6. About the organisations

World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC)
www.amarc.org

AMARC is an international NGO serving the community radio movement. It has almost 3,000 members and associates in 110 countries. Its goal is to support and contribute to the development of community and participatory radio along the principles of solidarity and international cooperation.

OneWorld
www.oneworld.net

OneWorld’s mission is to harness the democratic potential of information and communication tools to promote human rights and sustainable development. Through partnerships with organisations and individuals sharing their vision, OneWorld aims to transcend geographic and linguistic barriers to give a voice to those typically overlooked by mainstream media and policy makers.

One World South Asia (OWSA) has a decade’s expertise in creating and implementing innovative ICT-assisted knowledge solutions, projects, products and services. Most recently, OWSA provided knowledge facilitation support to the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) – the flagship social security programme of the Indian government – and continues to participate in MDG advocacy at the United Nations and in national-level ICT for development policy dialogues in South Asia.

Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
www.apc.org

APC is an international network of civil society organisations dedicated to empowering and supporting people working for social justice and sustainable development through the strategic use ICTs, including the internet. APC is working towards a world in which all people have easy, equal and affordable access to the creative potential of ICTs to improve their lives and create more democratic and egalitarian societies.

The Worldwide Partnership of Panos Institutes (Panos)
www.panos.org

The Panos Institutes work to ensure that information is effectively used to foster public debate, pluralism and democracy. Globally and within nations, Panos works with media and other information actors to enable developing countries to shape and communicate their own development agendas through informed public debate. Panos works to provide the world’s poorest people with access to information on issues that affect them, and to make their voices heard on decisions that relate to their lives.

International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD)
www.iicd.org

IICD is a non-profit foundation that specialises in using ICTs as a tool for development. Assistance is given to local partner organisations in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean to improve development within the fields of education, the environment, good governance, health and livelihood opportunities. IICD’s approach includes linking local, national and international organisations as well as formulating and implementing ICT-supported development policies and projects. As an independent foundation, it works with partners from the public, private and not-for-profit sectors.

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
www.sdc.admin.ch/ict4d

SDC supports networks and organisations that focus on strengthening the institutional and organisational basis for the effective use of ICTs. By using knowledge as a resource for development, enhanced by new information and communication technologies, SDC strengthens the voice of developing countries and disadvantaged communities in global, regional and local policy dialogues. It also facilitates South-South cooperation by promoting the active recognition, use and exchange of local and indigenous knowledge. The current focus of its work is to integrate the strategic use of ICTs within SDC programmes and thematic priorities.

Other BCO partners:

Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
www.acdi-cida.gc.ca

CIDA is Canada’s lead agency for development assistance. It has a mandate to support sustainable development in developing countries in order to reduce poverty and contribute to a more secure, equitable and prosperous world. This mandate is carried out through different multilateral and geographic programmes and projects across the globe. CIDA also directly supports governments of developing countries.

Department for International Development (DFID)
www.dfid.gov.uk

DFID is the UK government department responsible for promoting development and the reduction of poverty. The central focus of the government’s policy is a commitment to the internationally agreed-upon target to halve the proportion of people living in extreme poverty by 2015, while focusing specifically on how to manage the process of globalisation to benefit poor people. DFID works in partnership with governments, business, civil society and the research community as well as multilateral institutions including the World Bank, United Nations and European Community.

Directorate-General for International Cooperation (DGIS)
www.minbuza.nl

DGIS is responsible for development cooperation policy – its coordination, implementation and funding – for the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Good governance, poverty reduction and sustainable development are the main objectives of Dutch development policy. DGIS is fully committed to the MDGs and strives to improve the quality and effectiveness of the Dutch contribution to reaching these goals, promoting partnerships with civil society organisations, enterprises and knowledge institutes in rich and poor countries alike.

Humanist Institute for Cooperation with Developing Countries (Hivos)
www.hivos.nl

Hivos is a non-governmental development organisation based in the Netherlands and guided by humanist values. It wants to contribute to a free, fair and sustainable world in which citizens have equal access to resources, opportunities and markets and can participate actively and equally in decision-making processes that determine their lives, their society and their future. Hivos provides financial, political and institutional support to local NGOs in the developing world and is active in networking, lobbying and exchanging knowledge and expertise.

International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
www.idrc.ca

Canada’s IDRC is one of the world’s leading institutions in the generation and application of new knowledge to meet the challenges of international development. For more than 30 years, IDRC has worked in close collaboration with researchers from the developing world in their search for the means to build healthier, more equitable and more prosperous societies.

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