Tag: ACORAB

Workshop/seminar on cybersecurity for community radio journalists in Nepal

The ICT4D Collective was delighted to be involved in delivering an online workshop/seminar with our partners ACORAB (the Association of Community Radio Broadcasters) and CIN (Community Information Network) in Nepal on 24th July. This drew on our previous work in Nepal, as well as the session on community radio that we ran earlier in the year at WSIS+20 together with other organisations and partners. These form part of our increasing work on cyber-security. Some 70 participants, mostly journalists from community radio stations, participated in the two-and-a-half hour workshop which had four main aims:

  • To share information and ideas about the work that members of the Collective have been doing, mainly with migrants, on the safe, wise and secure use of digital tech in Nepal, South Africa, Brazil and Mozamibique;
  • To provide participants with advice that will hopefully be of value to them both personally and in their professional lives;
  • To share resources on cyber-security that can be used through community radio to advise listeners in Nepal; and
  • An opportunity for discussion and dialogue between participants

The slide deck used for the workshop is available here, and we would love to hear any feedback or suggestions about the content through our contact page.

More details can also be found here about our latest related publication: Guidance for small civil society organisations on using digital tech safely, wisely and securely

The ICT4D Collective at WSIS+20

Members of the ICT4D Collective and friends had an exciting and very busy time in Geneva during the 20th anniversary meeting of the World Summit on the Information Society between 26th and 31st May, 2024. Our full agenda is available here, but we summarise below details of the two main sessions that we convened.

Community Media Networks: envisioning the future (Session 331)

We convened this session on 29th May with ACORAB/CIN , BNNRC, TaC-Together, Youth IGF, Cape Town TV, CEMCA, and ICT4D.at, highlighting the importance of community media in reaching some of the world’s most isolated and marginalised people. Our very distinguished line-up of speakers and moderators included (in order of speaking): Pramod Tandukar (Executive Director, ACORAB, Nepal), AHM Bazlur Rahman (CEO, Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication), Dr. R Sreedher (Tele Learning and Community Radio Practitioner), and Philomena Gnanapragasam (CEO Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development), with Tim Unwin (ICT4D Collective) and Paul Spiesberger (ICT4D.at) also being moderators.

Towards a better understanding of the interface between digital tech and the physical environment (Session 332)

This session (convened by The Digital Environment System Coalition, ICT4D.at and TaC-Together with YouthIGF) provided an overview of the agenda being developed by the Digital-Environment System Coalition (DESC), and an outline of our proposed contribution to the ITU’s Partner2Connect initiative. It emphasised the need for a completely new was of understanding the interactions between digital tech and the environment, that is much more holistic than the existing emphasis of the “global community” mainly on climate change, carbon emissions, and e-waste.

Other sessions in which members of the ICT4D Collective were involved.

We would also all like to share a special word of thanks to Gitanjali Sah and the ITU Interns who worked so hard to make WSIS+20 such a success

Do read Paul Spiesberger’s reflective piece at https://www.ict4d.at/2024/06/world-summit-on-the-information-society-wsis20-forum-high-level-event-2024/ for more details.

Further new material for migrants shared in Nepal through our partners ACORAB and CIN

Following our last update on 14th February ACORAB, the Association of Community Radio Broadcasters, Nepal, and CIN, their Community Information Network, have broadcast a further radio programme on 17th February that builds on some of the resources we developed with our partners in Nepal, and sharing information about their activities.

This second segment centred on the secure utilization of information technology for safe migration, and featured Swarna Kumar Jha, the Coordinator of the National Network for Safe Migration-NNSM Nepal, and Sindhu Aryal, the Secretary General of Pourakhi Nepal, both of whom have worked tirelessly with us over the last couple of years in helping to develop the https://pardesi.org.np portal and training resources on the safe, wise and secure use of digital tech (as part of the work of the MIDEQ Hub funded by UKRI GCRF). It was broadcast on February 17, 2024, immediately following the Sajha Khabar news bulletin at 7 am, as part of their regular programme “Sajha Nepal”. It has already garnered 243 views on their Facebook channel. However, “Sajha Khabar” is also distributed to over 300 community radio stations throughout Nepal, reaching over 6.7 million people, which will significantly extend the reach of the social media channel for this episode.

The programme also incorporates vox pops from survivors who have recounted their challenges while employed as migrant workers, and a report presented by Ms. Sushila Shrestha (from the 19:10-minute mark to the 22:20-minute mark) greatly enhances the programme’s interest.

Listen to the programme at https://fb.watch/qlC97bx-gA.