--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- *APCNews, the monthly newsletter of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC)* - December 1999 No. 6 - --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- NEWS SPECIAL -- -- NEWS FROM THE MEMBERS -- -- PROGRAM NEWS -- -- SITES OF INTEREST -- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- NEWS SPECIAL -- WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION'S MILLENNIUM ROUND IN SEATTLE Under the portentous title, the 'Millennium Round', the world's most powerful governments in close contact with top industries and transnational companies will discuss issues that will have a direct impact on our daily lives, without having established any means by which to include a real participation on the part of civil society. The meeting begins in Seattle, USA, on November 30, 1999. A projected 50,000 protesters will take to the streets in protest. ITeM TELLS THE FULL STORY IN A NEW CD-ROM: FROM GATT TO THE WTO: The secret story of the Uruguay Round through 15 years of daily reports Roberto Bissio of the Third World Institute (ITeM) will be in Seattle to announce the release of "From GATT to the WTO", a CD-ROM containing a complete set of articles published in the SUNS (Special United Nations Service, later renamed South-North Development Monitor). The SUNS material includes not only the trade negotiations, but other international issues with a development focus. The documents included in this CD-ROM were published over the years in the SUNS, and cover a number of articles on General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the Uruguay Round (talks which produced the WTO) and the follow-up, in order to enable a deeper understanding of this important process and outcome. They make no claims to tell the "complete" story. But they do tell a story that won't be found in the "official records" because, during the Uruguay Round, negotiations were held mostly out of the public eye, and often in "informal meetings", thus avoiding the neccesity for official documentation. News articles and analysis from a Southern perspective were written by Chakravarthi Raghavan, the Chief Editor of the SUNS. The Third World Network (TWN) and NGONET (a project of the TWN's Latin American partner, Instituto del Tercer Mundo)produced this CD-ROM as a valuable resource and historical record of the Uruguay Round negotiations and of the developments during the first years of the World Trade Organization. Technical expertise in the production of the CD-ROM was provided by ITeM's communication and technological backbone, and APC member in Uruguay, Chasque. For an alternative perspective to the WTO meeting visit: The Third World Network Website http://www.twnside.org.sg/ To order the CD-ROM contact: Instituto del Tercer Mundo J.Jackson 1136 Montevideo 11200, Uruguay Fax: (5982) 401 9222 Tel: (5982) 409 6192 E-mail: ngonet@chasque.apc.org WTO COVERAGE AT APC NETWORKS APC member in the Spanish State, Nodo50, organizes on the Web in "WE ARE NOT COMMODITIES" (NO SOMOS MERCANCÍAS): http://www.nodo50.org/nosomosmercancias [Spanish language Website] IGC, APC member in the US, has articles summarizing what IGC members are doing around WTO, covering THE ACTIVIST RESPONSE TO THE WTO in: http://www.igc.org/igc/gateway/en/archive/arch110899.html and in EcoNet: FOLLOWING THE BATTLE IN SEATTLE: KEEPING TABS ON THE WTO http://www.igc.org/igc/gateway/enindex.html IGC's Webweaver, Steven Schulze, lives in Seattle and is taking lots of photos. So you can visit IGC's site for a slide show. [English language Website] GreenNet, British APC member, has put together links to information and planning ACTIVITIES, especially in the UK at: http://www.gn.apc.org/activities/wtoseattle.html [English language Website] --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- NEWS FROM THE MEMBERS - GREENNET: CAMPAIGN TO STOP INTERNET LEGISLATION IN THE U.K. GreenNet believes new Internet legislation being proposed by the British government, giving the police sweeping powers to intercept Internet communication and read private email, is a serious threat to civil rights. Members of the GreenNet collective could face penalties of up to five years jail for trying to protect their users against the effects of these new measures. The proposed amendments to the Interception of Communication Act (IOCA) will extend the powers the police, and other British law enforcement agencies already have to tap telephone communications by allowing them to also intercept email communications. At the same time, it will be made easier for law enforcement bodies to obtain and extend interception of communication orders. Internet Service Providers will be required by law to build "basic intercept capabilities" into their systems. When served with an interception of communication order they will have to intercept targeted email and make it available to law enforcement bodies. Of most concern to GreenNet is the fact that it is likely that police will share information obtained in Britain with other police forces world-wide. The justification is partly to 'catch criminals' but in many parts of the world, struggling for basic human rights is labelled criminal. Many overseas activists are regarded as 'criminals' in their own countries. Andy Whitmore of GreenNet:" As part of a global progressive communications network, the APC, we are concerned that information passed on by British police under the act could be used by repressive regimes to target our users who are struggling for democratic rights." To receive further information on the campaign please e-mail: For more information: http://www.gn.apc.org/activities/ioca/ CHASQUE: URUGUAYANS GET REAL-TIME ONLINE COVERAGE OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS Uruguayans went to the polls on Sunday November 28, 1999 for a second round vote to decide the President for the next five years. It was a historic occasion, given that for the first time in 150 years a third party had emerged as a serious contender to the conservative 'Colorado' and 'Blanco' parties. Not only that, but the third party, the Frente Amplio, is left-wing and includes many former members of the Tupamaro revolutionary group which fought a guerrilla campaign against the military dictatorship of the 1970s and 1980s. Chasque provided excellent news coverage throughout the political campaign, and was cited by many sources, including the BBC, culminating in a real-time online broadcast of the results and events during the night of the elections. See the election coverage at: http://www.us.uruguaytotal.com/elecciones/ IGC: NEW CONTENT AND TOOLS FOR PROGRESSIVE NGOS IN THE UNITED STATES IGC is pleased to announce the successful launch of their re-designed Web site http://www.igc.org ! After two years of strategic planning and many months of design and implementation, IGC's new focus on content and tools for progressive NGOs has been realized in Web form. Although some features remain the same, there have been some big changes. The LaborNet steering committee has elected to run that network as an independent entity, although IGC will still host the labour discussion areas. Likewise, IGC has discontinued ConflictNet as there are excellent sites elsewhere on the Web working with conflict resolution and mediation professionals. They do still carry the ConflictNet discussion areas, and continue to cover those issues as they relate to PeaceNet. In partnership with Project Change, IGC has begun a new network, Anti-RacismNet, to provide resources in the areas of race and diversity. You can visit this new addition at: http://www.anti-racism.net/ New benefits for member organizations include the ability to accept online donations, host a calendar on their site that posts events to the IGC calendar, and post job listings. IGC's Member directory and "Browse Sites By Category" option provide annotated listings for each organization rather than a simple link. Feature articles, photos, headlines and alerts will be drawn primarily from members' sites. In addition, IGC will provide consulting at reduced rates and annual Web-tune-ups for member organizations. For a complete description of benefits for member organizations and individuals, see: http://www.igc.org/igc/gateway/join.html COLNODO: COLNODO PORTAL WINS TOP HONOURS IN COLOMBIAN WEB AWARDS Colnodo won a national award for 'Best Colombian Portal' for their Orientation Colombia Portal in a ceremony televised in Colombia on November 25, 1999. The awards were presented at the first ever Colombian Web awards ceremony organized by the Colombian Chamber for Computing and Telecommunications (CCIT) whose goal is to encourage the development of the Web industry in Colombia and the use of Spanish on the Internet. Congratulations, Colnodo! The winning portal is at: http://www.orientation.com.co The prize winners can be found at: http://www.ccit.org.co/concurso/novedades.html INTERCOM: BILINGUAL SEARCH ENGINE FOCUSSED ON ECUADOR LAUNCHED Intercom, APC member in Ecuador, has just launched the first ever English/Spanish search engine entirely devoted to Ecuadorian themes and interests. It has the most complete directory of Ecuadorian Websites available online and includes news, online surveys, weather reports and Web reviews. Intercom is the third APC network to work in partnership with Orientation Global Network Inc. to produce a national Web portal. Orientation Ecuador: http://ec.orientation.com --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- PROGRAM NEWS -- APC WOMEN'S NETWORKING SUPPORT PROGRAMME: FIVE YEARS AFTER BEIJING WOMEN USE THE INTERNET TO HOLD GOVERNMENTS ACCOUNTABLE The WomenAction 2000 Website was launched on November 25th 1999. WomenAction is a global coalition of international and regional information, communication and media networks. It aims to enable NGOs to actively engage in the Beijing+5 review process for women's empowerment, with a special focus on women and media. The WomenAction Global Website provides women's organisations with a platform that links regional activities strategizing around the Beijing Platform of Action review process. It has a special focus on Women and Media (Section J of the Beijing Platform For Action) with information on how NGOs can get involved in online critical discussions, create an alternative global report on Section J and highlight the work of women's groups to redress women's portrayal and position in the media. The Website is hosted and managed by the WomenAction Network. Content is provided by the national and regional members of WomenAction 2000 including AWORC (The Asian Women's Resource Exchange), FLAME (African Sisters Online), European WomenAction 2000, ALAI (Ecuador) and ISIS Chile. WomenAction is co-ordinated by the International Women's Tribune Centre (IWTC) and the APC Women's Networking Support Programme. Visit the new Website at: http://www.womenaction.org --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- ONLINE EVENTS -- FLAMME-List! African Women's Online Meeting Space Flame/Flamme, an online network of African women committed to strengthening the capacity of women through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), invites you to join their new mailing list, African Women's Online Meeting Space. In order to maximize the opportunity of gathering women together electronically, they are looking at how women in Africa are using ICTs as communicative and information sharing mechanisms. The African Women's Online Meeting Space was launched at the 6th African Regional Conference on Women in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (22-27th November 1999) and is co-ordinated by APC-Africa-Women, in partnership with FEMNET, the African Women's Development and Communication Network. The aim of this interactive discussion forum is to promote networking and action around Beijing +5 in Africa. This discussion forum will focus on how ICTs can be harnessed in the implementation of the Dakar and Beijing Platforms for Action and the outcomes will be presented at the New York Review in June 2000. Join the discussion: http://www2.sn.apc.org/wncontacts/subscribing/flammeform.cf m MAPPING ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE AND THE FORMER SOVIET UNION: Online Dialogue on the Environment December 7 1999 8-10 am Eastern Standard Time (EST) Questions and Answer Session with authors You are invited to participate in the first of a series of electronic forums on environmental progress in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Leading thinkers on economic development, public participation, and the evolution of environmental policy and legislation will present their views for your consideration and discussion. The Dialogue is sponsored by USAID to mark ten years of environmental change in these regions, although the views expressed will be those of the authors. There is a bulletin board on the Web site for those who wish to participate in the Dialogue by posting questions or comments before or after the Question and Answer Session. Participants who cannot access the Web site are encouraged to email questions to the Webmaster (delhotal@devtechsys.com) ahead of time, or to fax Ms. Delhotal at 001-202/ 955-7936. Join the discussion: www.envirodialogue.net GLOBAL ONLINE CONSULTATION ON WOMEN AND MEDIA Nov 8 - Dec 18 From November 8th through December 18th, a global online consultation hosted by WomenWatch is taking place. The goal of the "Women and Media" Working Group is to discuss if the objectives of the Beijing Platform For Action regarding women and media have been realized and what still needs to be done. Has there been progress in portrayal and position of women in media? What are the emerging issues in the area of communications? Can these be seen as obstacles or opportunities for women? This online discussion was announced in an APCNewsFlash in November. You can see for yourself how the discussion is developing at: http://www.sdnp.undp.org/ww/women-media Join the discussion: Send a message to majordomo@sdnp.undp.org, with the following as first line of the message: subscribe women-media --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- - SITES OF INTEREST - CAMPAIGN AGAINST FASCISM (Campaña contra el fascismo) NO PASARÁN!!! Anti-fascist demonstrations are being organized all over the Spanish state to commemorate the death of Franco. This Website, produced by Nodo50, collects Anti-fascist campaign coverage and related information from all over Europe. http://www2.nodo50.org/nopasaran [Spanish language Website] [Produced by Nodo50, part of IPANEX, APC member in the Spanish State] ECOLOGISTS IN ACTION (Ecologistas en Acción) One of the premier Spanish ecology organizations. Papers, News, Meetings Agenda, Search. http://www.nodo50.org/ecologistas [Spanish language Website] [Produced by Nodo50, part of IPANEX, APC member in the Spanish State] LATIN AMERICAN REVIEW (Resumen Latinoamericano) Bimonthly newspaper on Latin America produced in the Spanish State. 44th Edition just published. http://www.nodo50.org/resumen/resumen44/ [Spanish language Website] [Produced by Nodo50, part of IPANEX, APC member in the Spanish State] --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- IMPORTANT NOTE: APCNews will be taking a break in January. The next edition will appear at the beginning of February 2000. 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. Copyright c.1999 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).