Communication for influence in Latin America (CILAC – Andean Region)

APC has been actively working to advance ICT policy advocacy in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region since 2001. APC has focused on:

• advocacy for opening up policy spaces to civil society inputs
• facilitating the engagement of civil society organisations in ICT policy processes by building civil society capacities to understand ICT policy issues
• providing relevant information resources on ICT policy developments.

CILAC seek to integrate research, research communications, network-building and advocacy for affordable universal broadband.

Main goals

CILAC will:

• Conduct research that will identify obstacles to universal affordable access to ICT infrastructure in the Andean sub-region and,
• to develop a sub-regional ICT policy advocacy network that will disseminate research and undertake advocacy on ICTD and access to infrastructure at the sub-regional level, in order to create a sound platform for sub-regional connectivity in the Andean region that will provide a platform for the effective use of ICTs in development processes.

Specific goals

Specifically, CILAC intends:

• To support research projects on access to ICT infrastructure and ICTD.
• To disseminate and discuss research findings based on the situation on the ground and link them with ongoing initiatives (both own and other existing research).
• To explore ways of using research findings to inform policy advocacy initiatives.
• To link research finding on practices of governance and freedom with advocacy using civil society participatory processes and gender evaluation methodology.
• To undertake policy advocacy initiatives at the sub-regional level in the Andean region and to support policy initiatives at the national level.

Main expected results

The expected outcomes will be a body of research on the implementation of telecom reform in the Andean region from a political perspective on sector performance, access and affordability and policy environments. The research will complement and offer alternative perspectives to existing research. At the same time, a sub-regional ICTD network will be developed in the Andean Region to undertake research, disseminate and advocate on improving access to infrastructure, enhancing the connection between e-strategies and poverty reduction strategies and taking forward the ICTD agenda.

A network-building workshop will take place in Quito, Ecuador, from 1-5 September 2008.