"This article proposes an enhanced model of radio drama for development, which places forum theatre on the community radio platform. The model responds to the key development priorities of democratic, multi-directional communication, participation and social advocacy. It utilizes the mass disseminat
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ion advantages of the radio medium, the distinctive, dialogic qualities of community radio and the democratic and empowering tendencies of forum theatre to propose a prototype for fully participatory radio drama for development. The model was developed and tested during fieldwork at community radio stations in Laos in 2010 and 2011. Forum Theatre on the Air draws on two of the major theoretical paradigms of development communication: participatory communication and entertainment-education. The model creates an argument for a greater integration of these broadly complementary yet parallel hypotheses." (Abstract)
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"This study provides an overview of the broadcasting environment in the ten countries covered, with a focus on regulatory systems. It outlines the constitutional framework in each country, as well as the status of international law. This is followed by a brief outline of the broadcasting sector in e
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ach country, to provide some background context to help with understanding the regulatory regime. The bulk of the study focuses on the legal framework governing public broadcasting, and the broadcast regulator and its powers and role. The study also touches on new media, particularly the internet, in each country, assessing the extent to which new media are able to serve as an alternative to more traditional broadcasters." (Introduction, page 6)
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"The 52-page report summarised here is the result of the three-year partnership between UNDP Oslo Governance Centre and the Communication for Social Change Consortium in piloting the C4E approach in five least-developed countries: Mozambique, Madagascar, Ghana, Lao PDR, and Nepal. The report present
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s key learning from the information and communication needs assessments conducted in these five countries, funded by a grant from the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF). The implementation of the C4E approach consisted of: (i) information and communication assessments to identify the information and communication needs and identify gaps in meeting those needs; (ii) review of the media context based on the existing research at the national level; (iii) programme interventions informed by the findings of the assessment to ensure economically poor and marginalised groups' participation in decision-making processes. Experiences and lessons from testing the C4E approach in Madagascar and Mozambique in 2007-2008 enabled further refining of the C4E approach and informed the information and communication assessments carried out in Ghana, Lao PDR, and Nepal. As a result, the concept of C4E also widened: from an initial conception as part of UNDP's Access to Information work primarily geared to meeting the information and communication needs of the people through specific media strategies - to an approach that promotes inclusive participation, empowerment of economically poor and marginalised people, and accountability of the state to its citizens. These aspects of C4E, thus, make it an integral part of broader democratic governance and development work." (Summary at the "Communication Initiative" website)
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"This guide and the included mulitimedia CD will guide you step by step mulitimedia CD will guide you step by step through the process of establishing your own community radio. It starts by explaining what community radio is and how to determine the communication needs of a community. It continues w
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ith the importance of community involvement and volunteering, includes information on appropriate technology and ends with financial sustainability and evaluation. This guide also builds on examples and reflects upon lessons learnt from the pilot project in Khoun District and draws your attention to important issues you need to consider when establishing your own station. The biggest challenge in setting up a community radio is not the technical equipment or the transmitter, there is always a solution to that. The challenge is how to organize the community support and involve members of the community right from the beginning in developing in developing their community radio. The other challenge is how to produce creative interactive programmes that community radio. The other challenge is how to produce creative interactive programmes that allow as many people within the community as possible to participate in the broadcasts in different ways." (Introduction, page 3)
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"The biennial Digital Review of Asia Pacific is a comprehensive guide to the state-of-practice and trends in information and communication technologies for development (ICTD) in Asia Pacific. This fourth edition (2009-2010) features 30 economies and four subregional groupings. The chapters provide u
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pdated information on ICT infrastructure, industries, content and services, key initiatives, enabling policies, regulation, education and capacity building, open source and R&D initiatives, as well as key ICTD challenges in each of the economies covered." (Publisher description)
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"This edition (2007/2008) continues the tradition of providing an analytical overview of the state of ICT4D in Asia Pacific. It covers 31 countries and economies, including North Korea for the first time. Each country chapter is an attempt to provide a relatively comprehensive coverage of the variou
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s aspects of ICT4D in each of the countries at the time that the chapter was written (in 2006). To provide a broad perspective of the issues covered, the chapters are written by a team of authors representing different sectors, such as government, academe, industry and civil society. There are also fi ve thematic chapters providing a synthesis of some of the key issues in ICT4D in Asia Pacific today." (Introduction, page xii)
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"This evaluation has five main objectives: to evaluate the implementation results of the project, to extract the lessons learnt, to propose a way forward for the Khoun Radio, to assess the feasibility of a national scale-up strategy, and finally to consider which role UNDP could play in these proces
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ses. In summary it can be said that the project has managed to have a number of the crucial components of the project implemented. In spite of strong and committed initiative, support and management from the UNDP side, the uniting and facilitating organisational framework is not yet fully in place. It is, however, considered possible to remedy this lack through an intensive, participatory planning process in Khoun among the board members and the community broadcasters – facilitated by the project staff. The report presents, analyses and extracts recommendations in connection with all of the project’s four activities: establishment of a radio station; training of district and provincial information officers; training of (volunteer) programme producers and the board; elaboration of a baseline study and collaboration with other communityoriented radio activities in Laos." (Executive summary, page 6)
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"This primer provides a broad perspective on the localization of Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) for the benefit of policy- and decision-makers in developing countries. It highlights the benefits and strategies of FOSS localization, along with case studies from various countries that are on the roa
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d to software freedom. The primer begins with an introduction to localization and the benefits of choosing FOSS over proprietary software. The next section provides a survey of initiatives and efforts in localization of FOSS within the Asia-Pacific region, including best practices and lessons learned specifically in countries such as Viet Nam, Thailand, Cambodia, India and Malaysia. The primer also provides three case studies of localization efforts in Thailand, Lao PDR and Cambodia, as well as recommendations on technical issues, resource allocation, skills and tools, implementation, costs and language considerations. To help localizers get started, two annexes regarding key concepts and the technical aspects of localization are provided. These are intended for project managers and implementers who are planning software localization projects." (Introduction)
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"The importance of communication in the information age cannot be overstated. Nor can the fact that in this enterprise, journalists and media owners play a pivotal role. For this reason, a directory which takes stock of the status of print and broadcast media in each Asian country and lists all the
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major media outlets operating in this region is a welcome source. The second publication of the Media Directory by the Asia Media Programme of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung is expanded to include not only the ASEAN countries as in the first edition, but also China, India, Korea and Taiwan." (Publisher description)
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