"The experience of citizen involvement in public policy advocacy around the world has shown that the status quo tends to prevail unless political will to implement change is strengthened by active citizen participation. A “Global Information Society Watch” is needed to make governments and inter
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national organisations accountable. This publication, the first in a series of reports covering the state of the information society on an annual basis, focuses on the theme of participation. The report has three interrelated goals: surveying the state of the field of ICT policy at the local and global levels; encouraging critical debate; and strengthening networking and advocacy for a just, inclusive information society. It discusses the WSIS process and a range of international institutions, regulatory agencies and monitoring instruments from the perspective of civil society and stakeholders in the global South. Alongside this discussion, we present a series of country reports which examine issues of access and participation within a variety of national contexts." (Introduction)
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"Our 21 contributors -– most of them from Asia, and representing media, development or humanitarian sectors -- do not engage in mere theoretical discussions. In 19 chapters of this book, they draw on their rich and varied experience working in either preparing disaster resilient communities or res
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ponding to humanitarian emergencies triggered by specific disasters. Some are journalists who have reported on disasters from the 'ground zero'; others are aid workers, public information officials or development professionals who have been at the forefront in emergency responses or are engaged in disaster risk reduction. Diverse as their backgrounds and experiences are, our contributors share a belief in the central role that communication can play before, during and after disasters occur. Within this, they offer a kaleidoscope of perspectives as well as a great deal of practical advice on how to communicate hazards and disasters at inter-personal, inter-agency, inter-sector and public levels. The tools, technologies and methods may vary, but there is a broad consensus that to be effective, communication needs to be two-way, inclusive, participatory and sustained over time. It is not an 'add on' to other development interventions, but an integral component in its own right." (Page 3)
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"Islamische Gesellschaften haben zwei Gesichter: Nach außen führen die Menschen ein freies und normales Leben. Aber unsichtbar, in den von den Vätern beherrschten Häusern, in den von religiösen Fanatikern kontrollierten Dörfern und in den Gefängnissen der staatlichen Geheimdienste, werden die
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Menschen - meist Frauen und Mädchen - grausam unterdrückt. Die Journalistin Betsy Udink hat sich in Pakistan, dem"Land der Reinen", das sich als ideales muslimisches Gemeinwesen versteht, an diese sonst kaum sichtbaren Schauplätze begeben. Sie berichtet von der ständigen Angst von Frauen und Mädchen, von ihren Vätern oder Ehemännern im Namen des Korans und der Familienehre mißhandelt, verstümmelt oder getötet zu werden. Sie erzählt vom sexuellen Mißbrauch kleiner Jungen, den brutalen Folgen der Gesetze gegen Gotteslästerung und von einem Frauengefängnis, in dem selbst kleine Kinder wie Vieh gehalten werden. Das wunderbar lakonisch geschriebene Buch besteht aus Miniaturen über das Leben in Pakistan, die sich zu einer großen Erzählung über das Leben der Frauen im Islam zusammenfügen. An keiner Stelle werden Pakistan oder der Islam pauschal angeklagt. Die Autorin behält immer die Distanz der Beobachterin." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"This publication features a series of papers that represent an early exploration of the challenges and opportunities for actors committed to gender equality in the information society. It is meant to open up the debates that can pave the way for a sustained engagement of gender activists with one o
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f the most powerful contemporary social phenomena." (Back cover)
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"Draws together thinking and analysis that covers the breadth and depth of the media development landscape. The opening section, 'Why Media Matters: Global Perspectives' gathers the work of several thought leaders on major trends that cut across both the communications and development policy arenas;
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this is followed by an examination of the current debate that is engaging researchers, development professionals and media assistance experts alike, namely 'How Media Matters: Measuring its Impact'. The third section, 'Challenges in Media Matters: Practitioner Experiences' presents a range of regional and sectoral case studies, and the final section forms a guide to current information sources and studies of the field of media support, in 'Mapping the Sector - Literature, Surveys and Resources'. Media matters has four key aims: 1 To help development policy makers and practitioners understand the relevance of vibrant, independent media systems to their wider goals; 2 To highlight work on the evidence of the relationship between media, communications and the development agenda; 3 To flag key global and regional trends and opportunities in media assistance; 4 To map the media assistance sector, its growing body of literature, and the emerging international research partnerships that will help define its priorities to 2015." (Overview + executive summary)
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"This book is a review of 56 projects funded by the Pan-Asia ICT R&D Grants Programme for Asia-Pacific from 2002-2005. The aim of this book is to examine trends within these particular information and communications technology (ICT) projects in order to determine factors for success, and, common cha
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llenges. The underlying goal is to understand which projects have a lasting impact and can be replicated on a larger scale [...] In general, the review and analysis show that projects of particular value are those that increase access to information, improve efficiency, and support participation in civil society and governance initiatives. A key factor of success is projects that embrace participation and include a consultative process in their design, planning and implementation phases. However, the research showed that building partnerships and reaching common understandings throughout the planning of these initiatives was a complex and challenging undertaking. The importance of dissemination and marketing of project results is a common thread throughout each of the projects in this book. Some projects with successfully completed research objectives could not progress further without substantial promotional efforts. The analysis in this book also points to a range of strategies in which projects can be expanded on a larger scale. For example, project models can grow by moving to new locations thereby gaining momentum elsewhere." (Foreword)
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This volume gathers contributions presented during the 8th IARTEM conference on learning and educational media, held in Caen (France) in October 2005. The conference reader contains a wide range of contributions from industrialised, transitional and developing countries.
"This publication has been produced in order to improve the chances of success of Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSs) in two ways: 1. To show policymakers how strategic communication can help them to achieve some of their objectives in formulating and executing effective Poverty Reduction Strategies
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; 2. To give the technocrats and officials actively engaged in the execution of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) guidance on best practice as well as lessons from a community of practice spread around the world." (Executive Summary)
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"To develop communication capacity specifically around adverse events following immunisation (AEFI), the UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia (ROSA) and the WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia (SEARO) organized a joint regional workshop "Strategic Communication: Building Trust and Responding to
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Adverse Events Following Immunisation in South Asia", in New Delhi from 9 to 10 August 2004. This working paper synthesises the presentations and debates from the workshop." (Foreword)
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"This book aims to record political activism on the Internet and "take stock of some of the successes and failures of cyberactivists as they try to beat the various censorship regimes in Asia." The sections of this 664-page book comprise of 'Political Frameworks & New Technology', 'Regulations and C
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ontrol', 'One Party States', 'Alternative Media', 'Civil Society', 'Diaspora Communities', and 'Political Parties'. The book's 18 chapters provide an overview of current trends in democracy related new media research to country-specific case studies. "The common thread running through the book is the organizing of civil society groups at the grassroots level, and how they are influencing certain segments of their respective countries, and even challenging state control and the monopoly of mainstream media." Asian Cyberactivism strives to examine political organising online in Asia even as the technology and the rules change. Activists provide their perspectives on how new media relates to democracy, and showcase examples that could be emulated to further the cause of democracy." (Communication Initiative)
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