"1. The current use of imagery, particularly photography, in the anti-slavery movement risks harming anti-slavery efforts and survivors through misinformation and re-exploitation [...] 2. In order to utilise photography effectively and ethically, organisations looking to generate or use photography
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should seek out practices which incorporate survivor voice and perspective [...] 3. Participatory photography is an ideal methodology for creating original and impactful imagery. 4. Informed consent should be a priority in anti-slavery imagery [...] 5. Creativity and originality are vital when generating survivor imagery." (Summary of findings)
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"Chinese authorities influence news media content around the world through three primary strategies: promoting the CCP’s narratives, suppressing critical viewpoints, and managing content delivery systems. These efforts have already undercut key features of democratic governance and best practices
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for media freedom by undermining fair competition, interfering with Chinese diaspora communities, weakening the rule of law, and establishing channels for political meddling. Actions by policymakers and media development donors in democracies will play a critical role in coming years in countering the potential negative impact of Beijing’s foreign media influence campaigns." (Key findings)
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"This report—based largely on interviews in Myanmar and analysis of legal and policy changes since 2016—assesses the NLD government’s record on freedom of expression and assembly in its more than two years in power. It updates Human Rights Watch’s prior report, “They Can Arrest You at Any
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Time”: The Criminalization of Peaceful Expression in Burma, issued in June 2016, focusing on the laws most commonly used to suppress speech. We conclude that freedom of expression in Myanmar is deteriorating, directly affecting a wide range of people, from Facebook users critical of officials to students performing a satirical anti-war play. Domestic journalists are particularly at risk." (Page 2)
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"El presente informe aborda la problemática de los contenidos discriminatorios difundidos a través de los medios de comunicación en el Perú, con especial énfasis en la discriminación étnico-racial a través de los programas de radio y televisión, así como de medios escritos, a la luz de los
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compromisos que plantea el Derecho Internacional de los Derechos Humanos, de la jurisprudencia interamericana, constitucional y la doctrina más reciente sobre la materia. El objetivo de este análisis es establecer una agenda de compromisos a nivel de políticas públicas y desarrollos normativos que permitan revertir la problemática identificada." (Resumen ejecutivo, página 4)
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"This report aims to increase the prioritization of child online safety among all the key stakeholders and decision-makers from governments, the private sector, civil society, NGOs, and academia. Its recommendations are actionable and represent a call to collective action. They are based on the know
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ledge and expertise of major expert groups that have a long-standing commitment and experience in fighting various forms of violence against children online." (Forward, page 7)
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"The rise of social media in Zimbabwe has brought with it a greater variety of platforms which offer people a means to express themselves. However, the democratisation of information and the increase in digital spaces have also come with greater state restriction and polarisation among Zimbabweans.
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This policy brief intends to discuss the state’s attempts to act as the proctor of social media in order to explore the relations between users of online platforms in terms of political leanings and gender. To this end, it will also discuss the damaging effects of online targeting and how it can exacerbate already existing political divisions between people. The paper will also discuss how the state uses legal instruments to surveil and regulate online activity as a way of maintaining its iron grip on the people." (Abstract)
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"This paper sets out to challenge the dominant narrative of the creative economy as a new option for developing countries. The much-vaunted growth rates proclaimed by UNCTAD’s Creative Economy Programme have slowed, and are seen to apply to a particular kind of manufactured good, as well as being
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overwhelmingly dominated by Asia, and especially China. This paper tries to unpick the dominant creative economy model of entrepreneurship, creative human capital and open market opportunity and suggests that – other than in East Asia – it is business as usual for the Global North. The creative economy not only fails to deliver its promise of development but has profound consequences for local cultures, caught up in an ever more global web of exploitation driven by the new digital platforms. We need to return to the earlier concerns of ‘culture and development’ now fully aware of the downsides, as well as the potential, of cultural economies in an uncertain global landscape." (Page 1)
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"West Africa sits at a critical juncture that will determine whether the coming years are spent defending against reversals in media freedom and pluralism, or moving forward toward new and lasting progress. In this context, the Media Foundation for West Africa consulted stakeholders from all 16 coun
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tries of the West Africa region on the question of how cross-border coalitions can help to promote a robust and independent press. This report puts forward a vision for such a region-wide strategy, and how it can coordinate the efforts of civil society organizations, media actors, government allies, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Specifically, the report highlights four concrete actions that could be taken as the foundation for such a coordinated, regional strategy: 1. Formulate a network of media freedom and governance groups and enter into a memorandum of understanding with ECOWAS; 2. Initiate a process and strategy for supplemental protocols and a subsequent legislative review to align national legislation; 3. Commission comprehensive regional research to provide contextually relevant recommendations on media sustainability interventions; 4. Integrate capacity-building efforts into broader governance agendas, including elections and peace-building." (Key findings)
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"Führende Tech-Konzerne, allen voran die aus dem Silicon Valley, instrumentalisieren zunehmend das Handelsrecht für ihre Interessen, wie die von der US-Regierung im Jahre 2000 verabschiedete Digitale Agenda zeigt. Dabei geht es längst nicht mehr nur um die Reduzierung von Zöllen auf digitale Pro
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dukte wie Software oder einheitliche Standards für Telekommunikationsdienste. Patente auf Künstliche Intelligenz sowie die (Nicht)Regulierung von Datenflüssen sind inzwischen auch Bestandteil handelsrechtlicher Regelungen und Gegenstand kontroverser Debatten in der Welthandelsorganisation WTO. Für die Länder des Globalen Südens - aber nicht nur für sie - steht dabei viel auf dem Spiel, einschließlich der Gefahr eines neuen, digitalen Kolonialismus. Die Publikation untersucht, wo die Potenziale und Grenzen digitaler Lösungsansätze liegen. Sie analysiert, was sich aus vermeintlichen Vorzeigeprojekten wie dem mobilen Bezahlsystem M-Pesa oder der Verbreitung des bargeldlosen Bezahlens in Indien lernen lässt. Die Autoren untersuchen auch, ob die Digitalisierung transnationaler Lieferketten nicht nur die Transparenz erhöht, sondern auch die Wertschöpfung bei den Arbeiterinnen und Arbeitern auf den Kaffee- und Sojaplantagen oder in Fabriken. Für eine faire Gestaltung der Digitalisierung müssen vor allem folgende Fragen beachtet werden: Wie können benachteilige Bevölkerungsgruppen in den ländlichen Regionen Afrikas oder Bewohnerinnen und Bewohner von Armenvierteln in den Megacities einen besseren Zugang zu Arbeit und Grunddienstleistungen erhalten? Welcher Maßnahmen bedarf es, um für Menschen in Asien und Lateinamerika die Risiken des digitalen Wandels zu minimieren und dessen Potenziale zu erweitern? Die Studie schließt deswegen mit neun Bausteinen zum Aufbau einer fairen Digitalisierung." (Vorwort)
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"This report examines the myriad ways that the agencies and bodies of the United Nations support the development of healthy media systems. Author Bill Orme highlights the role of four UN organizations in particular—UNESCO, UNDP, UNICEF, and DPO—and makes recommendations targeted to these agencie
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s, as well as to UN member states and donors. The UN should promote greater coordination among the UN agencies active in the media sector, following on the successes from the UN Action Plan for the Safety of Journalists. UNESCO and UNDP, in particular, have untapped synergies in this field. In post-conflict states, the UN’s mandate should explicitly include support for public access to information and the protection of journalists and independent media in those countries. In their support for 2030 Agenda implementation, member states should prioritize a broader and freer flow of public information on both the national and global levels on progress toward every 17 SDGs and their 169 associated targets. Bilateral and multilateral development programs should help accelerate the implementation of the SDG 16.10 (which commits all UN members to “protect fundamental freedoms,” including press freedom) by supporting voluntary national assessments of the status and effectiveness of access-to-information laws and the overall enabling environment for independent media." (Key findings)
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"Based on the literature review, mapping of digital education resources in circulation, and examples of implementation of digital education initiatives from around the world, this report aims to provide insights that would help lead to the wise, innovative and ethical use of digital technology in ed
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ucation as a new dimension in achieving SDG 4 — inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all. By so doing, it also attempts to contribute to a rethink of teaching and learning in the face of enormous opportunities and challenges brought about by digital technology in the times of change and turmoil." (Executive summary)
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"If digitalization truly is an element of great social change, it has to be sustainable, fair, and relevant to all people and working for the common good. Without proper discussions on benefits or risk, without democratic control and regulations, technologies have the potential to lead to more and n
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ew social, economic and ecological problems. Important first steps have been made to discuss the role of technology and the digital world. Yet we have to continue to actively shape the path of a truly sustainable digitalization. As a framework, in this paper we propose one of the most comprehensive sustainability concepts ever agreed on by the world: The 2030 Agenda with its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)." (Page 1)
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"This publication presents EED’s work in the area of independent media, and reflects on lessons learned in six years of media and democracy support. It offers an analysis of the worrying trends and challenges faced by media today and calls for an urgent re-set in thinking about donor support to me
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dia in the EU neighbourhood. The document also seeks to offer recommendations for the wider donor community. Key recommendations include the need for a longer-term and more coordinated approach to media support as an essential component of democratisation, recognising the high cost of quality media and the difficulties media have of surviving in increasingly distorted markets and restrictive environments [...] Over the past six years, EED has ensured a particular focus on media-based projects, funding more than 230 initiatives. This represents around one third of all initiatives supported by EED. In line with EED’s added-value philosophy, support is usually focused on areas that cannot currently get funding from other donors, such as seed funding, bridge funding and emergency support, in addition to core funding and funding provided in a discrete way. It is important to note that EED support cannot replace the need for further support from other donors [...] EED’s media work can broadly be divided into the following five thematic areas: Ensuring media pluralism; Supporting innovation; Countering disinformation; Investigative journalism and documentation; Media targeting specific audiences." (Pages 3-4)
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"Technology has driven major change in some areas of humanitarian response, but its use can also be biased and blind to risks. A tendency towards techno-optimism risks avoiding fundamental questions around the limits of technology, the role of the private sector (including local and regional technol
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ogy entrepreneurs) and identifying when technology is and is not useful. Technology is not inclusive by nature. The humanitarian digital divide exists and there is growing awareness of this, but the humanitarian system is currently focused mainly on digital risks, meaning insufficient attention is placed on questions of how to root digital tools in a more inclusive framework. We need to go beyond token moves to more inclusive digital approaches and really delve into what is required for genuine change." (Conclusions, page 23)
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"As capitalism faces a series of structural crises, a new social, political and economic dynamic is emerging: peer to peer. What is peer to peer (P2P)? Why is it essential for building a commons-centric future? How could this happen? These are the questions we try to answer, by tying together four o
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f its aspects: 1. P2P is a type of social relations in human networks, where participants have maximum freedom to connect. 2. P2P is also a technological infrastructure that makes the generalization and scaling up of such relations possible. 3. P2P thus enables a new mode of production and property. 4. P2P creates the potential for a transition to an economy that can be generative towards people and nature. We believe that these four aspects will profoundly change human society. P2P ideally describes systems in which any human being can contribute to the creation and maintenance of a shared resource while benefiting from it. There is an enormous variety of such systems: from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia to free and open-source software projects, to open design and hardware communities, to relocalization initiatives and community currencies." (Introduction)
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"Every year, hundreds of human rights defenders, humanitarian workers and journalists and media workers are killed around the world – simply for doing their job. Hundreds more are threatened, sexually harassed, kidnapped, arrested, imprisoned or otherwise targeted. This briefing paper is the preli
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minary output of research undertaken in an effort to inform or inspire action among the media support, human rights and humanitarian sectors to address pressing safety and protection issues. The paper seeks not only to identify com¬monalities between these sectors, but to identify possible areas for future collaboration and cooperation to address issues of safety and impunity." (Publisher description)
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"This paper analyses the potential impact of social media on the conduct and outcome of elections both to strengthen political participation and knowledge sharing as well as the more harmful effects. It looks at the various harms particularly those relevant in the context of Latin America. It docume
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nts the more systematic approaches to election regulation of political parties and social media. It recommends adopting a hybrid system of co-regulation, where the regulator sets the outcomes but does not seek to impose detailed prescriptive requirements on companies (which would probably be beyond its technical expertise). While recognising the value of social media during an election as a way of empowering voters, it suggests the regulator develops a high-level code of practice for social media companies, to be drawn up in consultation with the companies themselves, the political parties and the wider public. The code of practice also should protect freedom of speech and the paper recommends that there be no attempt to impose controls on the consent of election communication which is protected under international human rights and free expression principles." (Executive summary)
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