|
About the Africa ICT Policy Monitor Project
The APC Africa ICT Policy Monitor's primary goal
project is to enable civil society organisations to engage in information
and communication technologies (ICT) policy development to promote
an Information Society based on social justice and human rights.
The ultimate aim being that governments and policy makers recognise
that access to and the use of ICTs is a basic human right.
The project, initiated in late 2001 has continues to research,
collect, interpret, produce and disseminate ICT policy information;
build the awareness and capacity of civil society to understand
these issues; and assist civil society organisations to formulate
their interests in ICT policy and to support their lobbying
and advocating for policies that promote a just Information
Society.
The ICT Policy Monitor project goals and objectives are implemented
in a similar way to related APC Internet rights projects
already underway in Latin America and Europe, to build civil
society
awareness of ICT policy issues in the context of other
basic human rights,
and to provide a means to monitor and engage ICT policy
issues in the interests of social justice and human development.
- To develop an information resource for civil society organisations
that wish to be active in ICT policy.
This involves researching and analysing ICT policy from a civil
society perspective including running and updating the monitor
websites as a clearinghouse for relevant information. The product
team has also been producing a regular newsletter (Chakula) to
disseminate this information.
- To raise awareness in civil society organisation of ICT policy
issues.
This includes actively seeking out civil society organisations
(in non-ICT fields) and informing them of the work of the
ICT policy monitor project; running email lists for discussion
on
these issues; and making interventions in civil society conferences
and workshops to promote ICT policy issues.
- To empower civil society organisations to develop ICT
policy that meets their needs, and to encourage CSOs to lobby
for an
Information Society that builds social justice and human rights,
at national, regional and global level.
This work continued through publications using a framework
for CSO ICT policy and supporting CSOs to use it and linking
CSOs
active in developing ICT policy. The project team is also building
a network of national ICT policy activists to increase the
impact at regional level and in the WSIS process.
Collaboration:
We are also in collaboration with other organizations and partnerships
around related project activities such as running
civil society training workshops on Internet policy that
is being funded
by the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation
(CTO).
The APC is also the lead component implementer for
the CATIA project component 1C - ''Africa-Led
Advocacy on ICT Policy
Reform'' on ICT policy advocacy for a well-informed,
lively and inclusive
policy debates across Africa, shaping the local policy
environment.
- Access to ICTs (e.g., Telecentres, access in
rural areas)
- Communication Rights, Censorship and Freedom of
Expression
- ICT Policy and Regulation
- The Digital Divide
- Media and Content development
- Language diversity and Culture
- Intellectual Property Rights and Knowledge Management
- Internet Governance
- Legal Perspectives and ICTs
- Free Software, Open Source and alternative technologies
- Privacy, data surveillance and Security
- Capacity building and Training
- Gender equality in ICT
- Minorities and ICT
- E-commerce, E-applications, E-governance and E-democracy
- World Summit on Information Society – WSIS
|
Themes
