"Communication is a prerequisite for better, more transparent and accountable governance, and for wealth creation and economic growth. It underpins all the MDGs and is arguably as central a need of human beings as food, shelter, health and security. Governments and development actors need to recogni
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se the central role of information and communication in development - especially the importance of strengthening the capacities of poor and marginalised people to participate in political and development processes. Addressing the challenge of communication is urgent. New ICTs can expand opportunities for poor and marginalised people to participate - but strategic support is needed to ensure that ICTs fulfil their development potential rather than widening the wealth gap between rich and poor. The establishment and maintenance of diverse, dynamic and free media is also vital to successful development. The importance of getting the media 'right' is especially great in young democracies, as media play an important role in forming the nature of society." (Conclusion, page 59)
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"This report makes an inventory of existing transmission backbones in Sub-Saharan Africa, and discusses issues related to solutions for improved utilization of such networks. Mobile GSM operators in Sub-Saharan Africa are rapidly covering most populated areas with telephone services. To reach new ar
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eas, the operators keep expanding their transmission links, and the result is the emergence of new telecommunication backbone networks. The mobile operators now own and control the bulk of transmission backbone capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa. Regulation and competition between operators have largely prevented shared use of these emerging backbones. A number of issues are raised in the report: The lack of open access, the dominating position of the GSM operators, the pricing of transmission services and regulation. It is Sida’s intention to raise these issues among African operators, regulators, policy makers, donors and financing organisations." (Back cover)
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"Discussions on how to support sustainability of independent media generally focus on the political conditions, the legal framework and – especially in German development cooperation – on the quality of journalistic coverage. Nevertheless, economic factors are of equal importance, not only for p
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ure survival but also with respect to editorial independence and the resources available to enhance or guarantee the quality of media outlets. The German Forum Medien und Entwicklung (Media and Development) highlighted in its annual international Symposium, “Money Matters – How independent media manage to survive”, two dimensions marking economic sustainability: factors constituting a restricting or enabling media environment; factors supporting the business management of media in their endeavour to become self-sustainable." (Executive summary, page 5)
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"This paper intends to look at the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as a communication tool instead of an object of communication. The MDGs possess the potential to make development more understandable to people at the centre of development policies: the poor, vulnerable and socially excluded. Th
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e potential to make development interventions more effective and, ultimately, to achieve the MDGs, lies in improving the capability of these people to use information about development to claim their rights and to hold authorities accountable for their commitments. Based on the available literature and international conventions, the paper will elaborate a framework for the application of communication for development in promoting the MDGs at the country level. The framework will be used to examine the Albanian experience in using the MDGs to mobilize participation around national and local development strategies. It will also highlight the contribution that communication can make in Serbia to the social inclusion of marginalized groups such as Roma, refugees, internally displaced persons and people with disabilities. The proposed framework can be used to identify gaps, opportunities and entry points in each country. It can help make the best use of the MDGs at the national level through including excluded groups in the policy debate, which will enhance transparency, accountability and responsiveness to their needs." (Abstract)
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"This publication is a short, easy-to-read introduction to the field of media assistance. Following the usual steps of the project cycle, it describes the principal elements to analyse needs in media assistance and to select specific intervention strategies. The document distinguishes six interventi
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on areas: training of individual journalists; the organisational level of media outlets; the strengthening of media support institutions (research institutions, press councils, etc.); enhancing the sustainability of media; establishing and enforcing favourable media laws and regulations; and activities aiming at cultural values and societal beliefs. For each area, appropriateness, strengths and weaknesses, key issues for analysis and simple monitoring techniques are briefly listed." (CAMECO Update 1-2008)
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"In order to work towards a more constructive role for the media in Bolivian society in the present context, this report suggests a strategy which could focus on the following four areas: advocacy for changes in the legal framework; spaces for debate and reflection; strengthening the quality of jour
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nalism; protection for journalists. For each of these areas specific interventions of immediate action are recommended. Such interventions focus on attending to the more pressing needs by seeking ways in which the media are not led to play an adverse role in the growing tension and the deepening of the conflict in Bolivia but rather to fulfill a role that makes it possible to create a bridge among the different political positions and current interests, and between these and Bolivian society." (Executive summary, page 3)
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"1. There has been remarkable growth in both private and non-for-profit radio in Nepal since 1997: 216 licenses had been issued as of July 2007 with 78 FM stations broadcasting; of 93 licenses issued to non-profit groups, 31 were operational as of May 2007.
2. To its detriment, the FM radio sector h
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as and continues to be largely unplanned and unmanaged. There is technical congestion in the capital region and high redundancy of licensed services, even in some rural areas; there are major policy gaps and limited means to ensure accountability of broadcasters. The current system of regulation does little to promote a diversity of services or to ensure that broadcasters meet public needs or address national development priorities.
3. The application and practice of community radio principles is remarkably inconsistent. Many stations are community radios in name only. Community radio in Nepal is poorly defined and there is no policy framework to guide the development of the sector. Of particular concern are issues of limited ownership, ‘capture’ by the elite, poor representation of community groups, particularly on gender, caste and ethnic lines. There is a risk that community orientation and the focus on public interest programming will be weakened.
4. In spite of gaps, Nepal’s community radio sector possesses a certain maturity and sophistication. There are a large number of stations, increasingly coordinated. There are excellent practices in programming and community participation, many of which are being replicated. There are resource centres and support organizations with high capacity, both private and non-profit. There is an active national association of community stations." (Key findings, page 4-5)
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"According to this report the media in low-income countries is too often left aside as a serious player in the fight against poverty. ‘It’s time that those active in poverty reduction realise the media is a public good and in a prime position to monitor whether poverty reduction is taking place.
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’ says the co-author Jon Barnes. The report assesses the media’s potential to scrutinise the progress of plans to tackle poverty including Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs). At the same time, based on findings from six countries in Africa and South Asia, this publication analyses serious political, commercial and professional obstacles to stronger media coverage on poverty reduction. Therefore, it highlights the importance of policy actors needing not only to recognise media potential and strengthen engagement with individual journalists, but also needing to support the media sector as a whole more effectively." (CAMECO Update 2-2008)
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"This paper is a peer review of journals addressing the issue of the impact of development communication in a number of development projects and programs. It provides an overview of this discipline and then discusses the evidence about the impact of development communication according to a typology
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developed on the basis of the articles reviewed. This study is part of a wider process that provided support to the First Congress on Communication for Development, an event that took place in Rome on October 2006." (Back cover)
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"Our 21 contributors -– most of them from Asia, and representing media, development or humanitarian sectors -- do not engage in mere theoretical discussions. In 19 chapters of this book, they draw on their rich and varied experience working in either preparing disaster resilient communities or res
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ponding to humanitarian emergencies triggered by specific disasters. Some are journalists who have reported on disasters from the 'ground zero'; others are aid workers, public information officials or development professionals who have been at the forefront in emergency responses or are engaged in disaster risk reduction. Diverse as their backgrounds and experiences are, our contributors share a belief in the central role that communication can play before, during and after disasters occur. Within this, they offer a kaleidoscope of perspectives as well as a great deal of practical advice on how to communicate hazards and disasters at inter-personal, inter-agency, inter-sector and public levels. The tools, technologies and methods may vary, but there is a broad consensus that to be effective, communication needs to be two-way, inclusive, participatory and sustained over time. It is not an 'add on' to other development interventions, but an integral component in its own right." (Page 3)
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