Directors' Message
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
01 DIRECTORS’ MESSAGE There is a story about a skipper in a round-the-world yacht Governance Group. Women have been included more, too. race, who, whenever he was asked by a crew member if they The Board of Trustees achieved gender balance in 2002 – could take a rest day, would reply: “Will it make the ship go and the board’s strong support for women's voices has faster?” That was his touchstone. helped promote gender awareness throughout OneWorld. OneWorld.net has never been just a website, promoting the In November 2002 the Trustees celebrated the election of a work of a single organization. It always was, and remains, new Chair, Larry Kirkman. As Dean of Communication at the a platform supporting a multiplicity of voices from civil American University, Washington, DC, Larry brings expert society communities, big and small, gathered around the knowledge of media and marketing. Last November we were most critical issues affecting the human family. So our delighted that our Founding Chair, Pranlal Sheth – a guiding touchstone might be: “Will it make the dialogue fairer?” – light since the inception of OneWorld – agreed to remain more inclusive and equitable, globally and socially, and on the board as Chair Emeritus. It was largely thanks to more mutually respectful. Pran’s guidance that OneWorld International’s governing body became a UK registered charity in early 2003. We are delighted, therefore, that our civil society partnership has expanded to include more than 1,500 organizations, as One of Pran’s watchwords has been the importance of well as more than 800 audio members of OneWorld Radio including more voices from Middle Eastern and Muslim and a further 1,000-plus video members of OneWorld TV communities. In the stormy period since September 11th, since its relaunch in April 2002. With OneWorld TV’s we have often wished we had had more success here. We revolutionary new format, video contributors no longer need warmly welcome the ever-growing number of voices in the to be professional film-makers with the resources to produce North calling for peace and mutual understanding. But we a full-length documentary. Now any citizen able to shoot a are equally mindful of the need to enable a global audience few moments’ footage – of a human rights violation in a shanty to hear more voices from communities, especially in the town, say, or in a refugee camp – can become a producer South, directly under threat of war. whose video evidence is available for the world to see. Anuradha Vittachi and Peter Armstrong The same principles of inclusion lie at the heart of the Open Directors, OneWorld International Knowledge Network (OKN) project, chaired by OneWorld. The internet has been a game played by elites, but OKN (see p8) enables non-literate and impoverished people in rural communities to participate online at no cost to Pranlal Sheth themselves. Pranlal Sheth died on 30 June 2003. We will sorely miss him. On our last visit, we presented him with a glass engraving, OneWorld.net’s global audience for these varied voices has inscribed: tripled during the course of this last year. Yahoo.com, the world’s biggest online news source, now welcomes OneWorld “Pranlal Sheth CBE.`Gentleness without, clarity within.’ as one of its global news feeds, alongside Reuters. And we OneWorld, 1995–2003.” have been invited to share our innovatively inclusive approach to media at key global meetings, from the World Social We hope never to forget his example. Forum and World Economic Forum to the Ford Foundation’s first Worldwide Assembly. Internally, too, OneWorld has become more inclusive. Our centre directors have mentioned a growing sense of shared leadership at network-wide meetings. They also have more access to board meetings, thanks to the work of the trustees’ 02 ONEWORLD CENTRES Africa / Austria / Canada / Central America / España OneWorld is an international internet-based network of OneWorld Canada editions are to merge with the “in cahoots” autonomous centres governed and supported by OneWorld section of Rabble (www.rabble.ca), a major Canadian activist International Foundation and its operating company site (also a project of Alternatives) to trigger a formal public OneWorld International Ltd. OneWorld centres in Africa, launch later in 2003. Our aim is not just to provide the best the Americas, Asia and Europe publish country and global social justice site for a Canadian audience but also continental editions of the OneWorld web portal in regional to work with others in the OneWorld network to bring about languages and work together in promoting human rights a French language site focused on Francophone Africa. and sustainable development. Chad Lubelsky, Director ONEWORLD AFRICA ONEWORLD CENTRAL AMERICA www.oneworld.net/africa www.oneworld.net/latinamerica OneWorld Africa is based in Lusaka, Zambia. In 2002/3 our In 2002 OneWorld Central America became a fully established key activities were the network’s Africa edition as well as OneWorld centre, hosted by Fundación Acceso specialist thematic channels on debt (www.debtchannel.org) (www.acceso.or). The centre produces the regional OneWorld and AIDS (www.aidschannel.org). In the coming year we Latin America edition in Spanish and English. will also launch OneWorld Radio AIDS Network to promote free exchange of radio programmes on AIDS/HIV between Regional partnership grew in 2002/3 from 65 to 105 radio stations worldwide. organizations. We held training sessions on the strategic use of the internet for communications in Guatemala, Partnership in Africa grew from 70 to 120 organizations. Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica attended We held training sessions to assist partners in developing by over 65 organizations. Cristina Nogués, Executive Director their websites for advocacy and networking. We are now moving to become fully independent, concentrating on ONEWORLD ESPAÑA Southern Africa. Priscilla Jere, Director www.oneworld.es OneWorld España is a project of Fundació Un Sol Món, a ONEWORLD AUSTRIA non-profit foundation of Caixa Catalunya (www.caixacat.es), www.oneworld.at the third largest savings bank in Spain with a proud tradition The OneWorld Austria site is produced by Südwind Agentur, of social responsibility. In our second year our partnership a well-established publisher of Südwind magazine and base has grown to over 100 NGO and civil society groups. alternative news from a Southern perspective. In 2002/3 Among our partners are key platforms of organizations like OneWorld Austria launched an EU monitor, where news CONGDE (the Spanish platform on NGOs for development), about EU development policies is published. Currently Red2002 (NGOs working on AIDS issues) and FCVS (Catalan funded by partners and a grant from the Austrian Ministry Federation of Social Volunteering). of Foreign Affairs, OneWorld Austria is working towards full OneWorld centre status. Lydia Matzka, Coordinator To our editions in Spanish and Catalan we have added Canal Sida (www.canalsida.org) on HIV/AIDs, the first non-English ONEWORLD CANADA OneWorld channel. Launched at the XIV International www.oneworld.net/ca Conference on AIDS in Barcelona, the initiative has been Hosted by Alternatives (www.alternatives.ca), the latest new welcomed by Spanish NGOs working on AIDS. We have center within the network, OneWorld Canada, produces extended the impact of our sites by introducing a weekly English and French editions. Funded by the Canadian email newsletter already subscribed to by over 2,000 International Development Agency, Canadian trade unions, individuals, and have begun a syndication with the main foundations, partners and individuals, the center has grown electronic newspaper in Catalan, Vilaweb from set-up to have a network of 68 partners. (www.vilaweb.com/solidaritat). For OneWorld’s thematic channels see page 6 03 ONEWORLD CENTRES Finland / Italy / Netherlands / South Asia In 2002 we published “Connected? Spanish NGOs on the Unimondo provides social justice coverage on Italy’s most Internet”, a report based on 250 interviews with NGOs, popular commercial portal, Italia OnLine, and, with other underlining our goal of helping NGOs in Spain realize the partners, has launched a portal for the Italian development potential of the internet. NGO association (www.ong.it). OneWorld España is now established as one of the essential In May 2002 we organized the first Italian course on resources for human rights and development in Spain. Our participatory budgeting and indicators on local development, challenge is to improve and enlarge our content, to connect aimed especially at local authorities, in the context of more people and organizations in the fight against poverty, participatory democracy programs. This followed the social exclusion and injustice, and to promote better use of successful example of Porto Alegre and other cities the internet. Carlota Franco, Director worldwide (see www.worldsocialagenda.it). OneWorld Italy is currently hosting OneWorld SouthEast Europe – see p4. ONEWORLD FINLAND Jason Nardi, Director www.maailma.net OneWorld Finland is an independent non-profit organization ONEWORLD NETHERLANDS supported by Kepa (the Finnish NGO coalition), the Finnish www.oneworld.nl government and the development journalism association This year was successful for OneWorld in the Netherlands Maailman sivu. The centre comprises a team of 12 journalists in terms of audience, campaigns and online discussions. who produce Maailma.net, the Finnish language OneWorld, Over 35,000 people now use our