[APCPress] APCNews - August 2004 - No. 44

Karen Higgs khiggs at apc.org
Mon Aug 30 20:46:19 BST 2004 

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              *APCNews, the monthly newsletter of the
	Association for Progressive Communications (APC)*
			- August 2004 No. 44 -
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-- NEWS FROM THE MEMBERS --
-- ICT POLICY & INTERNET RIGHTS --
-- WOMEN & ICTs --
-- ONLINE TOOLS & RESOURCES --
-- COLLABORATING OPPORTUNITIES -
-- IMPORTANT DATES –
-- WHERE IN THE WORLD IS APC IN SEPTEMBER? --
-- WHAT’S NEW ON THE APC WEBSITE --
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-- NEWS FROM THE MEMBERS --

Fantsuam Foundation, Nigeria: The Zitt Geeks - Young Nigerians turn to
computing to improve their job prospects

The Fantsuam Foundation provides refurbished computers to civil society
organisations and partners, runs computer training centres and offers
the only internet connection for hundreds of miles around in rural
Nigeria. All this in Kafanchan State where electricity is often
unavailable and innovators power their computers using car batteries.
The Foundation’s work is supported by a home-grown corps of ICT youth
volunteers, the Zitt Geeks. The Geeks are already free software devotees
and they are the first participants in Fantsuam’s business incubator
which provides training, mentoring and funding to enable enterprising
youths to become self-employed. -- APCNews
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=25017


BlueLink, Bulgaria: Alert - Government ignores impact assessment in rush
to build nuclear power plant

Bulgarian environmental organisations have formed a coalition protesting
the planned construction of a second nuclear power plant in Bulgaria.
“The government has already announced that the decision for constructing
the plant is made despite the fact that the public hearings and an
environmental impact assessment have not been finished,” says a
representative of the coalition coordinator, APC member, BlueLink. “We
ask governments and civil society groups to contact the Bulgarian
government questioning the project.” Campaign volunteers can write to
beleNE at bluelink.net.
Campaign site: http://bluelink.net/belene/e_index.shtml


Computer Aid International, UK: Agreement to increase access to
refurbished computers in Africa

Every year in the UK approximately 3 million PCs are decommissioned and
are no longer in use. A great many of these unused PCs are in fine
working order. Yet, in the developing world 99% of schoolchildren
graduate from high school not having seen or touched a computer in the
classroom. APC member in the UK, Computer Aid has supplied over 35,000
refurbished PCs to Africa over the past six years and intends to send an
additional 25,000 in the next year alone. In June, they signed a
partnership agreement with AITEC Africa, Africa’s leading organiser of
ICT exhibitions and conferences to provide a framework for cooperation
between the two organisations to improve the supply of low-cost
computers to African institutions. -- APCNews
Computer Aid International: http://www.computeraid.org


C2o, Australia: Local communities in Australia relive history and
organise online

One neighbourhood retraces its history through an online archive of web
pages, photos, and audio clips. It is a rich telling of anecdotal
histories of Aboriginal mounted police, a prisoner of war camp, and more
that would otherwise be lost. Another community has built a website to
monitor the media regarding development planning that could make or
break the community. - c2o
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=25021


SANGONeT, South Africa: First annual "ICTs and civil society" conference
to take place in March 2005

APC member, the Southern African NGO Network (SANGONeT), will be
organising its first annual "ICTs and Civil Society" conference to take
place from 2-4 March 2005 in Johannesburg, South Africa. -- SANGONeT
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=25026


Women’sNet, South Africa: Hands-on workshop on free software targets
women technicians from Southern Africa

 From 6-10 September 2004 in Johannesburg, South Africa, APC member
Women'sNet will host a southern Africa-wide workshop to build awareness
of and demonstrate the potential use of free and open source software
(FOSS) in the non-profit sector, and women's organisations specifically.
For more information contact: Natasha Primo natasha at womensnet.org.za –
Women’sNet
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=25034


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-- ICT POLICY & INTERNET RIGHTS --

ALERT: US$10 million libel suit against media advocate

A young Thai journalist is being taken to court for around $10 million
dollars after she alleged a major corporation was benefiting financially
from its connections to the Thai prime minister. Press freedom
organisations claim the exaggerated sum involved and the backing of the
Thai government for the case will set a chilling precedent and undermine
the constitutionallyguaranteed rights of Thai journalists and civil
society to scrutinise government policies and decisions. APC recently
met the journalist, Supinya Klangnarong, at a communications rights
conference in Manila. - SEAPA/IFEX
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/60874/


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-- WOMEN & ICTs -

Catalysing a Gender and ICT Advocacy Movement: Report from the first APC
women’s programme policy conference for change and empowerment

“We are constantly urged to make the case for gender and ICT,” said
Karen Banks, former coordinator of the APC Women’s Networking Support
Programme in her opening address to the APC WNSP’s first gender and ICT
policy conference. “ICT policy makers, funders, governments and even
civil society ICT advocates ask ‘why gender?’ and the women's movement
asks ‘why ICTs?’” Analysis of the debates that dominated the two-day
meeting in Rio de Janeiro in June now online. – APC WNSP
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=25050


New report: Bridging the Gender Digital Divide – Challenges in Central
and Eastern Europe and the ex-Soviet states

A research study “Bridging the Gender Digital Divide: A Report on Gender
and Information and Communication Technologies in Central and Eastern
Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CEE/CIS)” produced by
UNIFEM in collaboration with UNDP and Lenka Simerska and Katerina
Fialova of the APC women’s programme (APC WNSP) reports that women in
CEE/CIS share many of the challenges experienced by women in other world
regions. But there are also some issues specific to this region that
needs to be examined in the context of the legacy of communism and
historical and cultural sub-regional diversities. – APC WNSP
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=25036


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-- ONLINE TOOLS & RESOURCES --

New Report: Bridging the Gender Digital Divide - gender and ICT in
Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States

This research study produced by UNIFEM in collaboration with UNDP and
the APC women’s programme (APC WNSP) documents that women in CEE/CIS
share many of the challenges experienced by women in other world
regions, but there are also some issues specific to this region that
needs to be examined in the context of the legacy of communism and the
historical and cultural sub-regional diversities.
http://web.undp.sk/uploads/Gender%20and%20ICT%20reg_rep_eng.pdf

Report: Reporters Without Borders - The internet under surveillance 2004

The freedom of the press organisation’s report on the obstacles to the
free flow of information online.
http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=433

Website: Internet rights in the Arab world

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information website contains a whole
section on internet rights issues in the Arab world including the report
“The Internet In the Arab World: A New Space of Repression?”
http://www.hrinfo.org/en/reports/net2004/index.shtml (report)
http://www.hrinfo.org/en/


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-- COLLABORATING OPPORTUNITIES -

COL: Grants for innovative use of ICTs to reduce rural poverty

The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) invites proposals for initiatives
that need expertise and limited financial support for their success in
helping to alleviate rural poverty. Applicants must be from Commonwealth
countries. Deadline: Sept 15 2004
http://www.col.org/programmes/capacity/protein.htm

UNESCO:  Call for television proposals on ICT-enhanced public service
broadcasting

Within the framework of their “Harnessing ICTs for the audiovisual
industry and public service broadcasting in developing countries”
project, UNESCO is launching a call to television and film professionals
to submit their production proposals for a series of production grants
not exceeding US$15,000. Broadcasting must contribute to the development
of human rights, peace, tolerance and the fight against discrimination.
http://creativecontent.unesco.org/news/item?item_id=5302


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-- IMPORTANT DATES --

VII Workshop for Latin America and the Caribbean on Network Technologies
October 4-8 2004, Cusco, Peru

Since 1992, ESLARED (the Latin America Network School) has provided
advanced training in everything related to network technology and
promoted the debate on crucial issues concerning information and
communication technologies and the region's development. Training is
participatory and free software-oriented. This seventh annual training
event features an in-depth five-day course on the free software content
management system, APC ActionApps run by APC member Colnodo and the ICA.
http://www.walc2004.cepes.org.pe/index_en.shtml


-- WHERE IN THE WORLD IS APC IN SEPTEMBER? --

You can meet up with APC and/or APC WNSP (APC women’s programme)
representatives at the events below during September. Write to
events at apc.org to obtain contact information. See you there!

Freifunk.net Summer Convention 2004 - Wireless4Development
September 03-10, Djursland, Denmark

Women’sNet/APC-Africa-Women Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Workshop
Sep 6-10, Johannesburg, South Africa

High-level Intergovernmental Meeting to review the regional
implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action
Sep 7-10, Bangkok, Thailand
http://www.unescap.org/esid/GAD/Events/Highlevel%20meeting%20Sep%202004/index.asp

Jordan ICT Forum 2004
Sep 14-15, Jordan
http://www.jordanictorum.com

Highway Africa 2004
Sep 16-19, Grahamstown, South Africa
http://www.highwayafrica.org.za

Communications Rights in the Information Society (CRIS) Global
Governance Project Kenya validation workshop
Sep 20-21, Nairobi, Kenya

Catalysing Access to ICT in Africa (CATIA) 1F International ICT Policy
workshop
Sep 20-21, Dakar, Senegal
http://catia.ws

WSIS Working Group on Internet Governance consultation
Sep 20-21, Geneva, Switzerland
http://www.itu.int/wsis/preparatory2/wgig/index.html

Expert meeting on free and open source software: Policy and development
implications
Sep 22-24, Geneva, Switzerland
http://www.unctad.org/Templates/meeting.asp?intItemID=1942&lang=1& m=8936


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-- WHAT’S NEW ON THE APC WEBSITE --

"ICT Policy: A Beginner's Handbook" online

First published in soft-back in December 2003, this acclaimed handbook
is for people who want orientation about information and communications
technology (ICT) and internet policies, who want to understand how the
internet and markets work, the background on policy and regulation, and
what's at stake for ordinary citizens. http://rights.apc.org/handbook


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APCNews, in English, and APCNoticias, in Spanish, are distributed
monthly by APC – a worldwide network supporting the use of internet and
ICTs for social justice and sustainable development since 1990.
APCNews Archive: http://www.apc.org/english/news/apcnews/

CopyLeft. 2004 Association for Progressive Communications (APC).
Permission is granted to use this document for personal use, for
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