 6 br?ves par jour en fran?ais ou en anglais qui ont ?galement ?t? diffus?es sur des listes internationales comme Attac, Womenaction... Dans une certaine mesure, la Ciranda renoue avec des exp?riences similaires, comme, par exemple, la couverture m?dia organis?e par WomenAction lors de P?kin+5, en juin 2000 (http://www.womenaction.org). Justement, un des accords conclu lors de l?atelier consiste ? vouloir reproduire l?exp?rience au cours d?autres ?v?nements. Concr?tement, nous nous sommes mis d?accord sur la mise en place d?un m?canisme pour les prochains ?v?nements de l?agenda social des Am?riques : Forum des Am?riques pour la diversit? et la pluralit?, ? Quito en mars, les ?v?nements d?avril sur le Sommet des Peuples, en Argentine et au Qu?bec (une ?quipe de WomenAction va d?ployer la m?me activit?). Nous vous en donnerons des nouvelles dans un prochain message. Enfin, au cours des ?changes, les participant-es ont formul? diverses propositions, que, pour des raisons de temps, nous n?avons pas pu approfondir. Nous essaierons de les r?sumer ici dans les prochaines semaines, mais surtout, n?h?sitez pas ? communiquer vos propres propositions! Joelle Palmieri Les P?n?lopes ? France Info@penelopes.org From V.Nath at lse.ac.uk Mon Apr 23 17:52:47 2001 From: V.Nath at lse.ac.uk (Nath,V (pgt)) Date: Wed May 23 11:11:09 2007 Subject: [Wsf] KnowNet Initiative and ICTNetJobs: Growing niche for ICT Profes sionals in Non-Profit Sector Message-ID: <43CE1CB09DEDD11196DF000629054FBB059C0ED6@exchs2.lse.ac.uk> Dear Colleagues, Greetings from London from the KnowNet Initiative! Over the last couple of years there has been an increasing interest in the area of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Knowledge Management (KM) in the domain of non-profit and voluntary organisations. This sector continues to be as professional and challenging as compared to any other sector and therefore there is an increasing demand for professionals who can amalgamate existing knowledge with the upcoming technologies. A free comprehensive websection "ICTNetJobs" on worldwide Professional Opportunities arising in ICT, Knowledge Networking and Knowledge Management areas has now been set up by KnowNet Initiative at http://members.tripod.com/dev_jobs/ictnetjobs.html This section is a part of the MegaPortal developed by KnowNet Initiative "DevNetJobs" at http://www.DevNetJobs.org which lists jobs in Environment and Development Sector. The Megaportal provides free weekly updates of Jobs in ICT, KM, Environment and Development Sector which could be subscribed by sending a blank email to developmentjobs-subscribe@egroups.com Warm Regards, Vikas Nath ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Inlaks Fellow (2000-1), London School of Economics, UK Innovator, KnowNet Initiative, http://www.knownet.org http://www.DigitalGovernance.org Conceiver, DevNet Jobs, http://www.devnetjobs.org HomePage: http://www.vikasnath.org Email: V.nath@lse.ac.uk or jobs@devnetjobs.org Phone: +44 (0) 7887 92 0080 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ From info at alainet.org Tue Apr 24 22:20:58 2001 From: info at alainet.org (ALAI) Date: Wed May 23 11:11:09 2007 Subject: [Wsf] Workshop Agreements (English) In-Reply-To: <3AD1DF26.C93CD4A5@mire.net> Message-ID: <200104241531.f3OFVqM17082@mweb.alainet.org> With apologies for the delay, here is the English version of the Workshop Agreements. Workshop on Communication and Citizenship: Agreements World Social Forum, Porto Alegre 2728 January 2001 The Communication and Citizenship Workshop, held at the World Social Forum (WSF), had a wide range of participants (more than 100 people, including representatives of some 67 organisations), stimulated various proposals, formulated recommendations and reached concrete agreements about followup measures. The first recommendations, addressed to the organisers of the World Social Forum and which have already been distributed, emphasised the need to highlight the theme of communication as a central aspect of the struggle against Neoliberalism. The followup agreements are on two levels. The first is that of exchanges and reflections, an aspect related to the need to open a wide debate at a world level on communication and the new technologies, which will allow us to reexamine the different versions of the single system of values, which state that these changes are inevitable and for the good of humanity. This implies, for example, the questioning of the tendency to centralisation, of the commercialisation of information, of the systematic exclusion of the voices of certain sectors of the population (women, the poor, ethnic minorities, etc), or the promotional discourse of the new technologies with which the virtues of globalisation are demonstrated. It is necessary to take this debate to all spheres. Specifically, in the Workshop it was agreed that the mailing list will be a reference point for the preparation of this theme for the next WSF. (For subscriptions, go to: http://lists.sn.apc.org/mailman/listinfo/wsf). The second level of Workshop agreements refers to the coordination of initiatives at the level of communication practice. The success of the International "Ciranda" (Network) of Independent Information was highlighted, being a communal effort to cover the information on the WSF from an independent position. This means not only strengthening the informative work of each person or media by sharing what they produce, and making the new technologies work for social struggles, but it also constitutes a concrete alternative to information as a merchandise. In this sense, it is an initiative which fits into the vision of the WSF that ?another world is possible?, against the power of the mass media and communication systems. Some 30 press entities participated, creating more than 120 articles. The results can be seen at this web site: http://fsm.rits.org.br/fsm/. In some ways, the ?Ciranda? brings together other similar past experiences, such as, for example, that carried out at the worldwide Women Action initiative, in the framework of Beijing + 5 (cf. http://www.womenaction.org). In fact, one of the agreements of the Workshop was to reproduce this experience at other events. Concretely, a mechanism was agreed on for the next events on the social agenda in the Americas: The Americas Forum for Diversity and Plurality, in Quito in March, the April events around the FTAA in Argentina and Quebec. Translation: APC ____________________________________________________ Agencia Latinomericana de Informacion INTERNET: info@alainet.org Direccion: Casilla 17-12-877, Quito-Ecuador Telefono: (593 2) 505074 Fax: (593 2) 505073 URL: http://alainet.org ____________________________________________________