[Nettime-bold] One World: ICTs and NGOs in Southeast Europe (announcement)

[geert lovink <geert@xs4all.nl>]

From: "OneWorld.net" <media@oneworld.net>
Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2002 4:55 AM

Supporting Democracy, Civil Society and Peace:
ICTs and NGOs in Southeast Europe

OneWorld report released

OneWorld www.oneworld.net, the online human rights and sustainable
development network, and the Information Program of the Open Society
Institute (OSI) www.osi.hu, have released a report on the use of ICTs
(information and communication technologies) by non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) in Southeast Europe www.oneworld.net/radio/see/ict.

Southeast Europe was at the forefront of progressive use of new
communication technologies in the 1990s. Examples include the bulletin
boards of ZaMir Transitional Network that brought together anti-war and
human rights groups when traditional communications had been destroyed or
disrupted. During the Kosovo crisis, web-based databases assisted in
reconnecting separated families from displaced populations. In Yugoslavia,
Radio B92 famously took to broadcasting over the Internet when Milosevic's
regime sought to silence oppositional voices.

Branislava Milosevic, OneWorld co-ordinator for Southeast Europe says: "The
wars and social unrest in the region led civil society to innovate around
uses of the Internet to help address urgent needs such as fighting
censorship and human rights abuses. Now, in a post-conflict situation, NGOs
in Southeast Europe need the Internet to re-establish ties broken by war -
both in the region and with the rest of the world."

The report, covering six geographical areas (Albania, Bosnia, Croatia,
Kosovo, Macedonia, and Yugoslavia), is the most comprehensive study to date
of the status of ICTs among NGOs in the region. One of the key findings is
that groundbreaking ICT practices have rarely been sustained as crises have
waned. The report calls for a renewed effort to ensure civil society can
fully realize the benefits of ICTs to meet the challenges the region now
faces in the transition to democracy.

In addition to country profiles, the report details:

· regional ICT capacity, online presence and NGO use of the Internet
· local and regional/international networking between civil society groups,
the media, private sector and government
· ICT use in specific sectors (e.g. media, human rights, women, environment
and AIDS)
· factors impacting on the future development of ICTs (connectivity,
sustainability and donor patterns)
· current NGO support needs (e.g. training and potential projects)

OneWorld and the Information Program of OSI have made the report available
to assist NGOs in their Internet strategies and also to influence decision
makers - such as international organisations, foreign donors and national
governments - to recognize the continued importance of ICTs for NGOs and
wider civil society in Southeast Europe, particularly their role in ensuring
the region's peace.

-
For more information, media enquiries and feedback on the report contact:

Branislava Milosevic, OneWorld co-ordinator for Southeast Europe
tel: +44 (0)787 9634996 email: branislava.milosevic@oneworld.net

For more information on the Information Program of OSI contact:

Vera Franz, ICTs for Civil Society at the Information Program of OSI
tel: +36 (0)1 327 3122 email: ict4ngo@osi.hu

Notes:

1. 'The Use of Information and Communication Technologies by
Non-Governmental Organisations in Southeast Europe: A Joint Study by the
Southeast Europe Initiative of OneWorld International and the Information
Program of the Open Society Institute' is available online at
www.oneworld.net/radio/see/ict.

2. OneWorld www.oneworld.net has a mission to harness the democratic
potential of the Internet for human rights and sustainable development.
OneWorld programmes include OneWorld Radio Southeast Europe
www.oneworld.net/radio/see, an Internet audio exchange for media and NGOs.

3. Open Society Institute (OSI) www.osi.hu is a private foundation with
programmes in civil society, culture, education, media and human rights as
well as social, legal and economic reform. OSI is part of the Soros
Foundations Network established by the investor and philanthropist George
Soros. The Information Program of OSI promotes the equitable deployment of
knowledge and communications resources for civic empowerment and effective
democratic governance.



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