[WSIS CS-Plenary] ISIS MANILA TO HOST PANEL PRESENTATION ON THE INTERLINKAGES OF GLOBALISED MEDIA AND ICT SYSTEMS AT THE WSF 2004

[Aileen Familara]

ISIS MANILA TO HOST PANEL PRESENTATION ON "THE INTERLINKAGES OF GLOBALISED
MEDIA AND ICT SYSTEMS" AT THE WSF 2004

Isis International Manila is organising the Panel Presentation "The
Interlinkages of Globalised Media and ICT Systems and Structures to Economic
Globalisation, Militarism and Fundamentalisms" as part of its active
participation at the World Social Forum 2004. This will be held on 18
January 2004 at the NESCO Grounds, Western Express Highway, Goreagon,
Mumbai, India.

Isis Manila will bring together a cross section of activists from different
regions and different struggles to contribute in the discourse of the
emerging and cutting-edge issues of globalised and corporatised media and
ICT (information and communication technology) systems, economic
globalisation, fundamentalisms and militarisms. By examining the
interrelationship of these issues through a panel discussion, Isis hopes to
help enhance the body of critical analyses of today's global information and
communication order. With a panel that includes activists from all regions,
Isis hopes to be able to broaden the scope of debate and discussion on the
issues and alternatives, to ensure the viewing of these issues from various
vantage points: Southern, feminist, geo-political, historical and in
relation to political economy.

While Isis International Manila is a feminist organisation, it will bring
together voices that are not necessarily feminist, though all are strongly
political, as a way of enhancing the dialogue and enriching the debate on
these issues through an encounter of different political vantage points.

Specifically, the panel aims to:

* Create a venue for more activists in the area of media and communications,
globalisation, miltarisms and fundamentalisms to present their positions and
raise their concerns on critical issues;

* Raise awareness amongst social justice activists who are well versed on
issues of social justice, and economic globalisation, but less aware of the
linkages between their issues to the political struggles of communications
and media activists;

* Strengthen the voices of activists seeking to radicalise the current IT
for Development discourse with incisive and a more critical analytical
framework on the relevance, impact and meaning of media and ICT systems and
structures for the South.

To find out more about the event, please write to Susanna George
<susanna at isiswomen.org> or Raijeli Nicole <raijeli at isiswomen.org> or call
(632) 435-3405 or 435-3408 or 436-0312 extension 107, or send a fax to (632)
924-1065. In Mumbai, they may be reached at Hotel Apollo, telephone nos.
(91-22) 202-0223  (91-22) 287-3312 or by mobile phone 0981-926-3686

This initiative is a continuation of an earlier dialogue between feminist
communicators from the South around the issues of "Globalised Media and ICT
Systems and its Intersection with Globalisation, Fundamentalism and
Militarism" organised by Isis Manila during the three-day World Summit on
the Information Society (WSIS) last 10 December 2003 in Geneva, Switzerland.