--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- SPECIAL EDITION - PART ONE CELEBRATING TEN YEARS OF THE APC COMMUNITY --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- *APCNews, the monthly newsletter of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC)* - June 2000 No. 10 - --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- PART ONE -- A DECADE OF BUILDING COMMUNITY ACROSS BORDERS: APC'S 10TH ANNIVERSARY -- NEWS FROM THE MEMBERS -- -- PROGRAM NEWS -- -- ONLINE EVENTS -- -- SITES OF INTEREST -- PART TWO -- APC COUNCIL MEETING 2000 -- -- INTERNET RIGHTS -- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- PART ONE -- A DECADE OF BUILDING COMMUNITY ACROSS BORDERS: APC'S 10TH ANNIVERSARY -- NEWS FROM THE MEMBERS -- -- PROGRAM NEWS -- -- ONLINE EVENTS -- -- SITES OF INTEREST -- PART TWO -- APC COUNCIL MEETING 2000 -- -- INTERNET RIGHTS -- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- A DECADE OF BUILDING COMMUNITY ACROSS BORDERS: APC'S 10TH ANNIVERSARY APC started out as the first globally interconnected NGO network of groups working for peace, human rights, development and protection of the environment. While it may seem trivial from today's perspective, offering e-mail and computer conferencing services to civil society in the late 1980s and early 1990s was a huge leap into the future. There was no better or more cost-effective way at the time for activists to get their messages out to the world. Now, 10 years later, APC is moving with the times and pioneering new ways for civil society to use the Internet strategically, and equitably. Members and partners across the world continue to work together online, now moving into new areas like freedom of expression on the Internet and the role of information and communication technology in developing countries. Whether we're introducing telecentres to marginalized neighbourhoods in Colombia, training people to use technology to build free and fair electoral processes in Southern Africa, or enabling women's NGOs around the world to engage in UN policy setting related to women, APC and its members are uniquely experienced to facilitate a dynamic international vision and critical thinking regarding the use of information and communication technologies by civil society. APC celebrated its 10th anniversary in May 2000 at the APC Forum Day in Visegrad, Hungary. THE APC FORUM DAY: CELEBRATING TEN YEARS OF BUILDING A GLOBAL INTERNET COMMUNITY FOR ENVIRONMENT, HUMAN RIGHTS, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE May 2, 2000 - Hotel Silvanus - Visegrád, Hungary APC opened real-life doors to the public, which is now becoming a popular Council meeting tradition for our otherwise virtual organization. Above the medieval city of Visegrád on the banks of the Danube, APC celebrated a decade of ground-breaking work by its members, looked to the future of Internet and social justice, and awarded the first ever APC Betinho Communications Prize to the Max Foundation, an online group which provides Internet access to families of children with leukemia throughout Latin America. APC Forum Day was attended by APC members and partners from across the globe, as well as representatives from Hungarian and international civil society organizations. APC Forum Day: http://www.apc.org/english/about/org/forum_day2000.htm APC AWARDS THE FIRST BETINHO PRIZE TO THE MAX FOUNDATION Visegrad, Hungary, May 2000 -- APC marked its 10th anniversary by awarding the first-ever "Betinho" Communications Prize to the Max Foundation, at an emotional public ceremony in Visegrád, Hungary. The Max Foundation's Internet Global Help Program (http://www.themaxfoundation.org) provides Internet access to families of children with leukemia throughout Latin America. Through this service the Foundation links patients with resources in other parts of the world. One of the most important objectives of the Max Foundation is to establish an online bone marrow tissue registry for Latin America. Bone marrow transplants being one of the only known treatments for leukemia, and tissue matches between the donor and the recipient, are greatly increased within the same ethnic group. Latin America is the only major geographical region in the world which does not have such a registry. The winning project was chosen by the Prize's international jury only days before the presentation so it was impossible to present the award in person to the Max Foundation, but the Internet came to the rescue again. Pedro Jose Rivarola, founder of the Max Foundation, and father of two children who have died from leukemia, sent an emotional acceptance speech to APC, which was read at the climax of what became a very emotional Prize presentation, attended by APC members and partners from across the globe, as well as Hungarian and international workers for social justice. APC Betinho Prize 2000 Winner: http://www.apc.org/english/betinho --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- NEWS FROM THE MEMBERS -- STRAWBERRYNET, Romania: APC Welcomes New Member in Romania APC welcomes a new member StrawberryNet Foundation which joined in May 2000. StrawberryNet, founded in 1995, was previously a partner network. It has participated in Central European region activities. StrawberryNet is based in Sfantu Gheorghe, Romania. Read more: http://www.apc.org/english/news/archive/sbn_001.htm CHASQUE, Uruguay: Uruguayan APC Member To Take on the Telco Big Boys with Latin American flavoured Internet Strategy Chasque, APC member in Uruguay, plans to open up Internet access in Uruguay by providing telecentres throughout the country's interior; less lucrative territory which until now ignored by larger scale Internet access providers in Uruguay in favour of the lucrative capital, Montevideo. Read more: http://www.apc.org/english/news/archive/chas_002.htm COLNODO, Colombia: Introducing a new Database Colnodo would like to invite the APC community to visit their latest online publication - a database designed for the Superintendence of Public Services, a government agency responsible for providing services to the general public. The database contains information on public services and related themes. Visit it at: http://bases.colnodo.org.co/cdssp/ ECONNECT, Czech Republic: Most Popular Environmental Portal Econnect (http://www.ecn.cz) was the most browsed Website on environment for March 2000 in the Czech Republic, according to Czech Website watchdog, Navrcholu. Econnect, APC's member in the Czech Republic and one of our most active networkers within the Central European region was founded in 1991 amidst tremendous change, turmoil and political uncertainty by an inspired group of environmentalists. ECONNECT, Czech Republic: Business Management for Czech NGOs Econnect has launched a new online resource centre for Czech NGOs providing money management, tax and accounting solutions especially developed for NGOs. The site has been developed in cooperation with professional accounting and tax advisors. For NGO Business Resources see: http://www.apc.org/english/ngos/business/ ECONNECT, Czech Republic: Globalization.ecn.cz To coincide with the 55th annual summit of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in Prague in September 2000, Econnect, APC member in the Czech Republic, is launching an awareness-building portal focusing on the IMF, the World Bank and the impact of their activities. Read more: http://www.apc.org/english/news/archive/ecn_001.htm GREEN SPIDER, Hungary: Green Spider testing APC Action Apps Fidusz, new Chair at the Green Spider Foundation, wrote to tell us that following the Hungary APC meeting, IGC's Mike de Beer stayed on to install the Toolkit Action Applications on the Green Spider server. Green Spider have now moved beyond initial testing and are inviting key NGOs in and around Budapest to test the software more intensively. PANGEA, Spanish State: The People show the Government - More than 1,000,000 Spanish voters say yes to cancelling the Spanish Foreign Debt A National Poll on the foreign debt owed by developing countries to Spain took place in the Spanish State on March 12, 2000, coinciding with general elections for the Spanish parliament. A civic network of more than 600 regional and local groups put up voting tables next to official government voting booths, where citizens could drop by and vote on a proposal to forgive the debt poor countries owe to the Spanish State. The voting was accompanied by speeches, debates and discussions, to bring the theme of the debt to the public's attention. Read more: http://www.apc.org/english/news/archive/png_001.htm SANGONeT, South Africa: African Researchers trained in Internet techniques - Femshuleni Project SANGONeT, APC member in South Africa which specializes in training development workers to use ICTs, has been involved in developing an ICT strategy that includes training 35 researchers based in Zimbabwe, Uganda and Kenya on how to use the Internet to locate information. The 35 researchers have been contracted by the Rockefeller Foundation to carry out an exploratory research project on the acquisition of basic learning skills, and to study how girls are affected differently to boys in relation to their bodily changes and development. Read more: http://www.apc.org/english/news/archive/sn_007.htm SANGONeT, South Africa: Women Lawyers building online communications between 20 African nations May 2000 -- SANGONeT, together with WILDAF (Women in Law Developing Africa), were engaged in a week-long project to build and improve electronic communication between WILDAF offices situated in over 20 countries in Africa. Read more: http://www.apc.org/english/news/archive/sn_008.htm SANGONeT, South Africa: Women'sNet at high level talks between South Africa and UK governments June 2000 - Women'sNet has been invited to collaborate in the UK-South Africa bilateral meeting between UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and the South African leader, Thabo Mbeki. One of the issues on the Mbeki-Blair agenda is Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and community access. Read more: http://www.apc.org/english/news/archive/sn_009.htm WEB NETWORKS, Canada: APC Member WEB.NET Victim of Internet Hijacking Since Saturday May 27, nonprofit Canadian Internet host Web Networks (www.web.net) has been locked in a desperate struggle to prevent the 'netjacking' of their online services by unknown hackers. On Friday May 26, a still-unknown party contacted Network Solutions via the World Wide Web and directed them to change the contact name and the IP numbers (the Internet equivalent of an address) for the 'web.net' domain. Over the last three days, Web Networks staff and users have watched in frustration as their domain has been shifted across the globe from server to server. The hacker has moved the domain from Indonesia to Hong Kong to the US in an attempt to throw them off the trail. Web Networks is now struggling with two different domain registrars and a US Web host in an attempt to restore service to their users. Read more: http://www.apc.org/english/news/archive/web_001.htm --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- NEWS FROM THE PROGRAMS -- APC-WNSP: Cyber access to United Nations Decisions on Women A global coalition of women's information and media organisations, co-led by APC-WNSP, will ensure world access to the decisions made during the UN special session of the General Assembly entitled 'Women 2000 Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the 21st Century', from June 5-9. Through a daily newspaper (distributed at the conference and through Internet), daily radio programs, daily interactive TV programs and daily press releases, WomenAction 2000 will bring the latest information from New York to readers, listeners and viewers all over the world. To read more visit: http://www.apc.org/english/press/archive/wnsp_p011.htm APC-WNSP: Women's Programme meets in South Africa SANGONeT hosted a meeting of the the APC Women's Programme (fifteen women) as well as the Women's Networking Support Programme: Lessons Learned Project (seven women). These programmes were presented and reported on at the APC Council Meeting in Hungary in May 2000. APC-WNSP: WENT2000 June 19-25, Seoul, South Korea The Asian Women's Resource Exchange (AWORC) will be holding the "Asian Women's Electronic Network Training Workshop" (WENT2000), in Collaboration with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), to train participants in running web-based information services, in using online communication tools to advance their networking and advocacy work, and in developing databases. c2o personnel are assisting with training and course development. Chat Garcia Ramilo of APC WNSP's Lessons Learned project will also be conducting training. Watch the next APCNews for more news from this event! For more information and application forms refer to http://women.or.kr/~went2000/apply/. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- ONLINE EVENTS -- For information on all these online events, visit: APC Online Events: http://www.apc.org/english/ngos/calendar - Fifth Electronic International Symposium "Civil Society In The XXI Century" (Centro De Estudios Internacionales Para El Desarrollo) June 1 - 28, 2000 - Cyberfemmes at Beijing +5 (UN General assembly special session) June 4 - 9, 2000 (in French) - Online consultation - U.K. Department For International Development (DFID) and OneWorld announce Online Consultation on Information, Technology And Knowledge for Development May 8 - June 10 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- SITES OF INTEREST -- - TAT FAT SIZE TEMPLE http://www.toysatellite.com.au/tfst/ A generative, dark ambient sound machine inspired by the Rumah Sauh and Rumah Jeli, Iban longhouse communities, Sarawak, Malaysia. TFST is an attempt at creating an informative and interactive, sound-based Website of a culture in transition, one that endures both the urbanisation and economic imperatives that are alien to it. Tat Fat Size Temple (TFST) was produced by Toy Satellite, co-founded by c2o Director, Andrew Garton, and produced in association with the Australian Film Commission with the assistance of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. You'll need Flash 4 and Beatnik plug-ins. - COMMUNITY ICT PROJECTS IN SOUTH AFRICA http://www.community.org.za A Website for community Information and Communication Technology (ICT) projects in South Africa. This site aims to support action, discussion and research on Universal Access to ICTs, e.g. Telecentres and other types of community ICT projects in South Africa. - TISZA-SZAMOS RIVER CYANIDE DISASTER: Setting a Precedent for Financial Liability http://www.zpok.hu/cyanide or http://www.cian.hu Those of us at the APC Council Meeting talking to our hosts, Green Spider, ICT provider to environmental NGOs in Hungary, were horrified to hear the first hand accounts of the Tisza- Szamos River disaster, when cyanide and industrial heavy metals escaping from a mining project in Romania virtually sterilized the Tisza River in eastern Hungary. The incident has been described as the worst environmental disaster in Europe since Chernobyl. - YUN-DAI (Solidarity): PICIS International News Broadcast http://cast.jinbo.net/news/yundai.html and JINBONET: Korean Progressive Network expands English Website http://english.jinbo.net/jinbonews/ Jinbonet, APC's partner in South Korea has just launched an information-packed news site on progressive movements in South Korea. A Real Audio news broadcast service - Yun-Dai - with downloadable radio clips direct from Korea is also available and updated daily. Both sites are produced in English. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- The material for this newsletter is compiled and edited by the APC Web Editor, Karen Higgs . APCNews, in English, and APCNoticias, in Spanish, are distributed the first week of every month. An archive of APCNews can be found at http://www.apc.org/english/news/apcnews/index.htm This month's newsletter is a special anniversary edition in two parts. Copyright c.2000 Association for Progressive Communications (APC). Permission is granted to use this document for personal use and for training and educational publications and activities by peace, environmental, human rights or development organizations, provided an acknowledgment is given to the Association for Progressive Communications (APC).