One of the APC’s newest – of three – members is the Bangladesh-based Voices for Interactive Choice and Empowerment, or simply VOICE. It’s located in the Shyamoli locality of the national capital of Dhaka.
VOICE describes itself as "a research and advocacy organization working through partnership and networking."
It works around the issues of corporate globalization, role of the international financial institutions, media and communication rights, information, communication technology, and food sovereignty, both at local and national levels.
"We would like to thank everyone for giving us the chance to become members (of APC)," says VOICE executive director Ahmed Swapan Mahmud, who took part in the recent APC ICT consultation for South Asia held at Dhaka (April), and also the Asia Commons event held in the Thai capital of Bangkok, in June 2006.
"We’d like to see how we can work closely to reach common goals and objectives," Ahmed told the Asia team-members meeting informally during the Asia Commons (www.asia-commons.net) event.
VOICE – which has its website at www.voicebd.org – works through advocacy and partnership networking. It says it believes in promoting the capacity, knowledge and empowerment of people, the voices of unheard.
This organisation is also associated with the various national and international networking to link local people’s struggle with national and international movements.
It has a voting membership with the World Association for the Community Broadcasters (AMARC), One World Radio, the NGO Forum on ADB, the Bangladesh Working Group on the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS), the Campaign for Good Governance, the National Committee of World Rural Women’s Day, the Alliance of Food Sovereignty Campaign, the People’s Alliance Against the WTO, etc. It is a thematic partner (in the ‘economic justice’ section) of ActionAid Bangladesh.
VOICE is also accredited by United Nations’ International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in the WSIS (World Summit on the Information Society) process. It is the member of CRIS and also works as a secretariat of Communication Rights in the Information Society (CRIS) Bangladesh. VOICE also enjoys a membership with the Asia Pacific Network on Food Sovereignty (APNFS, secretariat based in the Philippines), the International Food Sovereignty Network (IFSN, lead by APC member ActionAid International) and the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC).
It also works on press freedom in cooperation with UNESCO. Finally, they have a working partnership with ChristianAid UK particularly on the trade justice movement and aid conditions.
What prompted them to seek APC membership?
VOICE told APC: "We have common objectives in regard to ICT for development… APC can help us promoting solidarity with the international community."
VOICE has set up a multimedia centre and facilitated training on how ICT can build people’s capacity and improves their job prospects. Besides holding workshop and consultation at national and local levels, it has also worked to build the awareness and capacity of the stakeholders -about ICT and its uses for social development. It also works on research and advocacy work regarding ICTs.
The group disseminates information through publications such as booklets, leaflets, critical analysis channelled through media and newsletter.
"(Our organisation aims) helps the process of capacity building of the actors of the society to bridge up and reduce the digital divide," says VOICE, before specifying that its focus of work is largely nationally (within Bangladesh) and locally.
"We offer workshop and training courses on ICTs i.e. using the tools and techniques, building up capacities to develop a community both at local and national levels. It is part of information dissemination for empowerment and to facilitate the access to ICT. VOICE is also involved in research and advocacy on community radio, establishing communication rights in the society" said the group.
They are planning to implement the WSIS Plan of Action. For them, areas on which to focus are development, human rights, community media, information dissemination, and capacity building. VOICE functions as a trust, and is a registered non-profit.
It was founded in 2001 by a group of activists, and currently has five full-time staff and two volunteers.
