EDD2013 Thematic Programme on Human Rights and Democratic Governance - Democracy

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This year's edition of the European Development Days (26-27 November 2013) is approaching. Under the broader theme Upholding Human Rights and Ensuring Equity and Justice – Human Rights and Democratic Governance, the below panel discussions, project presentations and workshops on democracy should be part of the programme.The Power of Young Voices - An Innovative Approach to Inclusive Civic Engagement Focusing on Youth with Disabilities Measuring the Impact of Democracy Aid - Democratic Governance: an Essential Framework for Sustainable Development?#ICT4socialchange - The Role of ICT Research: Scaling-up Sustainable Ways for Local Development Media, Innovation and Development. Exchange of Ideas on Open Source innovation in Media and Information Technology New Bridges between Media and Development? “BeyondAid”: Capturing the Potential of Media in the Post-2015 ProcessIf you have any suggestions or questions related to the activities proposed, please do not hesitate to contact the focal points whose contact details are provided below. You are equally welcome to post on this group's blog to launch discussions or share your thoughts on these topics, and to share your knowledge on similar projects with the help of the projects functionality. Don't forget to tag your content with the EDD2013 thematic category.For the final programme and practical details, please consult the EDD2013 website closer to the date.The Power of Young Voices - An Innovative Approach to Inclusive Civic Engagement Focusing on Youth with DisabilitiesProject PresentationPeople with disabilities are among the most marginalized groups within any society, particularly in developing countries, where they are typically segregated from mainstream opportunities. Despite making up a startling 15% of the world’s population they are routinely denied their basic human rights and excluded from development initiatives.This is where Leonard Cheshire Disability’s (LCD) Global Young Voices network comes in. It is a cross-border initiative for mobilizing young disabled people from all over the world to campaign and advocate for the rights of people with disabilities at local, national and regional levels. By establishing a global network of young disabled campaigners in over 20 countries, LCD has pioneered the way for new leadership in the disability rights movement.The network is based on the belief that there is no one better placed to advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities than young persons with disabilities, the future leaders of tomorrow.Organised by Leonard Cheshire Disability ( thomas.palmer@lcdisability.org, mahesh.chandrasekar@lcdisability.org )Measuring the Impact of Democracy Aid - Democratic Governance: an Essential Framework for Sustainable Development?RoundtableAfter years of steady gains, foreign aid has hit a wall. According to OECD data, net ODA from 23 donors totalled $133.5 billion in 2011, a fall of 2.7% in real terms from 2010. Global aid is even expected to stagnate in coming years, according to the OECD.In this context, the challenge to “do more with less” brings questions of impact and relevance to the forefront. This applies to democracy support even more than to development assistance, as the results are difficult to capture quantitatively as well as qualitatively. In addition, the number of actors and the diversity of target groups have grown over the years.Democracy aid captures a varying field ranging from good governance, civil society support, and assistance to electoral management cycles, up to assistance to political actors. In combination with the variety of organisations active in the field, aspects of complementarity in programming but also common standards of impact evaluation call for enhanced attention.Organised by European Network of Political Foundations, Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung ( info@enop.eu, julia.leininger@die-gdi.de, andrea.ostheimer@kas.de#ICT4socialchange - The Role of ICT Research: Scaling-up Sustainable Ways for Local DevelopmentRoundtableInformation and communication technologies (ICTs), including the Internet and social media, have a role in fostering democracy and empowering local communities. Following this idea, this lab will show how the use of ICTs by CSOs can contribute into the construction of joint agendas, networking, strengthening civil society and advocacy.While the Internet is widely used and recognized as a space for debate, dialogue and free circulation of ideas, there is indeed an urgency to democratize its use and put it at the service of the local communities’ development by creating collective awareness and participation opportunities for collective governance and action.Deepening this idea, panellists will present several examples focused on the role of the Internet as a multi-stakeholder space that opens up new opportunities to think about collective action and democratization. On the one hand, from analysis and visualization of different case studies, this lab would think over the complex behaviour of the new movements. On the other hand, and from experiences globally connected, where the relationship with ICTs plays a leading role, this lab will show the possibilities on the invention of new models and experiences to think democracyIn this discussion lab, researchers, development practitioners and policy makers will debate the need to align the Sustainable Development Goals with the Digital Agenda for Europe, as access to knowledge, freedom of expression and privacy in the Internet are becoming key items to introduce in the post-2015 debate.Organised byAlianza por la Solidaridad, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Fair World(leandro@ac.upc.edu, armela.dino@fairworld.org.es, soraya.hidalgo@fairworld.org.es, jarah@habitafrica.org, lucher@aps-ngo.org )Media, Innovation and Development. Exchange of Ideas on Open Source innovation in Media and Information TechnologyRoundtableDigital divide has decreased in parts of the Global South, but the access to digital communication is by far not evenly spread so far. Information society is on the rise in developed countries, media development, digital rights, digital security and internet literacy are therefore crucial to social and economic development and also have a significant impact on the exercise of human rights.Technological innovation in the ICT sector has been taking place in parts of Africa and the innovation hub culture and availability of open source technological solutions represent some of the positive drives for this development.What local communication technology capacities are needed in further countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America? What business and technology hub models are worth extending beyond the already existing centres of technological development in the Global South? What kind of open source solutions can improve the access to information and freedom and quality of media?Organised by Sourcefabric ( veronika.divisova@sourcefabric.org, herve.verloes@sourcefabric.org )New Bridges between Media and Development? “BeyondAid”: Capturing the Potential of Media in the Post-2015 ProcessBrainstormingThis brainstorming session links the post-2015 debate with media development. Media play a variety of roles in development. They create the conditions for an inclusive policy dialogue, which is one of the preconditions for inclusive growth.Free and plural media contribute to good governance, since media fulfil a watchdog function and hold state and non-state actors to account. They provide channels through which citizens communicate and encourage debate. Also, social media and mobile technologies can accelerate democratization processes.For media to fulfil its different roles in development, freedom of expression as a universal right is crucial. The Millennium Declaration resolved “to ensure the freedom of the media to perform their essential role and the right of the public to have access to information”.This is the context of this brainstorming session, which seeks to identify and to assess fresh, but also established links between the post-MDG process and media development.Organised by Deutsche Welle Akademie, Global Forum for Media Development (joern.fischer@dw.de, patrick.leusch@dw.de, assistant@mediagfmd.org )

A community of practice in Democracy Support

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