International Indigenous ICT Task Force (IITF)

International Indigenous ICT Taskforce and Indigenous Portal on Facebook

2015-02-04T09:28:00.002-05:00

The International Indigenous ICT Taskforce and Indigenous Portal maintain a presence on Facebook.

If you would like to follow our work, as well as receive news on Indigenous Peoples Issues Worldwide, please visit us at:

https://www.facebook.com/indigenous.portal

Side Event: Indigenous Peoples’ Innovative and Emerging Uses of ICTs

2013-02-22T09:50:00.000-05:00

This session is organized within the framework of the ten-year review of the Multistakeholder First World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) hosted by UNESCO on 25-27 February 2013 at its headquarters in Paris, France. The session is organised jointly by UNESCO’s programme on Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (LINKS) and the International Indigenous ICT Task Force.

Participants will discuss ways in which indigenous peoples have used ICTs to:

- preserve and promote their cultural heritage, their knowledge, traditions and languages, and

- exchange experiences and best practices; and manage their tangible heritage, including landscape and biological diversity.

A report on 'Indigenous Peoples, WSIS and Emerging uses of ICTs' will be presented and the session outcomes will include recommendations on gaps, achievements and emerging and future trends for indigenous peoples and local communities with respect to section C8 of the WSIS Plan of Action and to UNESCO’s work.

Online remote participation will be facilitated through the Cisco WebEx remote conferencing software. links will be made available from the programme page.

Details

Type of Event	Category 7-Seminar and Workshop
Start	26.02.2013 16:00 local time
End	26.02.2013 17:30 local time
Focal point	Heckler, Serena
Organizer	UNESCO’s programme on Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (LINKS)
Contact	k.ikhlef@unesco.org
Country	France
City	Paris
Venue	UNESCO Headquarters
Street	7, place de Fontenoy
Room	Room VIII
Language of Event	English, French
Estimated number of participants	100
Link 1	Programme
Link 2	World Summit on Information Society Plan of Action
Link 3	Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (LINKS)
Link 4	International Indigenous ICT Task Force (IITF)

Small Grants Programme under the Second Decade

2010-07-08T18:22:00.002-04:00

Applications for grants under the Small Grants Programme under the Second Decade will be accepted between 1 July 2010 and 1 October 2010

Applications for grants under the Small Grants Programme under the Second Decade will be accepted between 1 July 2010 and 1 October 2010. Applications are to be submitted to: indigenousfund@un.org during this time period. Applications submitted outside of this time period or to other email addresses will not be considered for funding. The proposals will be assessed by the Bureau of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in May 2011 and successful applicants will receive notice thereafter. A list of organizations awarded grants will also be posted on this website.

Please note:
- Project must have a focus on indigenous peoples
- All applicants must submit their project proposals in accordance with the Trust Fund
Project Proposal Format and include both a summary sheet and a proposal document
- Projects will be disregarded if the required information is not present.
- Additional information pertaining to the proposal will not be accepted beyond the deadline of submission (1 October 2011)

Please visit our webpage to obtain updated grant information and application
materials: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/second_trustfund.html

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Las solicitudes para subvenciones del Programa de Pequeñas Donaciones dentro del marco del Segundo Decenio Fondo Fiduciario para el Segundo Decenio serán aceptadas entre el 1 de julio y el 1 de octubre del 2010.

Las solicitudes deben ser enviadas a: indigenousfund@un.org durante este plazo. Las solicitudes recibidas fuera de este plazo o enviadas a otras direcciones de email no serán consideradas. Las solicitudes serán evaluadas en mayo del 2011 y los candidatos exitosos serán notificados después de esta fecha. La lista de las organizaciones que reciban subsidios estará disponible en esta página web.

Por favor tomar en consideración:
- El proyecto debe tener un enfoque sobre pueblos indígenas
- Todos los candidatos deben someter sus propuestas de proyecto de acuerdo con
el formato de Propuesta del Proyecto y adjuntar la hoja resumen y el documento
de propuesta.
- Los proyectos que no tengan la información requerida no serán considerados.
- Información adicional relacionada con la propuesta no será aceptada una vez
vencido el plazo de presentación (1 de octubre de 2010).

Visite por favor esta página web para obtener información y materiales actualizados sobre las solicitudes: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/es/second.html

FCC loses key ruling on Internet `neutrality'

2010-04-06T19:04:00.003-04:00

Federal appeals court rules for Comcast and against FCC on key `net neutrality' case

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A federal court threw the future of Internet regulations into doubt Tuesday with a far-reaching decision that went against the Federal Communications Commission and could even hamper the government's plans to expand broadband access in the United States.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that the FCC lacks authority to require broadband providers to give equal treatment to all Internet traffic flowing over their networks. That was a big victory for Comcast Corp., the nation's largest cable company, which had challenged the FCC's authority to impose such "network neutrality" obligations on broadband providers.

Supporters of network neutrality, including the FCC chairman, have argued that the policy is necessary to prevent broadband providers from favoring or discriminating against certain Web sites and online services, such as Internet phone programs or software that runs in a Web browser. Advocates contend there is precedent: Nondiscrimination rules have traditionally applied to so-called "common carrier" networks that serve the public, from roads and highways to electrical grids and telephone lines.

But broadband providers such as Comcast, AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. argue that after spending billions of dollars on their networks, they should be able to sell premium services and manage their systems to prevent certain applications from hogging capacity.

Tuesday's unanimous ruling by the three-judge panel was a setback for the FCC because it questioned the agency's authority to regulate broadband. That could cause problems beyond the FCC's effort to adopt official net neutrality regulations. It also has serious implications for the ambitious national broadband-expansion plan released by the FCC last month. The FCC needs the authority to regulate broadband so that it can push ahead with some of the plan's key recommendations. Among other things, the FCC proposes to expand broadband by tapping the federal fund that subsidizes telephone service in poor and rural communities.

In a statement, the FCC said it remains "firmly committed to promoting an open Internet and to policies that will bring the enormous benefits of broadband to all Americans" and "will rest these policies ... on a solid legal foundation."
Comcast welcomed the decision, saying "our primary goal was always to clear our name and reputation."

The case centers on Comcast's actions in 2007 when it interfered with an online file-sharing service called BitTorrent, which lets people swap movies and other big files over the Internet. The next year the FCC banned Comcast from blocking subscribers from using BitTorrent. The commission, at the time headed by Republican Kevin Martin, based its order on a set of net neutrality principles it had adopted in 2005.

But Comcast argued that the FCC order was illegal because the agency was seeking to enforce mere policy principles, which don't have the force of regulations or law. That's one reason that Martin's successor, Democratic FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, is trying to formalize those rules.

The cable company had also argued the FCC lacks authority to mandate net neutrality because it had deregulated broadband under the Bush administration, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court in 2005.

The FCC now defines broadband as a lightly regulated information service. That means it is not subject to the "common carrier" obligations that make traditional telecommunications services share their networks with competitors and treat all traffic equally. But the FCC maintains that existing law gives it authority to set rules for information services.

Tuesday's court decision rejected that reasoning, concluding that Congress has not given the FCC "untrammeled freedom" to regulate without explicit legal authority.
With so much at stake, the FCC now has several options. It could ask Congress to give it explicit authority to regulate broadband. Or it could appeal Tuesday's decision.

But both of those steps could take too long because the agency "has too many important things they have to do right away," said Ben Scott, policy director for the public interest group Free Press. Free Press was among the groups that alerted the FCC after The Associated Press ran tests and reported that Comcast was interfering with attempts by some subscribers to share files online.

Scott believes that the likeliest step by the FCC is that it will simply reclassify broadband as a more heavily regulated telecommunications service. That, ironically, could be the worst-case outcome from the perspective of the phone and cable companies.

"Comcast swung an ax at the FCC to protest the BitTorrent order," Scott said. "And they sliced right through the FCC's arm and plunged the ax into their own back."

The battle over the FCC's legal jurisdiction comes amid a larger policy dispute over the merits of net neutrality. Backed by Internet companies such as Google Inc. and the online calling service Skype, the FCC says rules are needed to prevent phone and cable companies from prioritizing some traffic or degrading or services that compete with their core businesses. Indeed, BitTorrent can be used to transfer large files such as online video, which could threaten Comcast's cable TV business.

But broadband providers point to the fact that applications such as BitTorrent use an outsized amount of network capacity.

For its part, the FCC offered no details on its next step, but stressed that it remains committed to the principle of net neutrality.

"Today's court decision invalidated the prior commission's approach to preserving an open Internet," the agency's statement said. "But the court in no way disagreed with the importance of preserving a free and open Internet; nor did it close the door to other methods for achieving this important end."

Author: Joelle Tessler, AP Technology Writer
Source: Associated Press

Land rights for indigenous peoples via the web

2010-03-10T17:06:00.002-05:00

The issue of land ownership in Bolivia is a long-standing source of conflict and division. Over the past few years however, the situation has been changing for the better largely because of the determination of the indigenous peoples themselves who have enlisted the latest technology to help them overcome the bureaucratic obstacles that have prevented land transfers from taking place.

By 2001 after 11 years of land titling in Bolivia's lowlands, only one percent of land claims by indigenous peoples had been settled. Eliana Rioja, responsible for the communications programme of the Confederation of Indigenous Peoples of Bolivia (CIDOB) explains: "The slow progress in land titling we attributed to the reluctance of the agrarian reform institute (INRA) officials to move claims forward. They kept on coming up with confusing information or requesting technical information that was already available. Basically most of them were close to the large landowning interests." The CIDOB decided to take action to accelerate this process.

In 2001 CIDOB launched its internet land titling project, which consisted of building up a database of all land claims, systematically updating their progress, and setting out clearly the procedures for settlement.

Community leaders were taught to use computers, navigate the Internet and then understand the databases created to assist land claims. Now, dozens of blogs and community activities, accessible through the CIDOB webpage, are run mainly by indigenous women.

The result of this technical revolution in the indigenous communities has been a huge increase in the number of successful land claims. Since the community 'logged on' in 2001 half of the claims have been settled. The indigenous peoples of the lowlands now have ownership of 10 million hectares of land.

CIDOB has trained 250 communications volunteers throughout the Bolivian lowlands, an area which covers 34 different indigenous groups, most of them with their own languages. These communities live from farming, fishing and hunting. Some of these peoples live in remote lands that are only accessible on foot or by river.

CIDOB is giving a great push also to other areas of communication. More than 300 videos were produced and the film "El grito de la selva" ("The shout of the forest"), which has an archive of some 100 radio interviews and thousands of photographs, won an international prize in 2008.

The UN human rights office in Bolivia recently shared this story in a workshop held in Santa Cruz, Bolivia's largest city. The Office presented information about the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Bolivia Office expects the information to reach hundreds of indigenous communities, including those in the lowlands, so that they can take more action for their rights.

Source: Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Comment Deadline: 05 Feb. WSIS Questionnaire

2010-02-01T12:20:00.002-05:00

In order to fully engage all WSIS Stakeholders in the preparatory process for the upcoming WSIS Forum 2010, scheduled to be held from 10 to 14 May 2010 in Geneva, Switzerland, the organizing agencies, i.e. ITU, UNESCO, UNCTAD and UNDP are organizing an open consultation on thematic focus of the Forum.

In this context all WSIS Stakeholders are encouraged to submit their official contribution by completing this questionnaire and submitting it by 5 February 2010, via e-mail to wsis-info@itu.int or using the electronic form available at WSIS Forum 2010 website www.wsis.org/forum. You are also welcome to visit the www.wsis-community.org platform and participate in the ongoing discussions on the topic. Please note that all contributions will be reflected during the final review meeting, to be held on 10 February 2010 in ITU Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland. In case of queries, please do not hesitate to contact the WSIS Team by e-mail to wsis-info@itu.int or by phone (+41 22 730 60 65).

To download invitation letter, please click here -->
To download questionnaire, please click here -->

Conference on Development and Information Technologies, 23 – 24 October 2009, Castelldefels, Barcelona

2009-10-19T19:15:00.000-04:00

The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Open University of Catalonia, UOC) will be holding a Conference on Development and Information Technologies on 23 and 24 October 2009 at the Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3) in Castelldefels, Barcelona. The Conference, organised by the UOC and co-financed by the Agència Catalana de Cooperació al Desenvolupament, will be on “Mobile Phones and Internet in Latin America and Africa: What benefits for the most disadvantaged?”

If interested in submitting a paper for this event, please visit the UOC website.

Importance of ICT in Development, Human Rights Highlighted at ITU Telecom World 2009

2009-10-14T15:33:00.000-04:00

On 5 October 2009, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) opened the 11th Edition of the Telecom World Forum in Geneva. The opening featured remarks by the UN Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-moon and the ITU Secretary General Mr. Touré.

Telecom World 2009 is a unique event that brings together government officials and leaders from international organisations and the business industry to discuss the role of information communication technology (ICT) in bringing solutions for the global well-being.

At the opening ceremony of Telecom World 2009, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, highlighted the importance of ICT in the work of the United Nations, in particular in the field of peace, human rights, development and climate change. He also called upon governments and the private sector to remember what is at stake and to find “more creative ways to use ICTs to usher in a new green economy” and added, “Let us work together to find new ways to cut waste, reduce emissions, create jobs, protect against disasters and promote better standards of living.”

Mr. Touré not only outlined the importance of ICT in development, but also linked ICTs to human rights. He stressed that “Communication is a basic human right,” and that “if we are to meet the Millennium Development Goals for ICTs then we will need to work in partnership. And we will need to innovate. And we will need to develop new technologies which will help us deliver on our promise to connect the world.”

During the five days of the Telecom World 2009, participants discussed several issues, such as development; ICTs and climate change; and cyber security; as well as technology foresight and access; empowering development through communications; and business models and policy developments.

With regard to cyber security, Mr. Anuj Singh, Director of the Global Response Centre (GRC), an organisation that aims to track and defend against cyber threats, demonstrated an advanced early response system to combat viral attacks. He also called upon ITU Member States to collaborate in order to respond quicker and in a more efficient way to cyber threats. To support this call, Mr. Touré added that “every country is now critically dependent on technology for commerce, finance, healthcare, emergency services, food distribution and more. Loss of vital networks would quickly cripple any nation and none is immune to cyber attack.”

The relationship between climate change and ICT was also taken up. Although ICT industries does contribute to climate change, participants also underlined ICT’s positive role in addressing the problem. At a Roundtable meeting with Heads of State and Government and chief executive officers, Mr. Ban noted “I know the information and communications technology industry itself is part of the problem, causing 2 to 3 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. But using these tools, your power, you can reduce at least 15 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions from the other sectors.” ICT can also be used to encourage States as well as the private sector to use “environmentally friendly design”; to promote the development of more energy efficient devices; and to have better monitoring mechanisms in place.

Another issue debated at the forum was new mobile technologies that can revolutionize ICT in developing countries. Since the previous Telecom World Forum, held in 2003, the number of subscribers of mobiles phones has increased tremendously with an estimated 4.6 billion subscribers by the end of 2009. However, these subscribers are not equally distributed around the world. There are still regional disparities in the use of mobile technologies and internet connections. Difficult terrain and high costs, among other challenges, pose significant problems for countries wishing to implement simple internet connections. For instance, in Africa, “there is only one fixed broadband subscriber for every 1000 inhabitants, compared to Europe where there are some 200 subscribers per 1000 people.”

The Forum concluded on 9 October 2009. Delegates and participants from 186 countries recognized the contribution of the information communication technology industry to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in sectors like education and health. They also agreed on a set of recommendations, including the necessity to find new solutions for fast-moving industries; the promotion of new products and services in the world; and greater inclusion for developing countries in information technology. Moreover, the participants recognized ICT’s key role in combating climate change as it can contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in various sectors and to risk reduction in case of natural disasters.

One of the other highlights of the ITU World Telecom 2009 was an exhibition on technologies and advanced applications through 35 thematic pavilions. Each pavilion linked a key issue, such as global health, social exclusion and climate change with new technologies and ICT challenges. The exhibition was built around the theme Open Networks — Connected Minds.”

Coinciding with the Telecom World 2009, was the ITU Youth Forum , for which the two sponsors: ITU and the State of Geneva, had invited 250 university students coming from 135 countries to participate. The students got selected on the basis of submitted essays on “What is the biggest problem facing your community and how would you use ICT to solve it?” During the forum, the students were able to challenge their knowledge by participating in debates and to interact with leaders from the public and private sectors.

For more information on Telecom World 2009, click here.

IITF Intervention at the 2nd Session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Geneva, Switzerland

2009-08-24T13:07:00.001-04:00

Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Second Session
Geneva, August 10-14 2009

STATEMENT BY THE INDIGENOUS ICT TASK FORCE (IITF)
Speaker: Malia Nobrega, Indigenous ICT Task Force, Indigenous World Association, Waikiki Hawaiian Civic Club
Agenda Item 4a: Implementation of the Declaration at the regional and national levels

The indigenous caucus convened at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) called for universal indigenous connectivity and the development of indigenous specific information and communication technologies (ICTs). At this time the International Indigenous ICT Task Force (IITF) was formed and mandated to continue the work of WSIS.

Since then the IITF has worked successfully with indigenous delegates at forums such as the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) to lobby states and other multi-stake holders to recognise the special position of Indigenous Peoples.

In article 15 of the WSIS Declaration of Principals and article 22 of the Tunis Commitment states that:

"In the evolution of the Information Society, particular attention must be given to the special situation of Indigenous peoples, as well as to the preservation of their heritage and their cultural legacy."

The IITF also continues to carry out it’s work in implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples specifically Article 16 and 31 of the Declaration that states:

Article 16
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to establish their own media in their own languages and to have access to all forms of non-indigenous media without discrimination.
2. States shall take effective measures to ensure that State-owned media duly reflect indigenous cultural diversity. States, without prejudice to ensuring full freedom of expression, should encourage privately owned media to adequately reflect indigenous cultural diversity.

Article 31
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their cultural heritage, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions, as well as the manifestations of their sciences, technologies and cultures, including human and genetic resources, seeds, medicines, knowledge of the properties of fauna and flora, oral traditions, literatures, designs, sports and traditional games and visual and performing arts. They also have the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their intellectual property over such cultural heritage, traditional knowledge, and traditional cultural expressions.

2. In conjunction with indigenous peoples, States shall take effective measures to recognize and protect the exercise of these rights.

Examples of Implementation of the Declaration
Two examples of the work of the IITF that implements the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples are:

1. International Indigenous Portal
The IITF has worked hard on implementing the first, global Indigenous Portal. It was launched two years ago at the UN Permanent Forum on the Indigenous Issues. This is a portal that is for, by, and about indigenous peoples and can be found at indigenousportal.com. The portal has an indigenous manager and indigenous regional editors that work in 4 languages- English, French, Spanish, and Russian.

We recently launched the indigenous portal for mobile phones as well as two applications for iPhones and iPods that allows users to access the English news and audio at anytime.

We continue to look for financial support to continue our work on the indigenous portal which also includes creating partnerships with indigenous organizations to provide capacity building opportunities for indigenous peoples to use media and technology as a tool that gives voice to our people.

The indigenous portal is a platform for all indigenous peoples and organizations to share our news, audio, video, stories, etc… Join us on the portal to share stories from your community.

2. dotIndigi

Indigenous Peoples have a long history of collaboration and connection with each other. We believe the global indigenous community should be identified and enhanced by having its own sponsored gTLD on the Internet. Under a .indigi sponsored TLD those nations, tribes, peoples and organisations can assert control over their own Internet space thus reducing the current threats of cyber squatting, intellectual property rights violations and authentication of content.

A .indigi gTLD will play a strategic role in validating indigenous cultures and languages in an age of increasing globalisation. It will make it easier for individuals and groups who wish to associate with the community to identify with other users around the world. The success of the dotIndigi campaign will confirm that the World Wide Web really is inclusive of Indigenous Peoples.

Background

A top-level domain is the last part of an Internet domain name. The original set of these TLDs, defined in October 1984, is still the most familiar .com, .edu, .gov, .mil, and .org, to which .net was added in the first implementation of the domain name system. Management of TLDs is in the hands of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), which operates under contract to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

Over the years, new TLDs now called generic TLDs, to distinguish them from, say, country-code TLDs have been added, and now .aero, .biz, .coop, .info, .museum, .name, and .pro are all operational.

Most important, in June 2008, ICANN approved the recommendation of a new gTLD program which would allow just about any organization to apply to reserve its own gTLD. Under this system, for example, Microsoft could apply for .msn, Google for .google, or New York City for .nyc. The implementation plan for the new system is expected to be published in 2009. The plan must then be approved by the ICANN Board before the system is implemented. ICANN is currently aiming to receive applications for domains starting in the second quarter of 2009.

This new plan is now seen as an opportunity for indigenous peoples to have their own gTLDs .taino, for example, or .shipibo. But applying for a gTLD requires significant resources of time, money, and expertise. For that reason dotIndigi has been formed, with the aim of helping Indigenous Peoples be represented on the Internet in a space that is self-governing, representative, and restrictive of intellectual property abuses.

So what is the plan?

The Dot Indigi organisation will apply to ICANN for a new gTLD <.indigi> (or other if the community suggest a different version) to support all indigenous groups of the world.

The .indigi domain would then offer indigenous organizations the opportunity to register their own second-level domains under the .indigi gTLD for example, māori.indigi or diné.indigi. The organization would petition ICANN to approve the use of such characters as ā and é as part of indigenous names at the second and lower domain levels. Several other 2nd Level Domains will be made public to cater to indigenous individuals or smaller such groups who cannot justify the expense and set up of their own 2nd Level Domain.

Individual indigenous organizations could then govern their own domain name space and distribute or resell third-level domain names for example, Kauai.kanakamaoli.indigi. Indigenous peoples could structure their domain levels to accommodate their own culture; the Māori people could, for example, create the third-level domain .kura.māori.indigi under which each individual Māori school could have its own domain. Additional second-level domains would be made available to the public for the use of indigenous individuals or smaller indigenous groups that cannot justify the expense of setting up their own second-level domain.

It is envisaged that an annual percentage of profits would be given back to indigenous groups to participate more in ICT projects that empower their organisation and peoples.

DotIndigi would also petition to have different translations of the term .indigi to be used and to fall under the umbrella of .indigi for example .autoch could be used for autochtone the french translation of indigenous.

This initiative is being led by the New Zealand Māori Internet Society (NZMIS) with support from indigenous organisations - The Indigenous ICT Taskforce and the International Indigenous Librarians' Forum, as well as many individual Indigenous individuals from around the world. WIPO a UN Agency is also supporting this initiative and we hope that other UN Agencies and NGOs will also be able to support us in this work.

For more information on the work of the IITF and our work of continuing to implement the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples please visit us at indigenousportal.com.

GAID GLOBAL FORUM: ICT and Invovation for Education

2009-07-16T19:32:00.002-04:00

Taíno Appointed Member of UN ICT Strategy Council

2009-05-31T22:47:00.000-04:00

United Nations (UCTP Taíno News) – Taíno community leader Roberto Borrero has been appointed to serve as a member of the Strategy Council of the Global Alliance for ICT and Development of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA-GAID), for a two-year term starting 1 June 2009 and ending 31 March 2011. Composed of top-level policy makers, practitioners, experts and thinkers, the high-level Strategy Council provides overall strategic guidance and priority setting to UNDESA-GAID.

The Global Alliance functions as a partnership and network supported by the United Nations, under the authority of the Secretary-General and the auspices of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Borrero will share his experience as a member of the International Indigenous ICT Taskforce (IITF) with representatives of governments, civil society/not-for-profit, private sector and international organizations.

UNDESA-GAID plans to focus on its key message of how ICTs and innovation can be harnessed to meet key global challenges such as poverty eradication, the financial crisis, climate change, governance and mainstreaming gender within the broader United Nations Development Agenda.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations established the Global Alliance in March 2006, to meet the need for an inclusive, multi-stakeholder global forum and platform for policy dialogue and partnership-building, to promote the use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and to enable and catalyze multi-stakeholder partnerships for action under the GAID umbrella.

UCTPTN 05.30.2009

World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2009, 18 – 22 May 2009, Geneva

2009-05-14T16:58:00.001-04:00

ITU, UNESCO, UNCTAD and UNDP will be holding the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2009 from 18 to 22 May 2009, at the ITU Headquarters in Geneva. The Forum will offer participants a series of high-level panels addressing issues critical to the WSIS implementation and follow-up in multi-stakeholder set-ups.

Visit the ITU website for the draft agenda, invitation, and registration.

Self-governing domain name for Indigenous Peoples

2009-02-09T21:31:00.000-05:00

UCTP Taino News - A dynamic campaign, Dot Indigi, is underway to secure a new internet domain-name that would assist Indigenous Peoples around the world by creating an online space that is self-governing, representative and restrictive of Intellectual Property abuses. About 1.5 billion internet users are accustomed to being affiliated to domain-names such as “.com, .org, .edu, .gov” etc. The “Dot Indigi” campaign would produce a new domain or gTLD like a “.com” but it would be recognized as “.indigi”.

The Dot Indigi partnership is formed between the International Indigenous ICT Task Force (IITF) and the New Zealand Maori Internet Society (NZMIS) with the conditional support of World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The IITF will act as the advisory board to the organization while Māori ICT advocate Karaitiana Taiuru, the recently appointed leader of the Dot Indigi group, will manage the daily affairs of .indigi while growing the organization.

The campaign organizers assert that .indigi will cater to the plethora of Indigenous Peoples who do not have the resources to apply for their own gTLD. The use of .indigi would also remove existing Indigenous representation issues of the predominantly English Internet naming system. The ability to include non English characters will be a priority at the 2nd and subsequent levels.

The .indigi domain will offer registration at the 2nd Level Domain to indigenous organizations who would then govern their own domain name space and resell/distribute 3rd Level Domain names or retain a general project type name at the 2nd Level via the official .indigi registrars.

“Caribbean Indigenous Peoples such as the Taino would be able to apply for taino.indigi for example and create a new set of domain names to accommodate their specific needs” stated Roberto Borrero, a member of the IITF who represents the United Confederation of Taino People.

The Dot Indigi organization also plans to make available several other 2nd Level Domains, which would be made public to cater to indigenous individuals or smaller groups who may not be able to justify the expense and set up of their own 2nd Level Domain. The organization is now promoting the campaign via social networking sites such as Facebook and Bebo as well as on Twitter and Google Groups.

The application for the new .indigi domain name will be presented to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). A multi-stakeholder organization dedicated to coordinating the Internet's addressing system, ICANN is now seeking to expand the domain-name system.

ICANN’s rationale for the expansion is that new domains will allow for more innovation, choice and change to the Internet's addressing system, which now constrained by only 21 generic top-level domain names.

Photo: Asia Pacific Internet leader and pioneer of Māori Internet and Software technologies, Karaitiana Taiuru is the head of the Dot Indigi organization.

UCTPTN 02.09.2008

CALL FOR PAPERS, SUBMISSIONS, SURVEYS & NOMINATIONS

2008-11-14T15:20:00.001-05:00

Education and Information Systems, Technologies and
Applications: EISTA 2009

CALL FOR PAPERS, SUBMISSIONS, SURVEYS & NOMINATIONS

Call for papers for the 7th International Conference on Education and Information Systems, Technologies and Applications
Submissions Deadline: 26 November 2008

The Education and Information Systems, Technologies and Applications (EISTA) is announcing a Call for Papers for the 7th International Conference on Education and Information Systems, Technologies and Applications. The Conference will take place in Orlando , Florida USA , from 10-13 July 2009. Relationships between education/training and information communication technologies (ICTs) are increasingly accelerating, sometimes in unexpected ways, with original ideas and innovative tools, methodologies and synergies. The main objective of EISTA 2009 is to bring together researchers and practitioners from both areas, in order to support the bridging process between education/training and information communication technologies (ICTs) communities.

For further details:

http://www.iiis2009.org/imsci/Website/AboutConfer.asp?vc=5

Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, IITF and Indigenous Portal Project Joint Intervention

2008-10-06T18:23:00.006-04:00

Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
October 2, 2008, Geneva, Switzerland
Item #4
Topic: Right to Education

Presenter: Lei Kaupu (kainoa_12@hotmail.com)
Joint Intervention:
Indigenous ICT Task Force, Indigenous Portal Project

Aloha. My name is Lei Kaupu. I am a Native Hawaiian, a student at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, and an editor for the Indigenous Portal Project. This is an intervention on behalf of the Indigenous ICT Task Force and the members of the Indigenous Portal Project.

The Indigenous Portal project is an outcome of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). The indigenous caucus there called for universal indigenous connectivity and the development of Indigenous specific Information & Communication Technologies (ICTs). The development of an indigenous portal was endorsed as supporting this vision.

At the 2007 UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues the indigenous portal was launched and since then we have hired indigenous peoples to fill the positions of the manager and editors for 8 regions of the world.

A portal is much more than a web interface. It is a focal point where indigenous content will be available from our peoples and other stakeholders. Our portal allows us to share, with our own voices, our traditions, values, history and language as well as our aspirations for the future. The indigenous portal is run, for, and by indigenous peoples.

From September 27-29, 2008, Indigenous ICT experts gathered to train the board members, the portal manager, and editors here in Geneva. All participants learned to upload content to the portal including video and audio content. Video cameras and audio recorders were given to each editor and trained to use them effectively.

Indigenous to indigenous training is a model that works well in educational models in indigenous communities as we’ve experienced in various projects.

Another example of this is from the Pacific that our organization called Pacific Voices has worked closely on. I come from Miloli’i, a fishing village on the island of Hawai’i. My village doesn’t have any electricity or running water. Our ‘opio and children are choosing to not continue our traditional fishing practices and would rather leave the village to do other activities. However, since 2004, Pacific Voices has partnered with elders and other community members to bring indigenous ICT trainers into the village and have worked closely with our children and elders. We have used various technology tools to document traditional knowledge and to produce how-to videos where our elders teach our youth to prepare traditional fish bait, fish nets, and other practices. Our children are now becoming more and more interested in these practices and also using technology to document these soon to be lost practices. Our indigenous youth now ask us for more and more trainings and possible cultural exchanges with other indigenous youth which they have enjoyed over the years. Since then we’ve also hosted a film and multimedia festival with 5 other fishing communities from Hawai’i. We will submit more information about our project and other trainings that have worked for your considerations of lessons learned and challenges for this study on the right to education.

The Indigenous Portal would also like to offer it’s assistance in carrying out this study and any future work by posting all information regarding this study on the portal for example a call for papers, deadline postings on our calendar, and any other information regarding this study under the education category. Each of our editors can also assist with reaching out to indigenous organizations in their
region.

We are committed to working closely with members of the Experts Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and our indigenous brothers and sisters. We welcome all of you to visit us and share your voice at indigenousportal.com.

Thank you.

Open Consultation on the participation of relevant stakeholders in the ITU

2008-06-12T13:59:00.001-04:00

Open Consultation on the participation of relevant stakeholders in the ITU

Deadline: 15 June 2008

As part of the process leading towards an increased inclusiveness of the International Telecommunication Union to civil society entities, in the aftermath of WSIS, the ITU is currently leading a consultation process on modalities for civil society participation in the Union . All entities that were accredited to the World Summit on the Information Society are invited to reply to the online questionnaire until 15 June 2008.

UN AND COMPUTER MAKER HP PARTNER TO BOOST IT SKILLS OF AFRICA’S YOUNG

2008-05-09T13:10:00.000-04:00

New York, May 8 2008 - The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Hewlett-Packard (HP) have joined forces to help young unemployed people across Africa build their entrepreneurial and information technology (IT) skills, it was announced today.

The Graduate Entrepreneurship Training Through IT (GET-IT) initiative will initially be launched in six nations – Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia and Uganda – and eventually be expanded further to span the African continent.

The scheme seeks to train youth and graduates, who are between the ages of 16 and 25 and do not have jobs, acquire IT skills and run their own businesses.

GET-IT courses will focus on teaching practical solutions for businesses in finance, management, marketing and technology management.

“By providing IT technology, curricula and training for entrepreneurs, we aim to foster jobs and opportunities in Africa,” said Kandeh K. Yumkella, UNIDO Director-General.

HP started the programme last year in 18 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and its new partnership with the UN will allow it to extend its reach in Africa.

“It is essential that UNIDO assists developing countries in Africa in educating their young generation in information technology and creating achievable prospects,” Mr. Yumkella noted.

2008-05-08 00:00:00.000

International Indigenous Portal Launches Logo Competition

2008-05-08T13:45:00.000-04:00

UCTP Taino News – The International Indigenous ICT Task Force (IITF) launched their logo competition at the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues on April 22, 2008. The logo will form the basis of the visual identity of the “Indigenous Portal” at http://www.indigenousportal.com/, the IITF’s premier project. The winning logo design will be published on the web site of the Indigenous Portal and will be used on publications and public information materials. The winning designer will receive an 80 GB iPod Classic, iPod microphone, and equipment warranty.

An international indigenous owned and operated initiative coming out of the World Summit on the Information Society, the Indigenous Portal is a way to share indigenous voices, traditions, perspectives on the internet in a way that supports the work of the global Indigenous community.

The competition is open to participation from Indigenous Peoples from around the world and entries can be electronic or made on paper [canvas A4 size] Artists can use ink, pencil, charcoal, crayon, water colour, marker, or any material that are available in their respective environments. The IITF is requesting that each design submitted should be accompanied by a brief description of the meaning on the back of the entry along with personal information name, age, gender, indigenous people to which the individual belongs, full address, country, phone number, fax, e-mail and other alternative contact information.

The Indigenous Portal Board will make the final selection of the entries assisted by the Regional Editors of the Portal, which now include the Pacific, the Caribbean, Russia, Asia, and the Arctic. Selection will be based on artistic expression, usefulness as a logo design, and how well the design captures the goals and objectives of Portal.

Design entries must be received before July 1st 2008. For further information on submissions visit the Indigenous Portal or email indigenousportal@gmail.com.

UCTPTN 05.07.2008

Concurso de logotipo del Portal Indígena – Gane un iPod y un micrófono

2008-05-08T12:31:00.000-04:00

www.indigenousportal.com

El Portal Indígena necesita un logotipo. El logotipo formará la base de la identidad visual del Portal Indígena. Será publicado en el sitio web del Portal Indígena y se usará en publicaciones y en materiales de información al público. Los diseños artísticos ganadores recibirán un iPod Classic de 80 GB, un micrófono iPod, y la garantía de los equipos. El portal es un sitio para compartir voces, tradiciones y perspectivas indígenas de una forma que respalde la labor de la comunidad indígena mundial.

Requisitos del concurso
¿Quién puede participar?
Gente indígena de todo el mundo

Requisitos de la entrada:

La entrada puede ser electrónica o hecha en papel [tamaño canvas A4]. Puede usar tinta, lápiz, carbón, lápiz de cera, acuarela, plumón o cualquier material que pudiera tener en su entorno. No enmarque su obra. Cada diseño debe ir acompañado de una descripción breve del significado en la parte posterior de la entrada

Información personal:

Cada entrada debe tener la siguiente información en la parte posterior: nombre, edad, sexo, pueblo indígena al que pertenece la persona, dirección completa, país, número de teléfono, fax, correo electrónico y otra información alternativa de contacto.

Premio:

Los diseños artísticos ganadores recibirán un iPod Classic de 80 GB, un micrófono iPod, y la garantía de los equipos.

Decisión sobre el concurso:

El Directorio del Portal Indígena hará la selección final de las entradas con la ayuda de los Editores Regionales del Portal

Criterios para la evaluación de las entradas:

Expresión artística, utilidad como diseño de logotipo para el Portal Indígena, determinar si se adapta bien al Portal y si captura las metas y los objetivos del Portal.

Plazo:

Envíe el diseño, con el formulario de inscripción, antes del 1 de julio de 2008 a la siguiente dirección:

Logo Competition
c/o Pacific Voices
2847 Waialae Ave 509
Honolulu HI 96826
USA

Aceptaremos también entradas hechas en forma electrónica. Para más información, escríbanos a info- indigenousportal@gmail.com

INDIGENOUS FORUM DISCUSSION FOCUSES ON PACIFIC REGION

2008-04-23T14:12:00.001-04:00

23 April 2008
Economic and Social Council
HR/4947

Department of Public Information - News and Media Division - New York
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
Seventh Session
5th Meeting (PM)

INDIGENOUS FORUM DISCUSSION FOCUSES ON PACIFIC REGION
Continuing its seventh annual session with a half-day discussion on the Pacific, delegates to the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues called for the Forum to take a more robust role in inducing other parts of the United Nations system to carry out mandates for securing the rights of the indigenous peoples in the region.

TEANAU TUIONO, Indigenous ICT Task Force, said improving “connectivity” among indigenous peoples was an urgent issue. At the same time, he warned against a tendency to label the exercise of legitimate political dissent by indigenous peoples as a form of terrorism. Recently, the Government of New Zealand had seized the server hosting the website of the Indigenous ICT Task Force. The homes of writers were raided under the pretext of anti-terrorism. Others were arrested at gunpoint, including one who was incarcerated for as long as a month. Household members were pinned to the ground with guns to their heads, including a 12 year-old girl. He said he himself had been separated from his partner and children and was detained, and his laptop confiscated.

He said the website was currently being hosted on a server run by indigenous people. Information and communication technology (ICT) was a powerful medium to support the work of indigenous peoples, and to facilitate the exchange of information. He recommended that the Forum speak out against Governments that used fear of terrorism as an excuse to prevent dissent over the Internet. In addition, the Forum should support indigenous ICT initiatives by allowing its logo to be used on his website. Indeed, ICT networks were a “necessity” for healthy societies.

Excerpt Source:

http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2008/hr4947.dochtm

SHARE YOUR STORY AT INDIGENOUSPORTAL.COM

2008-04-22T08:24:00.000-04:00

The Indigenous ICT Task Force presents:

SHARE YOUR STORY AT INDIGENOUSPORTAL.COM

TUES, APRIL 22, 2008 • 1:15PM - 2:45PM DC2- 13th Floor Conference Room at Two United Nations Plaza (44th Street between 1st and 2nd Ave.)

Speakers: Mr. Roberto Borrero, Mr. Kenneth Deer, Ms. Malia Nobrega, Mr. Teanau Tuiono

*Logo Competition --- Win an iPod 80GB --- Deadline July 1, 2008

Voices of the Earth: Indigenous communities and rural poverty

2008-04-15T17:47:00.002-04:00

IPS Latin America has just launched a new radio service in Aymara, Quechua and two Maya languages, working with the community radio network AMARC-Pulsar. The radio broadcasts are part of a special coverage of indigenous peoples in Latin America focused on land and rural issues, which is being supported by IFAD, the International Fund for Agricultural Development. Read more »

More about: Globalization and the South, Latin America, Poverty & MDGs, Sustainable development

Free four-day Online e-learning Course: NETWORKING IN SUPPORT OF DEVELOPMENT for e-agriculture.org Community Members

2008-04-08T10:10:00.001-04:00

Free four-day Online e-learning Course: NETWORKING IN SUPPORT OF DEVELOPMENT for e-agriculture.org Community Members

The Food and Agriculture Organization and the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation invite applications from the e-agriculture.org Community to participate in a free four-day Online e-learning Course:

NETWORKING IN SUPPORT OF DEVELOPMENT

The First Course for Applicants in Africa will be held 6-9 May 2008.
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS 23 APRIL 2008.

A Second Course for Applicants in Asia will be held in late 2008.

--------------------------------------

The Networking in Support of Development Online Course will cover how different information and communication technologies (ICT) in a country - local, national and international - fit together to provide a workable means of communication, and the issues that affect each level. The course will include e-learning materials, online discussions, and individual assignments. It is one of many modules offered in The Information Management Resource Kit (IMARK), a partnership-based e-learning initiative to train individuals and support institutions and networks world-wide in the effective management of agricultural information.

Who should take this Course?
Anyone who is currently, or would like to be, involved in the development and use of information and communication technology to support existing communication traditions and networks, especially in rural areas.

No prior knowledge of ICT is required.

What are the topics to be covered?

* Day 1 - Information and Communication Technology as media looks at how ICT can be used in support of development as a medium for communication and information exchange.

* Day 2 - ICT's influence on the shape of the future looks at traditional and new media and how ICT might change information delivery over the next 3-5 years.

* Day 3 - Costs and effectiveness of the links in the ICT chain looks at the different links in the network chain: international, national and local, the different technologies used, and the costs involved.

* Day 4 - Impact of regulatory frameworks on ICT choices and costs looks at the areas of ICT policy and regulation where there are strategic choices to be made that will help unlock lower cost communications.

Partcipants will need to show they have:
* Professional involvement in ICT networking in Agriculture and Rural Development in Africa/Asia
* Individual access to the Internet
* Ability to read and write English fluently
* At least 4 hours available each day of the four-day course
* Be a member of the e-agriculture.org Community.

Developed in cooperation with Balancing Act.

To apply, please visit: www.e-agriculture.org

Deadline for applicants in Africa: 23 April 2008. Participation
limited to 30 people.

Net Neutrality: Beware the New New Thing

2008-04-05T12:51:00.003-04:00

Beware the New New Thing

By DAMIAN KULASH Jr.
http://www.nytimes. com/2008/ 04/05/opinion/ 05kulash. html

Los Angeles

RECENTLY, the House Judiciary Committee's antitrust task force invited me to be the lead witness for its hearing on "net neutrality." I've collaborated with the Future of Music Coalition, and my band, OK Go, has been among the first to find real success on the Internet --- our songs and videos have been streamed and downloaded hundreds of millions of times (orders of magnitude above our CD sales) --- so the committee thought I'd make a decent spokesman for up-and-coming musicians in this new era of digital pandemonium.

I'm flattered, of course, but it makes you wonder if Nancy Pelosi and John Boehner sit around arguing who was listening to Vampire Weekend first.

If you haven't been following the debate on net neutrality, you're not alone. The details of the issue can lead into realms where only tech geeks and policy wonks dare to tread, but at root there's a pretty simple question: How much control should network operators be allowed to have over the information on their lines?

Most people assume that the Internet is a democratic free-for-all by nature --- that it could be no other way. But the openness of the Internet as we know it is a byproduct of the fact that the network was started on phone lines. The phone system is subject to "common carriage" laws, which require phone companies to treat all calls and customers equally. They can't offer tiered service in which higher-paying customers get their calls through faster or clearer, or calls originating on a competitor's network are blocked or slowed.

These laws have been on the books for about as long as telephones have been ringing, and were meant to keep Bell from using its elephantine market share to squash everyone else. And because of common carriage, digital data running over the phone lines has essentially been off limits to the people who laid the lines. But in the last decade, the network providers have argued that since the Internet is no longer primarily run on phone lines, the laws of data equality no longer apply. They reason that they own the fiber optic and coaxial lines, so they should be able to do whatever they want with the information crossing them.

Under current law, they're right. They can block certain files or Web sites for their subscribers, or slow or obstruct certain applications. And they do, albeit pretty rarely. Network providers have censored anti-Bush comments from an online Pearl Jam concert, refused to allow a text-messaging program from the pro-choice group Naral (saying it was "unsavory"), blocked access to the Internet phone service (and direct competitor) Vonage and selectively throttled online traffic that was using the BitTorrent protocol.

When the network operators pull these stunts, there is generally widespread outrage. But outright censorship and obstruction of access are only one part of the issue, and they represent the lesser threat, in the long run. What we should worry about more is not what's kept from us today, but what will be built (or not built) in the years to come.

We hate when things are taken from us (so we rage at censorship), but we also love to get new things. And the providers are chomping at the bit to offer them to us: new high-bandwidth treats like superfast high-definition video and quick movie downloads. They can make it sound great: newer, bigger, faster, better! But the new fast lanes they propose will be theirs to control and exploit and sell access to, without the level playing field that common carriage built into today's network.

They won't be blocking anything per se --- we'll never know what we're not getting --- they'll just be leapfrogging today's technology with a new, higher-bandwidth network where they get to be the gatekeepers and toll collectors. The superlative new video on offer will be available from (surprise, surprise) them, or companies who've paid them for the privilege of access to their customers. If this model sounds familiar, that's because it is. It's how cable TV operates.

We can't allow a system of gatekeepers to get built into the network. The Internet shouldn't be harnessed for the profit of a few, rather than the good of the many; value should come from the quality of information, not the control of access to it.

For some parallel examples: there are only two guitar companies who make most of the guitars sold in America, but they don't control what we play on those guitars. Whether we use a Mac or a PC doesn't govern what we can make with our computers. The telephone company doesn't get to decide what we discuss over our phone lines. It would be absurd to let the handful of companies who connect us to the Internet determine what we can do online. Congress needs to establish basic ground rules for an open Internet, just as common carriage laws did for the phone system.

The Internet, for now, is the type of place where my band's homemade videos find a wider audience than the industry's million-dollar productions. A good idea is still more important than deep pockets. If network providers are allowed to build the next generation of the Net as a pay-to-play system, we will all pay the price.

Damian Kulash Jr. is the lead singer for OK Go.

*The material in this post is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.For more information go to: http://www4. law.cornell. edu/uscode/ 17/107.html http://oregon. uoregon.edu/ ~csundt/document s.htm If you wish to use copyrighted material from this email for purposes that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner*.*

World Indigenous Television Broadcasting Conference 08 Scholarships

2008-03-06T13:55:00.001-05:00

Call for applications: deadline Friday, 14 March

The inaugural World Indigenous Television Broadcasting Conference - WITBC 08 - will be held at The Edge in Auckland, Aotearoa-New Zealand, from March 26-28, 2008. The conference theme is 'reclaiming the future' of our indigenous languages, cultures and identities.

Host broadcaster Maori Television is committed to the development of the industry by supporting New Zealand tertiary students who are studying in broadcasting related fields with a particular emphasis on indigenous culture and language.

Maori Television is pleased to be able to offer five (5) student scholarships to attend WITBC 08. The scholarships cover the conference delegate fee, plus attendance at the two networking functions on Day One and Day Two.

Scholarships will be awarded to five students who can demonstrate a commitment in their studies and in their future aspirations, to the development of indigenous culture and language.

More information and application forms are available at http://witbc.org/STUDENTS/

Applications close Friday March 14, 2008 at 5PM. Applications should be sent to:
Hone Paul, Maori Television, PO Box 113017, Newmarket, Auckland.
Email: hone.paul@maoritelevision.com.
Fax: 09 539 7199.