[APCPress] APCNews -- December 2006 -- No. 71

Wed Dec 13 17:31:29 GMT 2006

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                *APCNews, the monthly newsletter of the
           Association for Progressive Communications (APC)*
                     December 2006 No. 71
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-- NEWS FROM THE MEMBERS --
-- NEWS FROM APC --
-- ICT POLICY & INTERNET RIGHTS --
-- STRATEGIC USES & CAPACITY BUILDING --
-- WOMEN & ICTs –-
-- LABOUR & ICTs –-
-- APC IN THE NEWS --
-- ONLINE TOOLS & RESOURCES --
-- COLLABORATING OPPORTUNITIES --
-- SITES OF INTEREST --
-- IMPORTANT DATES --
-- WHERE IN THE WORLD IS APC --
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-- NEWS FROM THE MEMBERS –-

BYTES FOR ALL, South Asia: BytesForAll takes a closer look at FOSS in 
South Asia

Free and open source software (FOSS) is increasingly noticed in
India. APC member BytesForAll's mailing list [1] is one of the few
ICT-for-development lists that closely reports on FOSS initiatives 
within India and the rest of South Asia. FOSS.in is an annual tech 
summit held in Bangalore that has been getting growing attention beyond 
the region, and is reported on  by the network's Frederick Noronha here 
[2]. - BytesForAll
[1] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bytesforall_readers
[2] http://www.linuxworld.com/news/2006/112306-foss-in.html

CECS, South Africa: CECS offers training for community radio e-readiness

APC-member Community Education Computer Society (CECS) has conducted an 
e-readiness training for community radio stations in South Africa in 
July 2006. Participants were introduced to free and open source software 
(FOSS) as well as public good intellectual property licenses. – APCNews
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=5045434

GREENNET, United Kingdom: GreenNet turns 20 as the leaves turn red

GreenNet, APC’s member organisation in London, began as a cheap and 
effective way for environmental activists to communicate. That was back 
in 1986. In 1987 GreenNet went international and started offering a 
gateway for small, indigenous networks in Africa and Asia. It has since 
then been increasingly active in areas such as training and consultancy 
around open source software and wireless technology for the non-profit 
sector. GreenNet is now 20 years old! Read about its history here. – APCNews
http://www.apc.org/english/about/history/english.shtml?cmd[384]=x-575-5319

JCAFE, Japan: “The discussion about diversity must not get lost in 
diversity”

Over the past few years, a considerable number of discussions have been 
conducted on linguistic diversity in the online world. It has brought 
with it a controversy, in part due to the fact that the spread of the 
internet is frequently hailed as a cause for the loss of cultural 
diversity. At the Internet Governance Forum in November though, much 
attention was given to the protection of linguistic diversity, reports 
APC’s newest member, Japan Computer Access for Empowerment (JCAFE). – JCAFE
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=5045422

RITS, Brazil: RITS develops internet telephone system for Brazilian 
social activists

A complete solution to reduce telephony costs for civil society 
organisations: that's Brazilian APC member RITS goal by developing its 
own voice over internet protocol (VoIP) system, which has just been 
released for its associates. The system has been through an experimental 
phase, during which RITS and Fase, one of the most established 
non-governmental organisations in Brazil, were able to intercommunicate 
for free and could also make long distance and international calls at 
reduced rates - from 40% to 80% less. The system is easy to use and can 
be accessed at the office, at home or on the road, and it is not just 
computer-based. VoIP calls may also be completed using conventional 
telephones. - RITS
More about RITS: http://www.rits.org.br/

SANGONeT, South Africa: Internet, civil society and social justice - 
Getting the tech right in Southern Africa

The South African non-governmental organisation network (SANGONeT) has 
been at the forefront of South Africa’s civil society in matters related 
to information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the internet 
since the early 90s. How that came to be and how SANGONeT is using 
technology is discussed with SANGONeT portal editor Fazila Farouk here. 
– APCNews
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=5044478

WOUGNET, Uganda: National Internet Governance Forum held in Kampala

In preparation for the inaugural IGF with the theme 'Internet Governance 
for Development' in Athens, Greece, the first meeting of the Uganda 
Internet Governance Forum was held on 13th October 2006 in Kampala. A 
report of the workshop will be made available on the WOUGNET site 
shortly. – WOUGNET
For more information or for inquiries, please send email to 
ictpolicy at wougnet.org
http://www.wougnet.org

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-- NEWS FROM APC --

APC ON HOLIDAY BREAK

The APC virtual offices will be closed from Wednesday December 20 2006 
until Monday January 8 2007. Happy holidays to all readers! - APC

NEW APC MEMBER IN JAPAN: JCAFE - Taking cyber-skills to those who need it

Skills for the people. That's the motto of APC's newest member, the 
Tokyo-based Japan Computer Access For Empowerment (JCAFE). JCAFE's 
agenda is to "fill the gap" between the potential offered by the 
internet, and the blocks to accessing it - especially by 
non-governmental organisations which lack the technology and skills to 
take advantage of it. - APCNews
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=5046015

NEW PUBLICATION: “Bridging the Gender Digital Divide” in Russian: A 
report on gender and ICTs in the CEE and CIS regions

Produced by United Nations agencies UNIFE and UNDP, in collaboration 
with Lenka Simerska and Katerina Fialova of the APC women’s programme 
(APC WNSP), this major study is now available on the internet: 
http://europeandcis.undp.org/?menu=p_cms/show&content_id=67C8B43E-F203-1EE9-B5A03F7F4D31F2A1 

A hard copy is also available upon request. Please contact Rustam 
Pulatov at rustam.pulatov [at] undp.org and the UNDP publication centre 
at publications.europeandcis [at] undp.org. - APCNews
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=25036

NEW RESOURCE: APC updates groundbreaking Internet Rights Charter

The internet can only be a tool to empower the peoples of the world if a 
number of crucial rights are recognised, protected and respected. APC's 
revised charter includes a section on internet governance -the focus of 
recent UN summits- and our position that the internet is a global public 
good. The charter was launched in November –and is also available in 
Spanish and French - APC
http://rights.apc.org/charter.shtml
http://rights.apc.org/documents/APC_charter_ES.pdf (in Spanish)
http://rights.apc.org/documents/APC_charter_FR.pdf (in French)

STUDY: APC’s policy work evaluated: “APC is highly respected”

 From August 2005 until April 2006, an evaluation of APC’s information 
and communication technology (ICT) policy involvement from 2002 to 
mid-2005 was carried out by an independent consultant. “The overall 
conclusion from this evaluation has to be that APC is an energetic, 
active, committed organisation that has achieved a lot with limited 
staff and resources. [.. and] APC is highly respected. This respect 
comes from a range of different players and extends over technical, 
advocacy, and political aspects of its work,” but, says the evaluation, 
“Perhaps the overwhelming message is to aim lower.” You can read the 
results in this 55-page report. - APCNews
http://rights.apc.org/documents/apc_cippevaluation_2005.pdf

UPDATED SITE: APC Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) ICT policy monitor

APC aims to demystify internet policies and regulations with an updated 
version of an important web site that is the only one of its kind across 
Latin America and the Caribbean. The updated monitor site has a new 
design and structure, which makes it easier to search for the material 
that Latin American civil society needs to be able to have a greater and 
more effective voice in local and regional negotiations over ICT 
policies. - APC LAC monitor
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=5043981

NEW APC POLICY ISSUE PAPERS in English and French

On the occasion of the Internet Governance Forum, the Association for 
Progressive Communications launched three new papers on key ICT policy 
and internet rights issues.

CONVERGENCE: The importance of convergence in the ICT policy environment
By Kate Wild
http://rights.apc.org/documents/convergence_EN.pdf (English)
http://rights.apc.org/documents/convergence_FR.pdf (French)

OPEN ACESS: Lowering the costs of international bandwidth in Africa
By Mike Jensen
http://rights.apc.org/documents/open_access_EN.pdf (English)
http://rights.apc.org/documents/open_access_FR.pdf (French)

WSIS: Whose information society? Developing country and civil society 
voices in the World Summit on the Information Society
By David Souter
http://rights.apc.org/documents/wsis_EN.pdf (English)

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-- ICT POLICY & INTERNET RIGHTS --

ARTICLE: Moving towards an internet-age Bill of Rights

A bill of rights for the internet age has been proposed at a United 
Nations' first meeting of the Internet Governance Forum in Athens. It is 
an attempt to "update and restate" rights that have been enshrined in 
international law for centuries, according to the civil liberties group 
IP Justice. This campaign for the recognition of inalienable rights on 
the web also brings into focus the APC Internet Rights Charter. – APCNews
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=5045868

VIDEO: The right to share

Watch APC executive director Anriette Esterhuysen making the case for 
the "right to share" at the first Internet Governance Forum in Athens on 
November 2 2006. The right to share is a centrepiece of APC's 
groundbreaking and fully revamped Internet Rights Charter. This new 
right is advanced in a context of increasing privatisation of content on 
the net. "Sharing, openness is absolutely essential," says Esterhuysen 
in this 1:02 minute video streamed on YouTube and recorded by IPJustice. 
For the full APC Internet Rights Charter, please visit: 
http://rights.apc.org/charter.shtml - APC blog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-8QQHvP7Tc&mode=related&search=

ARTICLE: A utopia called diversity?

What does diversity mean in the internet age? Linguistic and content 
plurality was the approach chosen by the organising committee for the 
Internet Governance Forum, which took place in Athens, Greece, from 
October 29th to November 2nd. – APCNews
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=5044472

INTERNET GOVERNANCE FORUM: Latin America causes a stir at the Internet 
Governance Forum

What priorities did Latin America take in its suitcase to the first 
Internet Governance Forum? How did all the sectors participate in what 
was a pioneering event in this kind of format? APCNoticias, APCNews’ 
Spanish sister newsletter spoke to Raúl Echeberría, executive director 
of LACNIC, the Latin America and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry. 
APC translated the interview into English. – APCNoticias
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=5044474

ARTICLE: Indian media freedom campaigners welcome new community radio policy

Eleven years after the Indian Supreme Court directed New Delhi to "open 
up the airwaves", campaigners who battled long for this to happen gave a 
sigh of relief when India finally opened up its broadcasts to community 
radio in mid November 2006. – APCNews
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=5046748

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-- STRATEGIC USES & CAPACITY BUILDING --

ARTICLE: Wireless-for-development, techies and campaigners look at 
potential for the social world

You can't see it; you can't even know it exists. But for enabling data 
communication on the fringes of an internet-enriched globe, wireless 
communication makes a world of a difference. For groups like the 
Association for Progressive Communications (APC), it offers untapped 
power in harnessing wireless technology for social purposes. – APCNews
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=5045426

WIRELESS REPORT: Forget the wires, surf the airwaves

“ICTs play an increasingly important role in the day-to-day work of 
community radio producers,” stated APC’s Karel Novotny at the ninth 
annual conference of AMARC, the World Association of Community Radio 
Broadcasters conference which took place in Jordan’s capital city of 
Amman between November 11 and 17 2006. Novotny and colleagues of the 
Association for Progressive Communications (APC) were there to 
contribute two workshops: one on community wireless networking and the 
other on the gender evaluation methodology (GEM). This article looks at 
the wireless efforts specifically. – APCNews
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=5046752

BLOGGING from JORDAN: Wireless training at AMARC 9
By Karel Novotný

Our team was small, but visible. As the AMARC 9 was kicked off, we 
prepared a training room in a side hall, used as a passage by waiters 
running from the kitchen to the restaurant on the first floor. – APC blog
http://blog.apc.org/en/index.shtml?x=5044333

BLOGGING from JORDAN: Wireless training at AMARC 9
By Elizabeth DiNovella for The Progressive

"Would you like some pineapple?” someone asked me as soon as I entered 
the small meeting room at the back of the hotel restaurant. A big bowl 
of pineapple sat on a table. The cans the fruit came in were being 
magically transformed into a wireless network.  The talented folks from 
the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) were teaching 
people how to make a wireless internet connection travel via tin cans. 
After two days of work, the “cantennas” were finally transmitting 
signals. – The Progressive
http://www.progressive.org/node/4227

BLOGGING from Nepal: Open source Campaign in Schools of Nepal
By Jayaram Timsina

In the present context of Nepal, excluding the government offices and 
huge financial institutions, more than 90% of the PC’s run pirated 
version of Microsoft Windows. Despite the persuasion and the creation of 
awareness, as long as the piracy continues it will always be difficult 
for the users to switch to Open Source alternatives such as Linux. The 
major reasons behind it are the cost and the vendor lock. – APC blog
http://blog.apc.org/en/index.shtml?x=5043853

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-- WOMEN & ICTs –-

CAMPAIGN: Take back the tech!

How many hours a day do you spend using some kind of ICT tool? Have you 
ever wondered how it connects with violence against women? Can things 
like mobile phones, webcams, blogs and videogames transform power 
relations between women and men? From November 25 to December 10, APC 
Women’s Networking Support Programme (APC WNSP) “took back the tech!” 
For 16 days, this campaign engaged the public to think about how one can 
use internet and technology to eliminate, or perpetuate violence against 
women. Due to popular demand, the campaign is continuing beyond the 
planned dates. – APC WNSP
http://www.takebackthetech.net/

ARTICLE: From the Olympus to the internet, a new network of journalists 
with a gender perspective

Artemisa is a Greek goddess that inspired two Argentine communicators, 
Sandra Chaher and Sonia Santero, to promote the gender perspective in 
social communication. This “archetype" of the independent woman made its 
way from the Olympus to the internet, through the Artemisa News portal. 
On November 16 and 17, Artemisa Communication organised the first 
national forum for journalists with a gender perspective in Argentina. 
There, the PAR network was formed to raise the level of gender-sensitive 
journalism. APCNews spoke to Sandra about this meeting where solidarity 
and empathy took centre-stage. – APCNews
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=5046783

BLOGGING from AMMAN: Amplifying women's voices - we need to turn up the 
volume
By Jennifer Radloff

Mavic Cabrera-Balleza from IWTC opened the second day of the AMARC 
conference, which focuses on amplifying women's voices for gender 
equality...with the good news coming first. – APC blog
http://blog.apc.org/en/index.shtml?x=5044186

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-- LABOUR & ICTs –-

BLOGGING from SAN FRANCISCO: Labour and technology mix
By Frédéric Dubois

I'm writing from San Francisco. Looking out a huge window on Ellis 
street in the Tenderloin neighbourhood. Cars driving slowly on this 
Thursday morning, a "The San Francisco Examiner" newspaper box silently 
waiting to collect quarters, the sky heavy and grey. I'm in the Bay 
area, on the west coast of the United States, to take part in the 
LaborTech conference (Nov 17, 18 and 19), the place where labour and 
technology activists come together. – APC blog
http://blog.apc.org/en/index.shtml?x=5044465

BLOGGING from SAN FRANCISCO: Surveillance in the workplace
By Frédéric Dubois

In a panel entitled “The bosses’ use of technology, outsourcing and 
worker’s resistance”, in the currently ongoing LaborTech conference in 
beautiful San Francisco, labour educator Nancy Bupp talked about 
workplace surveillance in the US. – APC blog
http://blog.apc.org/en/index.shtml?x=5044558

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-- APC IN THE NEWS --

I-WITNESS, Panos blogs, United Kingdom: An invasion of privacy
December 5 2006

The latest annual report from the Association for Progressive 
Communications includes a story that reminded me of the darker side of 
the information society. It’s about a campaign in Japan against a 
proposed change to the Conspiracy Crime Law, which would mean that an 
agreement between just two people could be treated as a crime. – i-witnesses
http://panos.blogs.com/iwitnesses/2006/12/an_invasion_of_.html

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-- ONLINE TOOLS & RESOURCES --

HURIDOCS: HURIDOCS is a global capacity building network of 
organisations that use documentation techniques, monitoring methods, 
information management systems and available technologies in the defense 
of human rights and the prevention of abuses.
http://www.huridocs.org/

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-- COLLABORATING OPPORTUNITIES --

JOB OFFER: ENDA, Senegal is looking for three researchers

APC’s Senegalese member ENDA Tiers-Monde (Environment and development in 
the Third World) is opening three social science researcher positions in 
Burkina-Faso, Mali and Senegal, and which fall under the responsibility 
of the regional research coordinator. The theme of the research to be 
conducted is “Contribution of information and communication technologies 
(ICTs) to the abandoning of excision and feminine genital mutilations in 
Francophone Africa: The role of young citizens”. Deadline for applying 
is December 23 2006.
For more information: famafrique [at] enda.sn

FUNDS FOR PROJECTS: Latin Americans eligible for funds to create new 
media projects

Individuals and organisations from Latin America and the Caribbean may 
apply for grants to develop innovative media projects as part of a $5 
million competition launched by the John S. and James L. Knight 
Foundation. The Knight Brothers 21st Century News Challenge will fund 
projects which use new methods to help citizens expand connections in 
their communities. Applications are available on line until December 31 
2006. Individuals, organisations and businesses are invited to apply.
http://www.knightfdn.org

SCHOLARSHIPS: The University of Manchester's Brooks World Poverty 
Institute announces a series of scholarships for PhD studies

PhD studies are to be focused on poverty analysis, starting in the 
academic year 2007/8. This can include study on the relation between 
ICTs and poverty. To be considered for these scholarships, candidates 
will need to apply to study for a PhD via the normal university process. 
All components of the application must be completed by 31 January 2007. 
For specific enquiries about PhD study on ICTs and poverty with the 
Development Informatics Group,
please contact Dr Richard Duncombe: richard.duncombe [at] manchester.ac.uk
http://www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/bwpi/postgradchol/

JOURNALISM PRIZE: The Lorenzo Natali Prize 2006 is open to print and 
on-line journalists employed by the local media in following five 
regions: Europe, Africa, Arab World-Iran-Israel, Asia and the Pacific, 
Latin America and the Caribbean. Eligible journalists should have 
written reports which focus on human rights or democracy in the 
developing world. Each applicant is allowed to submit one article 
published between September 1 2005 and December 31 2006. To enter, 
journalists only need to fill in the application form online before 
January 31 2007.
http://www.nataliprize.eu

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-- SITES OF INTEREST --

TRANSLATION WEBSITE: Translate.org.za has won the prestigious African 
ICT Achiever 2006 Award for bridging the digital divide in Africa by 
breaking down the language barrier. The website exposes the importance 
of African mother tongue languages in ICTs.
http://translate.org.za/

NONPROFIT ONLINE NEWS: This website contains fresh news report for and 
by the non-profit community. It includes a full range of tools and 
tricks how to get going in writing blogs, setting up websites and other 
such empowering ideas.
http://news.gilbert.org/

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-- IMPORTANT DATES --

DECEMBER 18-20: Lead-Bangui ICT workshop for journalists
Bangui, Central African Republic

DECEMBER 19-22: Gender Evaluation Methodology (GEM) for ICT projects 
workshop
Thiruvanthapuram, Kerala, India
http://www.datamationfoundation.org

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-- WHERE IN THE WORLD IS APC –-

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

DECEMBER 12-14: Open Access 2006
Stockholm, Sweden
http://www.wideopenaccess.net

DECEMBER 15-16: APC women's programme (APC WNSP) planning & evaluation 
meeting
Rome, Italy

DECEMBER 19-22: GEM South India Training Workshop
Kerala, India
http://www.apcwomen.org/gem

JANUARY 12-14: The USA National Conference for Media Reform
Memphis, Tennessee
http://www.freepress.net/conference/

JANUARY 12-16: Harambee Workshop
Kampala, Uganda
http://wikis.bellanet.org/harambee/index.php/Main_Page

JANUARY 15-16: GKP East Asia meeting
Manila, Philippines
http://www.globalknowledge.org

JANUARY 17-19: Transforming Democracy: Feminist Visions and Strategies
Nairobi, Kenya
http://feministdialogue.isiswomen.org

JANUARY 18-20: IT4change 'Development in the IS' workshop
Delhi, India
http://www.itforchange.net

JANUARY 20-25: World Social Forum
Nairobi, Kenya
http://www.wsf2007.org

JANUARY 22-23: OpenNet Initiative Network Asia Workshop
Manila, Philipines

JANUARY 22-30: Asia Source II
Sukabumi, Indonesia
http://www.iosn.net/regional/asiasource-2007

JANUARY 24-27: GEM Training for PAN Localization project meeting
Thimptu, Bhutan

FEBRUARY 3-10: APC staff meeting
South Africa [venue to be confirmed]

FEBRUARY 12-13: UNESCO Roundtable on Information and communication for 
development
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

FEBRUARY 13: Internet Governance Forum Multistakeholder Advisory Group - 
Open Consultation
Geneva, Switzerland

FEBRUARY 13-15: APC-IICD policy workshop
Johannesburg, South Africa

FEBRUARY 14-16: Building Communications Opportunities Alliance (BCO) 
partner meeting)
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
http://www.bcoalliance.org

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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.

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Attribution-NonCommercial Licence 2.5
Association for Progressive Communications (APC), 2006