DB Click: Democracy and Governance
December 2009
For people seeking to address democracy and governance issues and opportunities.
DB CLICK: Democracy and Governance updates you on recent democracy and governance initiatives including programme activities, awards, evaluation and research results, networks, books, other materials, planning ideas, change theories, and other information recently placed on The Communication Initiative website.
DB CLICK: Democracy and Governance complements The Drum Beat through a specific focus on democracy and governance. It will be published bimonthly (every second month).
DB CLICK: Democracy and Governance Community: 12,132
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See the Democracy and Governance Theme Site – Where communication and media are central to democracy and governance – http://www.comminit.com/en/demandgov.html
1. Civil Society and Advocacy Manual (Advocacy Expert Series)
This manual on advocacy and civil society forms part of the 6-part Advocacy Expert Series which was developed by the Tanzania Advocacy Partnership Programme (TAPP). The manual outlines ways in which civil society and individual citizens can be involved in political processes and ways for them to work in partnership with government to create policies and laws. It also looks at the role of advocates in the political process and outlines steps that can be taken to initiate an advocacy campaign…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/269960/348
2. Radio Programming Inspires Afghan Women to Run for Office
Because, according to the May 1 2009 Independent Election Commission (IEC) report, no female candidates had registered for mid-2009 provincial council elections in Afghanistan’s 8 provinces, the radio programming service Salam Watandar produced a number of stories and interviews to highlight the lack of gender representation. In addition, and with the registration deadline just a week away, Salam Watandar, funded by Internews, created an outreach campaign focusing on potential female candidates in 5 key provinces. The message told women that it was their duty to run for provincial council…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/301683/348
3. Heinrich Böll Foundation – Germany
Based in the Federal Republic of Germany but acting internationally, the Heinrich Böll Foundation is part of the Green political movement that has developed worldwide. It describes itself as «a Green think tank» and «an international policy network» that is «active on ecology, democracy, and human rights worldwide.» The Foundation also promotes non-violence and proactive peace policies, and is committed to self-determination and political participation…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/302112/348
4. Sports for Peace and Life Program – Sudan
Mercy Corps, an international humanitarian aid organisation, aims to harness the power of sport to engage young people and encourage positive social behaviour through its Sports for Peace and Life Program in Sudan. The project is being implemented in partnership with Grassroot Soccer, a US-based organisation which uses the power of soccer to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS in Africa, and is using the Grassroot Soccer life skills training methodology to decrease young people’s vulnerability to HIV/AIDS while increasing their capacity to avert and resolve potential conflict…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/272659/347
5. Women Building Peace and Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict-Affected Contexts: A Review of Community-Based Approaches
This United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) document focuses on specific thematic areas of good practice in the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and women’s participation in peacebuilding. The study was developed as a background document to inform programming and advocacy within the context of UNIFEM programming, and builds on country-level visits conducted in early 2007…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/302128/348
6. Tanzania Advocacy Partnership Program (TAPP)
This was a programme that existed from November 2001 – September 2005 with the aim of strengthening the capacity of civil society organisations (CSOs) to articulate and represent public interests to the government of Tanzania on selected health, environment, and private-sector policy issues, while fostering an enabling environment for CSO-government partnerships. TAPP worked closely with national and local advocacy organisations and networks to: develop an indigenous cadre of master trainers and capacity builders; build local organisational, managerial, and financial capacity; and equip local organisations with the requisite skills for sustaining advocacy efforts…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/135285/348
7. The Camden Principles on Freedom of Expression and Equality
According to this document, the Camden Principles are written to guide legislators, policy-makers, and civil society in balancing the rights to freedom of expression and equality, reaffirming the perspective that the rights to freedom of expression and equality are mutually supportive rights that play a «vital role in safeguarding human dignity, ensuring democracy, and promoting international peace and security»…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/303742/348
8. Write Your Rights – Global
The Write Your Rights campaign is an open and participatory consultation process to develop the PLHIV Charter for HIV Care to articulate the rights and responsibilities of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV). The Delhi Mahila Samiti (DMS) [in English: Women’s Forum of Delhi Network of Positive People – DNP+] invited their comrades and peers – men and women alike – from around the world to participate in the collective drafting of a charter that: synthesises values, principles, and aspirations that are globally shared by PLHIV, includes elements of related rights-based documents, and establishes the international standard of care that should be attained in all countries…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/301559/347
9. Reclaiming Rights and Resources: Women, Poverty, and Environment
This report, published by CARE, presents 7 case studies from across Africa that focus on 3 types of threatened environmental resources: land, forests, and water. In each case, women share their stories of how the loss or degradation of such critical resources has adversely affected their lives and what they are doing to address these problems…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/276714/348
10. Ready to Talk About the Past: A Survey of Knowledge and Attitudes toward Transitional Justice in Burundi
This report presents the findings from a survey on public knowledge and perceptions of transitional justice in Burundi. The survey (of 1,648 Burundian adults across 10 of Burundi’s 17 provinces) aimed to explore a number of issues around transitional justice, as well as to explore patterns of media consumption and key information sources for what is happening in Burundi…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/303968/348
11. Rights-Based Approaches: Exploring Issues and Opportunities for Conservation
This document examines the links between the realisation of human rights and the conservation of natural resources and biodiversity. This document presents rights-based approaches (RBAs) to conservation as positive ways forward, while examining the range of new challenges and questions raised…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/304039/348
Please VOTE in our current poll:
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/288615/348
How central to democracy are newspapers – some of which are being lost to budget cuts and other changes – as opposed to blogs, YouTube, emails, text messaging, twittering, and the like?
* Pivotal – informed public debate is impossible without this kind of quality platform and trained journalistic practice.
* Of some importance – we need both traditional newspapers and new media voices/venues to sustain conversations conducive to transparency.
* Unimportant – the internet and other technologies have enabled participation on the part of both citizens and journalists by trade, making open journalistic debate both possible and popular. This is the essence of democracy.
VOTE and COMMENT at http://www.comminit.com/en/node/288615/348
RESULTS thus far (Dec 10):
47%: Pivotal – informed public debate is impossible without this kind of quality platform and trained journalistic practice.
44%: Of some importance – we need both traditional newspapers and new media voices/venues to sustain conversations conducive to transparency.
10%: Unimportant – the internet and other technologies have enabled participation on the part of both citizens and journalists by trade, making open journalistic debate both possible and popular. This is the essence of democracy.
12. Global Center for Women’s Land Rights
On the International Day for Rural Women (October 15) 2009, the Rural Development Institute (RDI) launched an initiative designed to reduce hunger and poverty by securing land rights for women. The Global Center for Women’s Land Rights will serve as a resource for research, create partnerships for collaborative action, and advocate for policies and laws that provide secure land rights for women and girls…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/304845/306
13. Political Crisis, Mediated Deliberation and Citizen Engagement: A Case Study of Bangladesh and Nirbachoni Sanglap
This paper examines the role of the media in Bangladesh during emergency rule through a look at television and radio debates designed to foster awareness and conversations among citizens and to engage them politically. It does so through a case study of the following BBC World Service Trust initiatives…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/304122/348
14. Analysis of Community Participation in Projects Managed by Non Governmental Organizations: A Case of World Vision in Central Tanzania
According to this report, participation has now become an established orthodoxy in development thinking and practice; however, the concept is not always clearly defined. The document focuses on what have been the perceptions of participation, the nature and extent of stakeholders’ participation, and issues promoting and those hindering stakeholders’ participation in the two World Vision Tanzania development programmes…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/274357
15. Learning by Ear for Afghanistan
In late 2009, Germany’s international broadcaster Deutsche Welle is launching an interactive educational radio programme in Pashto and Dari for children and youth in Afghanistan. «Learning by Ear for Afghanistan» will focus on topics like education, democratisation, and the country’s rebuilding process. Its purpose is to support measures involved in the international reconstruction process in Afghanistan, in the process – organisers hope – contributing to the acceptance of a modern, democratic society…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/304620/348
16. Sport for Development and Peace: From Practice to Policy
Preliminary Report of the Sport for Development and Peace International Working Group
This report explores diverse approaches to sport and development, including a cross-section of countries, discussing what is working, the challenges, and how national governments can broaden current dialogues to strengthen and encourage more countries to engage in sports initiatives…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/286393
17. Information Disclosure Policy: A Toolkit for Pacific Governments
This Information Disclosure Policy Toolkit is a set of materials designed to provide Pacific policy-makers with the tools to develop a strong, practical, effective Information Disclosure Policy (IDP). It identifies key challenges facing many Pacific Island countries and discusses the value of information disclosure in dealing with many of these issues…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/304628/348
18. African Elections Project – Africa
The African Elections project seeks to develop the media’s capacity to use information and communication technology (ICT) as a tool for election coverage and the provision of information and knowledge related to planned elections in various countries throughout Africa. A key component of the project is the African Election Portal, which aims to provide comprehensive election-related information on the various countries covered by the portal…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/281827/348
19. Promising Practices in Online Engagement
This briefing looks at a selection of online engagement practices, from high-level national politics to the public realms of neighbourhoods, and particularly focuses on how to bridge partisan divides and bring together individuals from all over the political spectrum in meaningful dialogue and deliberation. Its focus is approaches that have successfully included diverse voices and produced tangible results outside of political party lines…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/304946/348
20. Women’s Property Rights, HIV and AIDS, and Domestic Violence: Research Findings from Two Rural Districts in South Africa and Uganda
This report explores the links between women’s ownership of housing and land and their vulnerability to domestic violence and HIV and AIDS. Based on in-depth interviews with 120 women from sites in Uganda and South Africa, the report argues that while property ownership is not easily linked to women’s ability to prevent HIV infection, it may help mitigate HIV/AIDS’ social impacts by allowing women to leave violent or unpleasant situations…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/303185/348
21. CooperaTiVa – Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Serbia / Montenegro
CooperaTiVa uses the «reality television» genre for their initiative designed to build bridges between divided Balkan communities. In the 8–part series, 2 inter-ethnic teams of Serb and Albanian youth from Kosovo and Serbia competed in «cooperation challenge». The initiative’s objectives were to: improve inter-community understanding, dialogue, and cooperation among youth of different ethnicities; enable young people to develop both leadership skills and the ability to work in a team; and promote a cooperative communication model that could be applied in day-to-day life in conflict-scarred societies…
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/302881/348
Send us information about your Democracy and Governance communication case studies, reports, evaluations, thinking, and resources. Send to Deborah Heimann at dheimann@comminit.com
Access all information on the issues you choose through a Theme Site on The CI:
Media Development – http://www.comminit.com/en/mediadev.html
ICT4D – http://www.comminit.com/en/ict4d.html
Natural Resource Management – http://www.comminit.com/en/nrm.html
HIV/AIDS – http://www.comminit.com/en/hiv-aids.html
Avian Influenza – http://www.comminit.com/en/avianinfluenza.html
Polio – http://www.comminit.com/en/polio.html
Early Child Development – http://www.comminit.com/en/earlychild.html
Democracy and Governance – http://www.comminit.com/en/demandgov.html
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from The Communication Initiative…where communication and media are central to social and economic development…
Partners: ANDI, BBC World Service Trust, Bernard van Leer Foundation, Calandria, CFSC Consortium, CIDA, DFID, FAO, Fundación Nuevo Periodismo Iberoamericano, Ford Foundation, Healthlink Worldwide, Inter-American Development Bank, International Institute for Communication and Development, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs, MISA, PAHO, The Panos Institute, The Rockefeller Foundation, SAfAIDS, Sesame Workshop, Soul City, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNICEF, USAID, WHO, W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
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