Policy decisions being made today will impact on the peoples of the world’s ability and potential to use ICTs as tools in their work tomorrow. At the United Nations’ World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) held December 10-12 in Geneva – governments will sign a declaration that will enhance or hinder access to ICTs for the vast majority of the world’s population. The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) has been actively participating in the WSIS process and helping others get involved by producing resources, websites and guides.
APC is at stand 842 in the Human Capacity & Empowerment street at the ICT4D Platform in the Palexpo, Geneva. Come and meet us!
Find out about some of the events we’re at. Please note that this is not a complete list. If you are in Geneva, please visit the APC stand at the Palexpo for latest updates.
Dec 9-12: ICT4D Pavilion – Hall 4
APC/SANGONeT/RITS – Stand: 842
APC and our members SANGONeT from South Africa and RITS from Brazil share a stand.
GenderIT: a WomenSpace – Stand: 739
This booth is where you will find comprehensive information on gender and ICT advocacy by women’s organisations in WSIS and other events. APCWNSP, FEMNET, ISIS International, Regentic and the International Women’s Tribune Center will be exhibiting their work here.
African Media Village – Stand: 137
APC is participating in the African media Village at stand 137. APC materials/CDs and information about the APC Africa Policy Monitor Project will be made available here.
The village will include:
· a telecentre with operational computers using open source software (APC will play a key role in hosting the telecentre)
· a webcasting community radio station
· 2 plasma screens for playing tapes, slides, presentations
· 18 life size figures of people telling their experiences of the information society
· 20 story boards of the African communication experience
· a brochure called ‘Is that You’ stating that the world has many reasons to need to stay in touch with Africa
· space for information distribution, launches
Monday December 8th:
1400-1800: NGO CSW Geneva/ Femmes Africa Solidarity: Women’s Rights to the Information Society and ICTs. Room A, Palexpo [meet Chat Garcia Ramilo of APC Women’s Networking Support Programme]
2000: Asia Civil Society Caucus
Place to be confirmed.
Tuesday December 9:
1000-1200: Latin American and Caribbean GKP Members Panel GKP Pavilion at ICT4D, [meet representatives from APC’s Latin American and Caribbean ICT Policy Monitor and RITS, APC member in Brazil]
1200-1330: GKP Regional Panel on Africa and the Middle East
Showcase Gallery, GKP Pavillion, [meet Alice Munyua of APC’s Africa ICT Policy Monitor]
1- 4:30 pm: Global Governance of ICT: Public Interest Considerations
Computer Scientists for Social Responsibility Room P, Palexpo [meet Anriette Esterhuysen, APC’s executive director]
3 – 6 pm : Institute@WSIS
UNDP in partnership with Association for Progressive Communications
(APC) – and other civil society groups Room 12, ICT4D
The Institute@… is specifically designed to provide skill-enhancing training courses to participants of United Nations’ and other large international meetings. Rather than training participants on sustainable development, our courses train individuals for sustainable development. The Institute@… courses are designed with a "how to" approach and an intent to increase specific skills needed to implement sustainable development objectives. APC will deliver two 1 ½ hour sessions, to government and Civil Society representatives, drawing from the APC ICT Policy Training Curriculum, on gender and ICT policy and Internet governance.
4 – 6PM: Gender Caucus Multi-stakeholder Dialogues: Asia Pacific regional roundtable
Room 7, Hall 4, ICT4D [meet Chat Garcia Ramilo of APC Women’s Networking Support programme]
Wednesday December 10:
12-2 pm : Visibility for gender & ICT Advocacy at the Summit and Beyond [APC Women’s Networking Support Programme and GKP.]
Venue: GKP Stand (Stand No. 331) ICT4D Exhibit Area Hall 4
Held in partnership with GKP, APC WNSP will host a panel comprising the 4 winners of the Gender and ICT awards. One element the WNSP will bring into this panel, is an exploration of current gender mainstreaming initiatives, generally, and specifically in relation to gender and ICT work.
For more information, contact: mylene@apcwomen.org,
2 – 3:30 pm: A GEM for ICT Initiatives: Viewing ICTs with Gendered Lenses
[APC Women’s Networking Support Programme]
Venue: Palexpo Conference Center, Saleve Hall 2
This panel will highlight the initial findings and recommendations from 2 years of testing APCWNSP’s Gender and ICTs Evaluation Methodology (GEM) tool for internet and ICTs, in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Carribean and Central and Eastern Europe. Case studies from various countries like Croatia, Bulgaria, Philippines, South Africa, Malaysia and Uganda will be presented at the panel.
For information contact: chat@apcwomen.org or cheekay@apcwomen.org
3:30 – 5 pm: Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) – The potential power and possibilities for women’s organisations and networks. [APC WNSP, led by the APC Africa Women network]
Venue: Palexpo Conference Center, Saleve Hall 2
Free Software, with its freedoms of use for any purpose, studying, modification and redistribution is an essential building block for an empowering, sustainable and inclusive information society. Free Software has unique social, educational, scientific, political and economic benefits and opportunities.
This workshop will explore how African women are using free software, what possibilties free software offers in terms of design, development and use of ICT applications, and will provide information about the first Women Led Free Software Camp (early 2004).
1600-1800: WSIS Gender Caucus Regional Roundtable: Europe, CIS and Nth
America
Room 7k, Hall 4, ICT4D [meet Central European members of APC Women’s Networking Support programme]
5 – 5:30 pm : Asia-Pacific Women’s Electronic Network Training (WENT)
Awards
[APC WNSP, led by the Asia-Pacific Network, with APWINC and UNESCAP]
Venue: Palexpo Conference Center, Saleve Hall 2
The WENT Award is being given to an outstanding graduate of the Women’s Electronic Network Training workshop, a pioneering regional training initiative for women and their organizations in Asia and the Pacific. WENT was also replicated at the national level, and in Africa. The outstanding graduate was selected from among the workshop’s more than 160 regional and national alumnae, and will be recognized at this special ceremony.
5 – 6.30pm: Building Partnership among the Stakeholders of the Information Society: Best Practice in Involving Business and Civil Society
[ECOSOC]
Venue: Room Jura (Palexpo, Geneva)
The focus will be on the mechanisms and processes aimed at establishing a sustainable partnership among Governments, the private sector and civil society. Best practice will also address cooperation between national and local government, as well we with all stakeholders at the domestic level.
6-8 pm: Networking for Women’s Empowerment and Change since 1993
[APC WNSP]
Venue: Palexpo Conference Center, Saleve Hall 2
APC WNSP celebrates its 10th Anniversary this year, and will host a panel/discussion at the Summit to commemorate. It will overview it’s work for the past 10 years; outlining key challenges and achievements for the APC WNSP in relation to policy, research, evaluation, information faciliation and network building – internationally, regionally and nationally – as well as charting the work of the larger gender an ICT advocacy movement in the last 10 years. It will also
include an anlaysis of Gender and ICT advocacy during the WSIS process and make recommendations for phase II work of the process.
Thursday December 11:
9 – 5pm: World Forum on Communication Rights
Communication Rights in the Information Society
http://www.communicationrights.org
Venue: Salle Mont-Blanc, Palexpo, Geneva, Switzerland
The World Forum on Communication Rights, brings together civil society organisations, NGOs, governments and others in a civil society-driven event to be held alongside the Summit, not in opposition to it but to highlight and make practical progress in spheres the Summit fails to cover. It welcomes all stakeholders committed to ensuring such rights are integral to an information society.
APC is facilitating one of the four themes: Communication at War, Communication For Peace.
5 pm – 8 pm: Cultural and Social Impact of Mobile Technologies
Room S, Hall II, Geneva Palexpo, [Adam Peake and Izumi Aizu (Glocom Japan) with FMA]
6 – 8 pm: Gender and ICT Awards Night
[APCWNSP in partnership with GKP]
Venue: Main Market Place, ICT4D Platform, Hall 4
To address the gender aspect of the "digital divide," many initiatives are being implemented around the world that aim to empower women and promote gender equity in access to ICTs, as well as in their design, implementation, and use. The APC WNSP and GKP Gender and ICT Awards aim to honor and bring international recognition to the innovative and effective projects by women to use ICTs for the promotion of gender equality and/or women’s empowerment.
Friday December 12:
Friday 12th December 2003 (whole day): Community Media Forum
Salle Salève, Palexpo, Geneva, Switzerland (MJ Kim)
12 noon – 2 pm : "ICT4D & The Power of Networks: What We have Learned
Since GK97 & GKII".
Venue: GKP Pavilion, Showcase Gallery, Hall 4, Stand #331,
Communications Street
Palexbo [Anriette Esterhuysen, APC Executive Director]
3 – 6 pm : Institute@WSIS: Internet governance and ICT in trade
UNDP in partnership with Association for Progressive Communications
(APC) – and other civil society groups.
Room 12, ICT4D [Anriette Esterhuysen, Bill Drake of CPSR]
The session will explore specific issues that different stakeholders are seeking to address as well as some of the mechanisms that can be useful in doing so. Governance issues related to spectrum management and intellectual property rights with a view to finding cost-effective and sustainable access solutions may also be considered.
4-4.10pm Storytelling session: The APC Betinho Communications Prize in
2003 – Recognising people-centred technology initiatives in Latin
America and the Caribbean
In 2003, for the first time, the Association for Progressive Communications awarded the Betinho Prize to recognise remarkable information and communication technology (ICT) initiatives that are improving the lives of people and communities in Latin America.
Over 140 projects applied for the prize which was offered in Latin America and the Caribbean only for the first time. The stories from the twelve winners and finalists have now been translated into Spanish, Portuguese and English so that more people can find out about these outstanding ICT initiatives.
APC will talk about the background behind the prize in 2003 and highlight the work of the three winners – an indigenous network from Mexico, an agricultural and municipal government initiative from the Peruvian altiplano, and an Argentinian library for the visually impaired.
