Press Releases

Press Releases

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Global Knowledge Partners move ahead in Samoa meeting

September 8, 2006

THE Oceania members of the Global Knowledge Partnership met on 21 August 2006 in Samoa to discuss the region’s work plan through the end of December 2007.

The Global Knowledge Partnership (www.globalknowledge.org) is an international organization whose members are committed to using ICT for Development (ICT4D) and Knowledge for Development (K4D). The focus of GKP is Building Partnerships and Sharing Knowledge.

The meeting agreed on a 17 point work plan that includes:

· Developing Youth based Social Entrepreneurship program to accelerate growth of existing small businesses through the use of ICT.

· The development of low cost and high capacity Internet connections for schools and remote villages. The first of these programs was implemented by GKP members Computer Services Ltd, the Samoan National ICT Committee and New Zealand’s 2020 Communications Trust at the end of August 2006. Additional partners in the project include Rural Link from Hamilton New Zealand, Patara Communications from Fiji and the Pacific Internet Society (PICISOC) who were having their annual conference in Apia at the time.

· An award program for excellence in Journalism coverage of ICT4D issues in the region.

· The spread of Safe Internet Practices to each Pacific Country and Territory based on New Zealand’s Internet Safety Group (www.netsafe.org.nz)

· A program to make e-mail services available in indigenous Pacific languages.

GKP’s Deputy Executive Director, Kwan Liow, made her first visit to the Pacific to attend the meeting. “The Oceania Group of GKP is full of energy and great ideas. They are so far advanced in their thinking and planning. They are a model for the rest of the world. GKP is well placed to have such focused and committed members serving their communities in the Pacific. GKP is about building partnerships and share knowledge. This certainly happened at our meeting. It was also great to be able to launch the “PACInet Samoa Schools Project” involving GKP members 2020 Communications Trust and Computer Services Ltd as the first in the region in this planning period.”

GKP Oceania members present at the meeting included 2020 Communications Trust (New Zealand), Computer Services Ltd (Samoa), Fiji Government ICT Unit (Fiji)

Foundation for Development and Cooperation (Australia), Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC – New Caledonia and Fiji), and Unesco (Apia).

Workshop calls for increased gender perspective in Pacific communication policies, initiatives

Posted on August 3, 2006

UNESCO gives high priority to providing and strengthening communication and information facilities at the level of local communities. Such facilities offer basic tools for introducing and managing community-centred development and change.

Pacific communities are diverse and dynamic and national radio and TV broadcasters struggle or don’t attempt to localize news or programmes. Community media especially radio fill the gap and we now have the technology of radio-in-a-suitcase to make it happen.

femLINK Pacific, a media NGO in Fiji has been operating a community radio for 2 years. Based in the capital Suva, femLINK organizes community visits where they spend up to 2 weeks gathering “local” news and identifying local broadcasting talent. After collating the local news and localizing relevant national, regional, and international news, a broadcast date and time is set.

The coconut wireless (word of mouth) is activated to alert the community of the date, time, and frequency of the local broadcast and the 2 – 3 hour broadcast is a big community event. Usually broadcasting from a local community leader’s house, it isn’t unusual to have residents ‘dress-up’ for the radio broadcast and there’s general hilarity of hearing their own voices or callers they know on the radio.

In order to increase awareness on the power of community radio/media especially with the broadcasting regulator, UNESCO Apia sponsored a 3-day Community Media Workshop. femLINK invited a large number of representatives from women and youth groups as well as the Ministry of Information, Communications & Media Relations and several other organizations. All presentations and comments were recorded and locally broadcast (in Suva) on the last day of the Workshop.

Critical issues such as gender equality in ICT and media policies and practical knowledge on abstract notions of freedom of information and freedom of _expression were discussed at the Workshop.

At the end of the workshop, participants in their Outcome Statement stressed the need to expedite efforts to ensure more women are informed about the purpose and benefits of the Freedom of Information Act, and the draft Broadcasting and Telecommunication Acts, as these are critical means of ensuring women’s active involvement in all information and communication channels.

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'Pacific radio must change'

Posted on July 28, 2006

THE Unesco Office for the Pacific States based in Apia, Samoa is committed to supporting independent and pluralistic media development. It is very important that media personnel from the Pacific attend and fully participate in regional and global media events to learn of new developments, share experiences, network and establish contacts and opportunities.

Unesco sponsored Mr. Francis Herman, CEO for the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation Ltd to represent Pacific radio at the 2006 RadioAsia Conference organized by the Asia-Pacific broadcasting Union.

Mr. Herman’s very strong and well received message was that ‘Pacific radio must change’ to remain relevant and maintain radio’s share of the media market.

This relevance becomes more critical with the advancing popularity of television, pod casting, internet and mobile phones which are stealing audience away from the traditional radio broadcasts.

“No one listens to radio out of a sense of loyalty and with the rapid advances in technology, other mediums threaten the popularity of radio which in turn affects its viability”, he said.

Kenney visits Oro to view US-sponsored prosperity programs

US Ambassador Kristie Kenney visited Cagayan de Oro on the island of Mindanao on June 8.

During her visit, Ambassador Kenney toured Green Bank, a local bank involved in the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Microenterprise Access to Banking Services program. Known as MABS, this program helps banks provide loans to microenterprise customers, creating economic growth and prosperity for families in Cagayan de Oro. Ambassador Kenney presided over a ceremony recognizing the bank’s 30,000th microloan client.

She also spoke to participants of an Avian Influenza Municipal Planning Workshop sponsored by the U.S. Government to assist local governments in developing and implementing an avian flu preparedness plan.

Ambassador Kenney met with local leaders such as Governor Oscar Moreno of Misamis Oriental, Vice Governor Julio Uy of Misamis Oriental, and Mayor Juliette Uy of Villanueva City at the launching ceremony for the U.S. Government-sponsored Education and Employment Alliance (EEA).

The EEA is a partnership between USAID and the International Youth Foundation to help young people get education and job-skills training that will lead to employment. By creating an alliance of government, businesses, and civil society, the EEA program will put out-of-school youth on the path to jobs, spurring economic development in the area.

Today’s launch of the EEA is only one example of the continuing partnership between the U.S. and Philippine governments in providing opportunities for youths in conflict-affected areas, and of the American people’s commitment to prosperity in the Philippines.

Ambassador Kenney also toured the Bulk Water Supply Project, which is partially owned by American investors and purifies water from the Bubunawan River for drinking by citizens in Cagayan de Oro.

The U.S. Government and American people work with many partners in Cagayan de Oro to bring peace and prosperity to Mindanao, and create a better future for all. (US Embassy Manila Information Office)


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