civil society & ICT

30.09.2004 Communications Rights in the Information Society (CRIS) has released its vision of the information society and invited people to join the campaign. It says civil society organisations should come together to build an information society based on transparency, diversity and social and economic justice.

29.09.2004 “Community Radio is one platform where each and every member can participate in some form or the other,” says Kavita Bisht, member of a radio listeners’ club in India’s Uttaranchal state. Till the Indian government allows licences for independent community radio stations, five groups in Uttaranchal are narrowcasting local stories through a cable network.

28.09.2004 Members of the International Telecommunications Union have met to approve
studies that will help developing countries create information societies. The meeting also took up issues that could be discussed by the World Telecommunication Development Conference scheduled in Qatar in March 2006.

27.09.2004 The Global Knowledge Partnership is organising a South-South Exchange
Travelling Workshop from 15-22 October 2004. It will allow sharing of ICT-enabled development perspectives between village communities in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry and civil societies from developing countries. The workshop will be hosted by M S Swaminathan Research Foundation.

22.09.2004 A UNIFEM report has suggested that radio and multimedia are the appropriate ICT technologies for the empowerment of disadvantaged women in South Asia. The report also calls for private sector support in technology and funding, and gender-sensitive policies.

22.09.2004 The Go Open Source is a South Africa-wide campaign aimed at raising awareness about open source software (OSS) amongst non-specialist information technology (IT) users. The message of the campaign is that of choice and the advantages of OSS.

22.09.2004 The Go Open Source is a South Africa-wide campaign aimed at raising awareness about open source software (OSS) amongst non-specialist information technology (IT) users. The message of the campaign is that of choice and the advantages of OSS.

22.09.2004 Member countries have endorsed the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation’s new initiatives in using ICTs to bridge the digital divide. At the second annual CTO Forum held on 20-21 September 2004 in Colombo, delegates said that the organisation was constantly expanding its role to match the changes happening in the ICT sector.

20.09.2004 An SMS-based service started by the government is changing how the people of Andhra Pradesh, India, pay their utility bills. Customers are sent message alerts on their dues by the state government’s G2B service provider. They can message back the details of payments made.

20.09.2004 A poor human rights record has sparked off protests against Tunisia’s selection as the host of the second phase of World Summit on Information Society (WSIS). Many media and advocacy groups in Africa have called on United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to consider changing the venue.

17.09.2004 A group of civil society organisations in India have sent out a strong message to the country’s telecommunications regulatory body, asking for liberal licensing norms for community radio. In a joint representation coordinated by OneWorld South Asia’s ICT Advocacy team, 38 NGOs, universities and community media organisations told the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India that the scope of community radio be expanded beyond educational institutions and universities.

16.09.2004 Local people interested in learning computers are turning up at the new community multimedia centre in a neighbourhood in Benin. The UNESCO-supported telecentre does not have its own community radio station yet but has linked up with a nearby FM station for an hour’s broadcasting every day.

16.09.2004 If Mel Cornelison has a job after 18 months of unemployment, he can only thank a free voice mail service that is being offered to homeless people in cities in the United States. The non-profit Community Voice Mail project helps people find potential employers, and social service agencies and relatives contact them.

15.09.2004 The draft ICT Empowerment Charter of South Africa is now empowered with inputs from the civil society organisations as they brought out their recommendations on the Charter. The crucial role of the development sector in bridging the digital divide has been raised in this submission.

15.09.2004 The draft ICT Empowerment Charter of South Africa is now empowered with inputs from the civil society organisations as they brought out their recommendations on the Charter. The crucial role of the development sector in bridging the digital divide has been raised in this submission.

14.09.2004 Fantsuam Foundation, an NGO, has provided internet connectivity to the villages of Kaduna state in Nigeria through satellite. Young volunteers tried the technologies and started entrepreneurial activities using the project facilities.

13.09.2004 The One World Broadcasting Trust welcomes applications to the 2004 One World-British Council Fellowship scheme. We welcome senior radio and tv broadcasters from developing world countries in the Commonwealth to participate. Fellows will meet with leading figures within the UK media to discuss issues affecting media practitioners. Deadline is Friday 17 September.

07.09.2004 The International Telecommunications Union has invited comments as it takes
stock of initiatives taken by governments to implement the WSIS Plan of Action. The comments can be sent to the WSIS secretariat on a questionnaire
by 14 September 2004.

06.09.2004 Rakhi, a vocational training student in a Delhi slum, grabs the computer mouse whenever she forgets her lessons. In a few months, Rakhi will join hundreds of women who have stepped out of homes and taken charge of their lives.

06.09.2004 Nearly 200 participants shared their vision of an ICT-enabled future in the rural areas of Africa, Caribbean and Pacific countries through an international writing contest. The winners will attend an ICT meeting in The Netherlands on 27-30 September 2004.