Communication for influence in Latin America (CILAC – Andean Region)

APC has been actively working to advance ICT policy advocacy in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region since 2001. APC has focused on:

• advocacy for opening up policy spaces to civil society inputs

• facilitating the engagement of civil society organisations in ICT policy processes by building civil society capacities to understand ICT policy issues

• providing relevant information resources on ICT policy developments.

CILAC sought to integrate research, research communications, network-building and advocacy for affordable universal broadband.

Main goals

CILAC has:

• conducted research that will identify obstacles to universal affordable access to ICT infrastructure in the Andean sub-region and,

• developed a sub-regional ICT policy advocacy network (AndinaTIC) that is disseminating research and undertaking advocacy on ICTD and access to infrastructure at the sub-regional level, in order to create a sound platform for sub-regional connectivity in the Andean region that will provide a platform for the effective use of ICTs in development processes.

Specific goals

Specifically, CILAC intended:

• To support research projects on access to ICT infrastructure and ICTD.

• To disseminate and discuss research findings based on the situation on the ground and link them with ongoing initiatives (both own and other existing research).

• To explore ways of using research findings to inform policy advocacy initiatives.

• To link research finding on practices of governance and freedom with advocacy using civil society participatory processes and gender evaluation methodology.

• To undertake policy advocacy initiatives at the sub-regional level in the Andean region and to support policy initiatives at the national level.

Main expected results

A body of research on the implementation of telecom reform in the Andean region from a political perspective on sector performance, access and affordability and policy environments is now available. The research complemented and offer alternative perspectives to existing research. At the same time, a sub-regional ICTD network was developed. It is now active doing research, disseminating key information and advocating on improving access to infrastructure, enhancing the connection between e-strategies and poverty reduction strategies and taking forward the ICTD agenda.

Image by Gabriel de Andrade Fernandes used under Creative Commons license.