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MISTICA: UNESCO call: ICT for poverty reduction (Asia)

From: Daniel Pimienta ([email protected])
Date: Fri Apr 19 2002 - 12:11:37 AST

>To: [email protected]
>From: claire shearman <[email protected]>
>Date: Thu, 18 Apr 2002 14:12:05 +0100
>Subject: [Globalcn2000] UNESCO call for proposals - deadline April 30th
>
> >From: W. Jayaweera, Regional Communication Adviser for Asia
> >UNESCO Regional Bureau for Communication and Information
> >UNESCO New Delhi office
> >B-5/29, Safdarjung Enclave
> >New Delhi-110 029
> >INDIA
> >Tel: 91 11 6713000
> >Fax: 6713001 / 2
> >e-mail: [email protected]
> >________________________________________________________________________
> >Released April 5, 2002 for distribution to:
> >Technology Institutes, NGOs, Community Organisations, Media and IT Groups,
> >Professionals and Developers
> >
> >Information and Communication Technologies for Poverty Reduction: Putting
> >ICTs in the Hands of the Poor
> >Call for Inputs:
> >The poor have information, knowledge and communication needs as do all
> >people, yet they are often unable to address them. UNESCO is launching a
> >new project in South Asia to test and demonstrate different models that
> >effectively put Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) and
> >relevant content into the hands of people living in poverty so they are
> >empowered to address their own information, knowledge and communication
> >needs.
> >The main goal of the project is to find ways in which people living in
> >poverty can use ICTs as tools to empower themselves, be it through access
> >to productive information, the creation of content that is relevant to
> >their lives or through opportunities to communicate and better organise
> >themselves. The focus is not on technology itself, but on how to use
> >technologies for a specific purpose: to empower and enable people living
> >in poverty to change their circumstances.
> >UNESCO is now seeking inputs from different parties that will contribute
> >to this project. UNESCO is ready to support the development of innovative
> >ideas to put ICTs to work in reducing poverty. Innovations will be
> >implemented through pilot projects in at least five different locations in
> >South Asia.
> >UNESCO invites interested parties to submit a short concept paper (maximum
> >2 pages) outlining concrete inputs to the project.
> >Concept papers should clearly present a technical and/or social innovation
> >that facilitates ICT usage by people living in poverty and contributes to
> >a strategy for poverty reduction.
> >1. Innovations may use some combination of traditional and new
> >technologies, use ICT hardware in novel ways, adapt software or create
> >specialised templates that suit the situations and needs of people living
> >in poverty, in isolated areas, etc.
> >2. Innovations may also work with grassroots systems, for example to
> >identify local needs and disseminate appropriate information or to develop
> >'human interfaces' between technology and people.
> >3. Specific areas of application may be education, health, local
> >governance, micro-finance or other aspects of social and economic
> >development, for instance ways to support entrepreneurship and
> >livelihoods.
> >4. Attention should be given to the provision of combined electronic
> >services by various agencies at the grassroots level to support local
> >poverty reduction efforts.
> >5. The target beneficiaries are the marginalised and disadvantaged,
> >people living in poverty, especially extreme poverty, and in particular
> >women and youth.
> >UNESCO is also interested in suggestions for work areas and/or communities
> >of target beneficiaries in which models can be piloted.
> >Collaborative implementation:
> >Proponents of the most suitable ideas will be invited to join a
> >collaborative process in which different innovations will be adapted and
> >implemented as pilots by project teams in at least five different work
> >areas in South Asia.
> >The most convincing concepts and most appropriate work areas will be
> >discussed at a consultation with proponents, experts and stakeholders to
> >be held in June 2002. Following the consultation, project teams and
> >detailed work plans will be finalised. UNESCO will collaborate with
> >proponents and relevant stakeholders to establish specific pilot projects
> >to test the effectiveness and sustainability of these new models for ICT
> >access in South Asia.
> >In an effort to give maximum coverage to lessons learned and successful
> >models, pilot projects will be well documented and the lessons learned
> >widely shared. UNESCO will support networking through additional
> >consultations, evaluations and publication of results.
> >ICTs as a tool to fight poverty:
> >The main thrust of UNESCO's project is to identify specific tools and ways
> >of using them that empower people by increasing access to information and
> >communications. The project seeks to demonstrate concrete applications of
> >ICTs as a contributing force in strategies to reduce poverty.
> >Information and communications are closely linked to power and the ability
> >to affect change. By expanding information flows and by making
> >communications more accessible, people living in poverty can make better
> >choices, voice their opinions, demand their rights and have more power
> >over their own lives.
> >ICTs can create new opportunities. They can be used by the poor to get
> >information, organise themselves, and to communicate their interests. ICTs
> >can also improve the efficiency and responsiveness of groups that work
> >with the poor. On a broad level, ICTs can help to break down isolation and
> >structures of discrimination, and to support new forms of economic and
> >social innovation that benefit the poor.
> >Poor people's own view of poverty focuses in large part on the lack of
> >power, voice and independence that subjects them to exploitation and
> >reinforces their inability to affect changes to their situation. Based in
> >the realities of poor people, strategies to reduce poverty must build
> >grassroots capacity to organise, work towards changing social norms and
> >support social movements, innovation and leadership.
> >Information and communication technologies, such as radio or internet, can
> >clearly play a positive role in reducing poverty; however a great deal of
> >work remains to figure out how to practically and sustainable put these
> >tools to work in the hands of poor people.
> >Technical and social innovations are critical in overcoming A) lack of
> >awareness of and motivation to use ICTs, B) the absence of facilities to
> >access ICTs, and C) the lack of locally relevant content and appropriately
> >packaged information products, especially in terms of the languages used.
> >Other considerations:
> >Of particular importance to UNESCO are the integrated training and action
> >research components of the project. As the purpose is to demonstrate new
> >models and methods, action research and reporting - from monitoring and
> >analysis to widespread dissemination - will be built into each pilot
> >initiative. The goal is to test not so much the technologies, but the
> >methodologies for applying them.
> >Selection of pilots will be determined in large part by the degree of
> >self-reliance and prospects for sustainability, both in human and
> >financial terms.
> >Basic guidelines:
> >1) Include full contact information and a short description of the
> >proponent
> >2) Total costs for each pilot should not exceed USD 35 000
> >3) Duration of the pilot phase should not exceed one year
> >4) Concept papers should be received by UNESCO by April 30
> >5) Concept papers should clearly present one or both of the following:
> >A) A technological or social innovation to be tested;
> >B) A location and group of target beneficiaries in which to apply
> >innovations;
> >Please address the following questions:
> >A) Innovations to be tested:
> >1) What is the main innovation or idea-?
> >2) How do you envision the innovation being applied to meet the needs of
> >the poorest people-?
> >3) How would the innovation fit together with other components, both
> >technical and social, into a larger scenario and strategy for poverty
> >reduction-?
> >4) What sort of human and organizational resources would this
> >scenario/strategy require-?
> >5) What training requirements are associated with the project-?
> >6) What relevant means are there for grassroots 'ownership' and
> >sustainability-?
> >7) How will you ensure quality, diversity and relevance of information
> >provided-?
> >8) What costs, both for set-up and operation, can be anticipated-?
> >9) What barriers or challenges do you anticipate-?
> >B) Potential areas and communities to work with:
> >1) Provide a descriptive picture of the proposed work area and the
> >socioeconomic situation of the target community.
> >2) What specific work or planning has already been done in terms of using
> >technology to address poverty-?
> >3) How do you envision ICTs being used by the poorest in this
> >area/community-?
> >4) What training requirements are associated with the project-?
> >5) What is the anticipated role of local stakeholders (i.e. community
> >groups, local government, NGOs, etc)-?
> >6) What relevant strategies are there for grassroots 'ownership' and
> >sustainability-?
> >7) What costs can be anticipated-?
> >8) What barriers or challenges do you anticipate-?
> >Some additional information to assist in submitting a concept paper is
> >available:
> >� ICTs for Poverty Alleviation Project - Background and Objectives
> >� Examples of innovations to address issues of access and content
> >� Kothmale Community Radio and Internet - Background and Lessons Learned
> >
> >To submit a concept paper or for more information email the Regional
> >Communication Advisor for Asia [email protected] with a copy to
> >[email protected]

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