This paper considers why despite European and US funders increasing their provision of youth-focused programming in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) since the popular uprisings of 2011, the majority of those in the 18–25 age range have largely disengaged from formal political participation
Archives for July 2016
Use of mobile phones by the rural poor: gender perspectives from selected Asian countries (FAO, IRCD and LIRNEasia 2016)
Mobile phones have been shown (though not uniformly) to positively contribute in various ways to rural development, from reducing information asymmetry, improving functional networks, to increasing access to services and finance. Yet a digital gender divide exists. When contrasted with the fact that women compromise 43% of the worlds’ agricultural labor force, this digital gender divide can inhibit rural development. There is substantial exploration of the digital gender divide in the literature. Yet the answers to questions regarding differential access and use of information and communication technologies are mostly inconclusive.
This study tries identify the information needs of the rural poor with gender dissagregated statistics.
Supporting Safety of Journalists in Kenya: An assessment based on UNESCO’s Journalist Safety Indicators (UNESCO 2016)
The study was conducted by African Media Initiative (AMI), in consultation with UNESCO. This activity was funded by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Programme on Development of Communication (IPDC) which is a multilateral forum in the UN system that not only provides support for media projects but also seeks an accord to secure a healthy environment for the growth of free and pluralistic media in developing countries. It was carried out within the efforts of UNESCO to “promote an enabling environment for freedom of expression, press freedom and journalistic safety in Kenya.”
The report was developed through a multi-stakeholder engagement and consultation process that included a media stakeholders meeting held on 22 May 2015, which provided a platform for participants to plan the study’s methodology and the responsibility of diverse actors relevant to the media sector in Kenya. A second consultation meeting was also held on 23 February 2016 to review the draft study report and implementation of the recommendations therein. A peer review exercise of the study was also carried out before its publication.
Migration Media Usage Survey: How do refugees from Syria and Iraq find the right information, before, during and after their journeys to Germany? (MiCT Briefing 2016)
From November 2015 to February 2016, MiCT’s research unit conducted in-depth interviews and focus-group discussions with 88 refugees from Iraq and Syria in Berlin. The study centered on the question which information sources they used during the stages of pre-departure, the actual travel, and the period after their arrival in Germany.
The results demonstrate that most of the interviewees did feel well-informed before and during their flight. The most-trusted information about routes and risks was inter-personal communication with individuals who had freshly arrived in the EU. Traditional media, in contrast, hardly played any role for them. A great lack of access to reliable information was perceived after the arrival in Germany, especially because of language barriers.
2016 State of Civil Society Report (CIVICUS 2016)
The 2016 State of Civil Society Report summarizes the key events, issues and trends affecting civil society around the world. The 5th annual report draws on contributions from more than 30 of the world’s leading experts on civil society as well as investigative work from the CIVICUS staff, which was conducted in close partnership with hundreds of activists in the field.
The report is available to download in full below and is also divided into the following sections for individual download:
- A foreword by Danny Sriskandarajah, Secretary General, CIVICUS;
- An executive summary, also available in French and Spanish;
- A year in review that looks at how civil society responded to global crises, an analysis of protest trends, threats to civic freedoms and new developments in civil society;
- 33 guest essays related to the report’s overarching theme of exclusion and civil society;
- A CIVICUS essay that analyses and synthesises the main insights from the guest essays