WACC promotes communication for social change. It believes that communication is a basic human right that defines people\'s common humanity, strengthens cultures, enables participation, creates community and challenges tyranny and oppression. http://www.waccglobal.org Wed, 22 May 2013 00:45:32 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.waccglobal.org/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png http://www.waccglobal.org WACC promotes communication for social change. It believes that communication is a basic human right that defines people\'s common humanity, strengthens cultures, enables participation, creates community and challenges tyranny and oppression. http://www.waccglobal.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3242&Itemid= "Fair Deal" seeks to maintain access to knowledge, economic opportunity, fundamental rights. The Canadian-based organization Open Media International (http://openmedia.org/) announced on May 16 that it is launching an international coalition called "Our Fair Deal (http://ourfairdeal.org/)," seeking to counter the potential restrictions on the Internet posed by an international agreement called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (http://www.ustr.gov/tpp) (TPP). The TPP is currently being negotiated by Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Peru, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Vietnam, and the United States, Open Media said. The 17th round of talks is being held in Lima, Peru, from 15-24 May. "The changes to copyright required by the TPP would reduce our access to information and restrict our ability to innovate, both on and offline," said the organization in an announcement. "Changing our copyright laws in ways that restrict the open Internet and economic opportunity are unfair to citizens, businesses, creators, and civil society organizations. Not only could such changes... Mon, 20 May 2013 22:30:51 +0100 http://www.waccglobal.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3235&Itemid= Competition focuses on journalism that covers human rights and development. Germany's international broadcaster, Deutsche Welle, is accepting entries for the German Development Media Awards competition. The contest is open to journalists from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Germany. Entries can include stories in all journalistic formats in print, radio, TV and online. The stories should focus clearly on human rights and development. The entries must have been published or broadcast between January 1, 2012 and May 31, 2013. Deadline for submissions is May 31, 2013. More details can be found here (http://www.dw.de/how-do-i-submit-my-entry/a-16644429). The competition languages are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Russian or Spanish. An entry is accepted if it is in a language broadcast by Deutsche Welle. However, the entry must then include a translation in one of the seven core languages. The German Development Media Awards for human rights journalism consist of seven cash prizes valued at 2,000... Mon, 06 May 2013 17:48:05 +0100 http://www.waccglobal.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3233&Itemid= WACC supports May 3 commemoration. The theme of World Press Freedom Day 2013 is “Safe to Speak: Securing Freedom of Expression in All Media”. How can WACC members and partners help bring about such a world? At the beginning of 2013 WACC joined with its partner SIGNIS to give its Human Rights Award 2012 to the documentary film “Forbidden Voices” directed by Barbara Miller. It explores the risky business of blogging in three countries where freedom of expression is severely restricted. In Cuba, China and Iran, the blogs of Yoani Sánchez, Zeng Jinyan and Farnaz Seifi are challenging the state monopoly on information. And what these women write, along with countless other courageous journalists elsewhere in the world, puts their lives at risk. “Forbidden Voices” portrays their journeys and traces their use of social media to denounce and combat the violations of human rights and freedom of speech in their countries. According to UN Secretary-General... Fri, 03 May 2013 14:18:45 +0100 http://www.waccglobal.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3232&Itemid= Tenth Assembly scheduled for 30 October to 8 November in Busan, South Korea. The 10th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC), where the theme will be “God of life, lead us to justice and peace,” will take place in Busan, Republic of Korea, from 30 October to 8 November 2013. The rich offering of events at the Assembly is intended to maximize sharing among participants – to deepen their experience of fellowship, to increase their knowledge of the ecumenical movement and to provide space for dialogue on important issues. Thematic plenaries will present global challenges the churches must face together. A special madang programme will promote the exchange of gifts and experiences among participants through workshops, exhibitions and side events. WACC will be presenting a workshop titled “Hearing Many Voices for Justice and Peace.” Participants will explore the relevance of communication rights to transforming political, economic and social structures and to improving... Thu, 02 May 2013 23:55:01 +0100 http://www.waccglobal.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3230&Itemid= Plaza de Mayo grandmothers ask pontiff to open Vatican Archives to trace victims of Argentine dictatorship. Estela de Carlotto -- subject of a film that was awarded the SIGNIS-WACC Human Rights Award -- on 24 April met Pope Francis and urged him to open the Vatican Archives covering the period from 1976 to 1983 in order to trace victims of Argentina's military rule. De Carlotto leads a group called Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo (referring to a protest site in Buenos Aires) and they say they are trying to track hundreds of babies that were taken from political prisoners, according to reports on the BBC and other media. De Carlotto has said the Church must know where some of the children were taken. She met the Pope during a general audience at the Vatican, and handed him a letter asking for the archives to be open. They smiled and clasped hands before... Thu, 25 Apr 2013 22:14:01 +0100 http://www.waccglobal.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3225&Itemid= ECIC theme: Tradition and Innovation: The Tensions of A Maturing Internet. The 18th European Christian Internet Conference (http://www.ecic.org/) is set to take place in Dublin, Ireland, 4-7 June 2013. The theme will be "Tradition and innovation: the tensions of a maturing Internet." It will present an opportunity to consider whether the Internet is, in fact, like ECIC, coming of age and how experiences of being religious and human are enriched or challenged by experience of the virtual. Among the speakers at the conference will be Heidi Campbell and Johnny Ryan, both keen observers of online developments. Their presentations, those of other speakers yet to be announced, the participation of members of the ECIC network and the opportunities that Dublin offers promise to make this an interesting and enriching conference. Campbell is Associate Professor of Communication at Texas A&M University and, having undertaken advanced study of theology and communication, is the author of Exploring... Mon, 15 Apr 2013 20:19:55 +0100 http://www.waccglobal.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3222&Itemid= Encouraged relationship between World Council of Churches and WACC. The World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) is saddened to learn of the death of the Rev. Dr. Emilio Castro, a former general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), at the age of 85. The Rev. Carlos A. Valle, former WACC General Secretary, noted that Castro encouraged the relationship between WCC and WACC and took part in WACC’s first international Congress on the theme “Communication for Community.” A WCC communiqué described Castro as a leading ecumenist of the late 20th century who would be “remembered for his unfaltering efforts in bringing together Christian faith and spirituality with radical commitment in the struggles for justice.” Castro, a Methodist pastor and theologian from Uruguay, served as the WCC general secretary from 1985 to1992. He passed away in Montevideo, Uruguay on 6 April. The Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, the WCC’s current General Secretary, said: “His personal... Tue, 09 Apr 2013 19:32:03 +0100 http://www.waccglobal.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3219&Itemid= Grassroots media can help stem indigenous language loss. Cultural Survival (http://www.culturalsurvival.org/), an organization that partners with indigenous peoples to defend their lands, languages and cultures, announced it will be hosting a webinar on April 8 on the topic "Community Radio and Indigenous Language Revitalization." The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based group notes that "indigenous language loss is occurring all over the world. Concerned communities are using many methods including community radio as an effective tool in revitalizing their languages." As a follow up to the latest issue of its publication, Cultural Survival Quarterly (http://issuu.com/culturalsurvival/docs/37-1/15), the organization is inviting all to participate in a conversation about the important role community radio plays in indigenous language revitalization. Supporting community radio (component/content/article/3216:communication-rights-in-practice-in-guatemala.html) is a current WACC initiative, as language rights are a key part of communication rights. The Cultural Survival webinar will take place from 1:00-2:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday, April 8, 2013. Click here (https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5885020888345590528) to visit the registration page. Panelists... Tue, 02 Apr 2013 18:57:35 +0100 http://www.waccglobal.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3214&Itemid= Report criticizes Syria, China, Iran, Bahrain and Vietnam. IFEX (http://www.ifex.org/), a Toronto-based network of organisations committed to defending and promoting freedom of expression as a fundamental human right, reports on a study that looks at the way governments are increasingly using technology that monitors online activity. It allows them to intercept electronic communication in order to arrest journalists, citizen-journalists and dissidents. On 12 March 2013, the World Day Against Cyber-Censorship (http://march12.rsf.org/en/), Reporters Without Borders (http://www.rsf.org) released a special report on Internet surveillance, identifying "Five State Enemies of the Internet" -- "spy" states that conduct systematic online surveillance that results in serious human rights violations. They are Syria, China, Iran, Bahrain and Vietnam. Surveillance in these countries targets dissidents and has grown in recent months. Cyber-attacks and intrusions, including the use of malware against dissidents and their networks, are on the increase, according to the IFEX article. Read the rest of the article here (http://www.ifex.org/international/2013/03/12/internet_enemies/). The report... Tue, 26 Mar 2013 19:37:24 +0100 http://www.waccglobal.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3212&Itemid= Theme is "Equal in an Unequal World." The Global Ethics Forum 2013 (http://www.globethics.net/web/gef) will take place on 27 and 28 June 2013 at the Ecumenical Centre (http://www.oikoumene.org/en/programmes/the-wcc-and-the-ecumenical-movement-in-the-21st-century/relationships-with-member-churches/visits-to-the-wcc.html) in Geneva, Switzerland. WACC is a partner with Global Ethics. The forum will include a number of working sessions over the two days, open to Workgroup members and selected invitees only, combined with a public forum. The public forum will examine the theme "Equal in an Unequal World." It is scheduled for Thursday, 27 June from 13:00 – 18:00 in the Plenary Hall at the Ecumenical Centre, 150 route de Ferney, 1218 Le Grand-Saconnex, Geneva. The Working Sessions will provide an opportunity for the Workgroup moderators and available Workgroup members to meet face-to-face and to discuss their progress and deliverables (articles, guides, tools). They will work together with the Globethics.net regional programme directors and staff to plan the participation and roles of each respective Workgroup and Globethics.net regional... Fri, 22 Mar 2013 17:35:50 +0100