Africa Source II will be an eight day hands-on workshop at the beginning of January 2006 and is aimed at building the technical skills of those working with and within NGOs in Africa. Applications for joining this event were accepted till October 24, and now preparations are underway.

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Open source, open content, open access, open standards, open processes… Many of us in civil society claim we are committed to any number of “open-nesses” but can we put our hand on our heart and say that we really walk-the-talk?

As “social techies” APC and partners are committed to supporting and promoting the use of computer and internet technology as an empowerer —as something to help social justice and development workers meet their goals. At an Open Day hosted by APC and our host member in Bulgaria, BlueLink, which was a real learning event, APC, BlueLink and guests examined and exchanged experiences and know-how on the complexities and realities and the issues at the heart of real “open access for all”.

More than a hundred social movements and civil society organisations gave endorsed a letter released earlier this month by some of the most active groups involved in the World Summit on the Information Society process. Condemning tight surveillance activities, human rights and fundamental freedoms violations on behalf of the Tunisian authorities, the protagonists expressed their concern about the conditions in which the WSIS is to take place in Tunis in November 2005. Read the letter addressed to the Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, and endorse the statement by sending an electronic message to "info at apc dot org".

APC member Nodo Tau is turning 10 in October 2005. For the occasion, the Argentinian organisation is hosting two popular events that put emphasis on alternative news. On October 4, a first panel discussion on the theme of "Alternative media: strategies to foster the inclusion of social organisations’ perspective into the information agenda" will be followed by a second panel on "Communication experiences of social organisations". On October 29, a social networking event with organisations using good practices (http://www.enredando.org.ar) will take place in Rosario.

Earlier this week, Karen Banks, Networking and Advocacy Coordinator for APC, expressed solidarity with a statement released by the Human Rights Caucus. The caucus, composed of many leading human rights activists of the global civil society, called for procedural safeguards to "avoid the reign of the arbitrary" on 22 September 2005, on the eve of the PrepCom 3 meeting in Geneva. The Human Rights Caucus thereby condemned the systematic blocking of the Human Rights in China (HRIC) association accreditation to the WSIS process. The original statement, proposed to adoption by the Civil Society plenary meeting in Geneva reads as follows.

The Philippine government’s position on the Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) Report, presently recently, is based on nationwide consultations Philippine Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) ran from June to August 2005 at the Manila Hotel. But the civil society points out hat the consultations were rather limited and that only the last consultation in Davao City had the benefit of discussing the WGIG Report. The rest had as main documents WGIG’s 12 issue papers.

A mobile help-line service that takes information to the poor in Bangladesh, an information and communication technologies (ICT) centre that shares skills with marginalised women in India, and a venture that encourages home-based careers for Malaysian women won this year’s Gender and Information & Communication Technology (GICT) Awards sponsored by the Association for Progressive Communications Women’s Networking Support Programme (APC WNSP) and the Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP).

APC member Ungana-Afrika has won this year’s Dirk Award, given annually to circuit or eRiders making an extraordinary contribution. eRiders are ICT capacity-builders for development organizations, and work in a movement which spans over 20 countries.

Want to develop a quick Web campaign? Are you a conservation activist that needs technology assistance? Any tricks for non-profits to make the most of the Internet? Can non-governmental organisations benefit if they have a better idea of consultants around? For this, and more, information check out the Institute for Global Communications (IGC) online resources put out as part of their "commitment to helping nonprofits working on advocacy campaigns get the most out of the internet today".