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 Democracy & ICTs
Statement of GK3 participants: Open letter to the Prime Minister of Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia,
-- Malaysia as host to the Global Knowledge 3 Forum has pledged its commitment to knowledge sharing, an open exchange of information and to building a just and fair society. These goals can, however, only be achieved in a society that respects fundamental rights. Since the beginning of November, the freedoms of assembly and expression have come under increased attack in Malaysia. - 12/12/2007
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APC makes recommendations to UN internet governance forum
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA,
-- The second internet governance forum took place this month. It was the second meeting of five convened by the United Nations over five years to discuss the future of the world’s most critical communications resource. APC presents an initial assessment and makes suggestions for moving towards the third forum in India in December 2008.
Recommendations include the establishment of a self-regulatory mechanism to ensure participation, access to information and transparency in internet governance, convening regional and national IGFs, working groups to address complex issues, more resources for the IGF secretariat, strengthening the capacity and legitimacy of the Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Group, making better use of plenary time and passing of lessons learned by former IGF hosts Brazil and Greece to New Delhi.
- 11/27/2007
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Pulling the plug in Burma
TORONTO, Canada,
-- Adding to their long history of reports on the study of internet filtering, the OpenNet Initiative (ONI) has compiled, and released, a bulletin on the recent demonstrations in Burma and the Burmese government's shutdown of the internet there. The executive summary of "Pulling the Plug: A Technical Review of the Internet Shutdown in Burma" reveals the "the role of information technology, citizen journalists, and bloggers in Burma" today. - 10/24/2007
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Participatory web for development: Circling the point in a spiral formation
Rome, Italy,
-- Anriette Esterhuysen, executive director of APC, delivered a keynote address at the opening of the conference on Web2fordev at the Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Rome, Italy in late September. Her ideas around participatory web for development were reported on in the Web2fordev blog. - 10/11/2007
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Central and East European online environmentalism targeted
BUDAPEST, Hungary,
-- Fidanka and Eoin McGrath, a family soon expecting their first child, spent two of the hottest August days in a quite unusual way – having a friendly talk with police officials. The family life was disturbed abruptly this summer, when the two were called in by the local unit of the Bulgarian secret service. - 09/13/2007
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APC launches new book on WSIS, developing countries and civil society: Time for lessons learned
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay,
-- The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) has been roundly criticised in the past and this new study from APC concludes that the summit “is not the best starting point for new action.” So, what is the point of looking at how developing country delegations and civil society fared at the summit? Because, says the author “it is always important to learn from experience – particularly where it did not deliver up to expectations.” - 09/12/2007
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Agreement between the Chilean government and the Microsoft Corporation: the Chilean digital strategy is in rough waters
SANTIAGO, Chile,
-- Emails, text messages and the media spread the word: the Chilean government has signed one of the broadest known-agreements to date with the Microsoft Corporation, covering aspects of education, management of personal data, and support for local governments (municipalities) and the micro enterprise sector. - 08/16/2007
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Bulgaria: Local and international freedom of expression networks turn up the heat
MONTREAL, Canada,
-- Amendments to Bulgaria's Access to Public Information Act were passed by the National Assembly at the first reading. Many of the proposed changes breach established international standards on the right to information and appear specifically designed to hinder access to public records. - 05/22/2007
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Pakistan feds raid a VoIP startup
KARACHI, Pakistan,
-- Blind use of authority, high-handedness of intelligence agencies, yawning gaps in policies and misleading rules and regulations have all converged on Pakistan in early December, when the Federal Investigation Agency and staff of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority raided the offices of small VoIP start-up in Islamabad. Read the full story on APCNews. - 12/18/2006
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Solidarity with the right to expression of all Fiji Islanders
KATHMANDU, Nepal,
-- The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters, section Asia Pacific, condemns the military takeover in the Fiji islands. Particularly, the APC partner organisation expresses its solidarity and support for "femLINKPACIFIC: Media Initiatives for Women", one of its members in the Fiji islands. Read the entire press release. - 12/11/2006
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A Korean seven year old, fighting to open space for civil society
DHAKA, Bangladesh,
-- Jinbonet, APC's member in Korea, is seven years old. It is a network that provides ICT services to progressive movements, civil society and workers unions. Its other main activity is information and communication technology and human rights advocacy in the information age. In a country which has one of the best internet infrastructures – technically speaking - in the world, concern over the rights of citizens in cyberspace are strong. This article looks at some of the recent issues emerging in East Asia. - 07/10/2006
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E-government: An opportunity for citizen participation in the era of digital development
QUITO, Ecuador,
-- The initiatives that have been adopted to improve e-government in Latin America primarily focus on improving online services and state administration. Citizens, however, remain unable to participate in the decision-making process because this dimension, which is at least as important if not more then the previous one, has been left aside.
As a starting point for reflecting on the issue, APC’s Valeria Betancourt affirms that ICT and e-government initiatives do not generate greater participation in and of themselves. If participation mechanisms are not developed, there is not a single technological advance that will be able to make up for the lack of political will to promote human and social development. - 06/05/2006
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From the Philippines, concern about how new laws impact communication rights
GOA, India,
-- APC's member in the Philippines, the Foundation for Media Alternatives, has warned that new laws in that country could act as a threat to communication rights, some 20 years after the People's Power revolution removed dictator Marcos from power there. On February 24, 2006, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared a state of emergency in attempt to subdue what she said was a possible military coup. The proclamation was lifted in early March, but the
chilling effect remains. Besides there are orders still in effect which curtail the right to communicate. - 02/27/2006
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TUNIS: Updated list of censored sites
Tunisia,
-- This is an update on an earlier story about Tunisian websites that are currently blocked in Tunis. Please see the list below of additional sites. Once again it is not a complete list but it is a significant one from a Tunisian blogger on the APC WSIS blog. - 11/17/2005
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PrepCom 3: Concerned civil society writes to Kofi Annan
GENEVA, Switzerland,
-- More than a hundred social movements and civil society organisations gave endorsed a letter released earlier this month by some of the most active groups involved in the World Summit on the Information Society process. Condemning tight surveillance activities, human rights and fundamental freedoms violations on behalf of the Tunisian authorities, the protagonists expressed their concern about the conditions in which the WSIS is to take place in Tunis in November 2005. Read the letter addressed to the Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, and endorse the statement by sending an electronic message to "info at apc dot org". - 10/05/2005
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Chakula, focussing on WIPO and the 'Development Agenda'
http://africa.rights.apc.org/,
-- Issues highlighted in the latest Chakula newsletter, dated July 2005 focus on the World Intellectual Property Organisation and its 'Development Agenda'. Chakula traces the background to calls for reforms at WIPO, outlines the key issues of the proposal for the establishment of a ‘‘Development Agenda’’ for the organisation, and the developments so far after a series of meetings this year. Chakula is the Swahili word for 'food'. This Africa Policy Monitor newsletter got its name to reflect its intended nature as a "form of nourishment" for organizations working in the field of ICTs for development in Africa. - 07/26/2005
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Building a news-coverage agenda for social movements in Latin America
PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil,
-- Tens of representatives from a variety of communications organisations came together on the morning of Saturday 29 January at the World Social Forum to take advantage of the rare 'face-time' to share information about the events that they believe are critical for the media to cover in Latin American and the Caribbean in 2005 and to schedule news coverage in collaboration. - 01/30/2005
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Expert Group Meeting on Up-scaling ICT for Poverty Reduction
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay,
-- MS Swaminathan Research Foundation and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation called an expert group meeting on “Up-scaling ICT for Poverty Reduction”. The event was held in Chennai, India, from 17–19 November 2004. APC Women's Networking Support Programme (WNSP) Asia Pacific Coordinator, Cheekay Cinco, was among the participants. - 12/25/2004
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300-strong partnership strengthens civil society voice in the Congo
KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo,
-- In 2003, together with more than 300 local partners, Alternatives launched a portal in the Democratic Republic of Congo . The project empowers local civil society groups to present and promote their activities and perspectives, which is particularly important in the current period, where civil society is taking an ever-increasing role in defending the principles that can support long-term peace in the region. - 11/29/2004
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NGO.ZA, ICT Services for Civil Society
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa,
-- APCmember SANGONeT launched a new joint venture, called NGO.ZA. The overall aim of NGO.ZA is to meet and respond to the South African NGO sector's connectivity, hardware and e-business infrastructure requirements, and as a result, transform the information and communication technologies (ICT) usage, capacity and infrastructure levels of the sector. - 11/23/2004
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