PICTA Bulletin
is a monthly publication that provides information on activities
of members in the Partnership for ICTs in Africa (PICTA), as
well as news on ICT-related activities in Africa.
Members of PICTA
and the Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) Africa held their
annual meeting from 7 to 8 September 2005 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
to reflect on “Making Infrastructure and Access in Africa
More Effective”. Co-hosted by the ECA, Connectivity Africa
and GKP, the forum was a cross-fertilization of minds, set in
an informal “open space” participatory facilitation
format. The theme of the GKP meeting was on "Deepening
Regional Networks and Linking Them with Global Networks for
Greater Impact". There is no solid foundation for an inclusive
information society without an affordable and accessible infrastructure,”
said ECA’s outgoing Executive Secretary, K. Y. Amoako
in his opening remarks. He highlighted the achievements made
so far by this “Club of like-minded group of highly committed
partners,” and pleaded with them to “push forward
the agenda of access in Africa and see to the mass usage and
access to Africa’s schools and villages”. More:
http://www.uneca.org/aisi/picta/picta05.htm
Harambee
Focus Networks develop Action Plan
The
“Harambee: Reinforcing African Voices through Collaborative
Processes” is a PICTA initiative created by APC, Bellanet
Africa and ECA. The project intends to build on existing research
and experiences in designing and implementing collaborative
processes and technologies. At the first meeting of the Network
held from 12 to 13 September 2005 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia members
of the Focus Networks developed action plans on how and in which
areas the project can assist them in the next one to two years.
“Participants also focused on their own respective networks
and on the areas - such as facilitation, knowledge sharing -
for which they feel the greatest need and the greatest opportunity
for development.” said Riff Fullan from Bellanet, one
of the partners spearheading the initiative. Participants were
drawn from national and regional networks such as the African
Youth ICT4D Network, Academia Research Network, Women of Uganda
Network (WOUGNET), APC-Africa Women Network, and Community Wireless
Network. More: http://www.uneca.org/aisi/picta/picta05.htm
The 2005 AISI Media Award winners announced
The winners of the
2005 AISI Media Awards announced at the Award Ceremony took
place on 13 September 2005 during the annual Highway Africa
Conference held from 12 to 14 September 2005 in Grahamstown,
South Africa. ECA and its partners presented awards to African
journalists who, in their opinion, have made significant strides
in promoting the use of ICTs on the continent. The ceremony
was broadcast live by SABC Africa. The AISI awards are aimed
at creating greater awareness of the role of ICTs for development,
as well as supporting their use by African media. The partners
involved in the awards programme include German Technical Corporation
(GTZ), International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Institute
for Information Communication and Development (IICD) and the
Open society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA).
More: http://www.uneca.org/aisi/mediaaward.htm
Financing
ICT for development: the EU approach
The European Union
outlines in a paper its approach to financing ICT as an important
and integral part of development. It covers EU members’
support both bilaterally and through the European Commission.
This publication is part of the EU awareness activities in the
framework of the World Summit Information Society (WSIS). Besides
covering the EU's approach, it also mentions short examples
of ICT-enabled initiatives, such as IICD's cooperation with
NGOs in Ghana in producing a comic CD-Rom on HIV/AIDS. More:
http://www.europe-cares.org/
OTHER NEWS
..... OTHER NEWS .....
OTHER NEWS .....
ICANN
Opens Public Comment on a revised Version of IDN Guidelines
Draft
On 20 September 2005, the
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
has announced that it has opened a 30-day public comment period
on a draft, revised version of the Guidelines for the Implementation
of Internationalized Domain Names (IDN Guidelines). According
to a press release by ICANN, this draft reflects the experiences
of the IDN registries in the implementation of Version 1.0 of
the guidelines. Particular attention has been paid to concerns
that have arisen about the deceptive use of visually confusable
characters from different scripts in individual IDN labels.
Analysis concerning such usage has been ongoing for several
months and culminated when the IDN registries met during the
ICANN meeting in Luxembourg. Some of the results from this meeting
and from the Luxembourg IDN workshop have been reflected in
the draft revised IDN Guidelines. Comments must be submitted
by 19 October 2005. More: www.icann.org
WSIS
Phase 2 PrepCom-3 Update:
Internet
Governance, Financing Mechanisms, and Implementation Mechanisms:
The African Group held discussions with several groups and countries
to try to make them rally its positions; also several countries
and institutions, including the USA, ITU and UNESCO made presentations
during the African Group meetings to sell their positions.
Internet Governance
issues: While the WGIG has submitted its conclusions, its
report was not unfortunately used as a negotiation document
by Prepcom3. Hence discussions and negotiations continued for
the entire Prepcom3 on the basis of a new document prepared
by the Group of the Friends of the Chair of Prepcom without
a breakthrough.
Financing mechanisms:
was not discussed and negotiated.
Implementation
and follow up mechanisms: There were several discussions
supported by a negotiation document from the Group of the Friends
of the Chair of Prepcom. The document was amended many times
by most of the regional groups and countries. Some favoured
a follow up under the normal implementation and follow up mechanisms
set up by the United Nations General Assembly, hence through
ECOSOC while others requested the International Telecommunications
Union (ITU) to lead and coordinate implementation and follow
up. Because there was no agreement between the two groups, issues
on follow up were not resolved.
Finally, Prepcom3
decided to convene a negotiation group in October in Geneva
for two days to be composed of Governments only. However Prepcom3
will resume for an additional three days meeting in Geneva before
the Tunis Summit. In this regard, the African Group will organize
a two days meeting before Prepcom3 resumes in order to review
the various contentious issues and agree on a common position
for the continent. Egypt has offered to host such a meeting.
More: Makane Faye (mfaye@uneca.org).
The African
Regional Action Plan on the Knowledge Economy: ECA
is coordinating the development of the African Regional Action
Plan on the Knowledge Economy (ARAPKE), which is based on the
“Accra Commitments for Tunis 2005” and the vision
defined by both the African Information Society Initiative (AISI)
and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).
After discussions at the experts and ministerial levels in several
forums, the Plan was finally adopted on 21 September 2005 at
an African Ministerial meeting held in Geneva. A meeting on
ARAPKE will be organized on 16 November 09H00 in Tunis by ECA
and the African Union to be followed by a partnership announcement
the same day at 17H00. More: Makane Faye (mfaye@uneca.org).
Participants
were informed about the status of Financing the Information
Society - The Digital Solidarity Fund (DSF).
“Action speaks louder than words”. So said the President
of the Digital Solidarity Fund (DSF), Guy-Olivier Segond, who
provided PrepCom-3 (19 – 30 September 2005) participants
with an overview of the origins and purpose of the Digital Solidarity
Fund. The fund seeks to fight poverty through an innovative
approach to financing development; targeting principally smaller
community-based projects that respect cultural diversity and
local content, and help create new activities, new jobs, and
new markets. At the Tunis Summit, the DSF will showcase 111
projects from the African, Asian and Caribbean region. These
projects demonstrate how money generated by the fund is helping
extend the benefits of ICTs through applications like tele-education
and tele-health. More: http://www.itu.int/wsis/newsroom/2/pc3/highlights/26-27sep.html
3
– 5 October 2005, CePRC - Canadian GTEC Week, Ottawa,
Canada
The Canadian Government
Technology Exhibition and Conference (GTEC) Week takes place
from October 3rd - 5th, 2005 in Ottawa, Canada. GTEC Week is
Canada's unique multifaceted learning and networking event for
public sector IT professionals. GTEC Week showcases leading
edge expertise and technology solutions that are driving government
online solutions across Canada, and around the world. More:
www.gtecweek.com
4
– 5 October 2005, The seventh annual African Computing
& Telecommunications Summit (ACT 2005 Summit), Crowne Plaza
Hotel, Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa
The African Computing
& Telecommunications Summit (ACT) is the continent’s
top gathering of IT users, suppliers, service providers, policy-makers
and innovators. It draws together a widespread range of decision-makers
from all over the continent. More: http://www.aitecafrica.com/act2005/index.htm
20
October 2005, VarsityNet Meeting, Kampala, Uganda
The Inter University
Council of East Africa (IUCEA), one of the organizations participating
in ECA’s VarsityNet programme, is organizing this review
meeting to discuss the implementation of the second phase of
R&D activities on the Information Society. In re-affirming
the role of academia, universities and research institutions
in the Information Society, ECA created VarsityNet, which is
part of the Africa Learning Network (ALN), created to facilitate
the effective use of ICTs in the learning and teaching process.
More: Thierry Amoussougbo (tamoussougbo@uneca.org).
23
– 28 October 2005, Empowering Swaziland’s MP in
the Information Society, Swaziland
The workshop will
focus on hands on practical lessons on the use of the Internet
and other basic ICT tools, and new roles of Parliamentarians
in advancing the Information Society. The workshop will help
equip MPs with better decision-making in the framework of budget
voting, regulation and law required by the Information Society.
As an outcome of the workshop, it expected that an ICT Parliamentary
Committee would be established within the Parliament. More:
Thierry Amoussougbo (tamoussougbo@uneca.org).
24
October 2005, World Development Information Day
The United Nations
General Assembly instituted WDID at its 27th session in December
1972 with the objective of drawing public attention annually
to development problems and the importance of strengthening
international cooperation to solve them (resolution 3038 (XXVII)).
Moreover, the General Assembly decided that WDID should coincide,
in principle, with United Nations Day on 24 October, to stress
the central role of development in the work of the United Nations.
More: www.sangonet.org.za
2
- 4 November 2005, Workshop on Harmonization of ICT policies
and regulatory frameworks in ECOWAS, Accra, Ghana
The main objectives
of the workshop is to discuss and set a framework for the development
of a harmonized ICT policy and strategy in the ECOWAS sub region.
The strategy will include the promotion of ICT usage for regional
economic integration, enhancement of connectivity and access
to ICT services among and within the member States and development
of applications and content for the sub-region, while encouraging
public-private partnerships. More: Mohammed Timoulali (mtimoulali@uneca.org).
3
November 2005, Fill-the-Gap III - inspired by the World Summit
on the Information Society, The Hague, The Netherlands
For the third time
Hivos, Oneworld Netherlands and IICD present: Fill-the-Gap!
This public event is focused on themes related to the UN summits
on the Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva (2003) and Tunis
(November 2005). Through provoking statements interesting guest
speakers – and the audience – will discuss whether
the right to information is in fact a human right, and to what
extent e-governance indeed contributes to democracy. At the
‘ICT4D exhibition’ visitors will find a wide variety
of activities, where they can see, hear and experience what
the ‘Information Society’ means in practice. More:
http://www.iicd.org
4
- 5 November 2005, International conference Preserving the Digital
Heritage, The Hague, The Netherlands
The Netherlands National
Commission for UNESCO and the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, National
Library of the Netherlands, organise an international conference
'Preserving the Digital Heritage: Principles and Policies',
which will be held in The Hague, Friday 4 November and Saturday
5 November 2005.The
conference is focussing on issues of interest for higher management
in libraries, archives and museums, and other policy makers
in the
field of information and culture. The programme and registration
form can be downloaded from: http://www.unesco.nl/main_6-3.php
7
– 11 November 2005, Human Resources for Information and
Communication Technologies (HR4ICT), Tront, Canada
Organized by the
Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization (CTO), the event
will gather Human Resources experts from telecoms and other
ICT organizations to share views and adopt solutions for continuous
provision and upgrade of their human capital and skills profiles
in a constantly changing technological environment. More: http://www.cto.int/hr4ict/
14
– 16 November 2005, ECA Events at WSIS Tunis 2005, Tunis,
Tunisia
ECA, in collaboration
with its partners, is organizing the following events during
WSIS Tunis 2005:
*
UN Regional Commissions Roundtable 1
- Regional Perspectives for the Global Information Society,
16 November 2005, 14:00 – 15:30 hrs, coordinated by ECA
*
UN Regional Commissions Roundtable 2
- Promoting the participation of women in the Information Society
and the knowledge-based economy, 16 November 2005, 16:00 –
17:30 hrs, coordinated by ESCWA
*
AU-ECA Discussion on Regional Plan of Action,
16 November 2005, 9:00 - 10:30 hrs
*
ePolNet Africa (Industry Canada-ECA) Event,
16 November 2005, 10:30 - 12:00 hrs
*
Partnership announcement, organized
by ECA and AU, 16 November 2005, 17:00 hrs
*
Workshop on Indicators, 15 November
2005, 9:00 – 17:00 hrs in partnership with UN Regional
Commissions,
UNCTAD, UN ICT TF, UNESCO, ITU, OECD, etc.
*
ECA/GKP Africa Events
- Panel on “Empowering African Youth Social Entrepreneurs”
- Demonstration on Addis Ababa University (AAU) VarsityNet project
on “development of multi-lingual content management system”
- Demonstration on ECA’s Virtual Learning Academy (vLAC)
- GKP Panel on " Financing Knowledge in Africa" with
ECA, AU, NEPAD, ADB and SDC
*
SDC-IDRC Meeting: "What's Next After WSIS?”,
14 November 2005
In
addition, ECA will setup an exhibition at the ICT4all Exhibition
(http://www.ict4all-tunis.org/)
to showcase and demonstrate the various services and products
of its harnessing ICTs for development programme. Its exhibits
include several ICT for development resources and outputs of
its activities in building national capacities of member States
in the use of ICTs for accelerated and sustainable development.
ECA’s exhibition stand (#1307.3) is located in the development
and solidarity quarter.
15
– 18 November 2005, Telecentre Leaders Forum @ ICT4all
in Kram WSIS Tunis
IDRC’s telecentre.org
program in conjunction with its partners is organizing a Telecentre
Leaders Forum at the World Summit on the Information Society
(WSIS), Tunis in November 2005. The Forum is meant to provide
a unique opportunity for telecentre practitioners, policy makers
and researchers to learn, share and collaborate in advancing
effectiveness and social impact of telecentres around the world.
The Forum will consist of four 2-hour sessions focusing at the
grassroots’ experience; creating stronger Telecentre leaders;
creating a Telecentre tipping point; and the future of Telecentres.
IDRC’s telecentre.org program, through GKP, is specifically
sponsoring full participation of 16 telecentre and community
technology practitioners from Africa, Asia and Latin America
with unique and or inspiring stories/experiences in telecentre
and community use of ICT. telecentre.org is an IDRC innovative
public/private partnership program partnering with Microsoft
Corporation Unlimited Potential Program, The Education Development
Centre and the Global Knowledge Partnership. More: http://www.telecentre.org/
16
– 18 November 2005, World Summit on the Information Society
(WSIS) 2nd Phase, Tunis, Tunisia
The road to Tunis
entails a process of monitoring and evaluation of the progress
of feasible actions laid out in the Geneva Plan and a concrete
set of deliverables that must be achieved by the time the Summit
meets again in Tunis in November 2005. Efforts are now being
made to put the Plan of Action into motion and working groups
are being set up to find solutions and reach agreements in the
fields of Internet governance and financing mechanisms. These
working groups will provide inputs to the second phase of WSIS
in Tunis. Also, measures will be taken to bridge the digital
divide and hasten the achievement of the Millennium Development
Goals with the help of ICTs. More: http://www.itu.int/wsis/
19 - 21 December 2005, Workshop
on convergence of technologies and impact on regulation in Central
Africa, Douala, Cameroon
The workshop aims
at assessing the ICT regulation in the sub region, and proposing
a suitable regulatory framework to contribute to the socioeconomic
development in CEMAC sub region. More: Mohammed Timoulali (mtimoulali@uneca.org).
ANNOUNCEMENTS .....ANNOUNCEMENTS .....
New
Video of Multimedia Training Kit (MMTK) is now available!
The Itrainonline
partnership introduced a new video in the MMTK series. This
video entitled, "Make ICT Training Work For You",
is designed to provide a better understanding of the strategic
use of ICTs, especially multimedia resources in daily work.
The MMTK initiative seeks to promote and support linkages between
new and traditional media for development through a sequential
structured set of materials. Based on the experience and expertise
of telecentres, community media organizations, and other actors
from the development sector, the materials produced follow a
standard set of templates and can be used as building blocks
by trainers during face-to-face workshops. More: http://www.toysatellite.org/mmtk/
MMTK materials are released under a creative common license
for free non-commercial use and distribution. The MMTK is a
joint project of the APC, Bellanet, IICD, INASP, Oneworld.net
and UNESCO. Visit the Itrainonline website to access training
materials at: http://www.itrainonline.org/
New
Connectivity Africa videos
Two new videos of
Connectivity Africa projects have been released, “Capacity
Building for Community Wireless Networking Connectivity in Africa”
and “Using ICTs to Support and Evaluate the ARV Antiretroviral,
South Africa.” More: http://www.connectivityafrica.org
AWARD
OPPORTUNITIES: One million dollar award available for print
journalist
African print journalists are encouraged to nominate their colleagues
for the Dan David Prize, which annually awards three prizes
of 1 million US$ each for achievements that have had a scientific,
technological, cultural or social impact on the world. In 2006,
one of the prizes will be awarded to a journalist working in
print media, who has contributed to the field of journalism
as a whole, and has had a significant impact on today's society.
Special attention will be paid to candidates who promote human
rights, democracy and pluralism; encourage freedom of political
and cultural expression; oppose discrimination of any kind;
condemn the use of media as propaganda or to promote intolerance
and conflict; and act as catalysts for positive change. Candidates
are only eligible for the prize if a third party has nominated
them. Deadline: 30 November 2005. More: http://www.dandavidprize.org/nominations.html
European
Commission DG Development: 2005 Lorenzo Natali Prize
Created by the European Commission in 1992, the Lorenzo Natali
Prize for Journalism 2005 will be decreed to the journalists
of the written press or online which will have shown of a remarkable
understanding and a particular engagement in its report on the
humans right and democracy in the developing countries as vital
elements of the economic and social development of these countries.
You published an article on the defense of democracy or human
right within the framework of the developing world between January
1st, 2004 and August 31st, 2005 take part in the Price Lorenzo
Natali by sending your article before OCTOBER 31, 2005 More:
http://www.prixnatali.info
Archives:
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