Global Information Society Watch (GISWatch) 2016 - Call for proposals
Priti Darooka
Source: ESCR net
If you are interested, please write directly to Roxana Bassi (r...@apc.org )
Global Information Society Watch (GISWatch) 2016
Call for proposals
Terms of reference (TOR) for country reports
Theme: Economic, social and cultural rights (ESCRs) and the internet
Deadline for proposals: 30 April 2016
Introduction
This edition of GISWatch will look at the role of the internet in realising economic, social and cultural rights (ESCRs). In the same way that the internet is essential to sustainable development, it is increasingly becoming an important enabler of ESCRs, such as the right to education, to cultural expression, and to the benefits of science and technology. Yet the role of the internet in achieving ESCRs has received little attention when it comes to recent internet rights advocacy, with many choosing to focus instead on the importance of civil and political rights, such as freedom of expression and privacy. Some argue that the lack of attention given to the internet's role in the realisation of ESCRs has resulted in wrong policies that undermine both democracy and development.
We wonder: What is the role of the internet in achieving the rights enshrined in ESCRs? Has the internet become essential to many of these rights? How does the internet impact on the social and economic rights of women? What is the role of the state when it comes to formulating internet policies in line with these rights? What is the role of the private sector? Who are the actors, and what stands in our way?
GISWatch 2016 aims to unpack the relationship between ESCRs and the internet. This will be done through documenting country-level stories that serve as practical and lively examples of how the internet is being used – or could be used – to realise these important human rights, or that illustrate the relationship between the internet and ESCRs. We are looking for potential authors who can conduct research in their countries, with the assistance of a common framework to be used by all.
Join us in helping citizens defend their freedoms and rights by writing a story about what is happening in your country around ESCRs and the internet, and how governments, civil society organisations, corporations and citizens are reacting. Let us share our diverse and compelling stories and views around the world! Do you find the theme challenging and have a story to share? Please read on…
How to participate
1) Read the instructions contained in this call, and if you wish to participate, send your proposal before the deadline to GISWatch coordinator Roxana Bassi (r...@apc.org ) and editor Alan Finlay ( edi...@apc.org). This should reach us by 30 April 2016at the latest, and include the following information (very briefly):
a) Name, organisation, country
b) Why your organisation is interested in ESCRs and the internet, and why you believe that this theme is relevant in your country and current political and social context.
c) How your organisation is involved or wants to be involved in defending human rights and/or ESCRs on the internet. If you are an individual please indicate the organisation(s) you will be working with.
d) Briefly describe in half a page the story, subject or area you would like to share (or you might want to research). This information is needed so we can ensure that there is no duplication, and that the authors are on the right track.
2) The authors will be selected by mid-May. If you are selected you will have tosubmit your final report by the end of August 2016. The report must be written in English and have a maximum length of 2300 words. For consistency, the report should be developed using the template provided at the end of this document.
3) To develop their reports, country report authors need to consult with organisations and/or experts in the field of ESCRs if they feel they do not have the required expertise in this area. APC will provide you with background readings, and support you during the writing process. Sharing your progress and ideas with other authors will make the report even more cohesive and representative of theglobal situation, and you will be able to do this through the mailing list that will be set up for GISWatch country report authors, once they have been selected. Please refer to the section on focus areas for country reports below for some content ideas.
4) Once submitted, your report will enter the editing process. The report will be edited by the GISWatch editor, with input from the coordinator, and returned to you for clarifications or to respond to editorial comments. This process will take place during August and September.
5) Once the final report has been accepted, organisations will receive a payment in support of writing of USD 1000 (one thousand).
If you have questions do not hesitate to contact us:
· Editor: Alan Finlay (GISWatch editor, edi...@giswatch.org)
· Coordinator: Roxana Bassi (GISWatch coordinator, r...@apc.org)
· Website: www.giswatch.org
We look forward to your report proposal! Remember the deadline is 30 April!
Important: Please note that the aim of GISWatch is to encourage local participation in rights-based issues. Because of this, preference will be given to authors or organisations who have residence in the country they are writing about. Under certain circumstances, we may accept proposals from authors who are not resident in a country they wish to write about, such as proposals from displaced persons, or authors who have strong first-hand experience in a country. In these circumstances, we may ask the authors to work with a local civil society organisation in preparing their report.
What you might want to write about – some examples
There are eight core rights enshrined in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (located atwww.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CESCR.aspx). These are:
|
Rights |
Articles |
|
The right to work and to just and favourable working conditions |
6 and 7 |
|
The right to join trade unions and take collective labour action |
8 |
|
The right to social security |
9 |
|
The right to protection of the family, including protection for mothers and children |
10 |
|
The right to an adequate standard of living, including the right to food and to housing |
11 |
|
The right to health |
12 |
|
The right to education |
13 |
|
The right to participate in cultural life and the right to the benefits of science and technology |
15 |
Country reports need to focus on a story, situation or event that deals with one or more of these rights, and how the internet impacts on the realisation of these rights. For example, country reports could:
· Analyse the right to participate in cultural life by looking at local languages and the internet, opportunities for new creative expression online, or how the internet can be used to create digital cultural archives or strengthen traditional cultural expression. What is the link between language, culture and sexism online? Then what about zero-rating Net access policies, do they affect the development of local content and applications, restricting the internet's potential to be a rich, pluralistic and diverse platform for content and cultural expression?
· Discuss how education is being affected by access to the internet. What is happening in your country that is interesting or innovative when it comes to using the internet in schools or universities?
· How do copyright regimes and digital rights management (DRM) impact on access to culture or on the availability of open educational resources in schools?
· How does the internet support indigenous knowledge systems, and how can this empower women who are often the bearers of indigenousknowledge, including stories, histories and healing practices?
· Is telemedicine being used to realise the right to health among disadvantaged communities? Is the internet being used to advocate for better health care, or to challenge the monopolies of big pharmaceuticals? How is the internet being used to improve health care generally?
· With regard to labour rights, how is the internet creating new ways for workers to organise? Or is it creating new ways for the state to prevent collective action in the workplace? How is the internet helping to empower women entrepreneurs or women in the workplace?
· How is the internet being used to improve working opportunities for the unemployed? Are these efforts successful? Could more be done?
Of course these are just some report ideas, we are sure you will come up with other new angles to look at ESCRs and the internet in your country! In any case, the story you choose needs to be written up in line with the country report template (below).
Template for country reports
The country reports need to be written up according to the following template. The intention is not to restrict the telling of the story, but to provide some measure of comparability between reports.
1. Introduction
Provide the context for the story, situation or event that you are going to talk about. Amongst the questions you should answer are:
· What is the background to your story?
· What ESCRs are involved?
· What internet access statistics are relevant to your story?
· Is there a gender dimension to the story that needs to be made explicit?
· What other socio-demographic statistics or information is relevant?
2. Political, economic and policy context
The political will in your country to achieve the right(s) you are talking about, whether or not there are economic resources to do so, as well as the policy context, are critical when it comes to achieving ESCRs. Among the questions you should answer here are:
· Are the ESCRs you describe protected in the constitution or in other legislation in your country?
· Are the ESCRs you talk about reflected in internet policy or legislation?
· What other polices or laws are relevant to your story, and why?
· What is the political context for your story?
· Is there political conflict around the issue you are talking about?
· Is there a lack of political will to achieve the ESCRs?
· Are there economic resources to achieve the ESCRs you are talking about?
3. Describe the story, situation or event
Here you describe in as much detail as necessary the story, event or situation you want to discuss. In doing so, you need to consider the kinds of questions below. Note that it is usually important in the context of ESCRs to be clear on whose rights are being realised or not realised through the internet (the beneficiaries among the “rights holders”) and what the role of the government is (“the duty bearer”). Try to articulate the roles of the different stakeholders clearly in your story. In telling your story, you should consider at least the following questions:
· Who are the individuals, groups or communities (the “rights holders”) whose rights are being met?
· How are women affected?
· What is the government’s role?
· Is the private sector involved? How? What is its role?
· What is civil society's role?
· How is the internet used to realise ESCRs?
4. Conclusion
In your conclusion, you should link all of the above sections together to answer at least the following questions:
· What can be learned about the link between ESCRs and the internet from the story you have told?
· Has the internet been an enabler of ESCRs, or has it limited the ability to achieve ESCRs?
· What other insights can you share when it comes to how the internet impacts on the realisation of ESCRs?
5. Action steps
Here, in bullet point form, you should reflect on at least the following points:
· How should the internet be used to realise ESCRs in your country?
· What needs to happen in terms of policy change to achieve this?
· What are the next advocacy steps for civil society?
Note: GISWatch 2016 country reports are possible with the support of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC, Ottawa, Canada) as part of the APC project “A rights based approach to internet policy and governance for the advancement of economic, social and cultural rights”. More information at:https://www.apc.org/en/projects/internet-rights-are-economic-social-cultural-rights
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