organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas nacionales
TRANSCRIPT
Organizaciones de la sociedadcivil y programas nacionales TIC
buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and National ICTProgrammes matchmaking
Miguel Saravia
ISBN 9972-47-108-XHecho en el depoacutesito legal Ndeg 1501222005-0143Razoacuten social Intermediate T echnology Development Group ITDGDomicilio Av Jorge Chaacutevez 275 Casilla postal 18-0620 Lima 18 PeruacuteTeleacutefonos (51-1) 444-7055 446-7324 447-5127 242-9714Fax (51-1) 446-6621E-mail infoitdgorgpehttpwww itdgorgpe
2005 Intermediate T echnology Development Group ITDG - PeruacuteAutor Miguel SaraviaCoordinacioacuten Doris MejiacuteaEdicioacuten y correccioacuten de estilo Alejandra V isscherTraduccioacuten Dorinne FisherDisentildeo y diagramacioacuten Leonardo BonillaImpreso por Punto ImpresoImpreso en el Peruacute
Este trabajo se llevoacute a cabo con la ayuda de fondos asignadospor el Centro Internacional de Investigaciones para el DesarrolloOttawa Canadaacute
Saravia Miguel
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas nacionales TICbuscando el encuentro = Civil Society and National ICT Programmesmatchmaking Miguel Saravia Lima ITDG 200438 pISBN 9972-47-108-X
SOCIEDAD CIVIL SOCIEDAD DE LA INFORMACION TECNOLOGIADE LA INFORMACION ALIANZAS PROGRAMASGUBERNAMENTALES PARTICIPACION SOCIAL PE
133 S23
Clasificacioacuten SATIS Descriptores OCDE
C o n t e n i d o
1 Presentacioacuten 5
2 A manera de introduccioacuten 7
3 Buscando el marco maacutes apropiado 11
4 Alianzas puacuteblico-privadas para construir la sociedad de la informacioacuten 15
5 Propuestas para fortalecer la relacioacuten sociedad civil-Gobierno 17
C o n t e n t s
1 Foreword 23
2 Introduction 25
3 Looking for the most appropriate framework 29
4 Public-private partnerships for structuring the information society 33
5 Proposals for strengthening
the civil society-government relationship 35
3
1 Presentac i oacuten
El presente texto ha sido producido en el marco del proyecto ldquoOrganizacionesde la sociedad civil frente a proyectos nacionales TIC 4 estudios de casordquollevado a cabo por Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG) con elapoyo del International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Este proyectose ejecutoacute entre Diciembre del 2002 y Junio del 2004 e incluyoacute visitas a 4paiacuteses de Ameacuterica Latina (Peruacute Uruguay Venezuela y El Salvador) en dondese realizaron entrevistas con representantes de gobierno y organizaciones dela sociedad civil que trabajan el tema Los resultados de cada visita formanparte del CD ldquoSociedad civil y el desarrollo de la sociedad de la informacioacuten enAmeacuterica Latinardquo y que puede ser revisado en el web de ITDG y el IDRC
iquestEs posible hablar de sociedad de la informacioacuten sin la participacioacuten de lasociedad civil iquestEs la sociedad de la informacioacuten un tema de cables maacutequinasy troncales de telecomunicaciones iquestCoacutemo entender la sociedad de lainformacioacuten en un contexto de pobreza iquestQueacute enfoques se pueden usar paraexplicar el rol de la sociedad civil en la construccioacuten de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten iquestCuaacutel es la relacioacuten de la sociedad civil con los otros actores dela sociedad de la informacioacuten iquestQuieacutenes son esos otros actores iquestCuaacutel es elmodelo maacutes adecuado para entender las relaciones de los actores clave en elproceso de construccioacuten de la sociedad de la informacioacuten Son eacutestaspreguntas las que orientaron el presente trabajo
Una de las principales preocupaciones que acompantildearon esta investigacioacutenfue conocer coacutemo estos actores se organizan y en particular la manera en quelas organizaciones de la sociedad civil lo hacen para entender el proceso dehacer poliacutetica puacuteblica TIC y de articular sus propuestas
La presente publicacioacuten se inicia explicando el proceso de la incidencia puacuteblicay de queacute manera llega a la agenda de las organizaciones de la sociedad civilLuego presenta un anaacutelisis del marco adecuado para entender el proceso dedesarrollo de la sociedad de la informacioacuten Se resumen 4 modelos diferentesque forman parte de la tipologiacutea de las relaciones sociedad civil-Estado parala construccioacuten de la sociedad de la informacioacuten
La publicacioacuten continuacutea presentando a los actores clave y su rol en laconstruccioacuten de poliacuteticas TIC y queacute clase de relaciones se deben tejer parahacer maacutes efectiva su incidencia para terminar esbozando un conjunto derecomendaciones para fortalecer la relacioacuten sociedad civil-Estado
Esperamos contribuir con esta publicacioacuten a difundir conceptos clave queacompantildeen el fortalecimiento de las organizaciones de la sociedad civil decara a los procesos institucionales que en el marco de la construccioacuten de lasociedad de la informacioacuten se estaacuten dando en varios de nuestros paiacuteseslatinoamericanos
Miguel SaraviaDiciembre 2004
5
2 A manera d e i n t r o d u c c i oacute n
Las Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten (TIC) estaacuten transformandonuestro entorno de manera dramaacutetica y hoy no hay ninguna esfera de nuestravida cotidiana que no se vea impactado por ellas No soacutelo se trata del accesoa nuevas y maacutes eficientes formas de comunicacioacuten sino de la transformacioacutende las maneras como trabajamos como socializamos como nos educamos ycomo accedemos a servicios baacutesicos (por ejemplo a la salud)
Auacuten predomina la percepcioacuten de que la sociedad de la informacioacuten tiene quever principalmente con celulares computadoras e Internet es decir con lainfraestructura Sin embargo nuestra investigacioacuten ha encontrado evidenciaalentadora sobre la preocupacioacuten por colocar cada vez con mayor frecuenciaen el espacio puacuteblico la importancia de la aplicacioacuten de las TIC en laeducacioacuten la salud la produccioacuten y poner en el debate esas nuevas formasque tenemos de trabajar comunicarnos y relacionarnos
Ante esta realidad es importante que la sociedad en su conjunto se engarce en elproceso de hacer poliacutetica puacuteblica y de que se entienda coacutemo mejorar ese procesode engarce En los uacuteltimos 10 antildeos las ONG se han concentrado en el escalamientode sus acciones a traveacutes del cabildeo y la influencia buscando persuadir a diferentesgrupos de actores individuos Estados corporaciones organismos internacionalespara que alteren sus poliacuteticas y comportamientos en relacioacuten con los temas deld e s a r r o l l o1 En estos antildeos las ONG han ayudado a cambiar el lenguaje del debateen temas tales como la reduccioacuten de la deuda externa han promovido el monitoreode los acuerdos mundiales como la certificacioacuten de bosques o el trabajo infantil hancontribuido a la adopcioacuten de tratados como el de Ottawa para la erradicacioacuten de lasminas terrestres entre otros asuntos2
Los sectores que maacutes han avanzado en estas acciones son el sectormedioambiental aquellos quienes promueven los derechos de la infancia yquienes luchan por los derechos de las mujeres Es justamente con estos dosuacuteltimos temas que el cabildeo y el trabajo de influencia llegaron a AmeacutericaLatina y se insertaron en las agendas de las ONG
Es tambieacuten a partir de estos sectores donde se comienza a utilizar las TIC paraincidir en poliacuteticas puacuteblicas pues aparece como el mejor medio para lograr lacalidad oportunidad y transparencia de las poliacuteticas puacuteblicas El uso de las TICcontribuye en la elaboracioacuten de las propuestas y a que numerosas personaspuedan participar en el proceso de la incidencia generando debates ampliosen sectores generalmente excluidos de los espacios tradicionales departicipacioacuten Para ello es importante tambieacuten incidir en las poliacuteticas puacuteblicasque permitan a las TIC ser verdaderos instrumentos de desarrollo
Es un error comuacuten definir objetivos muy generales de incidencia como lopodriacutea ser el de incidir hacia poliacuteticas puacuteblicas TIC que fomenten el desarrollo
7
1 BOND Guidance Notes Series 3 The What and the Why of Advocay London 19992 Edwards Michael NGO legitimacy- voice or vote En Global Future Fourth Quarter 2002 pp 3
La incidencia es un proceso de largo plazo que se inicia con la definicioacutenconcreta de lo que se quiere cambiar y de ello depende muchas veces el eacutexitoo fracaso del proceso
Luego de ello es necesario analizar la situacioacuten para identificar los mejoresmecanismos y oportunidades para impulsar este cambio Ligado a lo anterior estaacutela identificacioacuten de actores clave tanto para saber a quieacutenes se debe influir comopara detectar a los potenciales aliados Con todo lo anterior se inicia la elaboracioacutende mensajes para cada puacuteblico objetivo y la eleccioacuten de las estrategias de influenciamaacutes adecuadas a cada caso particular Ello lleva a la necesidad de planificardetalladamente cada paso y ya en la ejecucioacuten monitorear el progreso parareplantear las acciones cuando sea necesario Este proceso de monitoreo yevaluacioacuten continuo permite ir ajustando la estrategia de influencia hasta lograr losobjetivos deseados3
Este es el proceso que han venido siguiendo numerosas ONG en la regioacuten y queha enfrentado tambieacuten numerosas limitantes Acontinuacioacuten resumimos algunos delos problemas afrontados por estas instituciones para hacer incidencia en A m eacute r i c aLatina y que nuestra investigacioacuten ha identificado
bull Existe un bajo nivel de institucionalizacioacuten de canales de acceso al sistemapoliacutetico y de praacutecticas reconocidas como vaacutelidas - tanto por el Estado como porla sociedad civil- para llevar adelante procesos de incidencia4
bull La incidencia es una especializacioacuten y si bien cotidianamente varias ONG realizanacciones de incidencia en el sistema poliacutetico eacutestas no siempre responden a unaaccioacuten deliberada y a una estrategia planificada para su ejercicio5 Laespecializacioacuten implica en muchos casos el dejar de lado las acciones de base
bull Hay oportunidades de incidencia y participacioacuten que no responden a unaestructura ni a un sistema que lo permite sino maacutes bien a circunstancias muycoyunturales difiacuteciles de prever6 -ya comentamos el bajo nivel deinstitucionalizacioacuten del acceso al sistema poliacutetico
bull Existe un problema de representatividad de las ONG que les impide en muchoscasos ser aceptados como interlocutores vaacutelidos por parte del Estado y otrossujetos de incidencia7
bull Los recursos se reciben para ejecutar proyectos y no para promover procesos locual limita mucho la capacidad real de las ONG para liderar procesos deincidencia que como hemos visto antes son de largo plazo8
bull El desarrollo de la capacidad de incidencia de las ONG se ha circunscrito a lostemas propuestos por las ONG del Norte y se ha dado de forma muyinstrumentalizada es decir sin desarrollar verdaderas capacidades para unaincidencia en otras esferas9
bull No existe una agenda comuacuten de incidencia en temas de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten entre los distintos actores de la sociedad civil1 0
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
8
3 Manual para la planificacioacuten de iniciativas de incidencia Save the Children Londres Save the Children 20004 Incidencia en Poliacuteticas Puacuteblicas y Construccioacuten de Ciudadaniacutea Ineacutes Gonzales Bombal
httpwwwicdorguymercosurinformesencuentrogonzalez7html 5 Gonzales Bombal op cit 6 Durante las entrevistas se han citado a las muchas ldquotiacuteas Ofeliasrdquo que con el advenimiento de nuevos regiacutemenes han aparecido en Brasil
Ecuador Peruacute y Chile Por ldquoTiacutea Ofeliardquo nos referimos a la analogiacutea con el personaje de la publicacioacuten del IDRC Raiacuteces Maacutegicas e ITDG comoresultado de Encuentro Latinoamericano ldquoApropiacioacuten de Tecnologiacuteas de la Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten en Ameacuterica Latinardquohttpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsofeliahtm
7 Edwards Michael 2002 op cit8 El rol de interfase de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Ramoacuten Vargas Ponencia presentada en el Seminario Regional sobre las
Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil y el desarrollo de una cultura democraacutetica9 Ramoacuten Vargas op cit10 Save the Children 2001 op cit
Esta uacuteltima conclusioacuten saca a la luz la peculiaridad sobre la que trata lapresente investigacioacuten Nos interesa ver de queacute forma podemos incidir en laspoliacuteticas puacuteblicas destinadas a la sociedad de la informacioacuten y no a laspoliacuteticas puacuteblicas en general Hay todaviacutea mucha penumbra en los teacuterminosteacutecnicos que delimitan el espacio de la sociedad de la informacioacuten y esedesconocimiento hace perder oportunidades e intimida a las diversas OSC dehacer propuestas maacutes concretas y de presionar para lograr sus objetivosplanteados
Se ha avanzado en la construccioacuten de una visioacuten social de la Internet perotodaviacutea falta aterrizar dicha visioacuten en propuestas concretas de incidencia aescala regional y nacional11
Sin duda la necesidad de traducir esta visioacuten social en acciones concretas deincidencia ha quedado descubierta a la luz de la participacioacuten de las OSC enlos eventos preparatorios de la Cumbre Mundial de la Sociedad de laInformacioacuten12 a donde llegamos fragmentadas y sin posiciones comunes comoregioacuten La construccioacuten de esta agenda comuacuten de incidencia es un procesoque recieacuten se inicia y como se ha manifestado ya en los foros electroacutenicospertinentes es un proceso que no terminaraacute con la Cumbre Mundial
Ha quedado en evidencia tambieacuten que las posibilidades de incidir van maacutes allaacutede la Internet y que la visioacuten social compartida de esta tecnologiacutea debeextenderse a otras tecnologiacuteas de la informacioacuten y comunicacioacuten Por ellocreemos que se deben abrir espacios de participacioacuten a las OSC que vienentrabajando desde hace deacutecadas en los temas de comunicacioacuten popular radiocomunitaria etc afectados sin duda por la avalancha de regulaciones quevienen de la mano con la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Miguel Saravia
9
11 Visioacuten construida a partir del trabajo de la Comunidad Virtual Miacutestica Para mayor informacioacuten revisar httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 Buscando el marco maacutesapropiadohellip
Se ha encontrado que el marco utilizado en diversas esferas de los gobiernosde la regioacuten para el disentildeo de las estrategias relacionadas con la sociedad dela informacioacuten estaacute muy sesgado Se insiste en la instalacioacuten de maacutesinfraestructura de acceso programas de apoyo al sector de tecnologiacuteas de lainformacioacuten y comunicacioacuten desarrollo de aplicaciones de gobiernoelectroacutenico etc dejando de lado el desarrollo de capacidades la mejora delos mecanismos de comunicacioacuten profundizar la descentralizacioacuten poliacutetica yeconoacutemica incrementar la participacioacuten ciudadana en los procesos de toma dedecisiones propiciar la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica entre otros aspectos
Una revisioacuten exhaustiva de los diferentes modelos existentes y de losplanteamientos compartidos en diferentes foros internacionales como lareunioacuten de Baacutevaro preparatoria para la Cumbre de la Sociedad de laInformacioacuten la reunioacuten de alto nivel de la Unioacuten Europea - Ameacuterica Latina y eltaller TIC Andino muestra que el marco existente como comuacuten denominadores insuficiente para ayudar a entender coacutemo las tecnologiacuteas de la informacioacuteny la comunicacioacuten pueden hacer un cambio significativo a favor de la luchacontra la pobreza en nuestros paiacuteses
El modelo de la CEPAL
La Comisioacuten Econoacutemica para AmeacutericaL a t i n a1 3 ( C E PAL) ha desarrollado unmodelo tridimensional que buscaexplicar la sociedad de la informacioacuten yque estaacute compuesto por estratoshorizontales sectores verticales y aacutereastransversales Los estratos horizontalesincluyen la infraestructura y los serviciosgeneacutericos (TV radio Internet) Ladimensioacuten vertical presenta maacutes bien alos sectores en los cuales se traduce lasociedad de la informacioacuten
Lo interesante es que el cubo antildeade una tercera dimensioacuten que termina porhacer maacutes complicado el esquema pero que permite introducir temastransversales como lo son los marcos regulatorios el financiamiento y elcapital humano
Empero creemos que el esquema de sociedad de la informacioacuten planteadopor la CEPAL nos deja la sensacioacuten de estar limitaacutendola soacutelo al temaelectroacutenico y que el camino hacia la sociedad de la informacioacuten soacutelo se miradesde la ldquoe-ldquo que se ha incluiacutedo en los sectores Por tanto una preguntalegiacutetima seriacutea iquestCoacutemo concibe el modelo la participacioacuten de los ciudadanos en
11
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
el proceso y iquestcoacutemo enfrentar las inequidades evidentes que se presentaraacutenal iniciar el proceso de desarrollo de la sociedad de la informacioacuten
En este esquema se concibe a los estratos horizontales como muy funcionalesa los sectores de esta manera el desarrollo de capacidades estaacute confinado alconjunto de habilidades teacutecnicas necesarias para lidiar con las tecnologiacuteasinsertas en la elaboracioacuten de la informacioacuten Pero en este esquema se olvidalas habilidades sociales para poder entender los procesos y adecuarlos a loscontextos nacionales
El modelo del Instituto de Investigaciones Gino Germani
Este diagrama presenta unaserie de anillos conceacutentricoscuyo centro y punto de llegadaes la denominada sociedad dela informacioacuten
Este modelo que fuedesarrollado en el seno delInstituto de InvestigacionesGino Germani de la Universidadde Buenos A i r e s1 4 plantea unalectura de afuera hacia dentroesto es comenzando por laspoliacuteticas el acceso el desarrolloel uso la apropiacioacuten yfinalmente la produccioacuten Leyeacutendolo asiacute es faacutecil entender la loacutegica del procesoque es complementado por ejes transversales que cortan todos los ciacuterculosEstos son la inclusioacuten social el geacutenero y el respeto por las minoriacuteas
Esta manera de presentar el proceso de construccioacuten de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten contempla una progresioacuten Conforme se va avanzando en cadatema se puede pasar al otro nivel de desarrollo hasta llegar al centro del ciacuterculo
Este modelo de los ciacuterculos da por sentado el consenso de que la construccioacutende la sociedad de la informacioacuten debe ser un proceso amplio con laparticipacioacuten de todos los sectores incluida la sociedad civil
Sin embargo lo que no logra incluir el modelo son las fuerzas que puedendinamizar los procesos o que los pueden entrampar y es por alliacute dondedebemos ver a los ciudadanos y sus organizaciones Se hace evidente laausencia de elementos que muestren que la fuerza movilizadora de lasociedad de la informacioacuten es y debe ser la sociedad misma sus necesidadessus prioridades
Esto puede que no sea responsabilidad exclusiva de los marcos teoacutericos sinode la capacidad de la propia sociedad civil para reclamar su espacio comofuerza motora de la sociedad
Or ganizaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas na cionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
12
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
El modelo Valenti15
El Dr Valenti de la Organizacioacuten de Estados Iberoamericanos para la Educacioacutenla Ciencia y la Cultura ha desarrollado un modelo que critica la forma claacutesica deentender a la sociedad de la informacioacuten a partir de los modelos existentes (y alos que nos hemos referido anteriormente)
Para el Dr Valenti a lamirada claacutesica debemosantildeadirle dos componentescentrales la participacioacutenciudadana y la innovacioacutentecnoloacutegica Y no es que elcubo o los ciacuterculos no losreconocieran Sin embargoel modelo del Dr Va l e n t icoloca a la participacioacutensocial en el centro de laaccioacuten como un componentefundamental del proceso
En el cubo la persona la sociedad no existe En el modelo de los ciacuterculos lapresencia social es taacutecita falta explicitarla En cambio en el modelo de Valenti elmotor es el colectivo ldquoSin participacioacuten no hay interaccioacuten y sin interaccioacuten no hayinnovacioacuten Y si no hay participacioacuten y capacidad para la innovacioacuten no habraacuteSociedad de la Informacioacuten posiblerdquo1 6
El Dr Valenti hace eacutenfasis en la necesidad de fomentar una nuevainstitucionalidad que se sostenga en sistemas locales de desarrollo y en lapromocioacuten de mecanismos de innovacioacuten local
En Ameacuterica Latina se estaacute consolidando una nueva institucionalidad local comolo son los comiteacutes locales de desarrollo en diversas comunidades de A m eacute r i c aLatina las mesas de lucha contra la pobreza las mesas de concertacioacuten y losespacios de diaacutelogo puacuteblico-privados1 7 Es interesante coacutemo estos espaciospueden configurar la nueva institucionalidad de la que habla el Dr Valenti
Si bien el Dr Valenti menciona el tema de la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica no lodesarrolla a plenitud quedando un vaciacuteo necesario de llenar
El modelo de la Innovacioacuten Transformadora
En el libro ldquoDesarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacutenrdquo seexplica el concepto de innovacioacuten transformadora Esta nocioacuten recoge el tema dela innovacioacuten y lo presenta como un elemento catalizador del proceso detransformacioacuten social1 8
Miguel Saravia
13
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organizado por el Departamento para el Desarrollo
Internacional del Reino Unido el Banco Mundial y otras organizaciones (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (en imprenta)
La sociedad de la informacioacuten es algo a lo que hay que llegar y para llegar sedebe transformar nuestra sociedad transformar las relaciones socialesexistentes para tener maacutes equidad y donde exista igualdad de oportunidadesEste modelo rescata esta dimensioacuten revolucionaria que tiene la aplicacioacuten delas TIC a los procesos de desarrollo
Creemos que para entender el camino de Ameacuterica Latina hacia la sociedad dela informacioacuten es necesario buscar la convergencia de todos estos enfoquesmas que elegir uno solo El modelo de Valenti proporciona una muy buenadefinicioacuten de los actores el esquema de los ciacuterculos nos permite comprenderclaramente el proceso colectivo el cubo de la CEPAL nos detalla la interaccioacutende los diversos sectores una vez que hemos avanzado dentro de la sociedadde la informacioacuten Este uacuteltimo enfoque destaca la necesidad de introducirprocesos de innovacioacuten que ayuden en la transformacioacuten de la sociedad
Organizaciones de la socie dad civil y program as na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
14
4 Alianzas puacuteblico-privadas paraconstruir lasociedad de lainformacioacuten
La construccioacuten de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten es una tarea que involucra a todoslos sectores de la sociedad esto es a losciudadanos -en sus diferentes facetas comoestudiantes empresarios investigadoresactivistas sociales- y a los gobernantes Loprivado debe hacer alusioacuten a todo lo que no serelaciona con el gobierno englobando aldenominado tercer sector y al sectorempresarial
Util izaremos el teacutermino alianzas puacuteblico-privadas para referirnos a la asociacioacuten entregobiernos el sector empresarial y lasorganizaciones de la sociedad civil Estasalianzas podemos definirlas como ldquolos acuerdos en los que el sector puacuteblicoy el privado suscriben convenios para ejecutar proyectos conjuntos deinvestigacioacuten y desarrollo uniendo recursos y capacidadesrdquo19
Otra definicioacuten auacuten maacutes precisa indica que se debe entender como alianzasldquolas iniciativas conjuntas del sector puacuteblico junto con el sector privado el sectorcon fines de lucro y el sector sin fines de lucro tambieacuten entendidos como lossectores gubernamental empresarial y ciacutevico Dentro de estas alianzas cadauno de los miembros contribuye con recursos (financieros humanos teacutecnicose intangibles tales como informacioacuten o apoyo poliacutetico) y participa en elproceso de la toma de decisionesrdquo20
Las alianzas puacuteblico-privadas ya han demostrado que aportan nuevosrecursos a las iniciativas para la reduccioacuten de la pobreza Podemos decir quelas alianzas aumentan la productividad de los recursos disponibles Ademaacuteslas alianzas implican un nuacutemero considerable de formas de generacioacuten debienes en las aacutereas de desarrollo humano y de capital social lo cual crea lascondiciones para lograr efectos multiplicadores
Como dicen Fiszbein y Lowden ldquoLas alianzas tienen el potencial de generarpatrones de cambio que se refuerzan a siacute mismos y asiacute traen consigo el meacuteritoinmenso de que el todo puede ser mucho maacutes que la suma de las partesrdquo
Una pregunta central es coacutemo se puede institucionalizar la participacioacuten del sectorprivado y la sociedad civil en los programas nacionales para la sociedad de lainformacioacuten 2 1 y de queacute manera se puede generar un entorno de ganancia mutua
15
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz y Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag 27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
Desde las organizaciones de la sociedad civil este tema no se ha visto conmucha claridad y menos auacuten desde el sector puacuteblico A inicios de la deacutecadade los 90 las principales ONG del Norte se dieron cuenta que el impacto de sutrabajo era temporal y de escala muy pequentildea Por ello desarrollaron una seriede estrategias para aumentar su impacto y la escala de lo que haciacutean
Dentro de las acciones que se promovieron encontramos
bull Cooperacioacuten con el gobiernobull Expansioacuten de sus operacionesbull Promocioacuten del contacto directo con organizaciones de basebull Influencia y cabildeo local nacional e internacional
En el sector de las TIC un anaacutelisis de actores de incidencia nos muestra unadesemejanza entre la capacidad de la sociedad civil para incidir en el Gobiernoy el Estado y la capacidad que tiene el sector empresarial de hacerlo Elsiguiente cuadro preparado por Juliana Martiacutenez22 nos ayuda a entendermejor lo que estamos afirmando
El graacutefico tambieacuten nos muestra la inexistencia de una relacioacuten entre las OSCy el sector empresarial Comuacutenmente no se ve a las empresas y a sus liacutederescomo sujetos de incidencia Empero es evidente que si incidimos en estas yaprovechamos su capacidad de incidencia indirectamente tambieacuten estaremosincidiendo en el gobierno
No se trata de abandonar la posibilidad de incidir directamente en las poliacuteticaspuacuteblicas sino mas bien de ampliar el espectro y aprender de la experiencia de otrosactores Nuevamente Juliana Martiacutenez nos resume el modelo ideal en un graacutefico
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
16
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Propuestas parafortalecer la relacioacutensociedad civil-Gobierno
Como hemos visto a lo largo de este texto no es faacutecil hacer una siacutentesis quecombine todos los modelos Soacutelo un trabajo articulado de todos los actorespermitiraacute avanzar en la construccioacuten de la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Existen espacios para la participacioacuten activa de los actores en los procesos dehacer poliacutetica puacuteblica y por lo tanto de incidir directamente en los tomadoresde decisiones23 En la Presentacioacuten indicamos que una preocupacioacuten principalde la presente investigacioacuten era encontrar mecanismos de articulacioacuten de lasociedad civil para poder comprender el proceso de hacer poliacuteticas puacuteblicasrelacionadas con las TIC y de articular propuestas teacutecnica financiera ypoliacuteticamente viables
Sobre la base de las entrevistas visitas de campo y revisioacuten de documentosse han extraiacutedo 4 propuestas para contribuir a fortalecer la relacioacuten entre lasOSC y los Gobiernos Estas son
bull Ciacuterculos de aprendizaje permanentes espacios para el diaacutelogobull Monitor de proyectos TIC transparencia y rendicioacuten de cuentasbull Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo rescate de nuestra capacidad emprendedorabull SI programa de formacioacuten regional ldquoThink tankrdquo regional
Ciacuterculos de aprendizaje permanente
Los ciacuterculos de aprendizaje fueron utilizados por el proyecto Conectaacutendonosal Futuro de El Salvador como un mecanismo para promover la participacioacutende diversos actores en el disentildeo de la agenda puacuteblica relacionada con las TICy el desarrollo24
En los ciacuterculos de aprendizaje se realizaron diagnoacutesticos y propuestas deproyectos en seis temas importantes para el desarrollo de ese paiacutes como sonla educacioacuten la migracioacuten el desarrollo local el desarrollo rural la micro-pequentildea-mediana empresa y las grandes organizaciones puacuteblicas y privadas
En el caso peruano contamos con la experiencia de la Comisioacuten Multisectorialpara el Desarrollo de la Sociedad de la Informacioacuten-CODESI que inicialmenteteniacutea como objetivo principal elaborar un plan para el desarrollo de la sociedadde la informacioacuten en el Peruacute La CODESI se organizoacute en mesas de trabajosobre 6 temas infraestructura capacidades humanas aplicaciones socialesproduccioacuten y servicios gobierno electroacutenico y Cumbre Mundial de la Sociedadde la Informacioacuten25
17
23 Revisar El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedadde la Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Revisar el caso de El Salvador en el informe antes indicado25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
Luego de cumplida la tarea eacutestos colectivos se desarticularon cuando debieronpermanecer como espacios permanentes de anaacutelisis y reflexioacuten sobre la temaacuteticaque los unioacute Es claro que lo que estos espacios resuelvan no tendraacute el caraacutectervinculante ni el estatus consultivo originario pero seraacute fuente de empoderamientoy espacio de cabildeo para futuras acciones poliacuteticas
Promover estos espacios colectivos de reflexioacuten sobre aspectos puntuales detoda la estrategia de TIC para el desarrollo surge como una propuesta naturalque puede ser asumida raacutepidamente por los actores involucrados Creemosque estos espacios tienen que ser plurales garantizando la presencia de todoslos sectores Es muy importante tambieacuten que estos espacios socialicen sudebate y lo compartan con la sociedad en su conjunto a partir de foros puacuteblicoso medios electroacutenicos
Monitor de proyectos TIC
Los estudios de caso nos muestran que muchas organizaciones puacuteblicas yprivadas estaacuten repitiendo el mismo trabajo entre los diferentes paiacuteses de laregioacuten y aun al interior de los propios paiacuteses
El Instituto para la Conectividad de las Ameacutericas ha lanzado una iniciativa paracontar con una base de datos regional de proyectos TIC que permita mapearlas diferentes iniciativas presentes y pasadas26 Global Knowledge Partnershipestaacute tambieacuten por su lado elaborando un mapa de las organizaciones quetrabajan en el tema de las TIC para el desarrollo en toda la regioacuten27
La propuesta es complementaria a las iniciativas antes indicadas pero requierede un pacto entre los diversos actores trabajando en TIC para el desarrollo enAmeacuterica Latina activistas TIC donantes organismos multilaterales gobiernos
El Monitor que proponemos podriacutea nutrirse de los directorios antes indicadospero ademaacutes podriacutea compilar los documentos de proyectos las evaluacioneslas lecciones aprendidas y lo maacutes importante permitir la redaccioacuten decomentarios sobre los proyectos por parte de observadores e incluso de losmismos beneficiarios
La propuesta no contempla aceptar un marco comuacuten de evaluacioacuten que hariacuteaa nuestro entender inviable al Monitor Se plantea una propuesta maacutesconcreta orientada a apoyar la transparencia de las acciones en TIC para eldesarrollo y la rendicioacuten de cuentas desde todos los sectores
En el documento ldquoCarta a la Tiacutea Ofelia 7 propuestas para un desarrollo humanosostenible con el uso de las Tecnologiacuteas de la Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacutenrdquo se deciacutea
ldquoCuando se habla de evaluacioacuten muchas personas se sienten amenazadas como si se tratara siempre de unaauditoriacutea para ver a quieacuten echarle la culpa de los problemas Aunque las auditoriacuteas son importantes para larendicioacuten de cuentas y la verificacioacuten de procesos la evaluacioacuten de resultados es otra cosa completamente distintaCon el monitoreo se trata de aprender de los errores y de los aciertos mejorar sobre la marcha compartir lo quese aprende en el recorrido Con la evaluacioacuten se busca aprender sobre los resultados de las actividades yprogramas y comprender queacute se hizo para mejorar o empeorar la situacioacuten ojalaacute desde varias perspectivasdiferentes Pretender que de la auditoriacutea resulte el aprendizaje es un graviacutesimo errorrdquo28
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
18
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Esta es una propuesta que plantea un puente entre monitoreo y auditoriacutea con laparticipacioacuten de muacuteltiples actores e impactando directamente en la rendicioacuten decuentas y la transparencia de las acciones orientadas a promover el desarrollo
En la regioacuten contamos ya con las herramientas teacutecnicas para implementar unsistema de bajo costo pero lo maacutes complicado puede ser lo metodoloacutegico ElMonitor deberiacutea ser un sitio colaborativo donde los proyectos son alimentadospor los propios actores de los proyectos y donde se requiere de un acuerdoprevio entre agencias donantes para que acepten que los documentos de susproyectos se reporten en el Monitor y lo incluyan asiacute en el contrato
Mantener actualizada la informacioacuten del Monitor es tambieacuten una tarea difiacutecil sise piensa de manera tradicional El Monitor deberiacutea trabajar para que lo queestaacute reportado alliacute tenga visibilidad (a traveacutes de boletines electroacutenicosdistribucioacuten de resentildeas en otras redes y listas promocioacuten de foros etc) Laidea es generar la sensacioacuten de que conviene maacutes estar alliacute con la informacioacutenactualizada que quedarse fuera
Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo
El Dr Valenti comentaba la necesidad de recrear la institucionalidad local demanera que se convierta en protagonista de su desarrollo Hablaba de lossistemas locales de desarrollo como la base de esta nueva institucionalidad 29
En los paiacuteses latinoamericanos hay varias iniciativas de concertacioacuten para eldesarrollo local donde convergen los diferentes niveles del Estado y lasociedad civil incluidos los empresarios30 Sin embargo existen tambieacutencomplejos sistemas de innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica31 que generalmente no estaacuten endiaacutelogo con estos espacios de planificacioacuten del desarrollo local
La propuesta busca vincular estos espacios de concertacioacuten del desarrollo conel rescate de la capacidad emprendedora de los ciudadanos latinoamericanosenfocada hacia los procesos que conduzcan a la regioacuten hacia la sociedad dela informacioacuten
Encontramos que la mejor manera de llevar la propuesta a la praacutectica esgenerando mecanismos locales de promocioacuten de la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica yque la investigacioacuten no ha encontrado muy difundidos en la regioacuten Elantecedente concreto maacutes directo que se logroacute identificar es el proyectoldquoFortaleciendo la Participacioacuten Ciudadana para el Desarrollo EconoacutemicoLocalrdquo y que justamente buscaba rescatar la capacidad de innovacioacuten depobladores rurales en el Peruacute
El referido proyecto fue financiado por el DFID y la Comunidad Europea yejecutado por ITDG Ameacuterica Latina en seis municipalidades (en eldepartamento de San Martiacuten provincias de Picota San Martiacuten y Moyobambay en el departamento de Cajamarca provincias de Bambamarca y San Ignacioy en el distrito de Asuncioacuten)32
Miguel Saravia
19
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
Aplicar este concepto a la sociedad de la informacioacuten puede traer resultadossorprendentes y orientar mejor la intervencioacuten del Estado y de los propiosproyectos de desarrollo Pero la clave es el caraacutecter local del proceso y suengarzamiento con las instancias locales de concertacioacuten del desarrollo
Hemos identificado experiencias previas de concursos nacionales deinnovacioacuten pero cuya estructura y mecanismos de participacioacuten no favorecenel rescate de las iniciativas locales que por su dimensioacuten son maacutes faacuteciles deser apropiadas o adaptadas por otras comunidades
SI programa de formacioacuten regional
A partir de los estudios de caso y del mapeo inicialmente realizado en el marcode la presente investigacioacuten encontramos que una de las principalesdebilidades en la sociedad civil y en algunos sectores del Estado es que noexiste suficiente capacidad para disentildear y promover poliacuteticas puacuteblicas eficacesen la promocioacuten del uso de las TIC desde una perspectiva de desarrollo
Por ello se hace necesario disentildear un programa de formacioacuten regional queprepare regularmente a liacutederes de los diferentes sectores para que seancapaces de participar activamente en el proceso de disentildear y acompantildear lasestrategias hacia la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Es importante que este programa de formacioacuten se desarrolle sobre la base dela realidad de la regioacuten y que sea un espacio acadeacutemico de reflexioacuten sobre losmodelos las mejores praacutecticas y los impactos que estamos logrando ennuestro camino
Esta propuesta busca preparar a mediano y largo plazo a funcionarios puacuteblicosy a liacutederes de la sociedad civil con el suficiente conocimiento de la temaacuteticalocal y regional y con capacidad de aportar constructivamente en laformulacioacuten de nuevas poliacuteticas
La propuesta incluye involucrar a diferentes universidades institutosacadeacutemicos y de investigacioacuten en el programa de formacioacuten de manera quepermita cubrir un aacuterea geograacutefica maacutes grande y llegar a la mayor cantidad deliacutederes y funcionarios locales posibles
El espacio de formacioacuten puede permitir tambieacuten que exista un mayor diaacutelogoentre los actores si es que se garantiza la participacioacuten activa de funcionariospuacuteblicos y dirigentes de organizaciones de la sociedad civil
Es importante resaltar tambieacuten que esta propuesta no se refiere a un programade formacioacuten claacutesico sino mas bien a una serie de cursos talleres seminariose investigaciones que se pueden dar de manera descentralizada y que con eladecuado rigor acadeacutemico permitiraacute formar un ldquothink tankrdquo regional capaz dedialogar y de aportar en el desarrollo de estrategias locales y regionales
Organizaciones de la socie dad civil y program as na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
20
1 Forew or d
This text was written within the framework of the Project entitled ldquoCivilianOrganisations in the face of National ICT Projects 4 case studiesrdquo which ITDGcarried out with the support of the International Development Research CentreThis project was implemented between December 2002 and June 2004 andincluded visits to 4 Latin American countries (Peru Uruguay Venezuela and ElSalvador) as well as interviews with government representatives and civilianorganizations The results of each visit form part of the CD ldquoCivil Society andthe development of the information society in Latin Americardquo that will beaccessible at ITDG and IDRC websites
Is it possible to refer to the information society without the participation of thecivil society Is the lsquoinformation societyrsquo a matter of cables devices andbackbones How can the lsquoinformation societyrsquo be understood within a povertycontext What approaches can be used to explain the role to be played by thecivil society with other stakeholders of the information society Who are thoseother approaches Which is the most adequate model for understanding therelationships of key stakeholders in the structure of the Information SocietyThose questions guided this research
One of the main concerns during this research work has been to find out howthese stakeholders have become organised and in particular how the civilsociety has become organised in order to understand the process involved inmaking ICT a public policy and incorporating their proposals
This publication begins with an explanation of the public advocacy process andhow this reached the agenda of civil society organisations There follows ananalysis of the adequate framework for understanding the information societydevelopment process A summary of 4 different models is included which formpart of the typology of the relationship between the civil society and the Statein structuring the information society
The publication continues with an introduction of key stakeholders their rolein the construction of ICT policies and the kind of relationships that must beestablished to ensure that their influence is effective Finally a number ofrecommendations are made to strengthen the relationship between the civilsociety and the State
With this publication we hope to help disseminate key concepts for theimprovement of civil society organizations in the face of the institutionalprocesses taking place in Latin American countries within the framework of theldquoinformation societyrdquo structure
Miguel SaraviaDecember 2004
23
24
2 I ntr oduct i on
Information and communication technologies (ICT) are dramaticallytransforming our environment Today at least one if not several informationtechnologies are having an impact on our daily activities The abundance ofbusiness management information and technology is greatly influencing thedaily lives of Latin American men women boys and girls
Although the predominant perception of the ldquoinformation societyrdquo mainlyinvolves mobile telephones computers and the Internet ie infrastructure ourresearch work revealed some encouraging evidence of an ever-increasingconcern for the application of ICT in education health production workingmethods and how we communicate with and relate to each other
Consequently it is essential for society as a whole to become involved in theprocess of setting public policies and understanding how such a process canbe improved During the last 10 years NGOs have been concentrating onincreasing their lobbying and advocacy actions in an attempt to influencedifferent groups of agents ie individuals States corporations internationalorganisations etc so that they change their policies and attitudes regardingdevelopment issues1 During that time NGOs have helped change the terms ofdiscussions on matters concerning the reduction of the foreign debt promotedthe monitoring of global agreements such as the certification of forests or childlabour contributed to the adoption of agreements like the Ottawa treaty for theeradication of land mines and so on2
The most developed sectors as far as these actions are concerned are theenvironment childrenrsquos rights and the fight for womenrsquos rights It was preciselybecause of these two issues that the lobbying and advocacy work reachedLatin America and was included in the agendas of NGOs
These were also the sectors in which ICT began to be used to influence publicpolicies being the best means of obtaining timely and transparent publicpolicies of a good quality The use of ICT helps to that numerous peoplecontribute in the advocacy and in the elaboration of the policy proposalsallowing massive debates including sectors traditionally excluded from thespaces of public participation It is important also to affect ICT policies thatenable them to be real instruments of development
It is a common mistake to define very general objective for an advocacystrategy like promote an ICT for development policies Advocacy is a long-termprocess that begins with a concrete definition of the changes to be made andin many cases it is the reason for success or failure of the process
25
1 BOND Guidance Notes Series 3 The What and the Why of Advocacy London 1999 2 Edwards Michael NGO legitimacy- voice or vote In Global Future Fourth Quarter 2002 p 3
Or gan izaciones d e la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes mat chmaking
Then the situation must be analysed in order to identify the best mechanismsand opportunities to promote such changes Coupled with the above is theidentification of key agents so as to determine who needs to be influenced andwho potential partners should be Subsequently messages for each targetpopulation must be prepared and the most adequate advocacy strategies foreach particular case selected This leads to the need for detailed planning ofeach step and then during the implementation the progress must bemonitored so that new actions can be planned when necessary With acontinuous monitoring and evaluation process the advocacy strategy can beadjusted to ensure that the desired objectives are achieved3
This is the process that numerous NGOs in the region have been followinghowever they have also faced numerous restrictions Below is a summary ofsome of the problems encountered by NGOs in their efforts to exerciseinfluence in Latin America which were identified during our research work
bull Institution-building is at a low level access to the political system is limitedand few practices are acknowledged either by the State or by the civilsociety for influence processes to prosper4
bull Advocacy is a special field and although several NGOs include influenceactions in their political system these do not always respond to a deliberateaction and a planned advocacy strategy5 In many cases specializationimplies casting aside grassroots actions
bull There are participation and influence opportunities that neither respond to astructure nor a system that permits them but rather to local circumstancesthat are very difficult to anticipate6
bull NGOs have a representation problem that often prevents them from beingaccepted by the State and others as valid spokesmen7 Take the case of theanti-globalisation movement for example
bull Funds are received to implement projects not to promote processes Thisgreatly restricts the actual capacity of NGOs to lead long-term advocacyprocesses8
bull The development of the advocacy capacity of NGOs has been limited totopics proposed by NGOs from the northern hemisphere which are veryorchestrated and fail to develop the ability to exercise influence in otherspheres9
bull There is no common advocacy agenda among the different agents of the civilsociety as far as matters related to the ldquoinformation societyrdquo are concerned10
26
3 Advocacy inintiatives planning manual Save the Children London Save the Children 20004 Influence on Public Policies and Citizenship Ineacutes Gonzales Bombal httpwwwicdorguymercosurinformesencuentrogonzalez7html 5 Gonzales Bombal op cit 6 By ldquoAunt Opheliardquo we refer to the likeness with the character of the IDRC publication Raiacuteces Maacutegicas and ITDG as a result of the Latin
American Meeting on ldquoAppropriation of Information and Communication Technologies in Latin Americahttpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsofeliahtm
7 Edwards Michael 2002 op cit8 El rol de interfase de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Ramoacuten Vargas Conference papers presented in Seminario Regional sobre
las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil y el desarrollo de una cultura democraacutetica 9 Ramoacuten Vargas op cit10 Save the Children 2001 op cit
The last conclusion sheds light on the characteristics of this research workOur main concern is to find a way to influence public policies for the informationsociety and not public policies in general The technical terms that define theinformation society are still unclear therefore opportunities are lost and variouscivilian organisations are afraid of making concrete proposals and applyingpressure to obtain what they want
Progress has been made with creating a social impression of the Internet butthat vision is yet to materialise in concrete regional and national advocacyproposals11
Undoubtedly the need to transform this collective social impression intoconcrete advocacy actions has been proved in the light of the participation ofcivilian organisations in the preparatory events of the World Summit of theInformation Society12 in which our participation was disjointed and without acommon regional standpoint The construction of this common advocacyagenda is a process that is just beginning and as already mentioned inrelevant electronic forums the process will not end with the World Summit
Miguel Saravia
27
11 Vision based on the work of the Comunidad Virtual Mistica For further information see httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 L ook i ng f or t he m o s tappr opr i at e f ramewor k hellip
It was found that the framework used by different government circles in theregion to design strategies related to the Information Society are very biasedtowards the ICT sector Emphasis is placed on setting up access facilitiesprogrammes to support the information and communication technologiessector the development of electronic government applications etc
A thorough review of different existing models and the proposals shared indifferent international forums such as the preparatory meeting in Bavaro forthe Information Society Summit the high level meeting between the EuropeanUnion-Latin America and the Andean ICT workshop reveals that as a commondenominator the existing framework is insufficient for understanding howinformation and communication technologies can make a significant change inthe struggle against poverty in our countries
The CEPAL Model
The Economic Commission for LatinA m e r i c a1 3 has designed a three-dimensional model with horizontallevels vertical sectors and transversalareas The horizontal dimension showsthe ldquosegmentsrdquo that representinfrastructure and generic services (TVradio Internet) The vertical dimensionshows the sectors that become thelsquoinformation societyrsquo
It is interesting to note that the cube adds a third dimension which makes thescheme more complicated but allows the introduction of transversal issuessuch as regulatory frameworks financing and human capital
The information society scheme proposed by CEPAL gives the impression thatthe society is limited to electronics and that the way to become an informationsociety is only viewed from the e-included in the sectors A legitimate questionwould be how does the model envisage the participation of civilians in theprocess Or how to face the evident qualms about starting the informationsociety development process
29
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
The horizontal segments are conceived as very functional for the sectorswhereas capacity-building is considered to be the technical capacity requiredto deal with the technologies involved in the construction of information ratherthan the social skills required to understand the processes and adapt them tonational contexts
The Gino Germani Research Institute Model
This scheme shows a series ofconcentric rings with the targetpoint in the middle referred toas the lsquoinformation societyrsquo
It was designed in the GinoGermani Research Institute ofthe University of Buenos Aires14
and proposes working inwardsfrom the outside starting withpolicies access developmentuse appropriation and finallyproduction Reading it that wayit is easy to understand thelogic of the processcomplemented by the transversal pivotal points that cut through the circleswhich refer to social inclusion gender and minorities
This way of depicting the information society structuring process considers theimportance of a gradual progress creating the conditions for the society toachieve another level of development in a joint collective manner
This model takes it for granted that there is a consensus that the informationsociety structuring process should be wide-ranging with the participation of allsectors including the civil society However our research shows that thedominating view is that in which priority is placed on the e-strategies
Another aspect the model fails to include concerns the forces that could eitherboost or stunt the processes that is where we should see the civil society andcivilian organisations In other words there is an evident lack of elements toshow the driving force behind the information society which should be thesociety itself with its needs and priorities
It may not be a specific responsibility of the theoretical frameworks but of thecapacity of the civil society itself to claim its role as the driving force behind thesociety
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
30
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
The Valenti Model15
D r Valenti of theOrganisation of Spanish-American States forEducation Science andCulture designed a modelsubsequent to existingmodels having beencriticised because of theirclassic way ofunderstanding thelsquoinformation societyrsquo As faras Dr Valenti is concernedtwo main componentsneeded to be added to the classic standpoint citizen participation andtechnological innovation Not that this was not acknowledged in the cube orthe circles since the explanation did in fact mention the importance ofconsidering all agents However Dr Valentirsquos text places social participationat the centre of the action as a fundamental component of the process
In the cube people are non-existent or invisible In the circles model socialparticipation is tacit but not explicit In Valentirsquos model the collective aspect isthe driving force ldquoWithout participation there is no interaction and withoutinteraction there is no innovation If there is no participation or a capacity forinnovation it would be impossible to structure an Information Societyrdquo16 DrValenti places emphasis on the need to promote institution-building upheld bylocal development systems and the promotion of local innovation mechanisms
In Latin America new local institutions are being consolidated such as thelocal development committees in various Latin American communities the anti-poverty boards the concerted action boards and the public-private discussionpanels17 It is interesting to note how these panels can make up the newinstitutions that Dr Valenti refers to
Nevertheless none of the models described above have includedtechnological innovation
A Transforming Innovation Model
In a book entitled ldquoRural Development and ICT A Rural Development Approachwith the Integration of Information and Communication Technologiesrdquo theconcept referred to as a transforming innovation is explained This conceptintroduces innovation as an element that will set in motion the socialtransformation process18
Miguel Saravia
31
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organised by the Department for International
Development of the United Kingdom the World Bank and other organisations (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (at the printerrsquos)
The lsquoinformation societyrsquo is something that needs to be attained and in orderto do so our society needs to change existing social relations must be fairerwith equal opportunities for everyone This model recovers the revolutionarydimension of the application of ICT to development processes
In order to understand how Latin America is progressing towards theInformation Society it is necessary to look for consistency in all theseapproaches rather than choosing just one Whereas the Valenti model providesa good definition of the different agents the circles scheme provides a clearunderstanding of the collective process and the CEPAL cube details theinteraction of the various sectors once we have move forward within theinformation society This last approach emphasizes the need to introduceinnovation processes to help transform the society
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
32
4 Pub l i c- pr i vate part ner sh i ps f o rstr uct uri ng t h e i n f ormat i on soc i et y
Structuring the information society is a taskthat involves all sectors of society ie citizensin their different facets - studentsentrepreneurs researchers social activists -and governors Anything not related to thegovernment should be considered privateencompassing the so-called third sector andthe business sector
We shall use the term ldquopublic-privatepartnershipsrdquo to refer to alliances betweengovernments the business sector and civilianorganisations These alliances can be definedas ldquothe arrangements whereby the public andprivate sectors sign agreements to implementjoint research and development projects joining their resources and skillsrdquo19
Another more accurate definition of what should be understood by the termpartnerships ldquojoint initiatives of the public and private sectors the profit-makingsector and the not-for-profit sector which are also understood to begovernmental business and civilian sectors Within these partnerships eachpartner contributes with resources (financial human technical and intangiblesuch as information or political support) and participates in the decision-makingprocessrdquo20
It was already been proved that public-private partnerships provide newresources to poverty-reduction initiatives It is safe to say that thesepartnerships increase the productivity of available resources Furthermorepartnerships imply a number of ways of generating assets in terms of humandevelopment and social capital creating the right conditions for achievingmultiplying effects
As Fiszbein and Lowden said ldquoPartnerships have the potential to createchanging patterns that strengthen themselves the great advantage being thatthe whole can be so much better than the sum of its partsrdquo
The main question is how to institutionalise the participation of the privatesector and the civil society in national programmes for the information society21
and how to create this mutually gainful environment
33
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz amp Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
This matter has not been clearly defined from the point of view of civilianorganizations much less from the viewpoint of the public sector In the earlynineties the main NGOs from the northern hemisphere realized that the impactof their work was temporary and of a very small scale Hence the developmentof a number of strategies to increase both the impact and the scope of their work
The following were among the actions promoted
bull Cooperation with the Governmentbull Expansion of their operationsbull Promotion of a direct contact between grassroots organisationsbull Local national and international advocacy and lobbying
In the ICT sector an analysis of advocacy agents reveals an unfair relationshipbetween the civil societyrsquos and the business sectorrsquos capacity to influence theGovernment and the State The following table prepared by Juliana Martinez22provides a better understanding of this statement
The graph also shows the lack of a relationship between civilian organisationsand the business sector Companies and their leaders are not usuallyconsidered influence subjects although it seems evident that if we influencethem and take advantage of their capacity to influence then indirectly we areinfluencing the Government as well
The idea is not to abandon the possibility of exercising a direct influence onpublic policies but to broaden the spectrum and learn from the experience ofother agents Again Juliana Martinez summarises the ideal model in a graph
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
34
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
ISBN 9972-47-108-XHecho en el depoacutesito legal Ndeg 1501222005-0143Razoacuten social Intermediate T echnology Development Group ITDGDomicilio Av Jorge Chaacutevez 275 Casilla postal 18-0620 Lima 18 PeruacuteTeleacutefonos (51-1) 444-7055 446-7324 447-5127 242-9714Fax (51-1) 446-6621E-mail infoitdgorgpehttpwww itdgorgpe
2005 Intermediate T echnology Development Group ITDG - PeruacuteAutor Miguel SaraviaCoordinacioacuten Doris MejiacuteaEdicioacuten y correccioacuten de estilo Alejandra V isscherTraduccioacuten Dorinne FisherDisentildeo y diagramacioacuten Leonardo BonillaImpreso por Punto ImpresoImpreso en el Peruacute
Este trabajo se llevoacute a cabo con la ayuda de fondos asignadospor el Centro Internacional de Investigaciones para el DesarrolloOttawa Canadaacute
Saravia Miguel
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas nacionales TICbuscando el encuentro = Civil Society and National ICT Programmesmatchmaking Miguel Saravia Lima ITDG 200438 pISBN 9972-47-108-X
SOCIEDAD CIVIL SOCIEDAD DE LA INFORMACION TECNOLOGIADE LA INFORMACION ALIANZAS PROGRAMASGUBERNAMENTALES PARTICIPACION SOCIAL PE
133 S23
Clasificacioacuten SATIS Descriptores OCDE
C o n t e n i d o
1 Presentacioacuten 5
2 A manera de introduccioacuten 7
3 Buscando el marco maacutes apropiado 11
4 Alianzas puacuteblico-privadas para construir la sociedad de la informacioacuten 15
5 Propuestas para fortalecer la relacioacuten sociedad civil-Gobierno 17
C o n t e n t s
1 Foreword 23
2 Introduction 25
3 Looking for the most appropriate framework 29
4 Public-private partnerships for structuring the information society 33
5 Proposals for strengthening
the civil society-government relationship 35
3
1 Presentac i oacuten
El presente texto ha sido producido en el marco del proyecto ldquoOrganizacionesde la sociedad civil frente a proyectos nacionales TIC 4 estudios de casordquollevado a cabo por Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG) con elapoyo del International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Este proyectose ejecutoacute entre Diciembre del 2002 y Junio del 2004 e incluyoacute visitas a 4paiacuteses de Ameacuterica Latina (Peruacute Uruguay Venezuela y El Salvador) en dondese realizaron entrevistas con representantes de gobierno y organizaciones dela sociedad civil que trabajan el tema Los resultados de cada visita formanparte del CD ldquoSociedad civil y el desarrollo de la sociedad de la informacioacuten enAmeacuterica Latinardquo y que puede ser revisado en el web de ITDG y el IDRC
iquestEs posible hablar de sociedad de la informacioacuten sin la participacioacuten de lasociedad civil iquestEs la sociedad de la informacioacuten un tema de cables maacutequinasy troncales de telecomunicaciones iquestCoacutemo entender la sociedad de lainformacioacuten en un contexto de pobreza iquestQueacute enfoques se pueden usar paraexplicar el rol de la sociedad civil en la construccioacuten de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten iquestCuaacutel es la relacioacuten de la sociedad civil con los otros actores dela sociedad de la informacioacuten iquestQuieacutenes son esos otros actores iquestCuaacutel es elmodelo maacutes adecuado para entender las relaciones de los actores clave en elproceso de construccioacuten de la sociedad de la informacioacuten Son eacutestaspreguntas las que orientaron el presente trabajo
Una de las principales preocupaciones que acompantildearon esta investigacioacutenfue conocer coacutemo estos actores se organizan y en particular la manera en quelas organizaciones de la sociedad civil lo hacen para entender el proceso dehacer poliacutetica puacuteblica TIC y de articular sus propuestas
La presente publicacioacuten se inicia explicando el proceso de la incidencia puacuteblicay de queacute manera llega a la agenda de las organizaciones de la sociedad civilLuego presenta un anaacutelisis del marco adecuado para entender el proceso dedesarrollo de la sociedad de la informacioacuten Se resumen 4 modelos diferentesque forman parte de la tipologiacutea de las relaciones sociedad civil-Estado parala construccioacuten de la sociedad de la informacioacuten
La publicacioacuten continuacutea presentando a los actores clave y su rol en laconstruccioacuten de poliacuteticas TIC y queacute clase de relaciones se deben tejer parahacer maacutes efectiva su incidencia para terminar esbozando un conjunto derecomendaciones para fortalecer la relacioacuten sociedad civil-Estado
Esperamos contribuir con esta publicacioacuten a difundir conceptos clave queacompantildeen el fortalecimiento de las organizaciones de la sociedad civil decara a los procesos institucionales que en el marco de la construccioacuten de lasociedad de la informacioacuten se estaacuten dando en varios de nuestros paiacuteseslatinoamericanos
Miguel SaraviaDiciembre 2004
5
2 A manera d e i n t r o d u c c i oacute n
Las Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten (TIC) estaacuten transformandonuestro entorno de manera dramaacutetica y hoy no hay ninguna esfera de nuestravida cotidiana que no se vea impactado por ellas No soacutelo se trata del accesoa nuevas y maacutes eficientes formas de comunicacioacuten sino de la transformacioacutende las maneras como trabajamos como socializamos como nos educamos ycomo accedemos a servicios baacutesicos (por ejemplo a la salud)
Auacuten predomina la percepcioacuten de que la sociedad de la informacioacuten tiene quever principalmente con celulares computadoras e Internet es decir con lainfraestructura Sin embargo nuestra investigacioacuten ha encontrado evidenciaalentadora sobre la preocupacioacuten por colocar cada vez con mayor frecuenciaen el espacio puacuteblico la importancia de la aplicacioacuten de las TIC en laeducacioacuten la salud la produccioacuten y poner en el debate esas nuevas formasque tenemos de trabajar comunicarnos y relacionarnos
Ante esta realidad es importante que la sociedad en su conjunto se engarce en elproceso de hacer poliacutetica puacuteblica y de que se entienda coacutemo mejorar ese procesode engarce En los uacuteltimos 10 antildeos las ONG se han concentrado en el escalamientode sus acciones a traveacutes del cabildeo y la influencia buscando persuadir a diferentesgrupos de actores individuos Estados corporaciones organismos internacionalespara que alteren sus poliacuteticas y comportamientos en relacioacuten con los temas deld e s a r r o l l o1 En estos antildeos las ONG han ayudado a cambiar el lenguaje del debateen temas tales como la reduccioacuten de la deuda externa han promovido el monitoreode los acuerdos mundiales como la certificacioacuten de bosques o el trabajo infantil hancontribuido a la adopcioacuten de tratados como el de Ottawa para la erradicacioacuten de lasminas terrestres entre otros asuntos2
Los sectores que maacutes han avanzado en estas acciones son el sectormedioambiental aquellos quienes promueven los derechos de la infancia yquienes luchan por los derechos de las mujeres Es justamente con estos dosuacuteltimos temas que el cabildeo y el trabajo de influencia llegaron a AmeacutericaLatina y se insertaron en las agendas de las ONG
Es tambieacuten a partir de estos sectores donde se comienza a utilizar las TIC paraincidir en poliacuteticas puacuteblicas pues aparece como el mejor medio para lograr lacalidad oportunidad y transparencia de las poliacuteticas puacuteblicas El uso de las TICcontribuye en la elaboracioacuten de las propuestas y a que numerosas personaspuedan participar en el proceso de la incidencia generando debates ampliosen sectores generalmente excluidos de los espacios tradicionales departicipacioacuten Para ello es importante tambieacuten incidir en las poliacuteticas puacuteblicasque permitan a las TIC ser verdaderos instrumentos de desarrollo
Es un error comuacuten definir objetivos muy generales de incidencia como lopodriacutea ser el de incidir hacia poliacuteticas puacuteblicas TIC que fomenten el desarrollo
7
1 BOND Guidance Notes Series 3 The What and the Why of Advocay London 19992 Edwards Michael NGO legitimacy- voice or vote En Global Future Fourth Quarter 2002 pp 3
La incidencia es un proceso de largo plazo que se inicia con la definicioacutenconcreta de lo que se quiere cambiar y de ello depende muchas veces el eacutexitoo fracaso del proceso
Luego de ello es necesario analizar la situacioacuten para identificar los mejoresmecanismos y oportunidades para impulsar este cambio Ligado a lo anterior estaacutela identificacioacuten de actores clave tanto para saber a quieacutenes se debe influir comopara detectar a los potenciales aliados Con todo lo anterior se inicia la elaboracioacutende mensajes para cada puacuteblico objetivo y la eleccioacuten de las estrategias de influenciamaacutes adecuadas a cada caso particular Ello lleva a la necesidad de planificardetalladamente cada paso y ya en la ejecucioacuten monitorear el progreso parareplantear las acciones cuando sea necesario Este proceso de monitoreo yevaluacioacuten continuo permite ir ajustando la estrategia de influencia hasta lograr losobjetivos deseados3
Este es el proceso que han venido siguiendo numerosas ONG en la regioacuten y queha enfrentado tambieacuten numerosas limitantes Acontinuacioacuten resumimos algunos delos problemas afrontados por estas instituciones para hacer incidencia en A m eacute r i c aLatina y que nuestra investigacioacuten ha identificado
bull Existe un bajo nivel de institucionalizacioacuten de canales de acceso al sistemapoliacutetico y de praacutecticas reconocidas como vaacutelidas - tanto por el Estado como porla sociedad civil- para llevar adelante procesos de incidencia4
bull La incidencia es una especializacioacuten y si bien cotidianamente varias ONG realizanacciones de incidencia en el sistema poliacutetico eacutestas no siempre responden a unaaccioacuten deliberada y a una estrategia planificada para su ejercicio5 Laespecializacioacuten implica en muchos casos el dejar de lado las acciones de base
bull Hay oportunidades de incidencia y participacioacuten que no responden a unaestructura ni a un sistema que lo permite sino maacutes bien a circunstancias muycoyunturales difiacuteciles de prever6 -ya comentamos el bajo nivel deinstitucionalizacioacuten del acceso al sistema poliacutetico
bull Existe un problema de representatividad de las ONG que les impide en muchoscasos ser aceptados como interlocutores vaacutelidos por parte del Estado y otrossujetos de incidencia7
bull Los recursos se reciben para ejecutar proyectos y no para promover procesos locual limita mucho la capacidad real de las ONG para liderar procesos deincidencia que como hemos visto antes son de largo plazo8
bull El desarrollo de la capacidad de incidencia de las ONG se ha circunscrito a lostemas propuestos por las ONG del Norte y se ha dado de forma muyinstrumentalizada es decir sin desarrollar verdaderas capacidades para unaincidencia en otras esferas9
bull No existe una agenda comuacuten de incidencia en temas de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten entre los distintos actores de la sociedad civil1 0
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
8
3 Manual para la planificacioacuten de iniciativas de incidencia Save the Children Londres Save the Children 20004 Incidencia en Poliacuteticas Puacuteblicas y Construccioacuten de Ciudadaniacutea Ineacutes Gonzales Bombal
httpwwwicdorguymercosurinformesencuentrogonzalez7html 5 Gonzales Bombal op cit 6 Durante las entrevistas se han citado a las muchas ldquotiacuteas Ofeliasrdquo que con el advenimiento de nuevos regiacutemenes han aparecido en Brasil
Ecuador Peruacute y Chile Por ldquoTiacutea Ofeliardquo nos referimos a la analogiacutea con el personaje de la publicacioacuten del IDRC Raiacuteces Maacutegicas e ITDG comoresultado de Encuentro Latinoamericano ldquoApropiacioacuten de Tecnologiacuteas de la Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten en Ameacuterica Latinardquohttpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsofeliahtm
7 Edwards Michael 2002 op cit8 El rol de interfase de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Ramoacuten Vargas Ponencia presentada en el Seminario Regional sobre las
Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil y el desarrollo de una cultura democraacutetica9 Ramoacuten Vargas op cit10 Save the Children 2001 op cit
Esta uacuteltima conclusioacuten saca a la luz la peculiaridad sobre la que trata lapresente investigacioacuten Nos interesa ver de queacute forma podemos incidir en laspoliacuteticas puacuteblicas destinadas a la sociedad de la informacioacuten y no a laspoliacuteticas puacuteblicas en general Hay todaviacutea mucha penumbra en los teacuterminosteacutecnicos que delimitan el espacio de la sociedad de la informacioacuten y esedesconocimiento hace perder oportunidades e intimida a las diversas OSC dehacer propuestas maacutes concretas y de presionar para lograr sus objetivosplanteados
Se ha avanzado en la construccioacuten de una visioacuten social de la Internet perotodaviacutea falta aterrizar dicha visioacuten en propuestas concretas de incidencia aescala regional y nacional11
Sin duda la necesidad de traducir esta visioacuten social en acciones concretas deincidencia ha quedado descubierta a la luz de la participacioacuten de las OSC enlos eventos preparatorios de la Cumbre Mundial de la Sociedad de laInformacioacuten12 a donde llegamos fragmentadas y sin posiciones comunes comoregioacuten La construccioacuten de esta agenda comuacuten de incidencia es un procesoque recieacuten se inicia y como se ha manifestado ya en los foros electroacutenicospertinentes es un proceso que no terminaraacute con la Cumbre Mundial
Ha quedado en evidencia tambieacuten que las posibilidades de incidir van maacutes allaacutede la Internet y que la visioacuten social compartida de esta tecnologiacutea debeextenderse a otras tecnologiacuteas de la informacioacuten y comunicacioacuten Por ellocreemos que se deben abrir espacios de participacioacuten a las OSC que vienentrabajando desde hace deacutecadas en los temas de comunicacioacuten popular radiocomunitaria etc afectados sin duda por la avalancha de regulaciones quevienen de la mano con la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Miguel Saravia
9
11 Visioacuten construida a partir del trabajo de la Comunidad Virtual Miacutestica Para mayor informacioacuten revisar httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 Buscando el marco maacutesapropiadohellip
Se ha encontrado que el marco utilizado en diversas esferas de los gobiernosde la regioacuten para el disentildeo de las estrategias relacionadas con la sociedad dela informacioacuten estaacute muy sesgado Se insiste en la instalacioacuten de maacutesinfraestructura de acceso programas de apoyo al sector de tecnologiacuteas de lainformacioacuten y comunicacioacuten desarrollo de aplicaciones de gobiernoelectroacutenico etc dejando de lado el desarrollo de capacidades la mejora delos mecanismos de comunicacioacuten profundizar la descentralizacioacuten poliacutetica yeconoacutemica incrementar la participacioacuten ciudadana en los procesos de toma dedecisiones propiciar la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica entre otros aspectos
Una revisioacuten exhaustiva de los diferentes modelos existentes y de losplanteamientos compartidos en diferentes foros internacionales como lareunioacuten de Baacutevaro preparatoria para la Cumbre de la Sociedad de laInformacioacuten la reunioacuten de alto nivel de la Unioacuten Europea - Ameacuterica Latina y eltaller TIC Andino muestra que el marco existente como comuacuten denominadores insuficiente para ayudar a entender coacutemo las tecnologiacuteas de la informacioacuteny la comunicacioacuten pueden hacer un cambio significativo a favor de la luchacontra la pobreza en nuestros paiacuteses
El modelo de la CEPAL
La Comisioacuten Econoacutemica para AmeacutericaL a t i n a1 3 ( C E PAL) ha desarrollado unmodelo tridimensional que buscaexplicar la sociedad de la informacioacuten yque estaacute compuesto por estratoshorizontales sectores verticales y aacutereastransversales Los estratos horizontalesincluyen la infraestructura y los serviciosgeneacutericos (TV radio Internet) Ladimensioacuten vertical presenta maacutes bien alos sectores en los cuales se traduce lasociedad de la informacioacuten
Lo interesante es que el cubo antildeade una tercera dimensioacuten que termina porhacer maacutes complicado el esquema pero que permite introducir temastransversales como lo son los marcos regulatorios el financiamiento y elcapital humano
Empero creemos que el esquema de sociedad de la informacioacuten planteadopor la CEPAL nos deja la sensacioacuten de estar limitaacutendola soacutelo al temaelectroacutenico y que el camino hacia la sociedad de la informacioacuten soacutelo se miradesde la ldquoe-ldquo que se ha incluiacutedo en los sectores Por tanto una preguntalegiacutetima seriacutea iquestCoacutemo concibe el modelo la participacioacuten de los ciudadanos en
11
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
el proceso y iquestcoacutemo enfrentar las inequidades evidentes que se presentaraacutenal iniciar el proceso de desarrollo de la sociedad de la informacioacuten
En este esquema se concibe a los estratos horizontales como muy funcionalesa los sectores de esta manera el desarrollo de capacidades estaacute confinado alconjunto de habilidades teacutecnicas necesarias para lidiar con las tecnologiacuteasinsertas en la elaboracioacuten de la informacioacuten Pero en este esquema se olvidalas habilidades sociales para poder entender los procesos y adecuarlos a loscontextos nacionales
El modelo del Instituto de Investigaciones Gino Germani
Este diagrama presenta unaserie de anillos conceacutentricoscuyo centro y punto de llegadaes la denominada sociedad dela informacioacuten
Este modelo que fuedesarrollado en el seno delInstituto de InvestigacionesGino Germani de la Universidadde Buenos A i r e s1 4 plantea unalectura de afuera hacia dentroesto es comenzando por laspoliacuteticas el acceso el desarrolloel uso la apropiacioacuten yfinalmente la produccioacuten Leyeacutendolo asiacute es faacutecil entender la loacutegica del procesoque es complementado por ejes transversales que cortan todos los ciacuterculosEstos son la inclusioacuten social el geacutenero y el respeto por las minoriacuteas
Esta manera de presentar el proceso de construccioacuten de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten contempla una progresioacuten Conforme se va avanzando en cadatema se puede pasar al otro nivel de desarrollo hasta llegar al centro del ciacuterculo
Este modelo de los ciacuterculos da por sentado el consenso de que la construccioacutende la sociedad de la informacioacuten debe ser un proceso amplio con laparticipacioacuten de todos los sectores incluida la sociedad civil
Sin embargo lo que no logra incluir el modelo son las fuerzas que puedendinamizar los procesos o que los pueden entrampar y es por alliacute dondedebemos ver a los ciudadanos y sus organizaciones Se hace evidente laausencia de elementos que muestren que la fuerza movilizadora de lasociedad de la informacioacuten es y debe ser la sociedad misma sus necesidadessus prioridades
Esto puede que no sea responsabilidad exclusiva de los marcos teoacutericos sinode la capacidad de la propia sociedad civil para reclamar su espacio comofuerza motora de la sociedad
Or ganizaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas na cionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
12
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
El modelo Valenti15
El Dr Valenti de la Organizacioacuten de Estados Iberoamericanos para la Educacioacutenla Ciencia y la Cultura ha desarrollado un modelo que critica la forma claacutesica deentender a la sociedad de la informacioacuten a partir de los modelos existentes (y alos que nos hemos referido anteriormente)
Para el Dr Valenti a lamirada claacutesica debemosantildeadirle dos componentescentrales la participacioacutenciudadana y la innovacioacutentecnoloacutegica Y no es que elcubo o los ciacuterculos no losreconocieran Sin embargoel modelo del Dr Va l e n t icoloca a la participacioacutensocial en el centro de laaccioacuten como un componentefundamental del proceso
En el cubo la persona la sociedad no existe En el modelo de los ciacuterculos lapresencia social es taacutecita falta explicitarla En cambio en el modelo de Valenti elmotor es el colectivo ldquoSin participacioacuten no hay interaccioacuten y sin interaccioacuten no hayinnovacioacuten Y si no hay participacioacuten y capacidad para la innovacioacuten no habraacuteSociedad de la Informacioacuten posiblerdquo1 6
El Dr Valenti hace eacutenfasis en la necesidad de fomentar una nuevainstitucionalidad que se sostenga en sistemas locales de desarrollo y en lapromocioacuten de mecanismos de innovacioacuten local
En Ameacuterica Latina se estaacute consolidando una nueva institucionalidad local comolo son los comiteacutes locales de desarrollo en diversas comunidades de A m eacute r i c aLatina las mesas de lucha contra la pobreza las mesas de concertacioacuten y losespacios de diaacutelogo puacuteblico-privados1 7 Es interesante coacutemo estos espaciospueden configurar la nueva institucionalidad de la que habla el Dr Valenti
Si bien el Dr Valenti menciona el tema de la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica no lodesarrolla a plenitud quedando un vaciacuteo necesario de llenar
El modelo de la Innovacioacuten Transformadora
En el libro ldquoDesarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacutenrdquo seexplica el concepto de innovacioacuten transformadora Esta nocioacuten recoge el tema dela innovacioacuten y lo presenta como un elemento catalizador del proceso detransformacioacuten social1 8
Miguel Saravia
13
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organizado por el Departamento para el Desarrollo
Internacional del Reino Unido el Banco Mundial y otras organizaciones (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (en imprenta)
La sociedad de la informacioacuten es algo a lo que hay que llegar y para llegar sedebe transformar nuestra sociedad transformar las relaciones socialesexistentes para tener maacutes equidad y donde exista igualdad de oportunidadesEste modelo rescata esta dimensioacuten revolucionaria que tiene la aplicacioacuten delas TIC a los procesos de desarrollo
Creemos que para entender el camino de Ameacuterica Latina hacia la sociedad dela informacioacuten es necesario buscar la convergencia de todos estos enfoquesmas que elegir uno solo El modelo de Valenti proporciona una muy buenadefinicioacuten de los actores el esquema de los ciacuterculos nos permite comprenderclaramente el proceso colectivo el cubo de la CEPAL nos detalla la interaccioacutende los diversos sectores una vez que hemos avanzado dentro de la sociedadde la informacioacuten Este uacuteltimo enfoque destaca la necesidad de introducirprocesos de innovacioacuten que ayuden en la transformacioacuten de la sociedad
Organizaciones de la socie dad civil y program as na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
14
4 Alianzas puacuteblico-privadas paraconstruir lasociedad de lainformacioacuten
La construccioacuten de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten es una tarea que involucra a todoslos sectores de la sociedad esto es a losciudadanos -en sus diferentes facetas comoestudiantes empresarios investigadoresactivistas sociales- y a los gobernantes Loprivado debe hacer alusioacuten a todo lo que no serelaciona con el gobierno englobando aldenominado tercer sector y al sectorempresarial
Util izaremos el teacutermino alianzas puacuteblico-privadas para referirnos a la asociacioacuten entregobiernos el sector empresarial y lasorganizaciones de la sociedad civil Estasalianzas podemos definirlas como ldquolos acuerdos en los que el sector puacuteblicoy el privado suscriben convenios para ejecutar proyectos conjuntos deinvestigacioacuten y desarrollo uniendo recursos y capacidadesrdquo19
Otra definicioacuten auacuten maacutes precisa indica que se debe entender como alianzasldquolas iniciativas conjuntas del sector puacuteblico junto con el sector privado el sectorcon fines de lucro y el sector sin fines de lucro tambieacuten entendidos como lossectores gubernamental empresarial y ciacutevico Dentro de estas alianzas cadauno de los miembros contribuye con recursos (financieros humanos teacutecnicose intangibles tales como informacioacuten o apoyo poliacutetico) y participa en elproceso de la toma de decisionesrdquo20
Las alianzas puacuteblico-privadas ya han demostrado que aportan nuevosrecursos a las iniciativas para la reduccioacuten de la pobreza Podemos decir quelas alianzas aumentan la productividad de los recursos disponibles Ademaacuteslas alianzas implican un nuacutemero considerable de formas de generacioacuten debienes en las aacutereas de desarrollo humano y de capital social lo cual crea lascondiciones para lograr efectos multiplicadores
Como dicen Fiszbein y Lowden ldquoLas alianzas tienen el potencial de generarpatrones de cambio que se refuerzan a siacute mismos y asiacute traen consigo el meacuteritoinmenso de que el todo puede ser mucho maacutes que la suma de las partesrdquo
Una pregunta central es coacutemo se puede institucionalizar la participacioacuten del sectorprivado y la sociedad civil en los programas nacionales para la sociedad de lainformacioacuten 2 1 y de queacute manera se puede generar un entorno de ganancia mutua
15
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz y Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag 27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
Desde las organizaciones de la sociedad civil este tema no se ha visto conmucha claridad y menos auacuten desde el sector puacuteblico A inicios de la deacutecadade los 90 las principales ONG del Norte se dieron cuenta que el impacto de sutrabajo era temporal y de escala muy pequentildea Por ello desarrollaron una seriede estrategias para aumentar su impacto y la escala de lo que haciacutean
Dentro de las acciones que se promovieron encontramos
bull Cooperacioacuten con el gobiernobull Expansioacuten de sus operacionesbull Promocioacuten del contacto directo con organizaciones de basebull Influencia y cabildeo local nacional e internacional
En el sector de las TIC un anaacutelisis de actores de incidencia nos muestra unadesemejanza entre la capacidad de la sociedad civil para incidir en el Gobiernoy el Estado y la capacidad que tiene el sector empresarial de hacerlo Elsiguiente cuadro preparado por Juliana Martiacutenez22 nos ayuda a entendermejor lo que estamos afirmando
El graacutefico tambieacuten nos muestra la inexistencia de una relacioacuten entre las OSCy el sector empresarial Comuacutenmente no se ve a las empresas y a sus liacutederescomo sujetos de incidencia Empero es evidente que si incidimos en estas yaprovechamos su capacidad de incidencia indirectamente tambieacuten estaremosincidiendo en el gobierno
No se trata de abandonar la posibilidad de incidir directamente en las poliacuteticaspuacuteblicas sino mas bien de ampliar el espectro y aprender de la experiencia de otrosactores Nuevamente Juliana Martiacutenez nos resume el modelo ideal en un graacutefico
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
16
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Propuestas parafortalecer la relacioacutensociedad civil-Gobierno
Como hemos visto a lo largo de este texto no es faacutecil hacer una siacutentesis quecombine todos los modelos Soacutelo un trabajo articulado de todos los actorespermitiraacute avanzar en la construccioacuten de la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Existen espacios para la participacioacuten activa de los actores en los procesos dehacer poliacutetica puacuteblica y por lo tanto de incidir directamente en los tomadoresde decisiones23 En la Presentacioacuten indicamos que una preocupacioacuten principalde la presente investigacioacuten era encontrar mecanismos de articulacioacuten de lasociedad civil para poder comprender el proceso de hacer poliacuteticas puacuteblicasrelacionadas con las TIC y de articular propuestas teacutecnica financiera ypoliacuteticamente viables
Sobre la base de las entrevistas visitas de campo y revisioacuten de documentosse han extraiacutedo 4 propuestas para contribuir a fortalecer la relacioacuten entre lasOSC y los Gobiernos Estas son
bull Ciacuterculos de aprendizaje permanentes espacios para el diaacutelogobull Monitor de proyectos TIC transparencia y rendicioacuten de cuentasbull Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo rescate de nuestra capacidad emprendedorabull SI programa de formacioacuten regional ldquoThink tankrdquo regional
Ciacuterculos de aprendizaje permanente
Los ciacuterculos de aprendizaje fueron utilizados por el proyecto Conectaacutendonosal Futuro de El Salvador como un mecanismo para promover la participacioacutende diversos actores en el disentildeo de la agenda puacuteblica relacionada con las TICy el desarrollo24
En los ciacuterculos de aprendizaje se realizaron diagnoacutesticos y propuestas deproyectos en seis temas importantes para el desarrollo de ese paiacutes como sonla educacioacuten la migracioacuten el desarrollo local el desarrollo rural la micro-pequentildea-mediana empresa y las grandes organizaciones puacuteblicas y privadas
En el caso peruano contamos con la experiencia de la Comisioacuten Multisectorialpara el Desarrollo de la Sociedad de la Informacioacuten-CODESI que inicialmenteteniacutea como objetivo principal elaborar un plan para el desarrollo de la sociedadde la informacioacuten en el Peruacute La CODESI se organizoacute en mesas de trabajosobre 6 temas infraestructura capacidades humanas aplicaciones socialesproduccioacuten y servicios gobierno electroacutenico y Cumbre Mundial de la Sociedadde la Informacioacuten25
17
23 Revisar El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedadde la Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Revisar el caso de El Salvador en el informe antes indicado25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
Luego de cumplida la tarea eacutestos colectivos se desarticularon cuando debieronpermanecer como espacios permanentes de anaacutelisis y reflexioacuten sobre la temaacuteticaque los unioacute Es claro que lo que estos espacios resuelvan no tendraacute el caraacutectervinculante ni el estatus consultivo originario pero seraacute fuente de empoderamientoy espacio de cabildeo para futuras acciones poliacuteticas
Promover estos espacios colectivos de reflexioacuten sobre aspectos puntuales detoda la estrategia de TIC para el desarrollo surge como una propuesta naturalque puede ser asumida raacutepidamente por los actores involucrados Creemosque estos espacios tienen que ser plurales garantizando la presencia de todoslos sectores Es muy importante tambieacuten que estos espacios socialicen sudebate y lo compartan con la sociedad en su conjunto a partir de foros puacuteblicoso medios electroacutenicos
Monitor de proyectos TIC
Los estudios de caso nos muestran que muchas organizaciones puacuteblicas yprivadas estaacuten repitiendo el mismo trabajo entre los diferentes paiacuteses de laregioacuten y aun al interior de los propios paiacuteses
El Instituto para la Conectividad de las Ameacutericas ha lanzado una iniciativa paracontar con una base de datos regional de proyectos TIC que permita mapearlas diferentes iniciativas presentes y pasadas26 Global Knowledge Partnershipestaacute tambieacuten por su lado elaborando un mapa de las organizaciones quetrabajan en el tema de las TIC para el desarrollo en toda la regioacuten27
La propuesta es complementaria a las iniciativas antes indicadas pero requierede un pacto entre los diversos actores trabajando en TIC para el desarrollo enAmeacuterica Latina activistas TIC donantes organismos multilaterales gobiernos
El Monitor que proponemos podriacutea nutrirse de los directorios antes indicadospero ademaacutes podriacutea compilar los documentos de proyectos las evaluacioneslas lecciones aprendidas y lo maacutes importante permitir la redaccioacuten decomentarios sobre los proyectos por parte de observadores e incluso de losmismos beneficiarios
La propuesta no contempla aceptar un marco comuacuten de evaluacioacuten que hariacuteaa nuestro entender inviable al Monitor Se plantea una propuesta maacutesconcreta orientada a apoyar la transparencia de las acciones en TIC para eldesarrollo y la rendicioacuten de cuentas desde todos los sectores
En el documento ldquoCarta a la Tiacutea Ofelia 7 propuestas para un desarrollo humanosostenible con el uso de las Tecnologiacuteas de la Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacutenrdquo se deciacutea
ldquoCuando se habla de evaluacioacuten muchas personas se sienten amenazadas como si se tratara siempre de unaauditoriacutea para ver a quieacuten echarle la culpa de los problemas Aunque las auditoriacuteas son importantes para larendicioacuten de cuentas y la verificacioacuten de procesos la evaluacioacuten de resultados es otra cosa completamente distintaCon el monitoreo se trata de aprender de los errores y de los aciertos mejorar sobre la marcha compartir lo quese aprende en el recorrido Con la evaluacioacuten se busca aprender sobre los resultados de las actividades yprogramas y comprender queacute se hizo para mejorar o empeorar la situacioacuten ojalaacute desde varias perspectivasdiferentes Pretender que de la auditoriacutea resulte el aprendizaje es un graviacutesimo errorrdquo28
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
18
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Esta es una propuesta que plantea un puente entre monitoreo y auditoriacutea con laparticipacioacuten de muacuteltiples actores e impactando directamente en la rendicioacuten decuentas y la transparencia de las acciones orientadas a promover el desarrollo
En la regioacuten contamos ya con las herramientas teacutecnicas para implementar unsistema de bajo costo pero lo maacutes complicado puede ser lo metodoloacutegico ElMonitor deberiacutea ser un sitio colaborativo donde los proyectos son alimentadospor los propios actores de los proyectos y donde se requiere de un acuerdoprevio entre agencias donantes para que acepten que los documentos de susproyectos se reporten en el Monitor y lo incluyan asiacute en el contrato
Mantener actualizada la informacioacuten del Monitor es tambieacuten una tarea difiacutecil sise piensa de manera tradicional El Monitor deberiacutea trabajar para que lo queestaacute reportado alliacute tenga visibilidad (a traveacutes de boletines electroacutenicosdistribucioacuten de resentildeas en otras redes y listas promocioacuten de foros etc) Laidea es generar la sensacioacuten de que conviene maacutes estar alliacute con la informacioacutenactualizada que quedarse fuera
Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo
El Dr Valenti comentaba la necesidad de recrear la institucionalidad local demanera que se convierta en protagonista de su desarrollo Hablaba de lossistemas locales de desarrollo como la base de esta nueva institucionalidad 29
En los paiacuteses latinoamericanos hay varias iniciativas de concertacioacuten para eldesarrollo local donde convergen los diferentes niveles del Estado y lasociedad civil incluidos los empresarios30 Sin embargo existen tambieacutencomplejos sistemas de innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica31 que generalmente no estaacuten endiaacutelogo con estos espacios de planificacioacuten del desarrollo local
La propuesta busca vincular estos espacios de concertacioacuten del desarrollo conel rescate de la capacidad emprendedora de los ciudadanos latinoamericanosenfocada hacia los procesos que conduzcan a la regioacuten hacia la sociedad dela informacioacuten
Encontramos que la mejor manera de llevar la propuesta a la praacutectica esgenerando mecanismos locales de promocioacuten de la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica yque la investigacioacuten no ha encontrado muy difundidos en la regioacuten Elantecedente concreto maacutes directo que se logroacute identificar es el proyectoldquoFortaleciendo la Participacioacuten Ciudadana para el Desarrollo EconoacutemicoLocalrdquo y que justamente buscaba rescatar la capacidad de innovacioacuten depobladores rurales en el Peruacute
El referido proyecto fue financiado por el DFID y la Comunidad Europea yejecutado por ITDG Ameacuterica Latina en seis municipalidades (en eldepartamento de San Martiacuten provincias de Picota San Martiacuten y Moyobambay en el departamento de Cajamarca provincias de Bambamarca y San Ignacioy en el distrito de Asuncioacuten)32
Miguel Saravia
19
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
Aplicar este concepto a la sociedad de la informacioacuten puede traer resultadossorprendentes y orientar mejor la intervencioacuten del Estado y de los propiosproyectos de desarrollo Pero la clave es el caraacutecter local del proceso y suengarzamiento con las instancias locales de concertacioacuten del desarrollo
Hemos identificado experiencias previas de concursos nacionales deinnovacioacuten pero cuya estructura y mecanismos de participacioacuten no favorecenel rescate de las iniciativas locales que por su dimensioacuten son maacutes faacuteciles deser apropiadas o adaptadas por otras comunidades
SI programa de formacioacuten regional
A partir de los estudios de caso y del mapeo inicialmente realizado en el marcode la presente investigacioacuten encontramos que una de las principalesdebilidades en la sociedad civil y en algunos sectores del Estado es que noexiste suficiente capacidad para disentildear y promover poliacuteticas puacuteblicas eficacesen la promocioacuten del uso de las TIC desde una perspectiva de desarrollo
Por ello se hace necesario disentildear un programa de formacioacuten regional queprepare regularmente a liacutederes de los diferentes sectores para que seancapaces de participar activamente en el proceso de disentildear y acompantildear lasestrategias hacia la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Es importante que este programa de formacioacuten se desarrolle sobre la base dela realidad de la regioacuten y que sea un espacio acadeacutemico de reflexioacuten sobre losmodelos las mejores praacutecticas y los impactos que estamos logrando ennuestro camino
Esta propuesta busca preparar a mediano y largo plazo a funcionarios puacuteblicosy a liacutederes de la sociedad civil con el suficiente conocimiento de la temaacuteticalocal y regional y con capacidad de aportar constructivamente en laformulacioacuten de nuevas poliacuteticas
La propuesta incluye involucrar a diferentes universidades institutosacadeacutemicos y de investigacioacuten en el programa de formacioacuten de manera quepermita cubrir un aacuterea geograacutefica maacutes grande y llegar a la mayor cantidad deliacutederes y funcionarios locales posibles
El espacio de formacioacuten puede permitir tambieacuten que exista un mayor diaacutelogoentre los actores si es que se garantiza la participacioacuten activa de funcionariospuacuteblicos y dirigentes de organizaciones de la sociedad civil
Es importante resaltar tambieacuten que esta propuesta no se refiere a un programade formacioacuten claacutesico sino mas bien a una serie de cursos talleres seminariose investigaciones que se pueden dar de manera descentralizada y que con eladecuado rigor acadeacutemico permitiraacute formar un ldquothink tankrdquo regional capaz dedialogar y de aportar en el desarrollo de estrategias locales y regionales
Organizaciones de la socie dad civil y program as na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
20
1 Forew or d
This text was written within the framework of the Project entitled ldquoCivilianOrganisations in the face of National ICT Projects 4 case studiesrdquo which ITDGcarried out with the support of the International Development Research CentreThis project was implemented between December 2002 and June 2004 andincluded visits to 4 Latin American countries (Peru Uruguay Venezuela and ElSalvador) as well as interviews with government representatives and civilianorganizations The results of each visit form part of the CD ldquoCivil Society andthe development of the information society in Latin Americardquo that will beaccessible at ITDG and IDRC websites
Is it possible to refer to the information society without the participation of thecivil society Is the lsquoinformation societyrsquo a matter of cables devices andbackbones How can the lsquoinformation societyrsquo be understood within a povertycontext What approaches can be used to explain the role to be played by thecivil society with other stakeholders of the information society Who are thoseother approaches Which is the most adequate model for understanding therelationships of key stakeholders in the structure of the Information SocietyThose questions guided this research
One of the main concerns during this research work has been to find out howthese stakeholders have become organised and in particular how the civilsociety has become organised in order to understand the process involved inmaking ICT a public policy and incorporating their proposals
This publication begins with an explanation of the public advocacy process andhow this reached the agenda of civil society organisations There follows ananalysis of the adequate framework for understanding the information societydevelopment process A summary of 4 different models is included which formpart of the typology of the relationship between the civil society and the Statein structuring the information society
The publication continues with an introduction of key stakeholders their rolein the construction of ICT policies and the kind of relationships that must beestablished to ensure that their influence is effective Finally a number ofrecommendations are made to strengthen the relationship between the civilsociety and the State
With this publication we hope to help disseminate key concepts for theimprovement of civil society organizations in the face of the institutionalprocesses taking place in Latin American countries within the framework of theldquoinformation societyrdquo structure
Miguel SaraviaDecember 2004
23
24
2 I ntr oduct i on
Information and communication technologies (ICT) are dramaticallytransforming our environment Today at least one if not several informationtechnologies are having an impact on our daily activities The abundance ofbusiness management information and technology is greatly influencing thedaily lives of Latin American men women boys and girls
Although the predominant perception of the ldquoinformation societyrdquo mainlyinvolves mobile telephones computers and the Internet ie infrastructure ourresearch work revealed some encouraging evidence of an ever-increasingconcern for the application of ICT in education health production workingmethods and how we communicate with and relate to each other
Consequently it is essential for society as a whole to become involved in theprocess of setting public policies and understanding how such a process canbe improved During the last 10 years NGOs have been concentrating onincreasing their lobbying and advocacy actions in an attempt to influencedifferent groups of agents ie individuals States corporations internationalorganisations etc so that they change their policies and attitudes regardingdevelopment issues1 During that time NGOs have helped change the terms ofdiscussions on matters concerning the reduction of the foreign debt promotedthe monitoring of global agreements such as the certification of forests or childlabour contributed to the adoption of agreements like the Ottawa treaty for theeradication of land mines and so on2
The most developed sectors as far as these actions are concerned are theenvironment childrenrsquos rights and the fight for womenrsquos rights It was preciselybecause of these two issues that the lobbying and advocacy work reachedLatin America and was included in the agendas of NGOs
These were also the sectors in which ICT began to be used to influence publicpolicies being the best means of obtaining timely and transparent publicpolicies of a good quality The use of ICT helps to that numerous peoplecontribute in the advocacy and in the elaboration of the policy proposalsallowing massive debates including sectors traditionally excluded from thespaces of public participation It is important also to affect ICT policies thatenable them to be real instruments of development
It is a common mistake to define very general objective for an advocacystrategy like promote an ICT for development policies Advocacy is a long-termprocess that begins with a concrete definition of the changes to be made andin many cases it is the reason for success or failure of the process
25
1 BOND Guidance Notes Series 3 The What and the Why of Advocacy London 1999 2 Edwards Michael NGO legitimacy- voice or vote In Global Future Fourth Quarter 2002 p 3
Or gan izaciones d e la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes mat chmaking
Then the situation must be analysed in order to identify the best mechanismsand opportunities to promote such changes Coupled with the above is theidentification of key agents so as to determine who needs to be influenced andwho potential partners should be Subsequently messages for each targetpopulation must be prepared and the most adequate advocacy strategies foreach particular case selected This leads to the need for detailed planning ofeach step and then during the implementation the progress must bemonitored so that new actions can be planned when necessary With acontinuous monitoring and evaluation process the advocacy strategy can beadjusted to ensure that the desired objectives are achieved3
This is the process that numerous NGOs in the region have been followinghowever they have also faced numerous restrictions Below is a summary ofsome of the problems encountered by NGOs in their efforts to exerciseinfluence in Latin America which were identified during our research work
bull Institution-building is at a low level access to the political system is limitedand few practices are acknowledged either by the State or by the civilsociety for influence processes to prosper4
bull Advocacy is a special field and although several NGOs include influenceactions in their political system these do not always respond to a deliberateaction and a planned advocacy strategy5 In many cases specializationimplies casting aside grassroots actions
bull There are participation and influence opportunities that neither respond to astructure nor a system that permits them but rather to local circumstancesthat are very difficult to anticipate6
bull NGOs have a representation problem that often prevents them from beingaccepted by the State and others as valid spokesmen7 Take the case of theanti-globalisation movement for example
bull Funds are received to implement projects not to promote processes Thisgreatly restricts the actual capacity of NGOs to lead long-term advocacyprocesses8
bull The development of the advocacy capacity of NGOs has been limited totopics proposed by NGOs from the northern hemisphere which are veryorchestrated and fail to develop the ability to exercise influence in otherspheres9
bull There is no common advocacy agenda among the different agents of the civilsociety as far as matters related to the ldquoinformation societyrdquo are concerned10
26
3 Advocacy inintiatives planning manual Save the Children London Save the Children 20004 Influence on Public Policies and Citizenship Ineacutes Gonzales Bombal httpwwwicdorguymercosurinformesencuentrogonzalez7html 5 Gonzales Bombal op cit 6 By ldquoAunt Opheliardquo we refer to the likeness with the character of the IDRC publication Raiacuteces Maacutegicas and ITDG as a result of the Latin
American Meeting on ldquoAppropriation of Information and Communication Technologies in Latin Americahttpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsofeliahtm
7 Edwards Michael 2002 op cit8 El rol de interfase de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Ramoacuten Vargas Conference papers presented in Seminario Regional sobre
las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil y el desarrollo de una cultura democraacutetica 9 Ramoacuten Vargas op cit10 Save the Children 2001 op cit
The last conclusion sheds light on the characteristics of this research workOur main concern is to find a way to influence public policies for the informationsociety and not public policies in general The technical terms that define theinformation society are still unclear therefore opportunities are lost and variouscivilian organisations are afraid of making concrete proposals and applyingpressure to obtain what they want
Progress has been made with creating a social impression of the Internet butthat vision is yet to materialise in concrete regional and national advocacyproposals11
Undoubtedly the need to transform this collective social impression intoconcrete advocacy actions has been proved in the light of the participation ofcivilian organisations in the preparatory events of the World Summit of theInformation Society12 in which our participation was disjointed and without acommon regional standpoint The construction of this common advocacyagenda is a process that is just beginning and as already mentioned inrelevant electronic forums the process will not end with the World Summit
Miguel Saravia
27
11 Vision based on the work of the Comunidad Virtual Mistica For further information see httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 L ook i ng f or t he m o s tappr opr i at e f ramewor k hellip
It was found that the framework used by different government circles in theregion to design strategies related to the Information Society are very biasedtowards the ICT sector Emphasis is placed on setting up access facilitiesprogrammes to support the information and communication technologiessector the development of electronic government applications etc
A thorough review of different existing models and the proposals shared indifferent international forums such as the preparatory meeting in Bavaro forthe Information Society Summit the high level meeting between the EuropeanUnion-Latin America and the Andean ICT workshop reveals that as a commondenominator the existing framework is insufficient for understanding howinformation and communication technologies can make a significant change inthe struggle against poverty in our countries
The CEPAL Model
The Economic Commission for LatinA m e r i c a1 3 has designed a three-dimensional model with horizontallevels vertical sectors and transversalareas The horizontal dimension showsthe ldquosegmentsrdquo that representinfrastructure and generic services (TVradio Internet) The vertical dimensionshows the sectors that become thelsquoinformation societyrsquo
It is interesting to note that the cube adds a third dimension which makes thescheme more complicated but allows the introduction of transversal issuessuch as regulatory frameworks financing and human capital
The information society scheme proposed by CEPAL gives the impression thatthe society is limited to electronics and that the way to become an informationsociety is only viewed from the e-included in the sectors A legitimate questionwould be how does the model envisage the participation of civilians in theprocess Or how to face the evident qualms about starting the informationsociety development process
29
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
The horizontal segments are conceived as very functional for the sectorswhereas capacity-building is considered to be the technical capacity requiredto deal with the technologies involved in the construction of information ratherthan the social skills required to understand the processes and adapt them tonational contexts
The Gino Germani Research Institute Model
This scheme shows a series ofconcentric rings with the targetpoint in the middle referred toas the lsquoinformation societyrsquo
It was designed in the GinoGermani Research Institute ofthe University of Buenos Aires14
and proposes working inwardsfrom the outside starting withpolicies access developmentuse appropriation and finallyproduction Reading it that wayit is easy to understand thelogic of the processcomplemented by the transversal pivotal points that cut through the circleswhich refer to social inclusion gender and minorities
This way of depicting the information society structuring process considers theimportance of a gradual progress creating the conditions for the society toachieve another level of development in a joint collective manner
This model takes it for granted that there is a consensus that the informationsociety structuring process should be wide-ranging with the participation of allsectors including the civil society However our research shows that thedominating view is that in which priority is placed on the e-strategies
Another aspect the model fails to include concerns the forces that could eitherboost or stunt the processes that is where we should see the civil society andcivilian organisations In other words there is an evident lack of elements toshow the driving force behind the information society which should be thesociety itself with its needs and priorities
It may not be a specific responsibility of the theoretical frameworks but of thecapacity of the civil society itself to claim its role as the driving force behind thesociety
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
30
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
The Valenti Model15
D r Valenti of theOrganisation of Spanish-American States forEducation Science andCulture designed a modelsubsequent to existingmodels having beencriticised because of theirclassic way ofunderstanding thelsquoinformation societyrsquo As faras Dr Valenti is concernedtwo main componentsneeded to be added to the classic standpoint citizen participation andtechnological innovation Not that this was not acknowledged in the cube orthe circles since the explanation did in fact mention the importance ofconsidering all agents However Dr Valentirsquos text places social participationat the centre of the action as a fundamental component of the process
In the cube people are non-existent or invisible In the circles model socialparticipation is tacit but not explicit In Valentirsquos model the collective aspect isthe driving force ldquoWithout participation there is no interaction and withoutinteraction there is no innovation If there is no participation or a capacity forinnovation it would be impossible to structure an Information Societyrdquo16 DrValenti places emphasis on the need to promote institution-building upheld bylocal development systems and the promotion of local innovation mechanisms
In Latin America new local institutions are being consolidated such as thelocal development committees in various Latin American communities the anti-poverty boards the concerted action boards and the public-private discussionpanels17 It is interesting to note how these panels can make up the newinstitutions that Dr Valenti refers to
Nevertheless none of the models described above have includedtechnological innovation
A Transforming Innovation Model
In a book entitled ldquoRural Development and ICT A Rural Development Approachwith the Integration of Information and Communication Technologiesrdquo theconcept referred to as a transforming innovation is explained This conceptintroduces innovation as an element that will set in motion the socialtransformation process18
Miguel Saravia
31
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organised by the Department for International
Development of the United Kingdom the World Bank and other organisations (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (at the printerrsquos)
The lsquoinformation societyrsquo is something that needs to be attained and in orderto do so our society needs to change existing social relations must be fairerwith equal opportunities for everyone This model recovers the revolutionarydimension of the application of ICT to development processes
In order to understand how Latin America is progressing towards theInformation Society it is necessary to look for consistency in all theseapproaches rather than choosing just one Whereas the Valenti model providesa good definition of the different agents the circles scheme provides a clearunderstanding of the collective process and the CEPAL cube details theinteraction of the various sectors once we have move forward within theinformation society This last approach emphasizes the need to introduceinnovation processes to help transform the society
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
32
4 Pub l i c- pr i vate part ner sh i ps f o rstr uct uri ng t h e i n f ormat i on soc i et y
Structuring the information society is a taskthat involves all sectors of society ie citizensin their different facets - studentsentrepreneurs researchers social activists -and governors Anything not related to thegovernment should be considered privateencompassing the so-called third sector andthe business sector
We shall use the term ldquopublic-privatepartnershipsrdquo to refer to alliances betweengovernments the business sector and civilianorganisations These alliances can be definedas ldquothe arrangements whereby the public andprivate sectors sign agreements to implementjoint research and development projects joining their resources and skillsrdquo19
Another more accurate definition of what should be understood by the termpartnerships ldquojoint initiatives of the public and private sectors the profit-makingsector and the not-for-profit sector which are also understood to begovernmental business and civilian sectors Within these partnerships eachpartner contributes with resources (financial human technical and intangiblesuch as information or political support) and participates in the decision-makingprocessrdquo20
It was already been proved that public-private partnerships provide newresources to poverty-reduction initiatives It is safe to say that thesepartnerships increase the productivity of available resources Furthermorepartnerships imply a number of ways of generating assets in terms of humandevelopment and social capital creating the right conditions for achievingmultiplying effects
As Fiszbein and Lowden said ldquoPartnerships have the potential to createchanging patterns that strengthen themselves the great advantage being thatthe whole can be so much better than the sum of its partsrdquo
The main question is how to institutionalise the participation of the privatesector and the civil society in national programmes for the information society21
and how to create this mutually gainful environment
33
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz amp Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
This matter has not been clearly defined from the point of view of civilianorganizations much less from the viewpoint of the public sector In the earlynineties the main NGOs from the northern hemisphere realized that the impactof their work was temporary and of a very small scale Hence the developmentof a number of strategies to increase both the impact and the scope of their work
The following were among the actions promoted
bull Cooperation with the Governmentbull Expansion of their operationsbull Promotion of a direct contact between grassroots organisationsbull Local national and international advocacy and lobbying
In the ICT sector an analysis of advocacy agents reveals an unfair relationshipbetween the civil societyrsquos and the business sectorrsquos capacity to influence theGovernment and the State The following table prepared by Juliana Martinez22provides a better understanding of this statement
The graph also shows the lack of a relationship between civilian organisationsand the business sector Companies and their leaders are not usuallyconsidered influence subjects although it seems evident that if we influencethem and take advantage of their capacity to influence then indirectly we areinfluencing the Government as well
The idea is not to abandon the possibility of exercising a direct influence onpublic policies but to broaden the spectrum and learn from the experience ofother agents Again Juliana Martinez summarises the ideal model in a graph
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
34
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
C o n t e n i d o
1 Presentacioacuten 5
2 A manera de introduccioacuten 7
3 Buscando el marco maacutes apropiado 11
4 Alianzas puacuteblico-privadas para construir la sociedad de la informacioacuten 15
5 Propuestas para fortalecer la relacioacuten sociedad civil-Gobierno 17
C o n t e n t s
1 Foreword 23
2 Introduction 25
3 Looking for the most appropriate framework 29
4 Public-private partnerships for structuring the information society 33
5 Proposals for strengthening
the civil society-government relationship 35
3
1 Presentac i oacuten
El presente texto ha sido producido en el marco del proyecto ldquoOrganizacionesde la sociedad civil frente a proyectos nacionales TIC 4 estudios de casordquollevado a cabo por Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG) con elapoyo del International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Este proyectose ejecutoacute entre Diciembre del 2002 y Junio del 2004 e incluyoacute visitas a 4paiacuteses de Ameacuterica Latina (Peruacute Uruguay Venezuela y El Salvador) en dondese realizaron entrevistas con representantes de gobierno y organizaciones dela sociedad civil que trabajan el tema Los resultados de cada visita formanparte del CD ldquoSociedad civil y el desarrollo de la sociedad de la informacioacuten enAmeacuterica Latinardquo y que puede ser revisado en el web de ITDG y el IDRC
iquestEs posible hablar de sociedad de la informacioacuten sin la participacioacuten de lasociedad civil iquestEs la sociedad de la informacioacuten un tema de cables maacutequinasy troncales de telecomunicaciones iquestCoacutemo entender la sociedad de lainformacioacuten en un contexto de pobreza iquestQueacute enfoques se pueden usar paraexplicar el rol de la sociedad civil en la construccioacuten de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten iquestCuaacutel es la relacioacuten de la sociedad civil con los otros actores dela sociedad de la informacioacuten iquestQuieacutenes son esos otros actores iquestCuaacutel es elmodelo maacutes adecuado para entender las relaciones de los actores clave en elproceso de construccioacuten de la sociedad de la informacioacuten Son eacutestaspreguntas las que orientaron el presente trabajo
Una de las principales preocupaciones que acompantildearon esta investigacioacutenfue conocer coacutemo estos actores se organizan y en particular la manera en quelas organizaciones de la sociedad civil lo hacen para entender el proceso dehacer poliacutetica puacuteblica TIC y de articular sus propuestas
La presente publicacioacuten se inicia explicando el proceso de la incidencia puacuteblicay de queacute manera llega a la agenda de las organizaciones de la sociedad civilLuego presenta un anaacutelisis del marco adecuado para entender el proceso dedesarrollo de la sociedad de la informacioacuten Se resumen 4 modelos diferentesque forman parte de la tipologiacutea de las relaciones sociedad civil-Estado parala construccioacuten de la sociedad de la informacioacuten
La publicacioacuten continuacutea presentando a los actores clave y su rol en laconstruccioacuten de poliacuteticas TIC y queacute clase de relaciones se deben tejer parahacer maacutes efectiva su incidencia para terminar esbozando un conjunto derecomendaciones para fortalecer la relacioacuten sociedad civil-Estado
Esperamos contribuir con esta publicacioacuten a difundir conceptos clave queacompantildeen el fortalecimiento de las organizaciones de la sociedad civil decara a los procesos institucionales que en el marco de la construccioacuten de lasociedad de la informacioacuten se estaacuten dando en varios de nuestros paiacuteseslatinoamericanos
Miguel SaraviaDiciembre 2004
5
2 A manera d e i n t r o d u c c i oacute n
Las Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten (TIC) estaacuten transformandonuestro entorno de manera dramaacutetica y hoy no hay ninguna esfera de nuestravida cotidiana que no se vea impactado por ellas No soacutelo se trata del accesoa nuevas y maacutes eficientes formas de comunicacioacuten sino de la transformacioacutende las maneras como trabajamos como socializamos como nos educamos ycomo accedemos a servicios baacutesicos (por ejemplo a la salud)
Auacuten predomina la percepcioacuten de que la sociedad de la informacioacuten tiene quever principalmente con celulares computadoras e Internet es decir con lainfraestructura Sin embargo nuestra investigacioacuten ha encontrado evidenciaalentadora sobre la preocupacioacuten por colocar cada vez con mayor frecuenciaen el espacio puacuteblico la importancia de la aplicacioacuten de las TIC en laeducacioacuten la salud la produccioacuten y poner en el debate esas nuevas formasque tenemos de trabajar comunicarnos y relacionarnos
Ante esta realidad es importante que la sociedad en su conjunto se engarce en elproceso de hacer poliacutetica puacuteblica y de que se entienda coacutemo mejorar ese procesode engarce En los uacuteltimos 10 antildeos las ONG se han concentrado en el escalamientode sus acciones a traveacutes del cabildeo y la influencia buscando persuadir a diferentesgrupos de actores individuos Estados corporaciones organismos internacionalespara que alteren sus poliacuteticas y comportamientos en relacioacuten con los temas deld e s a r r o l l o1 En estos antildeos las ONG han ayudado a cambiar el lenguaje del debateen temas tales como la reduccioacuten de la deuda externa han promovido el monitoreode los acuerdos mundiales como la certificacioacuten de bosques o el trabajo infantil hancontribuido a la adopcioacuten de tratados como el de Ottawa para la erradicacioacuten de lasminas terrestres entre otros asuntos2
Los sectores que maacutes han avanzado en estas acciones son el sectormedioambiental aquellos quienes promueven los derechos de la infancia yquienes luchan por los derechos de las mujeres Es justamente con estos dosuacuteltimos temas que el cabildeo y el trabajo de influencia llegaron a AmeacutericaLatina y se insertaron en las agendas de las ONG
Es tambieacuten a partir de estos sectores donde se comienza a utilizar las TIC paraincidir en poliacuteticas puacuteblicas pues aparece como el mejor medio para lograr lacalidad oportunidad y transparencia de las poliacuteticas puacuteblicas El uso de las TICcontribuye en la elaboracioacuten de las propuestas y a que numerosas personaspuedan participar en el proceso de la incidencia generando debates ampliosen sectores generalmente excluidos de los espacios tradicionales departicipacioacuten Para ello es importante tambieacuten incidir en las poliacuteticas puacuteblicasque permitan a las TIC ser verdaderos instrumentos de desarrollo
Es un error comuacuten definir objetivos muy generales de incidencia como lopodriacutea ser el de incidir hacia poliacuteticas puacuteblicas TIC que fomenten el desarrollo
7
1 BOND Guidance Notes Series 3 The What and the Why of Advocay London 19992 Edwards Michael NGO legitimacy- voice or vote En Global Future Fourth Quarter 2002 pp 3
La incidencia es un proceso de largo plazo que se inicia con la definicioacutenconcreta de lo que se quiere cambiar y de ello depende muchas veces el eacutexitoo fracaso del proceso
Luego de ello es necesario analizar la situacioacuten para identificar los mejoresmecanismos y oportunidades para impulsar este cambio Ligado a lo anterior estaacutela identificacioacuten de actores clave tanto para saber a quieacutenes se debe influir comopara detectar a los potenciales aliados Con todo lo anterior se inicia la elaboracioacutende mensajes para cada puacuteblico objetivo y la eleccioacuten de las estrategias de influenciamaacutes adecuadas a cada caso particular Ello lleva a la necesidad de planificardetalladamente cada paso y ya en la ejecucioacuten monitorear el progreso parareplantear las acciones cuando sea necesario Este proceso de monitoreo yevaluacioacuten continuo permite ir ajustando la estrategia de influencia hasta lograr losobjetivos deseados3
Este es el proceso que han venido siguiendo numerosas ONG en la regioacuten y queha enfrentado tambieacuten numerosas limitantes Acontinuacioacuten resumimos algunos delos problemas afrontados por estas instituciones para hacer incidencia en A m eacute r i c aLatina y que nuestra investigacioacuten ha identificado
bull Existe un bajo nivel de institucionalizacioacuten de canales de acceso al sistemapoliacutetico y de praacutecticas reconocidas como vaacutelidas - tanto por el Estado como porla sociedad civil- para llevar adelante procesos de incidencia4
bull La incidencia es una especializacioacuten y si bien cotidianamente varias ONG realizanacciones de incidencia en el sistema poliacutetico eacutestas no siempre responden a unaaccioacuten deliberada y a una estrategia planificada para su ejercicio5 Laespecializacioacuten implica en muchos casos el dejar de lado las acciones de base
bull Hay oportunidades de incidencia y participacioacuten que no responden a unaestructura ni a un sistema que lo permite sino maacutes bien a circunstancias muycoyunturales difiacuteciles de prever6 -ya comentamos el bajo nivel deinstitucionalizacioacuten del acceso al sistema poliacutetico
bull Existe un problema de representatividad de las ONG que les impide en muchoscasos ser aceptados como interlocutores vaacutelidos por parte del Estado y otrossujetos de incidencia7
bull Los recursos se reciben para ejecutar proyectos y no para promover procesos locual limita mucho la capacidad real de las ONG para liderar procesos deincidencia que como hemos visto antes son de largo plazo8
bull El desarrollo de la capacidad de incidencia de las ONG se ha circunscrito a lostemas propuestos por las ONG del Norte y se ha dado de forma muyinstrumentalizada es decir sin desarrollar verdaderas capacidades para unaincidencia en otras esferas9
bull No existe una agenda comuacuten de incidencia en temas de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten entre los distintos actores de la sociedad civil1 0
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
8
3 Manual para la planificacioacuten de iniciativas de incidencia Save the Children Londres Save the Children 20004 Incidencia en Poliacuteticas Puacuteblicas y Construccioacuten de Ciudadaniacutea Ineacutes Gonzales Bombal
httpwwwicdorguymercosurinformesencuentrogonzalez7html 5 Gonzales Bombal op cit 6 Durante las entrevistas se han citado a las muchas ldquotiacuteas Ofeliasrdquo que con el advenimiento de nuevos regiacutemenes han aparecido en Brasil
Ecuador Peruacute y Chile Por ldquoTiacutea Ofeliardquo nos referimos a la analogiacutea con el personaje de la publicacioacuten del IDRC Raiacuteces Maacutegicas e ITDG comoresultado de Encuentro Latinoamericano ldquoApropiacioacuten de Tecnologiacuteas de la Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten en Ameacuterica Latinardquohttpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsofeliahtm
7 Edwards Michael 2002 op cit8 El rol de interfase de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Ramoacuten Vargas Ponencia presentada en el Seminario Regional sobre las
Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil y el desarrollo de una cultura democraacutetica9 Ramoacuten Vargas op cit10 Save the Children 2001 op cit
Esta uacuteltima conclusioacuten saca a la luz la peculiaridad sobre la que trata lapresente investigacioacuten Nos interesa ver de queacute forma podemos incidir en laspoliacuteticas puacuteblicas destinadas a la sociedad de la informacioacuten y no a laspoliacuteticas puacuteblicas en general Hay todaviacutea mucha penumbra en los teacuterminosteacutecnicos que delimitan el espacio de la sociedad de la informacioacuten y esedesconocimiento hace perder oportunidades e intimida a las diversas OSC dehacer propuestas maacutes concretas y de presionar para lograr sus objetivosplanteados
Se ha avanzado en la construccioacuten de una visioacuten social de la Internet perotodaviacutea falta aterrizar dicha visioacuten en propuestas concretas de incidencia aescala regional y nacional11
Sin duda la necesidad de traducir esta visioacuten social en acciones concretas deincidencia ha quedado descubierta a la luz de la participacioacuten de las OSC enlos eventos preparatorios de la Cumbre Mundial de la Sociedad de laInformacioacuten12 a donde llegamos fragmentadas y sin posiciones comunes comoregioacuten La construccioacuten de esta agenda comuacuten de incidencia es un procesoque recieacuten se inicia y como se ha manifestado ya en los foros electroacutenicospertinentes es un proceso que no terminaraacute con la Cumbre Mundial
Ha quedado en evidencia tambieacuten que las posibilidades de incidir van maacutes allaacutede la Internet y que la visioacuten social compartida de esta tecnologiacutea debeextenderse a otras tecnologiacuteas de la informacioacuten y comunicacioacuten Por ellocreemos que se deben abrir espacios de participacioacuten a las OSC que vienentrabajando desde hace deacutecadas en los temas de comunicacioacuten popular radiocomunitaria etc afectados sin duda por la avalancha de regulaciones quevienen de la mano con la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Miguel Saravia
9
11 Visioacuten construida a partir del trabajo de la Comunidad Virtual Miacutestica Para mayor informacioacuten revisar httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 Buscando el marco maacutesapropiadohellip
Se ha encontrado que el marco utilizado en diversas esferas de los gobiernosde la regioacuten para el disentildeo de las estrategias relacionadas con la sociedad dela informacioacuten estaacute muy sesgado Se insiste en la instalacioacuten de maacutesinfraestructura de acceso programas de apoyo al sector de tecnologiacuteas de lainformacioacuten y comunicacioacuten desarrollo de aplicaciones de gobiernoelectroacutenico etc dejando de lado el desarrollo de capacidades la mejora delos mecanismos de comunicacioacuten profundizar la descentralizacioacuten poliacutetica yeconoacutemica incrementar la participacioacuten ciudadana en los procesos de toma dedecisiones propiciar la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica entre otros aspectos
Una revisioacuten exhaustiva de los diferentes modelos existentes y de losplanteamientos compartidos en diferentes foros internacionales como lareunioacuten de Baacutevaro preparatoria para la Cumbre de la Sociedad de laInformacioacuten la reunioacuten de alto nivel de la Unioacuten Europea - Ameacuterica Latina y eltaller TIC Andino muestra que el marco existente como comuacuten denominadores insuficiente para ayudar a entender coacutemo las tecnologiacuteas de la informacioacuteny la comunicacioacuten pueden hacer un cambio significativo a favor de la luchacontra la pobreza en nuestros paiacuteses
El modelo de la CEPAL
La Comisioacuten Econoacutemica para AmeacutericaL a t i n a1 3 ( C E PAL) ha desarrollado unmodelo tridimensional que buscaexplicar la sociedad de la informacioacuten yque estaacute compuesto por estratoshorizontales sectores verticales y aacutereastransversales Los estratos horizontalesincluyen la infraestructura y los serviciosgeneacutericos (TV radio Internet) Ladimensioacuten vertical presenta maacutes bien alos sectores en los cuales se traduce lasociedad de la informacioacuten
Lo interesante es que el cubo antildeade una tercera dimensioacuten que termina porhacer maacutes complicado el esquema pero que permite introducir temastransversales como lo son los marcos regulatorios el financiamiento y elcapital humano
Empero creemos que el esquema de sociedad de la informacioacuten planteadopor la CEPAL nos deja la sensacioacuten de estar limitaacutendola soacutelo al temaelectroacutenico y que el camino hacia la sociedad de la informacioacuten soacutelo se miradesde la ldquoe-ldquo que se ha incluiacutedo en los sectores Por tanto una preguntalegiacutetima seriacutea iquestCoacutemo concibe el modelo la participacioacuten de los ciudadanos en
11
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
el proceso y iquestcoacutemo enfrentar las inequidades evidentes que se presentaraacutenal iniciar el proceso de desarrollo de la sociedad de la informacioacuten
En este esquema se concibe a los estratos horizontales como muy funcionalesa los sectores de esta manera el desarrollo de capacidades estaacute confinado alconjunto de habilidades teacutecnicas necesarias para lidiar con las tecnologiacuteasinsertas en la elaboracioacuten de la informacioacuten Pero en este esquema se olvidalas habilidades sociales para poder entender los procesos y adecuarlos a loscontextos nacionales
El modelo del Instituto de Investigaciones Gino Germani
Este diagrama presenta unaserie de anillos conceacutentricoscuyo centro y punto de llegadaes la denominada sociedad dela informacioacuten
Este modelo que fuedesarrollado en el seno delInstituto de InvestigacionesGino Germani de la Universidadde Buenos A i r e s1 4 plantea unalectura de afuera hacia dentroesto es comenzando por laspoliacuteticas el acceso el desarrolloel uso la apropiacioacuten yfinalmente la produccioacuten Leyeacutendolo asiacute es faacutecil entender la loacutegica del procesoque es complementado por ejes transversales que cortan todos los ciacuterculosEstos son la inclusioacuten social el geacutenero y el respeto por las minoriacuteas
Esta manera de presentar el proceso de construccioacuten de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten contempla una progresioacuten Conforme se va avanzando en cadatema se puede pasar al otro nivel de desarrollo hasta llegar al centro del ciacuterculo
Este modelo de los ciacuterculos da por sentado el consenso de que la construccioacutende la sociedad de la informacioacuten debe ser un proceso amplio con laparticipacioacuten de todos los sectores incluida la sociedad civil
Sin embargo lo que no logra incluir el modelo son las fuerzas que puedendinamizar los procesos o que los pueden entrampar y es por alliacute dondedebemos ver a los ciudadanos y sus organizaciones Se hace evidente laausencia de elementos que muestren que la fuerza movilizadora de lasociedad de la informacioacuten es y debe ser la sociedad misma sus necesidadessus prioridades
Esto puede que no sea responsabilidad exclusiva de los marcos teoacutericos sinode la capacidad de la propia sociedad civil para reclamar su espacio comofuerza motora de la sociedad
Or ganizaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas na cionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
12
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
El modelo Valenti15
El Dr Valenti de la Organizacioacuten de Estados Iberoamericanos para la Educacioacutenla Ciencia y la Cultura ha desarrollado un modelo que critica la forma claacutesica deentender a la sociedad de la informacioacuten a partir de los modelos existentes (y alos que nos hemos referido anteriormente)
Para el Dr Valenti a lamirada claacutesica debemosantildeadirle dos componentescentrales la participacioacutenciudadana y la innovacioacutentecnoloacutegica Y no es que elcubo o los ciacuterculos no losreconocieran Sin embargoel modelo del Dr Va l e n t icoloca a la participacioacutensocial en el centro de laaccioacuten como un componentefundamental del proceso
En el cubo la persona la sociedad no existe En el modelo de los ciacuterculos lapresencia social es taacutecita falta explicitarla En cambio en el modelo de Valenti elmotor es el colectivo ldquoSin participacioacuten no hay interaccioacuten y sin interaccioacuten no hayinnovacioacuten Y si no hay participacioacuten y capacidad para la innovacioacuten no habraacuteSociedad de la Informacioacuten posiblerdquo1 6
El Dr Valenti hace eacutenfasis en la necesidad de fomentar una nuevainstitucionalidad que se sostenga en sistemas locales de desarrollo y en lapromocioacuten de mecanismos de innovacioacuten local
En Ameacuterica Latina se estaacute consolidando una nueva institucionalidad local comolo son los comiteacutes locales de desarrollo en diversas comunidades de A m eacute r i c aLatina las mesas de lucha contra la pobreza las mesas de concertacioacuten y losespacios de diaacutelogo puacuteblico-privados1 7 Es interesante coacutemo estos espaciospueden configurar la nueva institucionalidad de la que habla el Dr Valenti
Si bien el Dr Valenti menciona el tema de la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica no lodesarrolla a plenitud quedando un vaciacuteo necesario de llenar
El modelo de la Innovacioacuten Transformadora
En el libro ldquoDesarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacutenrdquo seexplica el concepto de innovacioacuten transformadora Esta nocioacuten recoge el tema dela innovacioacuten y lo presenta como un elemento catalizador del proceso detransformacioacuten social1 8
Miguel Saravia
13
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organizado por el Departamento para el Desarrollo
Internacional del Reino Unido el Banco Mundial y otras organizaciones (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (en imprenta)
La sociedad de la informacioacuten es algo a lo que hay que llegar y para llegar sedebe transformar nuestra sociedad transformar las relaciones socialesexistentes para tener maacutes equidad y donde exista igualdad de oportunidadesEste modelo rescata esta dimensioacuten revolucionaria que tiene la aplicacioacuten delas TIC a los procesos de desarrollo
Creemos que para entender el camino de Ameacuterica Latina hacia la sociedad dela informacioacuten es necesario buscar la convergencia de todos estos enfoquesmas que elegir uno solo El modelo de Valenti proporciona una muy buenadefinicioacuten de los actores el esquema de los ciacuterculos nos permite comprenderclaramente el proceso colectivo el cubo de la CEPAL nos detalla la interaccioacutende los diversos sectores una vez que hemos avanzado dentro de la sociedadde la informacioacuten Este uacuteltimo enfoque destaca la necesidad de introducirprocesos de innovacioacuten que ayuden en la transformacioacuten de la sociedad
Organizaciones de la socie dad civil y program as na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
14
4 Alianzas puacuteblico-privadas paraconstruir lasociedad de lainformacioacuten
La construccioacuten de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten es una tarea que involucra a todoslos sectores de la sociedad esto es a losciudadanos -en sus diferentes facetas comoestudiantes empresarios investigadoresactivistas sociales- y a los gobernantes Loprivado debe hacer alusioacuten a todo lo que no serelaciona con el gobierno englobando aldenominado tercer sector y al sectorempresarial
Util izaremos el teacutermino alianzas puacuteblico-privadas para referirnos a la asociacioacuten entregobiernos el sector empresarial y lasorganizaciones de la sociedad civil Estasalianzas podemos definirlas como ldquolos acuerdos en los que el sector puacuteblicoy el privado suscriben convenios para ejecutar proyectos conjuntos deinvestigacioacuten y desarrollo uniendo recursos y capacidadesrdquo19
Otra definicioacuten auacuten maacutes precisa indica que se debe entender como alianzasldquolas iniciativas conjuntas del sector puacuteblico junto con el sector privado el sectorcon fines de lucro y el sector sin fines de lucro tambieacuten entendidos como lossectores gubernamental empresarial y ciacutevico Dentro de estas alianzas cadauno de los miembros contribuye con recursos (financieros humanos teacutecnicose intangibles tales como informacioacuten o apoyo poliacutetico) y participa en elproceso de la toma de decisionesrdquo20
Las alianzas puacuteblico-privadas ya han demostrado que aportan nuevosrecursos a las iniciativas para la reduccioacuten de la pobreza Podemos decir quelas alianzas aumentan la productividad de los recursos disponibles Ademaacuteslas alianzas implican un nuacutemero considerable de formas de generacioacuten debienes en las aacutereas de desarrollo humano y de capital social lo cual crea lascondiciones para lograr efectos multiplicadores
Como dicen Fiszbein y Lowden ldquoLas alianzas tienen el potencial de generarpatrones de cambio que se refuerzan a siacute mismos y asiacute traen consigo el meacuteritoinmenso de que el todo puede ser mucho maacutes que la suma de las partesrdquo
Una pregunta central es coacutemo se puede institucionalizar la participacioacuten del sectorprivado y la sociedad civil en los programas nacionales para la sociedad de lainformacioacuten 2 1 y de queacute manera se puede generar un entorno de ganancia mutua
15
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz y Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag 27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
Desde las organizaciones de la sociedad civil este tema no se ha visto conmucha claridad y menos auacuten desde el sector puacuteblico A inicios de la deacutecadade los 90 las principales ONG del Norte se dieron cuenta que el impacto de sutrabajo era temporal y de escala muy pequentildea Por ello desarrollaron una seriede estrategias para aumentar su impacto y la escala de lo que haciacutean
Dentro de las acciones que se promovieron encontramos
bull Cooperacioacuten con el gobiernobull Expansioacuten de sus operacionesbull Promocioacuten del contacto directo con organizaciones de basebull Influencia y cabildeo local nacional e internacional
En el sector de las TIC un anaacutelisis de actores de incidencia nos muestra unadesemejanza entre la capacidad de la sociedad civil para incidir en el Gobiernoy el Estado y la capacidad que tiene el sector empresarial de hacerlo Elsiguiente cuadro preparado por Juliana Martiacutenez22 nos ayuda a entendermejor lo que estamos afirmando
El graacutefico tambieacuten nos muestra la inexistencia de una relacioacuten entre las OSCy el sector empresarial Comuacutenmente no se ve a las empresas y a sus liacutederescomo sujetos de incidencia Empero es evidente que si incidimos en estas yaprovechamos su capacidad de incidencia indirectamente tambieacuten estaremosincidiendo en el gobierno
No se trata de abandonar la posibilidad de incidir directamente en las poliacuteticaspuacuteblicas sino mas bien de ampliar el espectro y aprender de la experiencia de otrosactores Nuevamente Juliana Martiacutenez nos resume el modelo ideal en un graacutefico
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
16
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Propuestas parafortalecer la relacioacutensociedad civil-Gobierno
Como hemos visto a lo largo de este texto no es faacutecil hacer una siacutentesis quecombine todos los modelos Soacutelo un trabajo articulado de todos los actorespermitiraacute avanzar en la construccioacuten de la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Existen espacios para la participacioacuten activa de los actores en los procesos dehacer poliacutetica puacuteblica y por lo tanto de incidir directamente en los tomadoresde decisiones23 En la Presentacioacuten indicamos que una preocupacioacuten principalde la presente investigacioacuten era encontrar mecanismos de articulacioacuten de lasociedad civil para poder comprender el proceso de hacer poliacuteticas puacuteblicasrelacionadas con las TIC y de articular propuestas teacutecnica financiera ypoliacuteticamente viables
Sobre la base de las entrevistas visitas de campo y revisioacuten de documentosse han extraiacutedo 4 propuestas para contribuir a fortalecer la relacioacuten entre lasOSC y los Gobiernos Estas son
bull Ciacuterculos de aprendizaje permanentes espacios para el diaacutelogobull Monitor de proyectos TIC transparencia y rendicioacuten de cuentasbull Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo rescate de nuestra capacidad emprendedorabull SI programa de formacioacuten regional ldquoThink tankrdquo regional
Ciacuterculos de aprendizaje permanente
Los ciacuterculos de aprendizaje fueron utilizados por el proyecto Conectaacutendonosal Futuro de El Salvador como un mecanismo para promover la participacioacutende diversos actores en el disentildeo de la agenda puacuteblica relacionada con las TICy el desarrollo24
En los ciacuterculos de aprendizaje se realizaron diagnoacutesticos y propuestas deproyectos en seis temas importantes para el desarrollo de ese paiacutes como sonla educacioacuten la migracioacuten el desarrollo local el desarrollo rural la micro-pequentildea-mediana empresa y las grandes organizaciones puacuteblicas y privadas
En el caso peruano contamos con la experiencia de la Comisioacuten Multisectorialpara el Desarrollo de la Sociedad de la Informacioacuten-CODESI que inicialmenteteniacutea como objetivo principal elaborar un plan para el desarrollo de la sociedadde la informacioacuten en el Peruacute La CODESI se organizoacute en mesas de trabajosobre 6 temas infraestructura capacidades humanas aplicaciones socialesproduccioacuten y servicios gobierno electroacutenico y Cumbre Mundial de la Sociedadde la Informacioacuten25
17
23 Revisar El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedadde la Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Revisar el caso de El Salvador en el informe antes indicado25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
Luego de cumplida la tarea eacutestos colectivos se desarticularon cuando debieronpermanecer como espacios permanentes de anaacutelisis y reflexioacuten sobre la temaacuteticaque los unioacute Es claro que lo que estos espacios resuelvan no tendraacute el caraacutectervinculante ni el estatus consultivo originario pero seraacute fuente de empoderamientoy espacio de cabildeo para futuras acciones poliacuteticas
Promover estos espacios colectivos de reflexioacuten sobre aspectos puntuales detoda la estrategia de TIC para el desarrollo surge como una propuesta naturalque puede ser asumida raacutepidamente por los actores involucrados Creemosque estos espacios tienen que ser plurales garantizando la presencia de todoslos sectores Es muy importante tambieacuten que estos espacios socialicen sudebate y lo compartan con la sociedad en su conjunto a partir de foros puacuteblicoso medios electroacutenicos
Monitor de proyectos TIC
Los estudios de caso nos muestran que muchas organizaciones puacuteblicas yprivadas estaacuten repitiendo el mismo trabajo entre los diferentes paiacuteses de laregioacuten y aun al interior de los propios paiacuteses
El Instituto para la Conectividad de las Ameacutericas ha lanzado una iniciativa paracontar con una base de datos regional de proyectos TIC que permita mapearlas diferentes iniciativas presentes y pasadas26 Global Knowledge Partnershipestaacute tambieacuten por su lado elaborando un mapa de las organizaciones quetrabajan en el tema de las TIC para el desarrollo en toda la regioacuten27
La propuesta es complementaria a las iniciativas antes indicadas pero requierede un pacto entre los diversos actores trabajando en TIC para el desarrollo enAmeacuterica Latina activistas TIC donantes organismos multilaterales gobiernos
El Monitor que proponemos podriacutea nutrirse de los directorios antes indicadospero ademaacutes podriacutea compilar los documentos de proyectos las evaluacioneslas lecciones aprendidas y lo maacutes importante permitir la redaccioacuten decomentarios sobre los proyectos por parte de observadores e incluso de losmismos beneficiarios
La propuesta no contempla aceptar un marco comuacuten de evaluacioacuten que hariacuteaa nuestro entender inviable al Monitor Se plantea una propuesta maacutesconcreta orientada a apoyar la transparencia de las acciones en TIC para eldesarrollo y la rendicioacuten de cuentas desde todos los sectores
En el documento ldquoCarta a la Tiacutea Ofelia 7 propuestas para un desarrollo humanosostenible con el uso de las Tecnologiacuteas de la Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacutenrdquo se deciacutea
ldquoCuando se habla de evaluacioacuten muchas personas se sienten amenazadas como si se tratara siempre de unaauditoriacutea para ver a quieacuten echarle la culpa de los problemas Aunque las auditoriacuteas son importantes para larendicioacuten de cuentas y la verificacioacuten de procesos la evaluacioacuten de resultados es otra cosa completamente distintaCon el monitoreo se trata de aprender de los errores y de los aciertos mejorar sobre la marcha compartir lo quese aprende en el recorrido Con la evaluacioacuten se busca aprender sobre los resultados de las actividades yprogramas y comprender queacute se hizo para mejorar o empeorar la situacioacuten ojalaacute desde varias perspectivasdiferentes Pretender que de la auditoriacutea resulte el aprendizaje es un graviacutesimo errorrdquo28
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
18
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Esta es una propuesta que plantea un puente entre monitoreo y auditoriacutea con laparticipacioacuten de muacuteltiples actores e impactando directamente en la rendicioacuten decuentas y la transparencia de las acciones orientadas a promover el desarrollo
En la regioacuten contamos ya con las herramientas teacutecnicas para implementar unsistema de bajo costo pero lo maacutes complicado puede ser lo metodoloacutegico ElMonitor deberiacutea ser un sitio colaborativo donde los proyectos son alimentadospor los propios actores de los proyectos y donde se requiere de un acuerdoprevio entre agencias donantes para que acepten que los documentos de susproyectos se reporten en el Monitor y lo incluyan asiacute en el contrato
Mantener actualizada la informacioacuten del Monitor es tambieacuten una tarea difiacutecil sise piensa de manera tradicional El Monitor deberiacutea trabajar para que lo queestaacute reportado alliacute tenga visibilidad (a traveacutes de boletines electroacutenicosdistribucioacuten de resentildeas en otras redes y listas promocioacuten de foros etc) Laidea es generar la sensacioacuten de que conviene maacutes estar alliacute con la informacioacutenactualizada que quedarse fuera
Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo
El Dr Valenti comentaba la necesidad de recrear la institucionalidad local demanera que se convierta en protagonista de su desarrollo Hablaba de lossistemas locales de desarrollo como la base de esta nueva institucionalidad 29
En los paiacuteses latinoamericanos hay varias iniciativas de concertacioacuten para eldesarrollo local donde convergen los diferentes niveles del Estado y lasociedad civil incluidos los empresarios30 Sin embargo existen tambieacutencomplejos sistemas de innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica31 que generalmente no estaacuten endiaacutelogo con estos espacios de planificacioacuten del desarrollo local
La propuesta busca vincular estos espacios de concertacioacuten del desarrollo conel rescate de la capacidad emprendedora de los ciudadanos latinoamericanosenfocada hacia los procesos que conduzcan a la regioacuten hacia la sociedad dela informacioacuten
Encontramos que la mejor manera de llevar la propuesta a la praacutectica esgenerando mecanismos locales de promocioacuten de la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica yque la investigacioacuten no ha encontrado muy difundidos en la regioacuten Elantecedente concreto maacutes directo que se logroacute identificar es el proyectoldquoFortaleciendo la Participacioacuten Ciudadana para el Desarrollo EconoacutemicoLocalrdquo y que justamente buscaba rescatar la capacidad de innovacioacuten depobladores rurales en el Peruacute
El referido proyecto fue financiado por el DFID y la Comunidad Europea yejecutado por ITDG Ameacuterica Latina en seis municipalidades (en eldepartamento de San Martiacuten provincias de Picota San Martiacuten y Moyobambay en el departamento de Cajamarca provincias de Bambamarca y San Ignacioy en el distrito de Asuncioacuten)32
Miguel Saravia
19
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
Aplicar este concepto a la sociedad de la informacioacuten puede traer resultadossorprendentes y orientar mejor la intervencioacuten del Estado y de los propiosproyectos de desarrollo Pero la clave es el caraacutecter local del proceso y suengarzamiento con las instancias locales de concertacioacuten del desarrollo
Hemos identificado experiencias previas de concursos nacionales deinnovacioacuten pero cuya estructura y mecanismos de participacioacuten no favorecenel rescate de las iniciativas locales que por su dimensioacuten son maacutes faacuteciles deser apropiadas o adaptadas por otras comunidades
SI programa de formacioacuten regional
A partir de los estudios de caso y del mapeo inicialmente realizado en el marcode la presente investigacioacuten encontramos que una de las principalesdebilidades en la sociedad civil y en algunos sectores del Estado es que noexiste suficiente capacidad para disentildear y promover poliacuteticas puacuteblicas eficacesen la promocioacuten del uso de las TIC desde una perspectiva de desarrollo
Por ello se hace necesario disentildear un programa de formacioacuten regional queprepare regularmente a liacutederes de los diferentes sectores para que seancapaces de participar activamente en el proceso de disentildear y acompantildear lasestrategias hacia la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Es importante que este programa de formacioacuten se desarrolle sobre la base dela realidad de la regioacuten y que sea un espacio acadeacutemico de reflexioacuten sobre losmodelos las mejores praacutecticas y los impactos que estamos logrando ennuestro camino
Esta propuesta busca preparar a mediano y largo plazo a funcionarios puacuteblicosy a liacutederes de la sociedad civil con el suficiente conocimiento de la temaacuteticalocal y regional y con capacidad de aportar constructivamente en laformulacioacuten de nuevas poliacuteticas
La propuesta incluye involucrar a diferentes universidades institutosacadeacutemicos y de investigacioacuten en el programa de formacioacuten de manera quepermita cubrir un aacuterea geograacutefica maacutes grande y llegar a la mayor cantidad deliacutederes y funcionarios locales posibles
El espacio de formacioacuten puede permitir tambieacuten que exista un mayor diaacutelogoentre los actores si es que se garantiza la participacioacuten activa de funcionariospuacuteblicos y dirigentes de organizaciones de la sociedad civil
Es importante resaltar tambieacuten que esta propuesta no se refiere a un programade formacioacuten claacutesico sino mas bien a una serie de cursos talleres seminariose investigaciones que se pueden dar de manera descentralizada y que con eladecuado rigor acadeacutemico permitiraacute formar un ldquothink tankrdquo regional capaz dedialogar y de aportar en el desarrollo de estrategias locales y regionales
Organizaciones de la socie dad civil y program as na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
20
1 Forew or d
This text was written within the framework of the Project entitled ldquoCivilianOrganisations in the face of National ICT Projects 4 case studiesrdquo which ITDGcarried out with the support of the International Development Research CentreThis project was implemented between December 2002 and June 2004 andincluded visits to 4 Latin American countries (Peru Uruguay Venezuela and ElSalvador) as well as interviews with government representatives and civilianorganizations The results of each visit form part of the CD ldquoCivil Society andthe development of the information society in Latin Americardquo that will beaccessible at ITDG and IDRC websites
Is it possible to refer to the information society without the participation of thecivil society Is the lsquoinformation societyrsquo a matter of cables devices andbackbones How can the lsquoinformation societyrsquo be understood within a povertycontext What approaches can be used to explain the role to be played by thecivil society with other stakeholders of the information society Who are thoseother approaches Which is the most adequate model for understanding therelationships of key stakeholders in the structure of the Information SocietyThose questions guided this research
One of the main concerns during this research work has been to find out howthese stakeholders have become organised and in particular how the civilsociety has become organised in order to understand the process involved inmaking ICT a public policy and incorporating their proposals
This publication begins with an explanation of the public advocacy process andhow this reached the agenda of civil society organisations There follows ananalysis of the adequate framework for understanding the information societydevelopment process A summary of 4 different models is included which formpart of the typology of the relationship between the civil society and the Statein structuring the information society
The publication continues with an introduction of key stakeholders their rolein the construction of ICT policies and the kind of relationships that must beestablished to ensure that their influence is effective Finally a number ofrecommendations are made to strengthen the relationship between the civilsociety and the State
With this publication we hope to help disseminate key concepts for theimprovement of civil society organizations in the face of the institutionalprocesses taking place in Latin American countries within the framework of theldquoinformation societyrdquo structure
Miguel SaraviaDecember 2004
23
24
2 I ntr oduct i on
Information and communication technologies (ICT) are dramaticallytransforming our environment Today at least one if not several informationtechnologies are having an impact on our daily activities The abundance ofbusiness management information and technology is greatly influencing thedaily lives of Latin American men women boys and girls
Although the predominant perception of the ldquoinformation societyrdquo mainlyinvolves mobile telephones computers and the Internet ie infrastructure ourresearch work revealed some encouraging evidence of an ever-increasingconcern for the application of ICT in education health production workingmethods and how we communicate with and relate to each other
Consequently it is essential for society as a whole to become involved in theprocess of setting public policies and understanding how such a process canbe improved During the last 10 years NGOs have been concentrating onincreasing their lobbying and advocacy actions in an attempt to influencedifferent groups of agents ie individuals States corporations internationalorganisations etc so that they change their policies and attitudes regardingdevelopment issues1 During that time NGOs have helped change the terms ofdiscussions on matters concerning the reduction of the foreign debt promotedthe monitoring of global agreements such as the certification of forests or childlabour contributed to the adoption of agreements like the Ottawa treaty for theeradication of land mines and so on2
The most developed sectors as far as these actions are concerned are theenvironment childrenrsquos rights and the fight for womenrsquos rights It was preciselybecause of these two issues that the lobbying and advocacy work reachedLatin America and was included in the agendas of NGOs
These were also the sectors in which ICT began to be used to influence publicpolicies being the best means of obtaining timely and transparent publicpolicies of a good quality The use of ICT helps to that numerous peoplecontribute in the advocacy and in the elaboration of the policy proposalsallowing massive debates including sectors traditionally excluded from thespaces of public participation It is important also to affect ICT policies thatenable them to be real instruments of development
It is a common mistake to define very general objective for an advocacystrategy like promote an ICT for development policies Advocacy is a long-termprocess that begins with a concrete definition of the changes to be made andin many cases it is the reason for success or failure of the process
25
1 BOND Guidance Notes Series 3 The What and the Why of Advocacy London 1999 2 Edwards Michael NGO legitimacy- voice or vote In Global Future Fourth Quarter 2002 p 3
Or gan izaciones d e la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes mat chmaking
Then the situation must be analysed in order to identify the best mechanismsand opportunities to promote such changes Coupled with the above is theidentification of key agents so as to determine who needs to be influenced andwho potential partners should be Subsequently messages for each targetpopulation must be prepared and the most adequate advocacy strategies foreach particular case selected This leads to the need for detailed planning ofeach step and then during the implementation the progress must bemonitored so that new actions can be planned when necessary With acontinuous monitoring and evaluation process the advocacy strategy can beadjusted to ensure that the desired objectives are achieved3
This is the process that numerous NGOs in the region have been followinghowever they have also faced numerous restrictions Below is a summary ofsome of the problems encountered by NGOs in their efforts to exerciseinfluence in Latin America which were identified during our research work
bull Institution-building is at a low level access to the political system is limitedand few practices are acknowledged either by the State or by the civilsociety for influence processes to prosper4
bull Advocacy is a special field and although several NGOs include influenceactions in their political system these do not always respond to a deliberateaction and a planned advocacy strategy5 In many cases specializationimplies casting aside grassroots actions
bull There are participation and influence opportunities that neither respond to astructure nor a system that permits them but rather to local circumstancesthat are very difficult to anticipate6
bull NGOs have a representation problem that often prevents them from beingaccepted by the State and others as valid spokesmen7 Take the case of theanti-globalisation movement for example
bull Funds are received to implement projects not to promote processes Thisgreatly restricts the actual capacity of NGOs to lead long-term advocacyprocesses8
bull The development of the advocacy capacity of NGOs has been limited totopics proposed by NGOs from the northern hemisphere which are veryorchestrated and fail to develop the ability to exercise influence in otherspheres9
bull There is no common advocacy agenda among the different agents of the civilsociety as far as matters related to the ldquoinformation societyrdquo are concerned10
26
3 Advocacy inintiatives planning manual Save the Children London Save the Children 20004 Influence on Public Policies and Citizenship Ineacutes Gonzales Bombal httpwwwicdorguymercosurinformesencuentrogonzalez7html 5 Gonzales Bombal op cit 6 By ldquoAunt Opheliardquo we refer to the likeness with the character of the IDRC publication Raiacuteces Maacutegicas and ITDG as a result of the Latin
American Meeting on ldquoAppropriation of Information and Communication Technologies in Latin Americahttpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsofeliahtm
7 Edwards Michael 2002 op cit8 El rol de interfase de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Ramoacuten Vargas Conference papers presented in Seminario Regional sobre
las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil y el desarrollo de una cultura democraacutetica 9 Ramoacuten Vargas op cit10 Save the Children 2001 op cit
The last conclusion sheds light on the characteristics of this research workOur main concern is to find a way to influence public policies for the informationsociety and not public policies in general The technical terms that define theinformation society are still unclear therefore opportunities are lost and variouscivilian organisations are afraid of making concrete proposals and applyingpressure to obtain what they want
Progress has been made with creating a social impression of the Internet butthat vision is yet to materialise in concrete regional and national advocacyproposals11
Undoubtedly the need to transform this collective social impression intoconcrete advocacy actions has been proved in the light of the participation ofcivilian organisations in the preparatory events of the World Summit of theInformation Society12 in which our participation was disjointed and without acommon regional standpoint The construction of this common advocacyagenda is a process that is just beginning and as already mentioned inrelevant electronic forums the process will not end with the World Summit
Miguel Saravia
27
11 Vision based on the work of the Comunidad Virtual Mistica For further information see httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 L ook i ng f or t he m o s tappr opr i at e f ramewor k hellip
It was found that the framework used by different government circles in theregion to design strategies related to the Information Society are very biasedtowards the ICT sector Emphasis is placed on setting up access facilitiesprogrammes to support the information and communication technologiessector the development of electronic government applications etc
A thorough review of different existing models and the proposals shared indifferent international forums such as the preparatory meeting in Bavaro forthe Information Society Summit the high level meeting between the EuropeanUnion-Latin America and the Andean ICT workshop reveals that as a commondenominator the existing framework is insufficient for understanding howinformation and communication technologies can make a significant change inthe struggle against poverty in our countries
The CEPAL Model
The Economic Commission for LatinA m e r i c a1 3 has designed a three-dimensional model with horizontallevels vertical sectors and transversalareas The horizontal dimension showsthe ldquosegmentsrdquo that representinfrastructure and generic services (TVradio Internet) The vertical dimensionshows the sectors that become thelsquoinformation societyrsquo
It is interesting to note that the cube adds a third dimension which makes thescheme more complicated but allows the introduction of transversal issuessuch as regulatory frameworks financing and human capital
The information society scheme proposed by CEPAL gives the impression thatthe society is limited to electronics and that the way to become an informationsociety is only viewed from the e-included in the sectors A legitimate questionwould be how does the model envisage the participation of civilians in theprocess Or how to face the evident qualms about starting the informationsociety development process
29
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
The horizontal segments are conceived as very functional for the sectorswhereas capacity-building is considered to be the technical capacity requiredto deal with the technologies involved in the construction of information ratherthan the social skills required to understand the processes and adapt them tonational contexts
The Gino Germani Research Institute Model
This scheme shows a series ofconcentric rings with the targetpoint in the middle referred toas the lsquoinformation societyrsquo
It was designed in the GinoGermani Research Institute ofthe University of Buenos Aires14
and proposes working inwardsfrom the outside starting withpolicies access developmentuse appropriation and finallyproduction Reading it that wayit is easy to understand thelogic of the processcomplemented by the transversal pivotal points that cut through the circleswhich refer to social inclusion gender and minorities
This way of depicting the information society structuring process considers theimportance of a gradual progress creating the conditions for the society toachieve another level of development in a joint collective manner
This model takes it for granted that there is a consensus that the informationsociety structuring process should be wide-ranging with the participation of allsectors including the civil society However our research shows that thedominating view is that in which priority is placed on the e-strategies
Another aspect the model fails to include concerns the forces that could eitherboost or stunt the processes that is where we should see the civil society andcivilian organisations In other words there is an evident lack of elements toshow the driving force behind the information society which should be thesociety itself with its needs and priorities
It may not be a specific responsibility of the theoretical frameworks but of thecapacity of the civil society itself to claim its role as the driving force behind thesociety
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
30
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
The Valenti Model15
D r Valenti of theOrganisation of Spanish-American States forEducation Science andCulture designed a modelsubsequent to existingmodels having beencriticised because of theirclassic way ofunderstanding thelsquoinformation societyrsquo As faras Dr Valenti is concernedtwo main componentsneeded to be added to the classic standpoint citizen participation andtechnological innovation Not that this was not acknowledged in the cube orthe circles since the explanation did in fact mention the importance ofconsidering all agents However Dr Valentirsquos text places social participationat the centre of the action as a fundamental component of the process
In the cube people are non-existent or invisible In the circles model socialparticipation is tacit but not explicit In Valentirsquos model the collective aspect isthe driving force ldquoWithout participation there is no interaction and withoutinteraction there is no innovation If there is no participation or a capacity forinnovation it would be impossible to structure an Information Societyrdquo16 DrValenti places emphasis on the need to promote institution-building upheld bylocal development systems and the promotion of local innovation mechanisms
In Latin America new local institutions are being consolidated such as thelocal development committees in various Latin American communities the anti-poverty boards the concerted action boards and the public-private discussionpanels17 It is interesting to note how these panels can make up the newinstitutions that Dr Valenti refers to
Nevertheless none of the models described above have includedtechnological innovation
A Transforming Innovation Model
In a book entitled ldquoRural Development and ICT A Rural Development Approachwith the Integration of Information and Communication Technologiesrdquo theconcept referred to as a transforming innovation is explained This conceptintroduces innovation as an element that will set in motion the socialtransformation process18
Miguel Saravia
31
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organised by the Department for International
Development of the United Kingdom the World Bank and other organisations (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (at the printerrsquos)
The lsquoinformation societyrsquo is something that needs to be attained and in orderto do so our society needs to change existing social relations must be fairerwith equal opportunities for everyone This model recovers the revolutionarydimension of the application of ICT to development processes
In order to understand how Latin America is progressing towards theInformation Society it is necessary to look for consistency in all theseapproaches rather than choosing just one Whereas the Valenti model providesa good definition of the different agents the circles scheme provides a clearunderstanding of the collective process and the CEPAL cube details theinteraction of the various sectors once we have move forward within theinformation society This last approach emphasizes the need to introduceinnovation processes to help transform the society
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
32
4 Pub l i c- pr i vate part ner sh i ps f o rstr uct uri ng t h e i n f ormat i on soc i et y
Structuring the information society is a taskthat involves all sectors of society ie citizensin their different facets - studentsentrepreneurs researchers social activists -and governors Anything not related to thegovernment should be considered privateencompassing the so-called third sector andthe business sector
We shall use the term ldquopublic-privatepartnershipsrdquo to refer to alliances betweengovernments the business sector and civilianorganisations These alliances can be definedas ldquothe arrangements whereby the public andprivate sectors sign agreements to implementjoint research and development projects joining their resources and skillsrdquo19
Another more accurate definition of what should be understood by the termpartnerships ldquojoint initiatives of the public and private sectors the profit-makingsector and the not-for-profit sector which are also understood to begovernmental business and civilian sectors Within these partnerships eachpartner contributes with resources (financial human technical and intangiblesuch as information or political support) and participates in the decision-makingprocessrdquo20
It was already been proved that public-private partnerships provide newresources to poverty-reduction initiatives It is safe to say that thesepartnerships increase the productivity of available resources Furthermorepartnerships imply a number of ways of generating assets in terms of humandevelopment and social capital creating the right conditions for achievingmultiplying effects
As Fiszbein and Lowden said ldquoPartnerships have the potential to createchanging patterns that strengthen themselves the great advantage being thatthe whole can be so much better than the sum of its partsrdquo
The main question is how to institutionalise the participation of the privatesector and the civil society in national programmes for the information society21
and how to create this mutually gainful environment
33
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz amp Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
This matter has not been clearly defined from the point of view of civilianorganizations much less from the viewpoint of the public sector In the earlynineties the main NGOs from the northern hemisphere realized that the impactof their work was temporary and of a very small scale Hence the developmentof a number of strategies to increase both the impact and the scope of their work
The following were among the actions promoted
bull Cooperation with the Governmentbull Expansion of their operationsbull Promotion of a direct contact between grassroots organisationsbull Local national and international advocacy and lobbying
In the ICT sector an analysis of advocacy agents reveals an unfair relationshipbetween the civil societyrsquos and the business sectorrsquos capacity to influence theGovernment and the State The following table prepared by Juliana Martinez22provides a better understanding of this statement
The graph also shows the lack of a relationship between civilian organisationsand the business sector Companies and their leaders are not usuallyconsidered influence subjects although it seems evident that if we influencethem and take advantage of their capacity to influence then indirectly we areinfluencing the Government as well
The idea is not to abandon the possibility of exercising a direct influence onpublic policies but to broaden the spectrum and learn from the experience ofother agents Again Juliana Martinez summarises the ideal model in a graph
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
34
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
1 Presentac i oacuten
El presente texto ha sido producido en el marco del proyecto ldquoOrganizacionesde la sociedad civil frente a proyectos nacionales TIC 4 estudios de casordquollevado a cabo por Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG) con elapoyo del International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Este proyectose ejecutoacute entre Diciembre del 2002 y Junio del 2004 e incluyoacute visitas a 4paiacuteses de Ameacuterica Latina (Peruacute Uruguay Venezuela y El Salvador) en dondese realizaron entrevistas con representantes de gobierno y organizaciones dela sociedad civil que trabajan el tema Los resultados de cada visita formanparte del CD ldquoSociedad civil y el desarrollo de la sociedad de la informacioacuten enAmeacuterica Latinardquo y que puede ser revisado en el web de ITDG y el IDRC
iquestEs posible hablar de sociedad de la informacioacuten sin la participacioacuten de lasociedad civil iquestEs la sociedad de la informacioacuten un tema de cables maacutequinasy troncales de telecomunicaciones iquestCoacutemo entender la sociedad de lainformacioacuten en un contexto de pobreza iquestQueacute enfoques se pueden usar paraexplicar el rol de la sociedad civil en la construccioacuten de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten iquestCuaacutel es la relacioacuten de la sociedad civil con los otros actores dela sociedad de la informacioacuten iquestQuieacutenes son esos otros actores iquestCuaacutel es elmodelo maacutes adecuado para entender las relaciones de los actores clave en elproceso de construccioacuten de la sociedad de la informacioacuten Son eacutestaspreguntas las que orientaron el presente trabajo
Una de las principales preocupaciones que acompantildearon esta investigacioacutenfue conocer coacutemo estos actores se organizan y en particular la manera en quelas organizaciones de la sociedad civil lo hacen para entender el proceso dehacer poliacutetica puacuteblica TIC y de articular sus propuestas
La presente publicacioacuten se inicia explicando el proceso de la incidencia puacuteblicay de queacute manera llega a la agenda de las organizaciones de la sociedad civilLuego presenta un anaacutelisis del marco adecuado para entender el proceso dedesarrollo de la sociedad de la informacioacuten Se resumen 4 modelos diferentesque forman parte de la tipologiacutea de las relaciones sociedad civil-Estado parala construccioacuten de la sociedad de la informacioacuten
La publicacioacuten continuacutea presentando a los actores clave y su rol en laconstruccioacuten de poliacuteticas TIC y queacute clase de relaciones se deben tejer parahacer maacutes efectiva su incidencia para terminar esbozando un conjunto derecomendaciones para fortalecer la relacioacuten sociedad civil-Estado
Esperamos contribuir con esta publicacioacuten a difundir conceptos clave queacompantildeen el fortalecimiento de las organizaciones de la sociedad civil decara a los procesos institucionales que en el marco de la construccioacuten de lasociedad de la informacioacuten se estaacuten dando en varios de nuestros paiacuteseslatinoamericanos
Miguel SaraviaDiciembre 2004
5
2 A manera d e i n t r o d u c c i oacute n
Las Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten (TIC) estaacuten transformandonuestro entorno de manera dramaacutetica y hoy no hay ninguna esfera de nuestravida cotidiana que no se vea impactado por ellas No soacutelo se trata del accesoa nuevas y maacutes eficientes formas de comunicacioacuten sino de la transformacioacutende las maneras como trabajamos como socializamos como nos educamos ycomo accedemos a servicios baacutesicos (por ejemplo a la salud)
Auacuten predomina la percepcioacuten de que la sociedad de la informacioacuten tiene quever principalmente con celulares computadoras e Internet es decir con lainfraestructura Sin embargo nuestra investigacioacuten ha encontrado evidenciaalentadora sobre la preocupacioacuten por colocar cada vez con mayor frecuenciaen el espacio puacuteblico la importancia de la aplicacioacuten de las TIC en laeducacioacuten la salud la produccioacuten y poner en el debate esas nuevas formasque tenemos de trabajar comunicarnos y relacionarnos
Ante esta realidad es importante que la sociedad en su conjunto se engarce en elproceso de hacer poliacutetica puacuteblica y de que se entienda coacutemo mejorar ese procesode engarce En los uacuteltimos 10 antildeos las ONG se han concentrado en el escalamientode sus acciones a traveacutes del cabildeo y la influencia buscando persuadir a diferentesgrupos de actores individuos Estados corporaciones organismos internacionalespara que alteren sus poliacuteticas y comportamientos en relacioacuten con los temas deld e s a r r o l l o1 En estos antildeos las ONG han ayudado a cambiar el lenguaje del debateen temas tales como la reduccioacuten de la deuda externa han promovido el monitoreode los acuerdos mundiales como la certificacioacuten de bosques o el trabajo infantil hancontribuido a la adopcioacuten de tratados como el de Ottawa para la erradicacioacuten de lasminas terrestres entre otros asuntos2
Los sectores que maacutes han avanzado en estas acciones son el sectormedioambiental aquellos quienes promueven los derechos de la infancia yquienes luchan por los derechos de las mujeres Es justamente con estos dosuacuteltimos temas que el cabildeo y el trabajo de influencia llegaron a AmeacutericaLatina y se insertaron en las agendas de las ONG
Es tambieacuten a partir de estos sectores donde se comienza a utilizar las TIC paraincidir en poliacuteticas puacuteblicas pues aparece como el mejor medio para lograr lacalidad oportunidad y transparencia de las poliacuteticas puacuteblicas El uso de las TICcontribuye en la elaboracioacuten de las propuestas y a que numerosas personaspuedan participar en el proceso de la incidencia generando debates ampliosen sectores generalmente excluidos de los espacios tradicionales departicipacioacuten Para ello es importante tambieacuten incidir en las poliacuteticas puacuteblicasque permitan a las TIC ser verdaderos instrumentos de desarrollo
Es un error comuacuten definir objetivos muy generales de incidencia como lopodriacutea ser el de incidir hacia poliacuteticas puacuteblicas TIC que fomenten el desarrollo
7
1 BOND Guidance Notes Series 3 The What and the Why of Advocay London 19992 Edwards Michael NGO legitimacy- voice or vote En Global Future Fourth Quarter 2002 pp 3
La incidencia es un proceso de largo plazo que se inicia con la definicioacutenconcreta de lo que se quiere cambiar y de ello depende muchas veces el eacutexitoo fracaso del proceso
Luego de ello es necesario analizar la situacioacuten para identificar los mejoresmecanismos y oportunidades para impulsar este cambio Ligado a lo anterior estaacutela identificacioacuten de actores clave tanto para saber a quieacutenes se debe influir comopara detectar a los potenciales aliados Con todo lo anterior se inicia la elaboracioacutende mensajes para cada puacuteblico objetivo y la eleccioacuten de las estrategias de influenciamaacutes adecuadas a cada caso particular Ello lleva a la necesidad de planificardetalladamente cada paso y ya en la ejecucioacuten monitorear el progreso parareplantear las acciones cuando sea necesario Este proceso de monitoreo yevaluacioacuten continuo permite ir ajustando la estrategia de influencia hasta lograr losobjetivos deseados3
Este es el proceso que han venido siguiendo numerosas ONG en la regioacuten y queha enfrentado tambieacuten numerosas limitantes Acontinuacioacuten resumimos algunos delos problemas afrontados por estas instituciones para hacer incidencia en A m eacute r i c aLatina y que nuestra investigacioacuten ha identificado
bull Existe un bajo nivel de institucionalizacioacuten de canales de acceso al sistemapoliacutetico y de praacutecticas reconocidas como vaacutelidas - tanto por el Estado como porla sociedad civil- para llevar adelante procesos de incidencia4
bull La incidencia es una especializacioacuten y si bien cotidianamente varias ONG realizanacciones de incidencia en el sistema poliacutetico eacutestas no siempre responden a unaaccioacuten deliberada y a una estrategia planificada para su ejercicio5 Laespecializacioacuten implica en muchos casos el dejar de lado las acciones de base
bull Hay oportunidades de incidencia y participacioacuten que no responden a unaestructura ni a un sistema que lo permite sino maacutes bien a circunstancias muycoyunturales difiacuteciles de prever6 -ya comentamos el bajo nivel deinstitucionalizacioacuten del acceso al sistema poliacutetico
bull Existe un problema de representatividad de las ONG que les impide en muchoscasos ser aceptados como interlocutores vaacutelidos por parte del Estado y otrossujetos de incidencia7
bull Los recursos se reciben para ejecutar proyectos y no para promover procesos locual limita mucho la capacidad real de las ONG para liderar procesos deincidencia que como hemos visto antes son de largo plazo8
bull El desarrollo de la capacidad de incidencia de las ONG se ha circunscrito a lostemas propuestos por las ONG del Norte y se ha dado de forma muyinstrumentalizada es decir sin desarrollar verdaderas capacidades para unaincidencia en otras esferas9
bull No existe una agenda comuacuten de incidencia en temas de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten entre los distintos actores de la sociedad civil1 0
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
8
3 Manual para la planificacioacuten de iniciativas de incidencia Save the Children Londres Save the Children 20004 Incidencia en Poliacuteticas Puacuteblicas y Construccioacuten de Ciudadaniacutea Ineacutes Gonzales Bombal
httpwwwicdorguymercosurinformesencuentrogonzalez7html 5 Gonzales Bombal op cit 6 Durante las entrevistas se han citado a las muchas ldquotiacuteas Ofeliasrdquo que con el advenimiento de nuevos regiacutemenes han aparecido en Brasil
Ecuador Peruacute y Chile Por ldquoTiacutea Ofeliardquo nos referimos a la analogiacutea con el personaje de la publicacioacuten del IDRC Raiacuteces Maacutegicas e ITDG comoresultado de Encuentro Latinoamericano ldquoApropiacioacuten de Tecnologiacuteas de la Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten en Ameacuterica Latinardquohttpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsofeliahtm
7 Edwards Michael 2002 op cit8 El rol de interfase de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Ramoacuten Vargas Ponencia presentada en el Seminario Regional sobre las
Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil y el desarrollo de una cultura democraacutetica9 Ramoacuten Vargas op cit10 Save the Children 2001 op cit
Esta uacuteltima conclusioacuten saca a la luz la peculiaridad sobre la que trata lapresente investigacioacuten Nos interesa ver de queacute forma podemos incidir en laspoliacuteticas puacuteblicas destinadas a la sociedad de la informacioacuten y no a laspoliacuteticas puacuteblicas en general Hay todaviacutea mucha penumbra en los teacuterminosteacutecnicos que delimitan el espacio de la sociedad de la informacioacuten y esedesconocimiento hace perder oportunidades e intimida a las diversas OSC dehacer propuestas maacutes concretas y de presionar para lograr sus objetivosplanteados
Se ha avanzado en la construccioacuten de una visioacuten social de la Internet perotodaviacutea falta aterrizar dicha visioacuten en propuestas concretas de incidencia aescala regional y nacional11
Sin duda la necesidad de traducir esta visioacuten social en acciones concretas deincidencia ha quedado descubierta a la luz de la participacioacuten de las OSC enlos eventos preparatorios de la Cumbre Mundial de la Sociedad de laInformacioacuten12 a donde llegamos fragmentadas y sin posiciones comunes comoregioacuten La construccioacuten de esta agenda comuacuten de incidencia es un procesoque recieacuten se inicia y como se ha manifestado ya en los foros electroacutenicospertinentes es un proceso que no terminaraacute con la Cumbre Mundial
Ha quedado en evidencia tambieacuten que las posibilidades de incidir van maacutes allaacutede la Internet y que la visioacuten social compartida de esta tecnologiacutea debeextenderse a otras tecnologiacuteas de la informacioacuten y comunicacioacuten Por ellocreemos que se deben abrir espacios de participacioacuten a las OSC que vienentrabajando desde hace deacutecadas en los temas de comunicacioacuten popular radiocomunitaria etc afectados sin duda por la avalancha de regulaciones quevienen de la mano con la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Miguel Saravia
9
11 Visioacuten construida a partir del trabajo de la Comunidad Virtual Miacutestica Para mayor informacioacuten revisar httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 Buscando el marco maacutesapropiadohellip
Se ha encontrado que el marco utilizado en diversas esferas de los gobiernosde la regioacuten para el disentildeo de las estrategias relacionadas con la sociedad dela informacioacuten estaacute muy sesgado Se insiste en la instalacioacuten de maacutesinfraestructura de acceso programas de apoyo al sector de tecnologiacuteas de lainformacioacuten y comunicacioacuten desarrollo de aplicaciones de gobiernoelectroacutenico etc dejando de lado el desarrollo de capacidades la mejora delos mecanismos de comunicacioacuten profundizar la descentralizacioacuten poliacutetica yeconoacutemica incrementar la participacioacuten ciudadana en los procesos de toma dedecisiones propiciar la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica entre otros aspectos
Una revisioacuten exhaustiva de los diferentes modelos existentes y de losplanteamientos compartidos en diferentes foros internacionales como lareunioacuten de Baacutevaro preparatoria para la Cumbre de la Sociedad de laInformacioacuten la reunioacuten de alto nivel de la Unioacuten Europea - Ameacuterica Latina y eltaller TIC Andino muestra que el marco existente como comuacuten denominadores insuficiente para ayudar a entender coacutemo las tecnologiacuteas de la informacioacuteny la comunicacioacuten pueden hacer un cambio significativo a favor de la luchacontra la pobreza en nuestros paiacuteses
El modelo de la CEPAL
La Comisioacuten Econoacutemica para AmeacutericaL a t i n a1 3 ( C E PAL) ha desarrollado unmodelo tridimensional que buscaexplicar la sociedad de la informacioacuten yque estaacute compuesto por estratoshorizontales sectores verticales y aacutereastransversales Los estratos horizontalesincluyen la infraestructura y los serviciosgeneacutericos (TV radio Internet) Ladimensioacuten vertical presenta maacutes bien alos sectores en los cuales se traduce lasociedad de la informacioacuten
Lo interesante es que el cubo antildeade una tercera dimensioacuten que termina porhacer maacutes complicado el esquema pero que permite introducir temastransversales como lo son los marcos regulatorios el financiamiento y elcapital humano
Empero creemos que el esquema de sociedad de la informacioacuten planteadopor la CEPAL nos deja la sensacioacuten de estar limitaacutendola soacutelo al temaelectroacutenico y que el camino hacia la sociedad de la informacioacuten soacutelo se miradesde la ldquoe-ldquo que se ha incluiacutedo en los sectores Por tanto una preguntalegiacutetima seriacutea iquestCoacutemo concibe el modelo la participacioacuten de los ciudadanos en
11
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
el proceso y iquestcoacutemo enfrentar las inequidades evidentes que se presentaraacutenal iniciar el proceso de desarrollo de la sociedad de la informacioacuten
En este esquema se concibe a los estratos horizontales como muy funcionalesa los sectores de esta manera el desarrollo de capacidades estaacute confinado alconjunto de habilidades teacutecnicas necesarias para lidiar con las tecnologiacuteasinsertas en la elaboracioacuten de la informacioacuten Pero en este esquema se olvidalas habilidades sociales para poder entender los procesos y adecuarlos a loscontextos nacionales
El modelo del Instituto de Investigaciones Gino Germani
Este diagrama presenta unaserie de anillos conceacutentricoscuyo centro y punto de llegadaes la denominada sociedad dela informacioacuten
Este modelo que fuedesarrollado en el seno delInstituto de InvestigacionesGino Germani de la Universidadde Buenos A i r e s1 4 plantea unalectura de afuera hacia dentroesto es comenzando por laspoliacuteticas el acceso el desarrolloel uso la apropiacioacuten yfinalmente la produccioacuten Leyeacutendolo asiacute es faacutecil entender la loacutegica del procesoque es complementado por ejes transversales que cortan todos los ciacuterculosEstos son la inclusioacuten social el geacutenero y el respeto por las minoriacuteas
Esta manera de presentar el proceso de construccioacuten de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten contempla una progresioacuten Conforme se va avanzando en cadatema se puede pasar al otro nivel de desarrollo hasta llegar al centro del ciacuterculo
Este modelo de los ciacuterculos da por sentado el consenso de que la construccioacutende la sociedad de la informacioacuten debe ser un proceso amplio con laparticipacioacuten de todos los sectores incluida la sociedad civil
Sin embargo lo que no logra incluir el modelo son las fuerzas que puedendinamizar los procesos o que los pueden entrampar y es por alliacute dondedebemos ver a los ciudadanos y sus organizaciones Se hace evidente laausencia de elementos que muestren que la fuerza movilizadora de lasociedad de la informacioacuten es y debe ser la sociedad misma sus necesidadessus prioridades
Esto puede que no sea responsabilidad exclusiva de los marcos teoacutericos sinode la capacidad de la propia sociedad civil para reclamar su espacio comofuerza motora de la sociedad
Or ganizaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas na cionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
12
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
El modelo Valenti15
El Dr Valenti de la Organizacioacuten de Estados Iberoamericanos para la Educacioacutenla Ciencia y la Cultura ha desarrollado un modelo que critica la forma claacutesica deentender a la sociedad de la informacioacuten a partir de los modelos existentes (y alos que nos hemos referido anteriormente)
Para el Dr Valenti a lamirada claacutesica debemosantildeadirle dos componentescentrales la participacioacutenciudadana y la innovacioacutentecnoloacutegica Y no es que elcubo o los ciacuterculos no losreconocieran Sin embargoel modelo del Dr Va l e n t icoloca a la participacioacutensocial en el centro de laaccioacuten como un componentefundamental del proceso
En el cubo la persona la sociedad no existe En el modelo de los ciacuterculos lapresencia social es taacutecita falta explicitarla En cambio en el modelo de Valenti elmotor es el colectivo ldquoSin participacioacuten no hay interaccioacuten y sin interaccioacuten no hayinnovacioacuten Y si no hay participacioacuten y capacidad para la innovacioacuten no habraacuteSociedad de la Informacioacuten posiblerdquo1 6
El Dr Valenti hace eacutenfasis en la necesidad de fomentar una nuevainstitucionalidad que se sostenga en sistemas locales de desarrollo y en lapromocioacuten de mecanismos de innovacioacuten local
En Ameacuterica Latina se estaacute consolidando una nueva institucionalidad local comolo son los comiteacutes locales de desarrollo en diversas comunidades de A m eacute r i c aLatina las mesas de lucha contra la pobreza las mesas de concertacioacuten y losespacios de diaacutelogo puacuteblico-privados1 7 Es interesante coacutemo estos espaciospueden configurar la nueva institucionalidad de la que habla el Dr Valenti
Si bien el Dr Valenti menciona el tema de la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica no lodesarrolla a plenitud quedando un vaciacuteo necesario de llenar
El modelo de la Innovacioacuten Transformadora
En el libro ldquoDesarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacutenrdquo seexplica el concepto de innovacioacuten transformadora Esta nocioacuten recoge el tema dela innovacioacuten y lo presenta como un elemento catalizador del proceso detransformacioacuten social1 8
Miguel Saravia
13
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organizado por el Departamento para el Desarrollo
Internacional del Reino Unido el Banco Mundial y otras organizaciones (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (en imprenta)
La sociedad de la informacioacuten es algo a lo que hay que llegar y para llegar sedebe transformar nuestra sociedad transformar las relaciones socialesexistentes para tener maacutes equidad y donde exista igualdad de oportunidadesEste modelo rescata esta dimensioacuten revolucionaria que tiene la aplicacioacuten delas TIC a los procesos de desarrollo
Creemos que para entender el camino de Ameacuterica Latina hacia la sociedad dela informacioacuten es necesario buscar la convergencia de todos estos enfoquesmas que elegir uno solo El modelo de Valenti proporciona una muy buenadefinicioacuten de los actores el esquema de los ciacuterculos nos permite comprenderclaramente el proceso colectivo el cubo de la CEPAL nos detalla la interaccioacutende los diversos sectores una vez que hemos avanzado dentro de la sociedadde la informacioacuten Este uacuteltimo enfoque destaca la necesidad de introducirprocesos de innovacioacuten que ayuden en la transformacioacuten de la sociedad
Organizaciones de la socie dad civil y program as na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
14
4 Alianzas puacuteblico-privadas paraconstruir lasociedad de lainformacioacuten
La construccioacuten de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten es una tarea que involucra a todoslos sectores de la sociedad esto es a losciudadanos -en sus diferentes facetas comoestudiantes empresarios investigadoresactivistas sociales- y a los gobernantes Loprivado debe hacer alusioacuten a todo lo que no serelaciona con el gobierno englobando aldenominado tercer sector y al sectorempresarial
Util izaremos el teacutermino alianzas puacuteblico-privadas para referirnos a la asociacioacuten entregobiernos el sector empresarial y lasorganizaciones de la sociedad civil Estasalianzas podemos definirlas como ldquolos acuerdos en los que el sector puacuteblicoy el privado suscriben convenios para ejecutar proyectos conjuntos deinvestigacioacuten y desarrollo uniendo recursos y capacidadesrdquo19
Otra definicioacuten auacuten maacutes precisa indica que se debe entender como alianzasldquolas iniciativas conjuntas del sector puacuteblico junto con el sector privado el sectorcon fines de lucro y el sector sin fines de lucro tambieacuten entendidos como lossectores gubernamental empresarial y ciacutevico Dentro de estas alianzas cadauno de los miembros contribuye con recursos (financieros humanos teacutecnicose intangibles tales como informacioacuten o apoyo poliacutetico) y participa en elproceso de la toma de decisionesrdquo20
Las alianzas puacuteblico-privadas ya han demostrado que aportan nuevosrecursos a las iniciativas para la reduccioacuten de la pobreza Podemos decir quelas alianzas aumentan la productividad de los recursos disponibles Ademaacuteslas alianzas implican un nuacutemero considerable de formas de generacioacuten debienes en las aacutereas de desarrollo humano y de capital social lo cual crea lascondiciones para lograr efectos multiplicadores
Como dicen Fiszbein y Lowden ldquoLas alianzas tienen el potencial de generarpatrones de cambio que se refuerzan a siacute mismos y asiacute traen consigo el meacuteritoinmenso de que el todo puede ser mucho maacutes que la suma de las partesrdquo
Una pregunta central es coacutemo se puede institucionalizar la participacioacuten del sectorprivado y la sociedad civil en los programas nacionales para la sociedad de lainformacioacuten 2 1 y de queacute manera se puede generar un entorno de ganancia mutua
15
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz y Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag 27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
Desde las organizaciones de la sociedad civil este tema no se ha visto conmucha claridad y menos auacuten desde el sector puacuteblico A inicios de la deacutecadade los 90 las principales ONG del Norte se dieron cuenta que el impacto de sutrabajo era temporal y de escala muy pequentildea Por ello desarrollaron una seriede estrategias para aumentar su impacto y la escala de lo que haciacutean
Dentro de las acciones que se promovieron encontramos
bull Cooperacioacuten con el gobiernobull Expansioacuten de sus operacionesbull Promocioacuten del contacto directo con organizaciones de basebull Influencia y cabildeo local nacional e internacional
En el sector de las TIC un anaacutelisis de actores de incidencia nos muestra unadesemejanza entre la capacidad de la sociedad civil para incidir en el Gobiernoy el Estado y la capacidad que tiene el sector empresarial de hacerlo Elsiguiente cuadro preparado por Juliana Martiacutenez22 nos ayuda a entendermejor lo que estamos afirmando
El graacutefico tambieacuten nos muestra la inexistencia de una relacioacuten entre las OSCy el sector empresarial Comuacutenmente no se ve a las empresas y a sus liacutederescomo sujetos de incidencia Empero es evidente que si incidimos en estas yaprovechamos su capacidad de incidencia indirectamente tambieacuten estaremosincidiendo en el gobierno
No se trata de abandonar la posibilidad de incidir directamente en las poliacuteticaspuacuteblicas sino mas bien de ampliar el espectro y aprender de la experiencia de otrosactores Nuevamente Juliana Martiacutenez nos resume el modelo ideal en un graacutefico
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
16
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Propuestas parafortalecer la relacioacutensociedad civil-Gobierno
Como hemos visto a lo largo de este texto no es faacutecil hacer una siacutentesis quecombine todos los modelos Soacutelo un trabajo articulado de todos los actorespermitiraacute avanzar en la construccioacuten de la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Existen espacios para la participacioacuten activa de los actores en los procesos dehacer poliacutetica puacuteblica y por lo tanto de incidir directamente en los tomadoresde decisiones23 En la Presentacioacuten indicamos que una preocupacioacuten principalde la presente investigacioacuten era encontrar mecanismos de articulacioacuten de lasociedad civil para poder comprender el proceso de hacer poliacuteticas puacuteblicasrelacionadas con las TIC y de articular propuestas teacutecnica financiera ypoliacuteticamente viables
Sobre la base de las entrevistas visitas de campo y revisioacuten de documentosse han extraiacutedo 4 propuestas para contribuir a fortalecer la relacioacuten entre lasOSC y los Gobiernos Estas son
bull Ciacuterculos de aprendizaje permanentes espacios para el diaacutelogobull Monitor de proyectos TIC transparencia y rendicioacuten de cuentasbull Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo rescate de nuestra capacidad emprendedorabull SI programa de formacioacuten regional ldquoThink tankrdquo regional
Ciacuterculos de aprendizaje permanente
Los ciacuterculos de aprendizaje fueron utilizados por el proyecto Conectaacutendonosal Futuro de El Salvador como un mecanismo para promover la participacioacutende diversos actores en el disentildeo de la agenda puacuteblica relacionada con las TICy el desarrollo24
En los ciacuterculos de aprendizaje se realizaron diagnoacutesticos y propuestas deproyectos en seis temas importantes para el desarrollo de ese paiacutes como sonla educacioacuten la migracioacuten el desarrollo local el desarrollo rural la micro-pequentildea-mediana empresa y las grandes organizaciones puacuteblicas y privadas
En el caso peruano contamos con la experiencia de la Comisioacuten Multisectorialpara el Desarrollo de la Sociedad de la Informacioacuten-CODESI que inicialmenteteniacutea como objetivo principal elaborar un plan para el desarrollo de la sociedadde la informacioacuten en el Peruacute La CODESI se organizoacute en mesas de trabajosobre 6 temas infraestructura capacidades humanas aplicaciones socialesproduccioacuten y servicios gobierno electroacutenico y Cumbre Mundial de la Sociedadde la Informacioacuten25
17
23 Revisar El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedadde la Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Revisar el caso de El Salvador en el informe antes indicado25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
Luego de cumplida la tarea eacutestos colectivos se desarticularon cuando debieronpermanecer como espacios permanentes de anaacutelisis y reflexioacuten sobre la temaacuteticaque los unioacute Es claro que lo que estos espacios resuelvan no tendraacute el caraacutectervinculante ni el estatus consultivo originario pero seraacute fuente de empoderamientoy espacio de cabildeo para futuras acciones poliacuteticas
Promover estos espacios colectivos de reflexioacuten sobre aspectos puntuales detoda la estrategia de TIC para el desarrollo surge como una propuesta naturalque puede ser asumida raacutepidamente por los actores involucrados Creemosque estos espacios tienen que ser plurales garantizando la presencia de todoslos sectores Es muy importante tambieacuten que estos espacios socialicen sudebate y lo compartan con la sociedad en su conjunto a partir de foros puacuteblicoso medios electroacutenicos
Monitor de proyectos TIC
Los estudios de caso nos muestran que muchas organizaciones puacuteblicas yprivadas estaacuten repitiendo el mismo trabajo entre los diferentes paiacuteses de laregioacuten y aun al interior de los propios paiacuteses
El Instituto para la Conectividad de las Ameacutericas ha lanzado una iniciativa paracontar con una base de datos regional de proyectos TIC que permita mapearlas diferentes iniciativas presentes y pasadas26 Global Knowledge Partnershipestaacute tambieacuten por su lado elaborando un mapa de las organizaciones quetrabajan en el tema de las TIC para el desarrollo en toda la regioacuten27
La propuesta es complementaria a las iniciativas antes indicadas pero requierede un pacto entre los diversos actores trabajando en TIC para el desarrollo enAmeacuterica Latina activistas TIC donantes organismos multilaterales gobiernos
El Monitor que proponemos podriacutea nutrirse de los directorios antes indicadospero ademaacutes podriacutea compilar los documentos de proyectos las evaluacioneslas lecciones aprendidas y lo maacutes importante permitir la redaccioacuten decomentarios sobre los proyectos por parte de observadores e incluso de losmismos beneficiarios
La propuesta no contempla aceptar un marco comuacuten de evaluacioacuten que hariacuteaa nuestro entender inviable al Monitor Se plantea una propuesta maacutesconcreta orientada a apoyar la transparencia de las acciones en TIC para eldesarrollo y la rendicioacuten de cuentas desde todos los sectores
En el documento ldquoCarta a la Tiacutea Ofelia 7 propuestas para un desarrollo humanosostenible con el uso de las Tecnologiacuteas de la Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacutenrdquo se deciacutea
ldquoCuando se habla de evaluacioacuten muchas personas se sienten amenazadas como si se tratara siempre de unaauditoriacutea para ver a quieacuten echarle la culpa de los problemas Aunque las auditoriacuteas son importantes para larendicioacuten de cuentas y la verificacioacuten de procesos la evaluacioacuten de resultados es otra cosa completamente distintaCon el monitoreo se trata de aprender de los errores y de los aciertos mejorar sobre la marcha compartir lo quese aprende en el recorrido Con la evaluacioacuten se busca aprender sobre los resultados de las actividades yprogramas y comprender queacute se hizo para mejorar o empeorar la situacioacuten ojalaacute desde varias perspectivasdiferentes Pretender que de la auditoriacutea resulte el aprendizaje es un graviacutesimo errorrdquo28
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
18
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Esta es una propuesta que plantea un puente entre monitoreo y auditoriacutea con laparticipacioacuten de muacuteltiples actores e impactando directamente en la rendicioacuten decuentas y la transparencia de las acciones orientadas a promover el desarrollo
En la regioacuten contamos ya con las herramientas teacutecnicas para implementar unsistema de bajo costo pero lo maacutes complicado puede ser lo metodoloacutegico ElMonitor deberiacutea ser un sitio colaborativo donde los proyectos son alimentadospor los propios actores de los proyectos y donde se requiere de un acuerdoprevio entre agencias donantes para que acepten que los documentos de susproyectos se reporten en el Monitor y lo incluyan asiacute en el contrato
Mantener actualizada la informacioacuten del Monitor es tambieacuten una tarea difiacutecil sise piensa de manera tradicional El Monitor deberiacutea trabajar para que lo queestaacute reportado alliacute tenga visibilidad (a traveacutes de boletines electroacutenicosdistribucioacuten de resentildeas en otras redes y listas promocioacuten de foros etc) Laidea es generar la sensacioacuten de que conviene maacutes estar alliacute con la informacioacutenactualizada que quedarse fuera
Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo
El Dr Valenti comentaba la necesidad de recrear la institucionalidad local demanera que se convierta en protagonista de su desarrollo Hablaba de lossistemas locales de desarrollo como la base de esta nueva institucionalidad 29
En los paiacuteses latinoamericanos hay varias iniciativas de concertacioacuten para eldesarrollo local donde convergen los diferentes niveles del Estado y lasociedad civil incluidos los empresarios30 Sin embargo existen tambieacutencomplejos sistemas de innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica31 que generalmente no estaacuten endiaacutelogo con estos espacios de planificacioacuten del desarrollo local
La propuesta busca vincular estos espacios de concertacioacuten del desarrollo conel rescate de la capacidad emprendedora de los ciudadanos latinoamericanosenfocada hacia los procesos que conduzcan a la regioacuten hacia la sociedad dela informacioacuten
Encontramos que la mejor manera de llevar la propuesta a la praacutectica esgenerando mecanismos locales de promocioacuten de la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica yque la investigacioacuten no ha encontrado muy difundidos en la regioacuten Elantecedente concreto maacutes directo que se logroacute identificar es el proyectoldquoFortaleciendo la Participacioacuten Ciudadana para el Desarrollo EconoacutemicoLocalrdquo y que justamente buscaba rescatar la capacidad de innovacioacuten depobladores rurales en el Peruacute
El referido proyecto fue financiado por el DFID y la Comunidad Europea yejecutado por ITDG Ameacuterica Latina en seis municipalidades (en eldepartamento de San Martiacuten provincias de Picota San Martiacuten y Moyobambay en el departamento de Cajamarca provincias de Bambamarca y San Ignacioy en el distrito de Asuncioacuten)32
Miguel Saravia
19
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
Aplicar este concepto a la sociedad de la informacioacuten puede traer resultadossorprendentes y orientar mejor la intervencioacuten del Estado y de los propiosproyectos de desarrollo Pero la clave es el caraacutecter local del proceso y suengarzamiento con las instancias locales de concertacioacuten del desarrollo
Hemos identificado experiencias previas de concursos nacionales deinnovacioacuten pero cuya estructura y mecanismos de participacioacuten no favorecenel rescate de las iniciativas locales que por su dimensioacuten son maacutes faacuteciles deser apropiadas o adaptadas por otras comunidades
SI programa de formacioacuten regional
A partir de los estudios de caso y del mapeo inicialmente realizado en el marcode la presente investigacioacuten encontramos que una de las principalesdebilidades en la sociedad civil y en algunos sectores del Estado es que noexiste suficiente capacidad para disentildear y promover poliacuteticas puacuteblicas eficacesen la promocioacuten del uso de las TIC desde una perspectiva de desarrollo
Por ello se hace necesario disentildear un programa de formacioacuten regional queprepare regularmente a liacutederes de los diferentes sectores para que seancapaces de participar activamente en el proceso de disentildear y acompantildear lasestrategias hacia la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Es importante que este programa de formacioacuten se desarrolle sobre la base dela realidad de la regioacuten y que sea un espacio acadeacutemico de reflexioacuten sobre losmodelos las mejores praacutecticas y los impactos que estamos logrando ennuestro camino
Esta propuesta busca preparar a mediano y largo plazo a funcionarios puacuteblicosy a liacutederes de la sociedad civil con el suficiente conocimiento de la temaacuteticalocal y regional y con capacidad de aportar constructivamente en laformulacioacuten de nuevas poliacuteticas
La propuesta incluye involucrar a diferentes universidades institutosacadeacutemicos y de investigacioacuten en el programa de formacioacuten de manera quepermita cubrir un aacuterea geograacutefica maacutes grande y llegar a la mayor cantidad deliacutederes y funcionarios locales posibles
El espacio de formacioacuten puede permitir tambieacuten que exista un mayor diaacutelogoentre los actores si es que se garantiza la participacioacuten activa de funcionariospuacuteblicos y dirigentes de organizaciones de la sociedad civil
Es importante resaltar tambieacuten que esta propuesta no se refiere a un programade formacioacuten claacutesico sino mas bien a una serie de cursos talleres seminariose investigaciones que se pueden dar de manera descentralizada y que con eladecuado rigor acadeacutemico permitiraacute formar un ldquothink tankrdquo regional capaz dedialogar y de aportar en el desarrollo de estrategias locales y regionales
Organizaciones de la socie dad civil y program as na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
20
1 Forew or d
This text was written within the framework of the Project entitled ldquoCivilianOrganisations in the face of National ICT Projects 4 case studiesrdquo which ITDGcarried out with the support of the International Development Research CentreThis project was implemented between December 2002 and June 2004 andincluded visits to 4 Latin American countries (Peru Uruguay Venezuela and ElSalvador) as well as interviews with government representatives and civilianorganizations The results of each visit form part of the CD ldquoCivil Society andthe development of the information society in Latin Americardquo that will beaccessible at ITDG and IDRC websites
Is it possible to refer to the information society without the participation of thecivil society Is the lsquoinformation societyrsquo a matter of cables devices andbackbones How can the lsquoinformation societyrsquo be understood within a povertycontext What approaches can be used to explain the role to be played by thecivil society with other stakeholders of the information society Who are thoseother approaches Which is the most adequate model for understanding therelationships of key stakeholders in the structure of the Information SocietyThose questions guided this research
One of the main concerns during this research work has been to find out howthese stakeholders have become organised and in particular how the civilsociety has become organised in order to understand the process involved inmaking ICT a public policy and incorporating their proposals
This publication begins with an explanation of the public advocacy process andhow this reached the agenda of civil society organisations There follows ananalysis of the adequate framework for understanding the information societydevelopment process A summary of 4 different models is included which formpart of the typology of the relationship between the civil society and the Statein structuring the information society
The publication continues with an introduction of key stakeholders their rolein the construction of ICT policies and the kind of relationships that must beestablished to ensure that their influence is effective Finally a number ofrecommendations are made to strengthen the relationship between the civilsociety and the State
With this publication we hope to help disseminate key concepts for theimprovement of civil society organizations in the face of the institutionalprocesses taking place in Latin American countries within the framework of theldquoinformation societyrdquo structure
Miguel SaraviaDecember 2004
23
24
2 I ntr oduct i on
Information and communication technologies (ICT) are dramaticallytransforming our environment Today at least one if not several informationtechnologies are having an impact on our daily activities The abundance ofbusiness management information and technology is greatly influencing thedaily lives of Latin American men women boys and girls
Although the predominant perception of the ldquoinformation societyrdquo mainlyinvolves mobile telephones computers and the Internet ie infrastructure ourresearch work revealed some encouraging evidence of an ever-increasingconcern for the application of ICT in education health production workingmethods and how we communicate with and relate to each other
Consequently it is essential for society as a whole to become involved in theprocess of setting public policies and understanding how such a process canbe improved During the last 10 years NGOs have been concentrating onincreasing their lobbying and advocacy actions in an attempt to influencedifferent groups of agents ie individuals States corporations internationalorganisations etc so that they change their policies and attitudes regardingdevelopment issues1 During that time NGOs have helped change the terms ofdiscussions on matters concerning the reduction of the foreign debt promotedthe monitoring of global agreements such as the certification of forests or childlabour contributed to the adoption of agreements like the Ottawa treaty for theeradication of land mines and so on2
The most developed sectors as far as these actions are concerned are theenvironment childrenrsquos rights and the fight for womenrsquos rights It was preciselybecause of these two issues that the lobbying and advocacy work reachedLatin America and was included in the agendas of NGOs
These were also the sectors in which ICT began to be used to influence publicpolicies being the best means of obtaining timely and transparent publicpolicies of a good quality The use of ICT helps to that numerous peoplecontribute in the advocacy and in the elaboration of the policy proposalsallowing massive debates including sectors traditionally excluded from thespaces of public participation It is important also to affect ICT policies thatenable them to be real instruments of development
It is a common mistake to define very general objective for an advocacystrategy like promote an ICT for development policies Advocacy is a long-termprocess that begins with a concrete definition of the changes to be made andin many cases it is the reason for success or failure of the process
25
1 BOND Guidance Notes Series 3 The What and the Why of Advocacy London 1999 2 Edwards Michael NGO legitimacy- voice or vote In Global Future Fourth Quarter 2002 p 3
Or gan izaciones d e la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes mat chmaking
Then the situation must be analysed in order to identify the best mechanismsand opportunities to promote such changes Coupled with the above is theidentification of key agents so as to determine who needs to be influenced andwho potential partners should be Subsequently messages for each targetpopulation must be prepared and the most adequate advocacy strategies foreach particular case selected This leads to the need for detailed planning ofeach step and then during the implementation the progress must bemonitored so that new actions can be planned when necessary With acontinuous monitoring and evaluation process the advocacy strategy can beadjusted to ensure that the desired objectives are achieved3
This is the process that numerous NGOs in the region have been followinghowever they have also faced numerous restrictions Below is a summary ofsome of the problems encountered by NGOs in their efforts to exerciseinfluence in Latin America which were identified during our research work
bull Institution-building is at a low level access to the political system is limitedand few practices are acknowledged either by the State or by the civilsociety for influence processes to prosper4
bull Advocacy is a special field and although several NGOs include influenceactions in their political system these do not always respond to a deliberateaction and a planned advocacy strategy5 In many cases specializationimplies casting aside grassroots actions
bull There are participation and influence opportunities that neither respond to astructure nor a system that permits them but rather to local circumstancesthat are very difficult to anticipate6
bull NGOs have a representation problem that often prevents them from beingaccepted by the State and others as valid spokesmen7 Take the case of theanti-globalisation movement for example
bull Funds are received to implement projects not to promote processes Thisgreatly restricts the actual capacity of NGOs to lead long-term advocacyprocesses8
bull The development of the advocacy capacity of NGOs has been limited totopics proposed by NGOs from the northern hemisphere which are veryorchestrated and fail to develop the ability to exercise influence in otherspheres9
bull There is no common advocacy agenda among the different agents of the civilsociety as far as matters related to the ldquoinformation societyrdquo are concerned10
26
3 Advocacy inintiatives planning manual Save the Children London Save the Children 20004 Influence on Public Policies and Citizenship Ineacutes Gonzales Bombal httpwwwicdorguymercosurinformesencuentrogonzalez7html 5 Gonzales Bombal op cit 6 By ldquoAunt Opheliardquo we refer to the likeness with the character of the IDRC publication Raiacuteces Maacutegicas and ITDG as a result of the Latin
American Meeting on ldquoAppropriation of Information and Communication Technologies in Latin Americahttpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsofeliahtm
7 Edwards Michael 2002 op cit8 El rol de interfase de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Ramoacuten Vargas Conference papers presented in Seminario Regional sobre
las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil y el desarrollo de una cultura democraacutetica 9 Ramoacuten Vargas op cit10 Save the Children 2001 op cit
The last conclusion sheds light on the characteristics of this research workOur main concern is to find a way to influence public policies for the informationsociety and not public policies in general The technical terms that define theinformation society are still unclear therefore opportunities are lost and variouscivilian organisations are afraid of making concrete proposals and applyingpressure to obtain what they want
Progress has been made with creating a social impression of the Internet butthat vision is yet to materialise in concrete regional and national advocacyproposals11
Undoubtedly the need to transform this collective social impression intoconcrete advocacy actions has been proved in the light of the participation ofcivilian organisations in the preparatory events of the World Summit of theInformation Society12 in which our participation was disjointed and without acommon regional standpoint The construction of this common advocacyagenda is a process that is just beginning and as already mentioned inrelevant electronic forums the process will not end with the World Summit
Miguel Saravia
27
11 Vision based on the work of the Comunidad Virtual Mistica For further information see httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 L ook i ng f or t he m o s tappr opr i at e f ramewor k hellip
It was found that the framework used by different government circles in theregion to design strategies related to the Information Society are very biasedtowards the ICT sector Emphasis is placed on setting up access facilitiesprogrammes to support the information and communication technologiessector the development of electronic government applications etc
A thorough review of different existing models and the proposals shared indifferent international forums such as the preparatory meeting in Bavaro forthe Information Society Summit the high level meeting between the EuropeanUnion-Latin America and the Andean ICT workshop reveals that as a commondenominator the existing framework is insufficient for understanding howinformation and communication technologies can make a significant change inthe struggle against poverty in our countries
The CEPAL Model
The Economic Commission for LatinA m e r i c a1 3 has designed a three-dimensional model with horizontallevels vertical sectors and transversalareas The horizontal dimension showsthe ldquosegmentsrdquo that representinfrastructure and generic services (TVradio Internet) The vertical dimensionshows the sectors that become thelsquoinformation societyrsquo
It is interesting to note that the cube adds a third dimension which makes thescheme more complicated but allows the introduction of transversal issuessuch as regulatory frameworks financing and human capital
The information society scheme proposed by CEPAL gives the impression thatthe society is limited to electronics and that the way to become an informationsociety is only viewed from the e-included in the sectors A legitimate questionwould be how does the model envisage the participation of civilians in theprocess Or how to face the evident qualms about starting the informationsociety development process
29
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
The horizontal segments are conceived as very functional for the sectorswhereas capacity-building is considered to be the technical capacity requiredto deal with the technologies involved in the construction of information ratherthan the social skills required to understand the processes and adapt them tonational contexts
The Gino Germani Research Institute Model
This scheme shows a series ofconcentric rings with the targetpoint in the middle referred toas the lsquoinformation societyrsquo
It was designed in the GinoGermani Research Institute ofthe University of Buenos Aires14
and proposes working inwardsfrom the outside starting withpolicies access developmentuse appropriation and finallyproduction Reading it that wayit is easy to understand thelogic of the processcomplemented by the transversal pivotal points that cut through the circleswhich refer to social inclusion gender and minorities
This way of depicting the information society structuring process considers theimportance of a gradual progress creating the conditions for the society toachieve another level of development in a joint collective manner
This model takes it for granted that there is a consensus that the informationsociety structuring process should be wide-ranging with the participation of allsectors including the civil society However our research shows that thedominating view is that in which priority is placed on the e-strategies
Another aspect the model fails to include concerns the forces that could eitherboost or stunt the processes that is where we should see the civil society andcivilian organisations In other words there is an evident lack of elements toshow the driving force behind the information society which should be thesociety itself with its needs and priorities
It may not be a specific responsibility of the theoretical frameworks but of thecapacity of the civil society itself to claim its role as the driving force behind thesociety
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
30
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
The Valenti Model15
D r Valenti of theOrganisation of Spanish-American States forEducation Science andCulture designed a modelsubsequent to existingmodels having beencriticised because of theirclassic way ofunderstanding thelsquoinformation societyrsquo As faras Dr Valenti is concernedtwo main componentsneeded to be added to the classic standpoint citizen participation andtechnological innovation Not that this was not acknowledged in the cube orthe circles since the explanation did in fact mention the importance ofconsidering all agents However Dr Valentirsquos text places social participationat the centre of the action as a fundamental component of the process
In the cube people are non-existent or invisible In the circles model socialparticipation is tacit but not explicit In Valentirsquos model the collective aspect isthe driving force ldquoWithout participation there is no interaction and withoutinteraction there is no innovation If there is no participation or a capacity forinnovation it would be impossible to structure an Information Societyrdquo16 DrValenti places emphasis on the need to promote institution-building upheld bylocal development systems and the promotion of local innovation mechanisms
In Latin America new local institutions are being consolidated such as thelocal development committees in various Latin American communities the anti-poverty boards the concerted action boards and the public-private discussionpanels17 It is interesting to note how these panels can make up the newinstitutions that Dr Valenti refers to
Nevertheless none of the models described above have includedtechnological innovation
A Transforming Innovation Model
In a book entitled ldquoRural Development and ICT A Rural Development Approachwith the Integration of Information and Communication Technologiesrdquo theconcept referred to as a transforming innovation is explained This conceptintroduces innovation as an element that will set in motion the socialtransformation process18
Miguel Saravia
31
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organised by the Department for International
Development of the United Kingdom the World Bank and other organisations (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (at the printerrsquos)
The lsquoinformation societyrsquo is something that needs to be attained and in orderto do so our society needs to change existing social relations must be fairerwith equal opportunities for everyone This model recovers the revolutionarydimension of the application of ICT to development processes
In order to understand how Latin America is progressing towards theInformation Society it is necessary to look for consistency in all theseapproaches rather than choosing just one Whereas the Valenti model providesa good definition of the different agents the circles scheme provides a clearunderstanding of the collective process and the CEPAL cube details theinteraction of the various sectors once we have move forward within theinformation society This last approach emphasizes the need to introduceinnovation processes to help transform the society
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
32
4 Pub l i c- pr i vate part ner sh i ps f o rstr uct uri ng t h e i n f ormat i on soc i et y
Structuring the information society is a taskthat involves all sectors of society ie citizensin their different facets - studentsentrepreneurs researchers social activists -and governors Anything not related to thegovernment should be considered privateencompassing the so-called third sector andthe business sector
We shall use the term ldquopublic-privatepartnershipsrdquo to refer to alliances betweengovernments the business sector and civilianorganisations These alliances can be definedas ldquothe arrangements whereby the public andprivate sectors sign agreements to implementjoint research and development projects joining their resources and skillsrdquo19
Another more accurate definition of what should be understood by the termpartnerships ldquojoint initiatives of the public and private sectors the profit-makingsector and the not-for-profit sector which are also understood to begovernmental business and civilian sectors Within these partnerships eachpartner contributes with resources (financial human technical and intangiblesuch as information or political support) and participates in the decision-makingprocessrdquo20
It was already been proved that public-private partnerships provide newresources to poverty-reduction initiatives It is safe to say that thesepartnerships increase the productivity of available resources Furthermorepartnerships imply a number of ways of generating assets in terms of humandevelopment and social capital creating the right conditions for achievingmultiplying effects
As Fiszbein and Lowden said ldquoPartnerships have the potential to createchanging patterns that strengthen themselves the great advantage being thatthe whole can be so much better than the sum of its partsrdquo
The main question is how to institutionalise the participation of the privatesector and the civil society in national programmes for the information society21
and how to create this mutually gainful environment
33
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz amp Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
This matter has not been clearly defined from the point of view of civilianorganizations much less from the viewpoint of the public sector In the earlynineties the main NGOs from the northern hemisphere realized that the impactof their work was temporary and of a very small scale Hence the developmentof a number of strategies to increase both the impact and the scope of their work
The following were among the actions promoted
bull Cooperation with the Governmentbull Expansion of their operationsbull Promotion of a direct contact between grassroots organisationsbull Local national and international advocacy and lobbying
In the ICT sector an analysis of advocacy agents reveals an unfair relationshipbetween the civil societyrsquos and the business sectorrsquos capacity to influence theGovernment and the State The following table prepared by Juliana Martinez22provides a better understanding of this statement
The graph also shows the lack of a relationship between civilian organisationsand the business sector Companies and their leaders are not usuallyconsidered influence subjects although it seems evident that if we influencethem and take advantage of their capacity to influence then indirectly we areinfluencing the Government as well
The idea is not to abandon the possibility of exercising a direct influence onpublic policies but to broaden the spectrum and learn from the experience ofother agents Again Juliana Martinez summarises the ideal model in a graph
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
34
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
2 A manera d e i n t r o d u c c i oacute n
Las Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten (TIC) estaacuten transformandonuestro entorno de manera dramaacutetica y hoy no hay ninguna esfera de nuestravida cotidiana que no se vea impactado por ellas No soacutelo se trata del accesoa nuevas y maacutes eficientes formas de comunicacioacuten sino de la transformacioacutende las maneras como trabajamos como socializamos como nos educamos ycomo accedemos a servicios baacutesicos (por ejemplo a la salud)
Auacuten predomina la percepcioacuten de que la sociedad de la informacioacuten tiene quever principalmente con celulares computadoras e Internet es decir con lainfraestructura Sin embargo nuestra investigacioacuten ha encontrado evidenciaalentadora sobre la preocupacioacuten por colocar cada vez con mayor frecuenciaen el espacio puacuteblico la importancia de la aplicacioacuten de las TIC en laeducacioacuten la salud la produccioacuten y poner en el debate esas nuevas formasque tenemos de trabajar comunicarnos y relacionarnos
Ante esta realidad es importante que la sociedad en su conjunto se engarce en elproceso de hacer poliacutetica puacuteblica y de que se entienda coacutemo mejorar ese procesode engarce En los uacuteltimos 10 antildeos las ONG se han concentrado en el escalamientode sus acciones a traveacutes del cabildeo y la influencia buscando persuadir a diferentesgrupos de actores individuos Estados corporaciones organismos internacionalespara que alteren sus poliacuteticas y comportamientos en relacioacuten con los temas deld e s a r r o l l o1 En estos antildeos las ONG han ayudado a cambiar el lenguaje del debateen temas tales como la reduccioacuten de la deuda externa han promovido el monitoreode los acuerdos mundiales como la certificacioacuten de bosques o el trabajo infantil hancontribuido a la adopcioacuten de tratados como el de Ottawa para la erradicacioacuten de lasminas terrestres entre otros asuntos2
Los sectores que maacutes han avanzado en estas acciones son el sectormedioambiental aquellos quienes promueven los derechos de la infancia yquienes luchan por los derechos de las mujeres Es justamente con estos dosuacuteltimos temas que el cabildeo y el trabajo de influencia llegaron a AmeacutericaLatina y se insertaron en las agendas de las ONG
Es tambieacuten a partir de estos sectores donde se comienza a utilizar las TIC paraincidir en poliacuteticas puacuteblicas pues aparece como el mejor medio para lograr lacalidad oportunidad y transparencia de las poliacuteticas puacuteblicas El uso de las TICcontribuye en la elaboracioacuten de las propuestas y a que numerosas personaspuedan participar en el proceso de la incidencia generando debates ampliosen sectores generalmente excluidos de los espacios tradicionales departicipacioacuten Para ello es importante tambieacuten incidir en las poliacuteticas puacuteblicasque permitan a las TIC ser verdaderos instrumentos de desarrollo
Es un error comuacuten definir objetivos muy generales de incidencia como lopodriacutea ser el de incidir hacia poliacuteticas puacuteblicas TIC que fomenten el desarrollo
7
1 BOND Guidance Notes Series 3 The What and the Why of Advocay London 19992 Edwards Michael NGO legitimacy- voice or vote En Global Future Fourth Quarter 2002 pp 3
La incidencia es un proceso de largo plazo que se inicia con la definicioacutenconcreta de lo que se quiere cambiar y de ello depende muchas veces el eacutexitoo fracaso del proceso
Luego de ello es necesario analizar la situacioacuten para identificar los mejoresmecanismos y oportunidades para impulsar este cambio Ligado a lo anterior estaacutela identificacioacuten de actores clave tanto para saber a quieacutenes se debe influir comopara detectar a los potenciales aliados Con todo lo anterior se inicia la elaboracioacutende mensajes para cada puacuteblico objetivo y la eleccioacuten de las estrategias de influenciamaacutes adecuadas a cada caso particular Ello lleva a la necesidad de planificardetalladamente cada paso y ya en la ejecucioacuten monitorear el progreso parareplantear las acciones cuando sea necesario Este proceso de monitoreo yevaluacioacuten continuo permite ir ajustando la estrategia de influencia hasta lograr losobjetivos deseados3
Este es el proceso que han venido siguiendo numerosas ONG en la regioacuten y queha enfrentado tambieacuten numerosas limitantes Acontinuacioacuten resumimos algunos delos problemas afrontados por estas instituciones para hacer incidencia en A m eacute r i c aLatina y que nuestra investigacioacuten ha identificado
bull Existe un bajo nivel de institucionalizacioacuten de canales de acceso al sistemapoliacutetico y de praacutecticas reconocidas como vaacutelidas - tanto por el Estado como porla sociedad civil- para llevar adelante procesos de incidencia4
bull La incidencia es una especializacioacuten y si bien cotidianamente varias ONG realizanacciones de incidencia en el sistema poliacutetico eacutestas no siempre responden a unaaccioacuten deliberada y a una estrategia planificada para su ejercicio5 Laespecializacioacuten implica en muchos casos el dejar de lado las acciones de base
bull Hay oportunidades de incidencia y participacioacuten que no responden a unaestructura ni a un sistema que lo permite sino maacutes bien a circunstancias muycoyunturales difiacuteciles de prever6 -ya comentamos el bajo nivel deinstitucionalizacioacuten del acceso al sistema poliacutetico
bull Existe un problema de representatividad de las ONG que les impide en muchoscasos ser aceptados como interlocutores vaacutelidos por parte del Estado y otrossujetos de incidencia7
bull Los recursos se reciben para ejecutar proyectos y no para promover procesos locual limita mucho la capacidad real de las ONG para liderar procesos deincidencia que como hemos visto antes son de largo plazo8
bull El desarrollo de la capacidad de incidencia de las ONG se ha circunscrito a lostemas propuestos por las ONG del Norte y se ha dado de forma muyinstrumentalizada es decir sin desarrollar verdaderas capacidades para unaincidencia en otras esferas9
bull No existe una agenda comuacuten de incidencia en temas de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten entre los distintos actores de la sociedad civil1 0
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
8
3 Manual para la planificacioacuten de iniciativas de incidencia Save the Children Londres Save the Children 20004 Incidencia en Poliacuteticas Puacuteblicas y Construccioacuten de Ciudadaniacutea Ineacutes Gonzales Bombal
httpwwwicdorguymercosurinformesencuentrogonzalez7html 5 Gonzales Bombal op cit 6 Durante las entrevistas se han citado a las muchas ldquotiacuteas Ofeliasrdquo que con el advenimiento de nuevos regiacutemenes han aparecido en Brasil
Ecuador Peruacute y Chile Por ldquoTiacutea Ofeliardquo nos referimos a la analogiacutea con el personaje de la publicacioacuten del IDRC Raiacuteces Maacutegicas e ITDG comoresultado de Encuentro Latinoamericano ldquoApropiacioacuten de Tecnologiacuteas de la Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten en Ameacuterica Latinardquohttpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsofeliahtm
7 Edwards Michael 2002 op cit8 El rol de interfase de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Ramoacuten Vargas Ponencia presentada en el Seminario Regional sobre las
Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil y el desarrollo de una cultura democraacutetica9 Ramoacuten Vargas op cit10 Save the Children 2001 op cit
Esta uacuteltima conclusioacuten saca a la luz la peculiaridad sobre la que trata lapresente investigacioacuten Nos interesa ver de queacute forma podemos incidir en laspoliacuteticas puacuteblicas destinadas a la sociedad de la informacioacuten y no a laspoliacuteticas puacuteblicas en general Hay todaviacutea mucha penumbra en los teacuterminosteacutecnicos que delimitan el espacio de la sociedad de la informacioacuten y esedesconocimiento hace perder oportunidades e intimida a las diversas OSC dehacer propuestas maacutes concretas y de presionar para lograr sus objetivosplanteados
Se ha avanzado en la construccioacuten de una visioacuten social de la Internet perotodaviacutea falta aterrizar dicha visioacuten en propuestas concretas de incidencia aescala regional y nacional11
Sin duda la necesidad de traducir esta visioacuten social en acciones concretas deincidencia ha quedado descubierta a la luz de la participacioacuten de las OSC enlos eventos preparatorios de la Cumbre Mundial de la Sociedad de laInformacioacuten12 a donde llegamos fragmentadas y sin posiciones comunes comoregioacuten La construccioacuten de esta agenda comuacuten de incidencia es un procesoque recieacuten se inicia y como se ha manifestado ya en los foros electroacutenicospertinentes es un proceso que no terminaraacute con la Cumbre Mundial
Ha quedado en evidencia tambieacuten que las posibilidades de incidir van maacutes allaacutede la Internet y que la visioacuten social compartida de esta tecnologiacutea debeextenderse a otras tecnologiacuteas de la informacioacuten y comunicacioacuten Por ellocreemos que se deben abrir espacios de participacioacuten a las OSC que vienentrabajando desde hace deacutecadas en los temas de comunicacioacuten popular radiocomunitaria etc afectados sin duda por la avalancha de regulaciones quevienen de la mano con la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Miguel Saravia
9
11 Visioacuten construida a partir del trabajo de la Comunidad Virtual Miacutestica Para mayor informacioacuten revisar httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 Buscando el marco maacutesapropiadohellip
Se ha encontrado que el marco utilizado en diversas esferas de los gobiernosde la regioacuten para el disentildeo de las estrategias relacionadas con la sociedad dela informacioacuten estaacute muy sesgado Se insiste en la instalacioacuten de maacutesinfraestructura de acceso programas de apoyo al sector de tecnologiacuteas de lainformacioacuten y comunicacioacuten desarrollo de aplicaciones de gobiernoelectroacutenico etc dejando de lado el desarrollo de capacidades la mejora delos mecanismos de comunicacioacuten profundizar la descentralizacioacuten poliacutetica yeconoacutemica incrementar la participacioacuten ciudadana en los procesos de toma dedecisiones propiciar la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica entre otros aspectos
Una revisioacuten exhaustiva de los diferentes modelos existentes y de losplanteamientos compartidos en diferentes foros internacionales como lareunioacuten de Baacutevaro preparatoria para la Cumbre de la Sociedad de laInformacioacuten la reunioacuten de alto nivel de la Unioacuten Europea - Ameacuterica Latina y eltaller TIC Andino muestra que el marco existente como comuacuten denominadores insuficiente para ayudar a entender coacutemo las tecnologiacuteas de la informacioacuteny la comunicacioacuten pueden hacer un cambio significativo a favor de la luchacontra la pobreza en nuestros paiacuteses
El modelo de la CEPAL
La Comisioacuten Econoacutemica para AmeacutericaL a t i n a1 3 ( C E PAL) ha desarrollado unmodelo tridimensional que buscaexplicar la sociedad de la informacioacuten yque estaacute compuesto por estratoshorizontales sectores verticales y aacutereastransversales Los estratos horizontalesincluyen la infraestructura y los serviciosgeneacutericos (TV radio Internet) Ladimensioacuten vertical presenta maacutes bien alos sectores en los cuales se traduce lasociedad de la informacioacuten
Lo interesante es que el cubo antildeade una tercera dimensioacuten que termina porhacer maacutes complicado el esquema pero que permite introducir temastransversales como lo son los marcos regulatorios el financiamiento y elcapital humano
Empero creemos que el esquema de sociedad de la informacioacuten planteadopor la CEPAL nos deja la sensacioacuten de estar limitaacutendola soacutelo al temaelectroacutenico y que el camino hacia la sociedad de la informacioacuten soacutelo se miradesde la ldquoe-ldquo que se ha incluiacutedo en los sectores Por tanto una preguntalegiacutetima seriacutea iquestCoacutemo concibe el modelo la participacioacuten de los ciudadanos en
11
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
el proceso y iquestcoacutemo enfrentar las inequidades evidentes que se presentaraacutenal iniciar el proceso de desarrollo de la sociedad de la informacioacuten
En este esquema se concibe a los estratos horizontales como muy funcionalesa los sectores de esta manera el desarrollo de capacidades estaacute confinado alconjunto de habilidades teacutecnicas necesarias para lidiar con las tecnologiacuteasinsertas en la elaboracioacuten de la informacioacuten Pero en este esquema se olvidalas habilidades sociales para poder entender los procesos y adecuarlos a loscontextos nacionales
El modelo del Instituto de Investigaciones Gino Germani
Este diagrama presenta unaserie de anillos conceacutentricoscuyo centro y punto de llegadaes la denominada sociedad dela informacioacuten
Este modelo que fuedesarrollado en el seno delInstituto de InvestigacionesGino Germani de la Universidadde Buenos A i r e s1 4 plantea unalectura de afuera hacia dentroesto es comenzando por laspoliacuteticas el acceso el desarrolloel uso la apropiacioacuten yfinalmente la produccioacuten Leyeacutendolo asiacute es faacutecil entender la loacutegica del procesoque es complementado por ejes transversales que cortan todos los ciacuterculosEstos son la inclusioacuten social el geacutenero y el respeto por las minoriacuteas
Esta manera de presentar el proceso de construccioacuten de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten contempla una progresioacuten Conforme se va avanzando en cadatema se puede pasar al otro nivel de desarrollo hasta llegar al centro del ciacuterculo
Este modelo de los ciacuterculos da por sentado el consenso de que la construccioacutende la sociedad de la informacioacuten debe ser un proceso amplio con laparticipacioacuten de todos los sectores incluida la sociedad civil
Sin embargo lo que no logra incluir el modelo son las fuerzas que puedendinamizar los procesos o que los pueden entrampar y es por alliacute dondedebemos ver a los ciudadanos y sus organizaciones Se hace evidente laausencia de elementos que muestren que la fuerza movilizadora de lasociedad de la informacioacuten es y debe ser la sociedad misma sus necesidadessus prioridades
Esto puede que no sea responsabilidad exclusiva de los marcos teoacutericos sinode la capacidad de la propia sociedad civil para reclamar su espacio comofuerza motora de la sociedad
Or ganizaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas na cionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
12
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
El modelo Valenti15
El Dr Valenti de la Organizacioacuten de Estados Iberoamericanos para la Educacioacutenla Ciencia y la Cultura ha desarrollado un modelo que critica la forma claacutesica deentender a la sociedad de la informacioacuten a partir de los modelos existentes (y alos que nos hemos referido anteriormente)
Para el Dr Valenti a lamirada claacutesica debemosantildeadirle dos componentescentrales la participacioacutenciudadana y la innovacioacutentecnoloacutegica Y no es que elcubo o los ciacuterculos no losreconocieran Sin embargoel modelo del Dr Va l e n t icoloca a la participacioacutensocial en el centro de laaccioacuten como un componentefundamental del proceso
En el cubo la persona la sociedad no existe En el modelo de los ciacuterculos lapresencia social es taacutecita falta explicitarla En cambio en el modelo de Valenti elmotor es el colectivo ldquoSin participacioacuten no hay interaccioacuten y sin interaccioacuten no hayinnovacioacuten Y si no hay participacioacuten y capacidad para la innovacioacuten no habraacuteSociedad de la Informacioacuten posiblerdquo1 6
El Dr Valenti hace eacutenfasis en la necesidad de fomentar una nuevainstitucionalidad que se sostenga en sistemas locales de desarrollo y en lapromocioacuten de mecanismos de innovacioacuten local
En Ameacuterica Latina se estaacute consolidando una nueva institucionalidad local comolo son los comiteacutes locales de desarrollo en diversas comunidades de A m eacute r i c aLatina las mesas de lucha contra la pobreza las mesas de concertacioacuten y losespacios de diaacutelogo puacuteblico-privados1 7 Es interesante coacutemo estos espaciospueden configurar la nueva institucionalidad de la que habla el Dr Valenti
Si bien el Dr Valenti menciona el tema de la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica no lodesarrolla a plenitud quedando un vaciacuteo necesario de llenar
El modelo de la Innovacioacuten Transformadora
En el libro ldquoDesarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacutenrdquo seexplica el concepto de innovacioacuten transformadora Esta nocioacuten recoge el tema dela innovacioacuten y lo presenta como un elemento catalizador del proceso detransformacioacuten social1 8
Miguel Saravia
13
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organizado por el Departamento para el Desarrollo
Internacional del Reino Unido el Banco Mundial y otras organizaciones (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (en imprenta)
La sociedad de la informacioacuten es algo a lo que hay que llegar y para llegar sedebe transformar nuestra sociedad transformar las relaciones socialesexistentes para tener maacutes equidad y donde exista igualdad de oportunidadesEste modelo rescata esta dimensioacuten revolucionaria que tiene la aplicacioacuten delas TIC a los procesos de desarrollo
Creemos que para entender el camino de Ameacuterica Latina hacia la sociedad dela informacioacuten es necesario buscar la convergencia de todos estos enfoquesmas que elegir uno solo El modelo de Valenti proporciona una muy buenadefinicioacuten de los actores el esquema de los ciacuterculos nos permite comprenderclaramente el proceso colectivo el cubo de la CEPAL nos detalla la interaccioacutende los diversos sectores una vez que hemos avanzado dentro de la sociedadde la informacioacuten Este uacuteltimo enfoque destaca la necesidad de introducirprocesos de innovacioacuten que ayuden en la transformacioacuten de la sociedad
Organizaciones de la socie dad civil y program as na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
14
4 Alianzas puacuteblico-privadas paraconstruir lasociedad de lainformacioacuten
La construccioacuten de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten es una tarea que involucra a todoslos sectores de la sociedad esto es a losciudadanos -en sus diferentes facetas comoestudiantes empresarios investigadoresactivistas sociales- y a los gobernantes Loprivado debe hacer alusioacuten a todo lo que no serelaciona con el gobierno englobando aldenominado tercer sector y al sectorempresarial
Util izaremos el teacutermino alianzas puacuteblico-privadas para referirnos a la asociacioacuten entregobiernos el sector empresarial y lasorganizaciones de la sociedad civil Estasalianzas podemos definirlas como ldquolos acuerdos en los que el sector puacuteblicoy el privado suscriben convenios para ejecutar proyectos conjuntos deinvestigacioacuten y desarrollo uniendo recursos y capacidadesrdquo19
Otra definicioacuten auacuten maacutes precisa indica que se debe entender como alianzasldquolas iniciativas conjuntas del sector puacuteblico junto con el sector privado el sectorcon fines de lucro y el sector sin fines de lucro tambieacuten entendidos como lossectores gubernamental empresarial y ciacutevico Dentro de estas alianzas cadauno de los miembros contribuye con recursos (financieros humanos teacutecnicose intangibles tales como informacioacuten o apoyo poliacutetico) y participa en elproceso de la toma de decisionesrdquo20
Las alianzas puacuteblico-privadas ya han demostrado que aportan nuevosrecursos a las iniciativas para la reduccioacuten de la pobreza Podemos decir quelas alianzas aumentan la productividad de los recursos disponibles Ademaacuteslas alianzas implican un nuacutemero considerable de formas de generacioacuten debienes en las aacutereas de desarrollo humano y de capital social lo cual crea lascondiciones para lograr efectos multiplicadores
Como dicen Fiszbein y Lowden ldquoLas alianzas tienen el potencial de generarpatrones de cambio que se refuerzan a siacute mismos y asiacute traen consigo el meacuteritoinmenso de que el todo puede ser mucho maacutes que la suma de las partesrdquo
Una pregunta central es coacutemo se puede institucionalizar la participacioacuten del sectorprivado y la sociedad civil en los programas nacionales para la sociedad de lainformacioacuten 2 1 y de queacute manera se puede generar un entorno de ganancia mutua
15
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz y Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag 27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
Desde las organizaciones de la sociedad civil este tema no se ha visto conmucha claridad y menos auacuten desde el sector puacuteblico A inicios de la deacutecadade los 90 las principales ONG del Norte se dieron cuenta que el impacto de sutrabajo era temporal y de escala muy pequentildea Por ello desarrollaron una seriede estrategias para aumentar su impacto y la escala de lo que haciacutean
Dentro de las acciones que se promovieron encontramos
bull Cooperacioacuten con el gobiernobull Expansioacuten de sus operacionesbull Promocioacuten del contacto directo con organizaciones de basebull Influencia y cabildeo local nacional e internacional
En el sector de las TIC un anaacutelisis de actores de incidencia nos muestra unadesemejanza entre la capacidad de la sociedad civil para incidir en el Gobiernoy el Estado y la capacidad que tiene el sector empresarial de hacerlo Elsiguiente cuadro preparado por Juliana Martiacutenez22 nos ayuda a entendermejor lo que estamos afirmando
El graacutefico tambieacuten nos muestra la inexistencia de una relacioacuten entre las OSCy el sector empresarial Comuacutenmente no se ve a las empresas y a sus liacutederescomo sujetos de incidencia Empero es evidente que si incidimos en estas yaprovechamos su capacidad de incidencia indirectamente tambieacuten estaremosincidiendo en el gobierno
No se trata de abandonar la posibilidad de incidir directamente en las poliacuteticaspuacuteblicas sino mas bien de ampliar el espectro y aprender de la experiencia de otrosactores Nuevamente Juliana Martiacutenez nos resume el modelo ideal en un graacutefico
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
16
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Propuestas parafortalecer la relacioacutensociedad civil-Gobierno
Como hemos visto a lo largo de este texto no es faacutecil hacer una siacutentesis quecombine todos los modelos Soacutelo un trabajo articulado de todos los actorespermitiraacute avanzar en la construccioacuten de la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Existen espacios para la participacioacuten activa de los actores en los procesos dehacer poliacutetica puacuteblica y por lo tanto de incidir directamente en los tomadoresde decisiones23 En la Presentacioacuten indicamos que una preocupacioacuten principalde la presente investigacioacuten era encontrar mecanismos de articulacioacuten de lasociedad civil para poder comprender el proceso de hacer poliacuteticas puacuteblicasrelacionadas con las TIC y de articular propuestas teacutecnica financiera ypoliacuteticamente viables
Sobre la base de las entrevistas visitas de campo y revisioacuten de documentosse han extraiacutedo 4 propuestas para contribuir a fortalecer la relacioacuten entre lasOSC y los Gobiernos Estas son
bull Ciacuterculos de aprendizaje permanentes espacios para el diaacutelogobull Monitor de proyectos TIC transparencia y rendicioacuten de cuentasbull Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo rescate de nuestra capacidad emprendedorabull SI programa de formacioacuten regional ldquoThink tankrdquo regional
Ciacuterculos de aprendizaje permanente
Los ciacuterculos de aprendizaje fueron utilizados por el proyecto Conectaacutendonosal Futuro de El Salvador como un mecanismo para promover la participacioacutende diversos actores en el disentildeo de la agenda puacuteblica relacionada con las TICy el desarrollo24
En los ciacuterculos de aprendizaje se realizaron diagnoacutesticos y propuestas deproyectos en seis temas importantes para el desarrollo de ese paiacutes como sonla educacioacuten la migracioacuten el desarrollo local el desarrollo rural la micro-pequentildea-mediana empresa y las grandes organizaciones puacuteblicas y privadas
En el caso peruano contamos con la experiencia de la Comisioacuten Multisectorialpara el Desarrollo de la Sociedad de la Informacioacuten-CODESI que inicialmenteteniacutea como objetivo principal elaborar un plan para el desarrollo de la sociedadde la informacioacuten en el Peruacute La CODESI se organizoacute en mesas de trabajosobre 6 temas infraestructura capacidades humanas aplicaciones socialesproduccioacuten y servicios gobierno electroacutenico y Cumbre Mundial de la Sociedadde la Informacioacuten25
17
23 Revisar El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedadde la Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Revisar el caso de El Salvador en el informe antes indicado25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
Luego de cumplida la tarea eacutestos colectivos se desarticularon cuando debieronpermanecer como espacios permanentes de anaacutelisis y reflexioacuten sobre la temaacuteticaque los unioacute Es claro que lo que estos espacios resuelvan no tendraacute el caraacutectervinculante ni el estatus consultivo originario pero seraacute fuente de empoderamientoy espacio de cabildeo para futuras acciones poliacuteticas
Promover estos espacios colectivos de reflexioacuten sobre aspectos puntuales detoda la estrategia de TIC para el desarrollo surge como una propuesta naturalque puede ser asumida raacutepidamente por los actores involucrados Creemosque estos espacios tienen que ser plurales garantizando la presencia de todoslos sectores Es muy importante tambieacuten que estos espacios socialicen sudebate y lo compartan con la sociedad en su conjunto a partir de foros puacuteblicoso medios electroacutenicos
Monitor de proyectos TIC
Los estudios de caso nos muestran que muchas organizaciones puacuteblicas yprivadas estaacuten repitiendo el mismo trabajo entre los diferentes paiacuteses de laregioacuten y aun al interior de los propios paiacuteses
El Instituto para la Conectividad de las Ameacutericas ha lanzado una iniciativa paracontar con una base de datos regional de proyectos TIC que permita mapearlas diferentes iniciativas presentes y pasadas26 Global Knowledge Partnershipestaacute tambieacuten por su lado elaborando un mapa de las organizaciones quetrabajan en el tema de las TIC para el desarrollo en toda la regioacuten27
La propuesta es complementaria a las iniciativas antes indicadas pero requierede un pacto entre los diversos actores trabajando en TIC para el desarrollo enAmeacuterica Latina activistas TIC donantes organismos multilaterales gobiernos
El Monitor que proponemos podriacutea nutrirse de los directorios antes indicadospero ademaacutes podriacutea compilar los documentos de proyectos las evaluacioneslas lecciones aprendidas y lo maacutes importante permitir la redaccioacuten decomentarios sobre los proyectos por parte de observadores e incluso de losmismos beneficiarios
La propuesta no contempla aceptar un marco comuacuten de evaluacioacuten que hariacuteaa nuestro entender inviable al Monitor Se plantea una propuesta maacutesconcreta orientada a apoyar la transparencia de las acciones en TIC para eldesarrollo y la rendicioacuten de cuentas desde todos los sectores
En el documento ldquoCarta a la Tiacutea Ofelia 7 propuestas para un desarrollo humanosostenible con el uso de las Tecnologiacuteas de la Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacutenrdquo se deciacutea
ldquoCuando se habla de evaluacioacuten muchas personas se sienten amenazadas como si se tratara siempre de unaauditoriacutea para ver a quieacuten echarle la culpa de los problemas Aunque las auditoriacuteas son importantes para larendicioacuten de cuentas y la verificacioacuten de procesos la evaluacioacuten de resultados es otra cosa completamente distintaCon el monitoreo se trata de aprender de los errores y de los aciertos mejorar sobre la marcha compartir lo quese aprende en el recorrido Con la evaluacioacuten se busca aprender sobre los resultados de las actividades yprogramas y comprender queacute se hizo para mejorar o empeorar la situacioacuten ojalaacute desde varias perspectivasdiferentes Pretender que de la auditoriacutea resulte el aprendizaje es un graviacutesimo errorrdquo28
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
18
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Esta es una propuesta que plantea un puente entre monitoreo y auditoriacutea con laparticipacioacuten de muacuteltiples actores e impactando directamente en la rendicioacuten decuentas y la transparencia de las acciones orientadas a promover el desarrollo
En la regioacuten contamos ya con las herramientas teacutecnicas para implementar unsistema de bajo costo pero lo maacutes complicado puede ser lo metodoloacutegico ElMonitor deberiacutea ser un sitio colaborativo donde los proyectos son alimentadospor los propios actores de los proyectos y donde se requiere de un acuerdoprevio entre agencias donantes para que acepten que los documentos de susproyectos se reporten en el Monitor y lo incluyan asiacute en el contrato
Mantener actualizada la informacioacuten del Monitor es tambieacuten una tarea difiacutecil sise piensa de manera tradicional El Monitor deberiacutea trabajar para que lo queestaacute reportado alliacute tenga visibilidad (a traveacutes de boletines electroacutenicosdistribucioacuten de resentildeas en otras redes y listas promocioacuten de foros etc) Laidea es generar la sensacioacuten de que conviene maacutes estar alliacute con la informacioacutenactualizada que quedarse fuera
Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo
El Dr Valenti comentaba la necesidad de recrear la institucionalidad local demanera que se convierta en protagonista de su desarrollo Hablaba de lossistemas locales de desarrollo como la base de esta nueva institucionalidad 29
En los paiacuteses latinoamericanos hay varias iniciativas de concertacioacuten para eldesarrollo local donde convergen los diferentes niveles del Estado y lasociedad civil incluidos los empresarios30 Sin embargo existen tambieacutencomplejos sistemas de innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica31 que generalmente no estaacuten endiaacutelogo con estos espacios de planificacioacuten del desarrollo local
La propuesta busca vincular estos espacios de concertacioacuten del desarrollo conel rescate de la capacidad emprendedora de los ciudadanos latinoamericanosenfocada hacia los procesos que conduzcan a la regioacuten hacia la sociedad dela informacioacuten
Encontramos que la mejor manera de llevar la propuesta a la praacutectica esgenerando mecanismos locales de promocioacuten de la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica yque la investigacioacuten no ha encontrado muy difundidos en la regioacuten Elantecedente concreto maacutes directo que se logroacute identificar es el proyectoldquoFortaleciendo la Participacioacuten Ciudadana para el Desarrollo EconoacutemicoLocalrdquo y que justamente buscaba rescatar la capacidad de innovacioacuten depobladores rurales en el Peruacute
El referido proyecto fue financiado por el DFID y la Comunidad Europea yejecutado por ITDG Ameacuterica Latina en seis municipalidades (en eldepartamento de San Martiacuten provincias de Picota San Martiacuten y Moyobambay en el departamento de Cajamarca provincias de Bambamarca y San Ignacioy en el distrito de Asuncioacuten)32
Miguel Saravia
19
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
Aplicar este concepto a la sociedad de la informacioacuten puede traer resultadossorprendentes y orientar mejor la intervencioacuten del Estado y de los propiosproyectos de desarrollo Pero la clave es el caraacutecter local del proceso y suengarzamiento con las instancias locales de concertacioacuten del desarrollo
Hemos identificado experiencias previas de concursos nacionales deinnovacioacuten pero cuya estructura y mecanismos de participacioacuten no favorecenel rescate de las iniciativas locales que por su dimensioacuten son maacutes faacuteciles deser apropiadas o adaptadas por otras comunidades
SI programa de formacioacuten regional
A partir de los estudios de caso y del mapeo inicialmente realizado en el marcode la presente investigacioacuten encontramos que una de las principalesdebilidades en la sociedad civil y en algunos sectores del Estado es que noexiste suficiente capacidad para disentildear y promover poliacuteticas puacuteblicas eficacesen la promocioacuten del uso de las TIC desde una perspectiva de desarrollo
Por ello se hace necesario disentildear un programa de formacioacuten regional queprepare regularmente a liacutederes de los diferentes sectores para que seancapaces de participar activamente en el proceso de disentildear y acompantildear lasestrategias hacia la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Es importante que este programa de formacioacuten se desarrolle sobre la base dela realidad de la regioacuten y que sea un espacio acadeacutemico de reflexioacuten sobre losmodelos las mejores praacutecticas y los impactos que estamos logrando ennuestro camino
Esta propuesta busca preparar a mediano y largo plazo a funcionarios puacuteblicosy a liacutederes de la sociedad civil con el suficiente conocimiento de la temaacuteticalocal y regional y con capacidad de aportar constructivamente en laformulacioacuten de nuevas poliacuteticas
La propuesta incluye involucrar a diferentes universidades institutosacadeacutemicos y de investigacioacuten en el programa de formacioacuten de manera quepermita cubrir un aacuterea geograacutefica maacutes grande y llegar a la mayor cantidad deliacutederes y funcionarios locales posibles
El espacio de formacioacuten puede permitir tambieacuten que exista un mayor diaacutelogoentre los actores si es que se garantiza la participacioacuten activa de funcionariospuacuteblicos y dirigentes de organizaciones de la sociedad civil
Es importante resaltar tambieacuten que esta propuesta no se refiere a un programade formacioacuten claacutesico sino mas bien a una serie de cursos talleres seminariose investigaciones que se pueden dar de manera descentralizada y que con eladecuado rigor acadeacutemico permitiraacute formar un ldquothink tankrdquo regional capaz dedialogar y de aportar en el desarrollo de estrategias locales y regionales
Organizaciones de la socie dad civil y program as na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
20
1 Forew or d
This text was written within the framework of the Project entitled ldquoCivilianOrganisations in the face of National ICT Projects 4 case studiesrdquo which ITDGcarried out with the support of the International Development Research CentreThis project was implemented between December 2002 and June 2004 andincluded visits to 4 Latin American countries (Peru Uruguay Venezuela and ElSalvador) as well as interviews with government representatives and civilianorganizations The results of each visit form part of the CD ldquoCivil Society andthe development of the information society in Latin Americardquo that will beaccessible at ITDG and IDRC websites
Is it possible to refer to the information society without the participation of thecivil society Is the lsquoinformation societyrsquo a matter of cables devices andbackbones How can the lsquoinformation societyrsquo be understood within a povertycontext What approaches can be used to explain the role to be played by thecivil society with other stakeholders of the information society Who are thoseother approaches Which is the most adequate model for understanding therelationships of key stakeholders in the structure of the Information SocietyThose questions guided this research
One of the main concerns during this research work has been to find out howthese stakeholders have become organised and in particular how the civilsociety has become organised in order to understand the process involved inmaking ICT a public policy and incorporating their proposals
This publication begins with an explanation of the public advocacy process andhow this reached the agenda of civil society organisations There follows ananalysis of the adequate framework for understanding the information societydevelopment process A summary of 4 different models is included which formpart of the typology of the relationship between the civil society and the Statein structuring the information society
The publication continues with an introduction of key stakeholders their rolein the construction of ICT policies and the kind of relationships that must beestablished to ensure that their influence is effective Finally a number ofrecommendations are made to strengthen the relationship between the civilsociety and the State
With this publication we hope to help disseminate key concepts for theimprovement of civil society organizations in the face of the institutionalprocesses taking place in Latin American countries within the framework of theldquoinformation societyrdquo structure
Miguel SaraviaDecember 2004
23
24
2 I ntr oduct i on
Information and communication technologies (ICT) are dramaticallytransforming our environment Today at least one if not several informationtechnologies are having an impact on our daily activities The abundance ofbusiness management information and technology is greatly influencing thedaily lives of Latin American men women boys and girls
Although the predominant perception of the ldquoinformation societyrdquo mainlyinvolves mobile telephones computers and the Internet ie infrastructure ourresearch work revealed some encouraging evidence of an ever-increasingconcern for the application of ICT in education health production workingmethods and how we communicate with and relate to each other
Consequently it is essential for society as a whole to become involved in theprocess of setting public policies and understanding how such a process canbe improved During the last 10 years NGOs have been concentrating onincreasing their lobbying and advocacy actions in an attempt to influencedifferent groups of agents ie individuals States corporations internationalorganisations etc so that they change their policies and attitudes regardingdevelopment issues1 During that time NGOs have helped change the terms ofdiscussions on matters concerning the reduction of the foreign debt promotedthe monitoring of global agreements such as the certification of forests or childlabour contributed to the adoption of agreements like the Ottawa treaty for theeradication of land mines and so on2
The most developed sectors as far as these actions are concerned are theenvironment childrenrsquos rights and the fight for womenrsquos rights It was preciselybecause of these two issues that the lobbying and advocacy work reachedLatin America and was included in the agendas of NGOs
These were also the sectors in which ICT began to be used to influence publicpolicies being the best means of obtaining timely and transparent publicpolicies of a good quality The use of ICT helps to that numerous peoplecontribute in the advocacy and in the elaboration of the policy proposalsallowing massive debates including sectors traditionally excluded from thespaces of public participation It is important also to affect ICT policies thatenable them to be real instruments of development
It is a common mistake to define very general objective for an advocacystrategy like promote an ICT for development policies Advocacy is a long-termprocess that begins with a concrete definition of the changes to be made andin many cases it is the reason for success or failure of the process
25
1 BOND Guidance Notes Series 3 The What and the Why of Advocacy London 1999 2 Edwards Michael NGO legitimacy- voice or vote In Global Future Fourth Quarter 2002 p 3
Or gan izaciones d e la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes mat chmaking
Then the situation must be analysed in order to identify the best mechanismsand opportunities to promote such changes Coupled with the above is theidentification of key agents so as to determine who needs to be influenced andwho potential partners should be Subsequently messages for each targetpopulation must be prepared and the most adequate advocacy strategies foreach particular case selected This leads to the need for detailed planning ofeach step and then during the implementation the progress must bemonitored so that new actions can be planned when necessary With acontinuous monitoring and evaluation process the advocacy strategy can beadjusted to ensure that the desired objectives are achieved3
This is the process that numerous NGOs in the region have been followinghowever they have also faced numerous restrictions Below is a summary ofsome of the problems encountered by NGOs in their efforts to exerciseinfluence in Latin America which were identified during our research work
bull Institution-building is at a low level access to the political system is limitedand few practices are acknowledged either by the State or by the civilsociety for influence processes to prosper4
bull Advocacy is a special field and although several NGOs include influenceactions in their political system these do not always respond to a deliberateaction and a planned advocacy strategy5 In many cases specializationimplies casting aside grassroots actions
bull There are participation and influence opportunities that neither respond to astructure nor a system that permits them but rather to local circumstancesthat are very difficult to anticipate6
bull NGOs have a representation problem that often prevents them from beingaccepted by the State and others as valid spokesmen7 Take the case of theanti-globalisation movement for example
bull Funds are received to implement projects not to promote processes Thisgreatly restricts the actual capacity of NGOs to lead long-term advocacyprocesses8
bull The development of the advocacy capacity of NGOs has been limited totopics proposed by NGOs from the northern hemisphere which are veryorchestrated and fail to develop the ability to exercise influence in otherspheres9
bull There is no common advocacy agenda among the different agents of the civilsociety as far as matters related to the ldquoinformation societyrdquo are concerned10
26
3 Advocacy inintiatives planning manual Save the Children London Save the Children 20004 Influence on Public Policies and Citizenship Ineacutes Gonzales Bombal httpwwwicdorguymercosurinformesencuentrogonzalez7html 5 Gonzales Bombal op cit 6 By ldquoAunt Opheliardquo we refer to the likeness with the character of the IDRC publication Raiacuteces Maacutegicas and ITDG as a result of the Latin
American Meeting on ldquoAppropriation of Information and Communication Technologies in Latin Americahttpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsofeliahtm
7 Edwards Michael 2002 op cit8 El rol de interfase de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Ramoacuten Vargas Conference papers presented in Seminario Regional sobre
las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil y el desarrollo de una cultura democraacutetica 9 Ramoacuten Vargas op cit10 Save the Children 2001 op cit
The last conclusion sheds light on the characteristics of this research workOur main concern is to find a way to influence public policies for the informationsociety and not public policies in general The technical terms that define theinformation society are still unclear therefore opportunities are lost and variouscivilian organisations are afraid of making concrete proposals and applyingpressure to obtain what they want
Progress has been made with creating a social impression of the Internet butthat vision is yet to materialise in concrete regional and national advocacyproposals11
Undoubtedly the need to transform this collective social impression intoconcrete advocacy actions has been proved in the light of the participation ofcivilian organisations in the preparatory events of the World Summit of theInformation Society12 in which our participation was disjointed and without acommon regional standpoint The construction of this common advocacyagenda is a process that is just beginning and as already mentioned inrelevant electronic forums the process will not end with the World Summit
Miguel Saravia
27
11 Vision based on the work of the Comunidad Virtual Mistica For further information see httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 L ook i ng f or t he m o s tappr opr i at e f ramewor k hellip
It was found that the framework used by different government circles in theregion to design strategies related to the Information Society are very biasedtowards the ICT sector Emphasis is placed on setting up access facilitiesprogrammes to support the information and communication technologiessector the development of electronic government applications etc
A thorough review of different existing models and the proposals shared indifferent international forums such as the preparatory meeting in Bavaro forthe Information Society Summit the high level meeting between the EuropeanUnion-Latin America and the Andean ICT workshop reveals that as a commondenominator the existing framework is insufficient for understanding howinformation and communication technologies can make a significant change inthe struggle against poverty in our countries
The CEPAL Model
The Economic Commission for LatinA m e r i c a1 3 has designed a three-dimensional model with horizontallevels vertical sectors and transversalareas The horizontal dimension showsthe ldquosegmentsrdquo that representinfrastructure and generic services (TVradio Internet) The vertical dimensionshows the sectors that become thelsquoinformation societyrsquo
It is interesting to note that the cube adds a third dimension which makes thescheme more complicated but allows the introduction of transversal issuessuch as regulatory frameworks financing and human capital
The information society scheme proposed by CEPAL gives the impression thatthe society is limited to electronics and that the way to become an informationsociety is only viewed from the e-included in the sectors A legitimate questionwould be how does the model envisage the participation of civilians in theprocess Or how to face the evident qualms about starting the informationsociety development process
29
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
The horizontal segments are conceived as very functional for the sectorswhereas capacity-building is considered to be the technical capacity requiredto deal with the technologies involved in the construction of information ratherthan the social skills required to understand the processes and adapt them tonational contexts
The Gino Germani Research Institute Model
This scheme shows a series ofconcentric rings with the targetpoint in the middle referred toas the lsquoinformation societyrsquo
It was designed in the GinoGermani Research Institute ofthe University of Buenos Aires14
and proposes working inwardsfrom the outside starting withpolicies access developmentuse appropriation and finallyproduction Reading it that wayit is easy to understand thelogic of the processcomplemented by the transversal pivotal points that cut through the circleswhich refer to social inclusion gender and minorities
This way of depicting the information society structuring process considers theimportance of a gradual progress creating the conditions for the society toachieve another level of development in a joint collective manner
This model takes it for granted that there is a consensus that the informationsociety structuring process should be wide-ranging with the participation of allsectors including the civil society However our research shows that thedominating view is that in which priority is placed on the e-strategies
Another aspect the model fails to include concerns the forces that could eitherboost or stunt the processes that is where we should see the civil society andcivilian organisations In other words there is an evident lack of elements toshow the driving force behind the information society which should be thesociety itself with its needs and priorities
It may not be a specific responsibility of the theoretical frameworks but of thecapacity of the civil society itself to claim its role as the driving force behind thesociety
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
30
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
The Valenti Model15
D r Valenti of theOrganisation of Spanish-American States forEducation Science andCulture designed a modelsubsequent to existingmodels having beencriticised because of theirclassic way ofunderstanding thelsquoinformation societyrsquo As faras Dr Valenti is concernedtwo main componentsneeded to be added to the classic standpoint citizen participation andtechnological innovation Not that this was not acknowledged in the cube orthe circles since the explanation did in fact mention the importance ofconsidering all agents However Dr Valentirsquos text places social participationat the centre of the action as a fundamental component of the process
In the cube people are non-existent or invisible In the circles model socialparticipation is tacit but not explicit In Valentirsquos model the collective aspect isthe driving force ldquoWithout participation there is no interaction and withoutinteraction there is no innovation If there is no participation or a capacity forinnovation it would be impossible to structure an Information Societyrdquo16 DrValenti places emphasis on the need to promote institution-building upheld bylocal development systems and the promotion of local innovation mechanisms
In Latin America new local institutions are being consolidated such as thelocal development committees in various Latin American communities the anti-poverty boards the concerted action boards and the public-private discussionpanels17 It is interesting to note how these panels can make up the newinstitutions that Dr Valenti refers to
Nevertheless none of the models described above have includedtechnological innovation
A Transforming Innovation Model
In a book entitled ldquoRural Development and ICT A Rural Development Approachwith the Integration of Information and Communication Technologiesrdquo theconcept referred to as a transforming innovation is explained This conceptintroduces innovation as an element that will set in motion the socialtransformation process18
Miguel Saravia
31
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organised by the Department for International
Development of the United Kingdom the World Bank and other organisations (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (at the printerrsquos)
The lsquoinformation societyrsquo is something that needs to be attained and in orderto do so our society needs to change existing social relations must be fairerwith equal opportunities for everyone This model recovers the revolutionarydimension of the application of ICT to development processes
In order to understand how Latin America is progressing towards theInformation Society it is necessary to look for consistency in all theseapproaches rather than choosing just one Whereas the Valenti model providesa good definition of the different agents the circles scheme provides a clearunderstanding of the collective process and the CEPAL cube details theinteraction of the various sectors once we have move forward within theinformation society This last approach emphasizes the need to introduceinnovation processes to help transform the society
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
32
4 Pub l i c- pr i vate part ner sh i ps f o rstr uct uri ng t h e i n f ormat i on soc i et y
Structuring the information society is a taskthat involves all sectors of society ie citizensin their different facets - studentsentrepreneurs researchers social activists -and governors Anything not related to thegovernment should be considered privateencompassing the so-called third sector andthe business sector
We shall use the term ldquopublic-privatepartnershipsrdquo to refer to alliances betweengovernments the business sector and civilianorganisations These alliances can be definedas ldquothe arrangements whereby the public andprivate sectors sign agreements to implementjoint research and development projects joining their resources and skillsrdquo19
Another more accurate definition of what should be understood by the termpartnerships ldquojoint initiatives of the public and private sectors the profit-makingsector and the not-for-profit sector which are also understood to begovernmental business and civilian sectors Within these partnerships eachpartner contributes with resources (financial human technical and intangiblesuch as information or political support) and participates in the decision-makingprocessrdquo20
It was already been proved that public-private partnerships provide newresources to poverty-reduction initiatives It is safe to say that thesepartnerships increase the productivity of available resources Furthermorepartnerships imply a number of ways of generating assets in terms of humandevelopment and social capital creating the right conditions for achievingmultiplying effects
As Fiszbein and Lowden said ldquoPartnerships have the potential to createchanging patterns that strengthen themselves the great advantage being thatthe whole can be so much better than the sum of its partsrdquo
The main question is how to institutionalise the participation of the privatesector and the civil society in national programmes for the information society21
and how to create this mutually gainful environment
33
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz amp Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
This matter has not been clearly defined from the point of view of civilianorganizations much less from the viewpoint of the public sector In the earlynineties the main NGOs from the northern hemisphere realized that the impactof their work was temporary and of a very small scale Hence the developmentof a number of strategies to increase both the impact and the scope of their work
The following were among the actions promoted
bull Cooperation with the Governmentbull Expansion of their operationsbull Promotion of a direct contact between grassroots organisationsbull Local national and international advocacy and lobbying
In the ICT sector an analysis of advocacy agents reveals an unfair relationshipbetween the civil societyrsquos and the business sectorrsquos capacity to influence theGovernment and the State The following table prepared by Juliana Martinez22provides a better understanding of this statement
The graph also shows the lack of a relationship between civilian organisationsand the business sector Companies and their leaders are not usuallyconsidered influence subjects although it seems evident that if we influencethem and take advantage of their capacity to influence then indirectly we areinfluencing the Government as well
The idea is not to abandon the possibility of exercising a direct influence onpublic policies but to broaden the spectrum and learn from the experience ofother agents Again Juliana Martinez summarises the ideal model in a graph
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
34
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
La incidencia es un proceso de largo plazo que se inicia con la definicioacutenconcreta de lo que se quiere cambiar y de ello depende muchas veces el eacutexitoo fracaso del proceso
Luego de ello es necesario analizar la situacioacuten para identificar los mejoresmecanismos y oportunidades para impulsar este cambio Ligado a lo anterior estaacutela identificacioacuten de actores clave tanto para saber a quieacutenes se debe influir comopara detectar a los potenciales aliados Con todo lo anterior se inicia la elaboracioacutende mensajes para cada puacuteblico objetivo y la eleccioacuten de las estrategias de influenciamaacutes adecuadas a cada caso particular Ello lleva a la necesidad de planificardetalladamente cada paso y ya en la ejecucioacuten monitorear el progreso parareplantear las acciones cuando sea necesario Este proceso de monitoreo yevaluacioacuten continuo permite ir ajustando la estrategia de influencia hasta lograr losobjetivos deseados3
Este es el proceso que han venido siguiendo numerosas ONG en la regioacuten y queha enfrentado tambieacuten numerosas limitantes Acontinuacioacuten resumimos algunos delos problemas afrontados por estas instituciones para hacer incidencia en A m eacute r i c aLatina y que nuestra investigacioacuten ha identificado
bull Existe un bajo nivel de institucionalizacioacuten de canales de acceso al sistemapoliacutetico y de praacutecticas reconocidas como vaacutelidas - tanto por el Estado como porla sociedad civil- para llevar adelante procesos de incidencia4
bull La incidencia es una especializacioacuten y si bien cotidianamente varias ONG realizanacciones de incidencia en el sistema poliacutetico eacutestas no siempre responden a unaaccioacuten deliberada y a una estrategia planificada para su ejercicio5 Laespecializacioacuten implica en muchos casos el dejar de lado las acciones de base
bull Hay oportunidades de incidencia y participacioacuten que no responden a unaestructura ni a un sistema que lo permite sino maacutes bien a circunstancias muycoyunturales difiacuteciles de prever6 -ya comentamos el bajo nivel deinstitucionalizacioacuten del acceso al sistema poliacutetico
bull Existe un problema de representatividad de las ONG que les impide en muchoscasos ser aceptados como interlocutores vaacutelidos por parte del Estado y otrossujetos de incidencia7
bull Los recursos se reciben para ejecutar proyectos y no para promover procesos locual limita mucho la capacidad real de las ONG para liderar procesos deincidencia que como hemos visto antes son de largo plazo8
bull El desarrollo de la capacidad de incidencia de las ONG se ha circunscrito a lostemas propuestos por las ONG del Norte y se ha dado de forma muyinstrumentalizada es decir sin desarrollar verdaderas capacidades para unaincidencia en otras esferas9
bull No existe una agenda comuacuten de incidencia en temas de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten entre los distintos actores de la sociedad civil1 0
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
8
3 Manual para la planificacioacuten de iniciativas de incidencia Save the Children Londres Save the Children 20004 Incidencia en Poliacuteticas Puacuteblicas y Construccioacuten de Ciudadaniacutea Ineacutes Gonzales Bombal
httpwwwicdorguymercosurinformesencuentrogonzalez7html 5 Gonzales Bombal op cit 6 Durante las entrevistas se han citado a las muchas ldquotiacuteas Ofeliasrdquo que con el advenimiento de nuevos regiacutemenes han aparecido en Brasil
Ecuador Peruacute y Chile Por ldquoTiacutea Ofeliardquo nos referimos a la analogiacutea con el personaje de la publicacioacuten del IDRC Raiacuteces Maacutegicas e ITDG comoresultado de Encuentro Latinoamericano ldquoApropiacioacuten de Tecnologiacuteas de la Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten en Ameacuterica Latinardquohttpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsofeliahtm
7 Edwards Michael 2002 op cit8 El rol de interfase de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Ramoacuten Vargas Ponencia presentada en el Seminario Regional sobre las
Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil y el desarrollo de una cultura democraacutetica9 Ramoacuten Vargas op cit10 Save the Children 2001 op cit
Esta uacuteltima conclusioacuten saca a la luz la peculiaridad sobre la que trata lapresente investigacioacuten Nos interesa ver de queacute forma podemos incidir en laspoliacuteticas puacuteblicas destinadas a la sociedad de la informacioacuten y no a laspoliacuteticas puacuteblicas en general Hay todaviacutea mucha penumbra en los teacuterminosteacutecnicos que delimitan el espacio de la sociedad de la informacioacuten y esedesconocimiento hace perder oportunidades e intimida a las diversas OSC dehacer propuestas maacutes concretas y de presionar para lograr sus objetivosplanteados
Se ha avanzado en la construccioacuten de una visioacuten social de la Internet perotodaviacutea falta aterrizar dicha visioacuten en propuestas concretas de incidencia aescala regional y nacional11
Sin duda la necesidad de traducir esta visioacuten social en acciones concretas deincidencia ha quedado descubierta a la luz de la participacioacuten de las OSC enlos eventos preparatorios de la Cumbre Mundial de la Sociedad de laInformacioacuten12 a donde llegamos fragmentadas y sin posiciones comunes comoregioacuten La construccioacuten de esta agenda comuacuten de incidencia es un procesoque recieacuten se inicia y como se ha manifestado ya en los foros electroacutenicospertinentes es un proceso que no terminaraacute con la Cumbre Mundial
Ha quedado en evidencia tambieacuten que las posibilidades de incidir van maacutes allaacutede la Internet y que la visioacuten social compartida de esta tecnologiacutea debeextenderse a otras tecnologiacuteas de la informacioacuten y comunicacioacuten Por ellocreemos que se deben abrir espacios de participacioacuten a las OSC que vienentrabajando desde hace deacutecadas en los temas de comunicacioacuten popular radiocomunitaria etc afectados sin duda por la avalancha de regulaciones quevienen de la mano con la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Miguel Saravia
9
11 Visioacuten construida a partir del trabajo de la Comunidad Virtual Miacutestica Para mayor informacioacuten revisar httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 Buscando el marco maacutesapropiadohellip
Se ha encontrado que el marco utilizado en diversas esferas de los gobiernosde la regioacuten para el disentildeo de las estrategias relacionadas con la sociedad dela informacioacuten estaacute muy sesgado Se insiste en la instalacioacuten de maacutesinfraestructura de acceso programas de apoyo al sector de tecnologiacuteas de lainformacioacuten y comunicacioacuten desarrollo de aplicaciones de gobiernoelectroacutenico etc dejando de lado el desarrollo de capacidades la mejora delos mecanismos de comunicacioacuten profundizar la descentralizacioacuten poliacutetica yeconoacutemica incrementar la participacioacuten ciudadana en los procesos de toma dedecisiones propiciar la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica entre otros aspectos
Una revisioacuten exhaustiva de los diferentes modelos existentes y de losplanteamientos compartidos en diferentes foros internacionales como lareunioacuten de Baacutevaro preparatoria para la Cumbre de la Sociedad de laInformacioacuten la reunioacuten de alto nivel de la Unioacuten Europea - Ameacuterica Latina y eltaller TIC Andino muestra que el marco existente como comuacuten denominadores insuficiente para ayudar a entender coacutemo las tecnologiacuteas de la informacioacuteny la comunicacioacuten pueden hacer un cambio significativo a favor de la luchacontra la pobreza en nuestros paiacuteses
El modelo de la CEPAL
La Comisioacuten Econoacutemica para AmeacutericaL a t i n a1 3 ( C E PAL) ha desarrollado unmodelo tridimensional que buscaexplicar la sociedad de la informacioacuten yque estaacute compuesto por estratoshorizontales sectores verticales y aacutereastransversales Los estratos horizontalesincluyen la infraestructura y los serviciosgeneacutericos (TV radio Internet) Ladimensioacuten vertical presenta maacutes bien alos sectores en los cuales se traduce lasociedad de la informacioacuten
Lo interesante es que el cubo antildeade una tercera dimensioacuten que termina porhacer maacutes complicado el esquema pero que permite introducir temastransversales como lo son los marcos regulatorios el financiamiento y elcapital humano
Empero creemos que el esquema de sociedad de la informacioacuten planteadopor la CEPAL nos deja la sensacioacuten de estar limitaacutendola soacutelo al temaelectroacutenico y que el camino hacia la sociedad de la informacioacuten soacutelo se miradesde la ldquoe-ldquo que se ha incluiacutedo en los sectores Por tanto una preguntalegiacutetima seriacutea iquestCoacutemo concibe el modelo la participacioacuten de los ciudadanos en
11
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
el proceso y iquestcoacutemo enfrentar las inequidades evidentes que se presentaraacutenal iniciar el proceso de desarrollo de la sociedad de la informacioacuten
En este esquema se concibe a los estratos horizontales como muy funcionalesa los sectores de esta manera el desarrollo de capacidades estaacute confinado alconjunto de habilidades teacutecnicas necesarias para lidiar con las tecnologiacuteasinsertas en la elaboracioacuten de la informacioacuten Pero en este esquema se olvidalas habilidades sociales para poder entender los procesos y adecuarlos a loscontextos nacionales
El modelo del Instituto de Investigaciones Gino Germani
Este diagrama presenta unaserie de anillos conceacutentricoscuyo centro y punto de llegadaes la denominada sociedad dela informacioacuten
Este modelo que fuedesarrollado en el seno delInstituto de InvestigacionesGino Germani de la Universidadde Buenos A i r e s1 4 plantea unalectura de afuera hacia dentroesto es comenzando por laspoliacuteticas el acceso el desarrolloel uso la apropiacioacuten yfinalmente la produccioacuten Leyeacutendolo asiacute es faacutecil entender la loacutegica del procesoque es complementado por ejes transversales que cortan todos los ciacuterculosEstos son la inclusioacuten social el geacutenero y el respeto por las minoriacuteas
Esta manera de presentar el proceso de construccioacuten de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten contempla una progresioacuten Conforme se va avanzando en cadatema se puede pasar al otro nivel de desarrollo hasta llegar al centro del ciacuterculo
Este modelo de los ciacuterculos da por sentado el consenso de que la construccioacutende la sociedad de la informacioacuten debe ser un proceso amplio con laparticipacioacuten de todos los sectores incluida la sociedad civil
Sin embargo lo que no logra incluir el modelo son las fuerzas que puedendinamizar los procesos o que los pueden entrampar y es por alliacute dondedebemos ver a los ciudadanos y sus organizaciones Se hace evidente laausencia de elementos que muestren que la fuerza movilizadora de lasociedad de la informacioacuten es y debe ser la sociedad misma sus necesidadessus prioridades
Esto puede que no sea responsabilidad exclusiva de los marcos teoacutericos sinode la capacidad de la propia sociedad civil para reclamar su espacio comofuerza motora de la sociedad
Or ganizaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas na cionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
12
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
El modelo Valenti15
El Dr Valenti de la Organizacioacuten de Estados Iberoamericanos para la Educacioacutenla Ciencia y la Cultura ha desarrollado un modelo que critica la forma claacutesica deentender a la sociedad de la informacioacuten a partir de los modelos existentes (y alos que nos hemos referido anteriormente)
Para el Dr Valenti a lamirada claacutesica debemosantildeadirle dos componentescentrales la participacioacutenciudadana y la innovacioacutentecnoloacutegica Y no es que elcubo o los ciacuterculos no losreconocieran Sin embargoel modelo del Dr Va l e n t icoloca a la participacioacutensocial en el centro de laaccioacuten como un componentefundamental del proceso
En el cubo la persona la sociedad no existe En el modelo de los ciacuterculos lapresencia social es taacutecita falta explicitarla En cambio en el modelo de Valenti elmotor es el colectivo ldquoSin participacioacuten no hay interaccioacuten y sin interaccioacuten no hayinnovacioacuten Y si no hay participacioacuten y capacidad para la innovacioacuten no habraacuteSociedad de la Informacioacuten posiblerdquo1 6
El Dr Valenti hace eacutenfasis en la necesidad de fomentar una nuevainstitucionalidad que se sostenga en sistemas locales de desarrollo y en lapromocioacuten de mecanismos de innovacioacuten local
En Ameacuterica Latina se estaacute consolidando una nueva institucionalidad local comolo son los comiteacutes locales de desarrollo en diversas comunidades de A m eacute r i c aLatina las mesas de lucha contra la pobreza las mesas de concertacioacuten y losespacios de diaacutelogo puacuteblico-privados1 7 Es interesante coacutemo estos espaciospueden configurar la nueva institucionalidad de la que habla el Dr Valenti
Si bien el Dr Valenti menciona el tema de la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica no lodesarrolla a plenitud quedando un vaciacuteo necesario de llenar
El modelo de la Innovacioacuten Transformadora
En el libro ldquoDesarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacutenrdquo seexplica el concepto de innovacioacuten transformadora Esta nocioacuten recoge el tema dela innovacioacuten y lo presenta como un elemento catalizador del proceso detransformacioacuten social1 8
Miguel Saravia
13
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organizado por el Departamento para el Desarrollo
Internacional del Reino Unido el Banco Mundial y otras organizaciones (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (en imprenta)
La sociedad de la informacioacuten es algo a lo que hay que llegar y para llegar sedebe transformar nuestra sociedad transformar las relaciones socialesexistentes para tener maacutes equidad y donde exista igualdad de oportunidadesEste modelo rescata esta dimensioacuten revolucionaria que tiene la aplicacioacuten delas TIC a los procesos de desarrollo
Creemos que para entender el camino de Ameacuterica Latina hacia la sociedad dela informacioacuten es necesario buscar la convergencia de todos estos enfoquesmas que elegir uno solo El modelo de Valenti proporciona una muy buenadefinicioacuten de los actores el esquema de los ciacuterculos nos permite comprenderclaramente el proceso colectivo el cubo de la CEPAL nos detalla la interaccioacutende los diversos sectores una vez que hemos avanzado dentro de la sociedadde la informacioacuten Este uacuteltimo enfoque destaca la necesidad de introducirprocesos de innovacioacuten que ayuden en la transformacioacuten de la sociedad
Organizaciones de la socie dad civil y program as na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
14
4 Alianzas puacuteblico-privadas paraconstruir lasociedad de lainformacioacuten
La construccioacuten de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten es una tarea que involucra a todoslos sectores de la sociedad esto es a losciudadanos -en sus diferentes facetas comoestudiantes empresarios investigadoresactivistas sociales- y a los gobernantes Loprivado debe hacer alusioacuten a todo lo que no serelaciona con el gobierno englobando aldenominado tercer sector y al sectorempresarial
Util izaremos el teacutermino alianzas puacuteblico-privadas para referirnos a la asociacioacuten entregobiernos el sector empresarial y lasorganizaciones de la sociedad civil Estasalianzas podemos definirlas como ldquolos acuerdos en los que el sector puacuteblicoy el privado suscriben convenios para ejecutar proyectos conjuntos deinvestigacioacuten y desarrollo uniendo recursos y capacidadesrdquo19
Otra definicioacuten auacuten maacutes precisa indica que se debe entender como alianzasldquolas iniciativas conjuntas del sector puacuteblico junto con el sector privado el sectorcon fines de lucro y el sector sin fines de lucro tambieacuten entendidos como lossectores gubernamental empresarial y ciacutevico Dentro de estas alianzas cadauno de los miembros contribuye con recursos (financieros humanos teacutecnicose intangibles tales como informacioacuten o apoyo poliacutetico) y participa en elproceso de la toma de decisionesrdquo20
Las alianzas puacuteblico-privadas ya han demostrado que aportan nuevosrecursos a las iniciativas para la reduccioacuten de la pobreza Podemos decir quelas alianzas aumentan la productividad de los recursos disponibles Ademaacuteslas alianzas implican un nuacutemero considerable de formas de generacioacuten debienes en las aacutereas de desarrollo humano y de capital social lo cual crea lascondiciones para lograr efectos multiplicadores
Como dicen Fiszbein y Lowden ldquoLas alianzas tienen el potencial de generarpatrones de cambio que se refuerzan a siacute mismos y asiacute traen consigo el meacuteritoinmenso de que el todo puede ser mucho maacutes que la suma de las partesrdquo
Una pregunta central es coacutemo se puede institucionalizar la participacioacuten del sectorprivado y la sociedad civil en los programas nacionales para la sociedad de lainformacioacuten 2 1 y de queacute manera se puede generar un entorno de ganancia mutua
15
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz y Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag 27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
Desde las organizaciones de la sociedad civil este tema no se ha visto conmucha claridad y menos auacuten desde el sector puacuteblico A inicios de la deacutecadade los 90 las principales ONG del Norte se dieron cuenta que el impacto de sutrabajo era temporal y de escala muy pequentildea Por ello desarrollaron una seriede estrategias para aumentar su impacto y la escala de lo que haciacutean
Dentro de las acciones que se promovieron encontramos
bull Cooperacioacuten con el gobiernobull Expansioacuten de sus operacionesbull Promocioacuten del contacto directo con organizaciones de basebull Influencia y cabildeo local nacional e internacional
En el sector de las TIC un anaacutelisis de actores de incidencia nos muestra unadesemejanza entre la capacidad de la sociedad civil para incidir en el Gobiernoy el Estado y la capacidad que tiene el sector empresarial de hacerlo Elsiguiente cuadro preparado por Juliana Martiacutenez22 nos ayuda a entendermejor lo que estamos afirmando
El graacutefico tambieacuten nos muestra la inexistencia de una relacioacuten entre las OSCy el sector empresarial Comuacutenmente no se ve a las empresas y a sus liacutederescomo sujetos de incidencia Empero es evidente que si incidimos en estas yaprovechamos su capacidad de incidencia indirectamente tambieacuten estaremosincidiendo en el gobierno
No se trata de abandonar la posibilidad de incidir directamente en las poliacuteticaspuacuteblicas sino mas bien de ampliar el espectro y aprender de la experiencia de otrosactores Nuevamente Juliana Martiacutenez nos resume el modelo ideal en un graacutefico
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
16
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Propuestas parafortalecer la relacioacutensociedad civil-Gobierno
Como hemos visto a lo largo de este texto no es faacutecil hacer una siacutentesis quecombine todos los modelos Soacutelo un trabajo articulado de todos los actorespermitiraacute avanzar en la construccioacuten de la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Existen espacios para la participacioacuten activa de los actores en los procesos dehacer poliacutetica puacuteblica y por lo tanto de incidir directamente en los tomadoresde decisiones23 En la Presentacioacuten indicamos que una preocupacioacuten principalde la presente investigacioacuten era encontrar mecanismos de articulacioacuten de lasociedad civil para poder comprender el proceso de hacer poliacuteticas puacuteblicasrelacionadas con las TIC y de articular propuestas teacutecnica financiera ypoliacuteticamente viables
Sobre la base de las entrevistas visitas de campo y revisioacuten de documentosse han extraiacutedo 4 propuestas para contribuir a fortalecer la relacioacuten entre lasOSC y los Gobiernos Estas son
bull Ciacuterculos de aprendizaje permanentes espacios para el diaacutelogobull Monitor de proyectos TIC transparencia y rendicioacuten de cuentasbull Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo rescate de nuestra capacidad emprendedorabull SI programa de formacioacuten regional ldquoThink tankrdquo regional
Ciacuterculos de aprendizaje permanente
Los ciacuterculos de aprendizaje fueron utilizados por el proyecto Conectaacutendonosal Futuro de El Salvador como un mecanismo para promover la participacioacutende diversos actores en el disentildeo de la agenda puacuteblica relacionada con las TICy el desarrollo24
En los ciacuterculos de aprendizaje se realizaron diagnoacutesticos y propuestas deproyectos en seis temas importantes para el desarrollo de ese paiacutes como sonla educacioacuten la migracioacuten el desarrollo local el desarrollo rural la micro-pequentildea-mediana empresa y las grandes organizaciones puacuteblicas y privadas
En el caso peruano contamos con la experiencia de la Comisioacuten Multisectorialpara el Desarrollo de la Sociedad de la Informacioacuten-CODESI que inicialmenteteniacutea como objetivo principal elaborar un plan para el desarrollo de la sociedadde la informacioacuten en el Peruacute La CODESI se organizoacute en mesas de trabajosobre 6 temas infraestructura capacidades humanas aplicaciones socialesproduccioacuten y servicios gobierno electroacutenico y Cumbre Mundial de la Sociedadde la Informacioacuten25
17
23 Revisar El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedadde la Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Revisar el caso de El Salvador en el informe antes indicado25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
Luego de cumplida la tarea eacutestos colectivos se desarticularon cuando debieronpermanecer como espacios permanentes de anaacutelisis y reflexioacuten sobre la temaacuteticaque los unioacute Es claro que lo que estos espacios resuelvan no tendraacute el caraacutectervinculante ni el estatus consultivo originario pero seraacute fuente de empoderamientoy espacio de cabildeo para futuras acciones poliacuteticas
Promover estos espacios colectivos de reflexioacuten sobre aspectos puntuales detoda la estrategia de TIC para el desarrollo surge como una propuesta naturalque puede ser asumida raacutepidamente por los actores involucrados Creemosque estos espacios tienen que ser plurales garantizando la presencia de todoslos sectores Es muy importante tambieacuten que estos espacios socialicen sudebate y lo compartan con la sociedad en su conjunto a partir de foros puacuteblicoso medios electroacutenicos
Monitor de proyectos TIC
Los estudios de caso nos muestran que muchas organizaciones puacuteblicas yprivadas estaacuten repitiendo el mismo trabajo entre los diferentes paiacuteses de laregioacuten y aun al interior de los propios paiacuteses
El Instituto para la Conectividad de las Ameacutericas ha lanzado una iniciativa paracontar con una base de datos regional de proyectos TIC que permita mapearlas diferentes iniciativas presentes y pasadas26 Global Knowledge Partnershipestaacute tambieacuten por su lado elaborando un mapa de las organizaciones quetrabajan en el tema de las TIC para el desarrollo en toda la regioacuten27
La propuesta es complementaria a las iniciativas antes indicadas pero requierede un pacto entre los diversos actores trabajando en TIC para el desarrollo enAmeacuterica Latina activistas TIC donantes organismos multilaterales gobiernos
El Monitor que proponemos podriacutea nutrirse de los directorios antes indicadospero ademaacutes podriacutea compilar los documentos de proyectos las evaluacioneslas lecciones aprendidas y lo maacutes importante permitir la redaccioacuten decomentarios sobre los proyectos por parte de observadores e incluso de losmismos beneficiarios
La propuesta no contempla aceptar un marco comuacuten de evaluacioacuten que hariacuteaa nuestro entender inviable al Monitor Se plantea una propuesta maacutesconcreta orientada a apoyar la transparencia de las acciones en TIC para eldesarrollo y la rendicioacuten de cuentas desde todos los sectores
En el documento ldquoCarta a la Tiacutea Ofelia 7 propuestas para un desarrollo humanosostenible con el uso de las Tecnologiacuteas de la Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacutenrdquo se deciacutea
ldquoCuando se habla de evaluacioacuten muchas personas se sienten amenazadas como si se tratara siempre de unaauditoriacutea para ver a quieacuten echarle la culpa de los problemas Aunque las auditoriacuteas son importantes para larendicioacuten de cuentas y la verificacioacuten de procesos la evaluacioacuten de resultados es otra cosa completamente distintaCon el monitoreo se trata de aprender de los errores y de los aciertos mejorar sobre la marcha compartir lo quese aprende en el recorrido Con la evaluacioacuten se busca aprender sobre los resultados de las actividades yprogramas y comprender queacute se hizo para mejorar o empeorar la situacioacuten ojalaacute desde varias perspectivasdiferentes Pretender que de la auditoriacutea resulte el aprendizaje es un graviacutesimo errorrdquo28
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
18
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Esta es una propuesta que plantea un puente entre monitoreo y auditoriacutea con laparticipacioacuten de muacuteltiples actores e impactando directamente en la rendicioacuten decuentas y la transparencia de las acciones orientadas a promover el desarrollo
En la regioacuten contamos ya con las herramientas teacutecnicas para implementar unsistema de bajo costo pero lo maacutes complicado puede ser lo metodoloacutegico ElMonitor deberiacutea ser un sitio colaborativo donde los proyectos son alimentadospor los propios actores de los proyectos y donde se requiere de un acuerdoprevio entre agencias donantes para que acepten que los documentos de susproyectos se reporten en el Monitor y lo incluyan asiacute en el contrato
Mantener actualizada la informacioacuten del Monitor es tambieacuten una tarea difiacutecil sise piensa de manera tradicional El Monitor deberiacutea trabajar para que lo queestaacute reportado alliacute tenga visibilidad (a traveacutes de boletines electroacutenicosdistribucioacuten de resentildeas en otras redes y listas promocioacuten de foros etc) Laidea es generar la sensacioacuten de que conviene maacutes estar alliacute con la informacioacutenactualizada que quedarse fuera
Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo
El Dr Valenti comentaba la necesidad de recrear la institucionalidad local demanera que se convierta en protagonista de su desarrollo Hablaba de lossistemas locales de desarrollo como la base de esta nueva institucionalidad 29
En los paiacuteses latinoamericanos hay varias iniciativas de concertacioacuten para eldesarrollo local donde convergen los diferentes niveles del Estado y lasociedad civil incluidos los empresarios30 Sin embargo existen tambieacutencomplejos sistemas de innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica31 que generalmente no estaacuten endiaacutelogo con estos espacios de planificacioacuten del desarrollo local
La propuesta busca vincular estos espacios de concertacioacuten del desarrollo conel rescate de la capacidad emprendedora de los ciudadanos latinoamericanosenfocada hacia los procesos que conduzcan a la regioacuten hacia la sociedad dela informacioacuten
Encontramos que la mejor manera de llevar la propuesta a la praacutectica esgenerando mecanismos locales de promocioacuten de la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica yque la investigacioacuten no ha encontrado muy difundidos en la regioacuten Elantecedente concreto maacutes directo que se logroacute identificar es el proyectoldquoFortaleciendo la Participacioacuten Ciudadana para el Desarrollo EconoacutemicoLocalrdquo y que justamente buscaba rescatar la capacidad de innovacioacuten depobladores rurales en el Peruacute
El referido proyecto fue financiado por el DFID y la Comunidad Europea yejecutado por ITDG Ameacuterica Latina en seis municipalidades (en eldepartamento de San Martiacuten provincias de Picota San Martiacuten y Moyobambay en el departamento de Cajamarca provincias de Bambamarca y San Ignacioy en el distrito de Asuncioacuten)32
Miguel Saravia
19
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
Aplicar este concepto a la sociedad de la informacioacuten puede traer resultadossorprendentes y orientar mejor la intervencioacuten del Estado y de los propiosproyectos de desarrollo Pero la clave es el caraacutecter local del proceso y suengarzamiento con las instancias locales de concertacioacuten del desarrollo
Hemos identificado experiencias previas de concursos nacionales deinnovacioacuten pero cuya estructura y mecanismos de participacioacuten no favorecenel rescate de las iniciativas locales que por su dimensioacuten son maacutes faacuteciles deser apropiadas o adaptadas por otras comunidades
SI programa de formacioacuten regional
A partir de los estudios de caso y del mapeo inicialmente realizado en el marcode la presente investigacioacuten encontramos que una de las principalesdebilidades en la sociedad civil y en algunos sectores del Estado es que noexiste suficiente capacidad para disentildear y promover poliacuteticas puacuteblicas eficacesen la promocioacuten del uso de las TIC desde una perspectiva de desarrollo
Por ello se hace necesario disentildear un programa de formacioacuten regional queprepare regularmente a liacutederes de los diferentes sectores para que seancapaces de participar activamente en el proceso de disentildear y acompantildear lasestrategias hacia la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Es importante que este programa de formacioacuten se desarrolle sobre la base dela realidad de la regioacuten y que sea un espacio acadeacutemico de reflexioacuten sobre losmodelos las mejores praacutecticas y los impactos que estamos logrando ennuestro camino
Esta propuesta busca preparar a mediano y largo plazo a funcionarios puacuteblicosy a liacutederes de la sociedad civil con el suficiente conocimiento de la temaacuteticalocal y regional y con capacidad de aportar constructivamente en laformulacioacuten de nuevas poliacuteticas
La propuesta incluye involucrar a diferentes universidades institutosacadeacutemicos y de investigacioacuten en el programa de formacioacuten de manera quepermita cubrir un aacuterea geograacutefica maacutes grande y llegar a la mayor cantidad deliacutederes y funcionarios locales posibles
El espacio de formacioacuten puede permitir tambieacuten que exista un mayor diaacutelogoentre los actores si es que se garantiza la participacioacuten activa de funcionariospuacuteblicos y dirigentes de organizaciones de la sociedad civil
Es importante resaltar tambieacuten que esta propuesta no se refiere a un programade formacioacuten claacutesico sino mas bien a una serie de cursos talleres seminariose investigaciones que se pueden dar de manera descentralizada y que con eladecuado rigor acadeacutemico permitiraacute formar un ldquothink tankrdquo regional capaz dedialogar y de aportar en el desarrollo de estrategias locales y regionales
Organizaciones de la socie dad civil y program as na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
20
1 Forew or d
This text was written within the framework of the Project entitled ldquoCivilianOrganisations in the face of National ICT Projects 4 case studiesrdquo which ITDGcarried out with the support of the International Development Research CentreThis project was implemented between December 2002 and June 2004 andincluded visits to 4 Latin American countries (Peru Uruguay Venezuela and ElSalvador) as well as interviews with government representatives and civilianorganizations The results of each visit form part of the CD ldquoCivil Society andthe development of the information society in Latin Americardquo that will beaccessible at ITDG and IDRC websites
Is it possible to refer to the information society without the participation of thecivil society Is the lsquoinformation societyrsquo a matter of cables devices andbackbones How can the lsquoinformation societyrsquo be understood within a povertycontext What approaches can be used to explain the role to be played by thecivil society with other stakeholders of the information society Who are thoseother approaches Which is the most adequate model for understanding therelationships of key stakeholders in the structure of the Information SocietyThose questions guided this research
One of the main concerns during this research work has been to find out howthese stakeholders have become organised and in particular how the civilsociety has become organised in order to understand the process involved inmaking ICT a public policy and incorporating their proposals
This publication begins with an explanation of the public advocacy process andhow this reached the agenda of civil society organisations There follows ananalysis of the adequate framework for understanding the information societydevelopment process A summary of 4 different models is included which formpart of the typology of the relationship between the civil society and the Statein structuring the information society
The publication continues with an introduction of key stakeholders their rolein the construction of ICT policies and the kind of relationships that must beestablished to ensure that their influence is effective Finally a number ofrecommendations are made to strengthen the relationship between the civilsociety and the State
With this publication we hope to help disseminate key concepts for theimprovement of civil society organizations in the face of the institutionalprocesses taking place in Latin American countries within the framework of theldquoinformation societyrdquo structure
Miguel SaraviaDecember 2004
23
24
2 I ntr oduct i on
Information and communication technologies (ICT) are dramaticallytransforming our environment Today at least one if not several informationtechnologies are having an impact on our daily activities The abundance ofbusiness management information and technology is greatly influencing thedaily lives of Latin American men women boys and girls
Although the predominant perception of the ldquoinformation societyrdquo mainlyinvolves mobile telephones computers and the Internet ie infrastructure ourresearch work revealed some encouraging evidence of an ever-increasingconcern for the application of ICT in education health production workingmethods and how we communicate with and relate to each other
Consequently it is essential for society as a whole to become involved in theprocess of setting public policies and understanding how such a process canbe improved During the last 10 years NGOs have been concentrating onincreasing their lobbying and advocacy actions in an attempt to influencedifferent groups of agents ie individuals States corporations internationalorganisations etc so that they change their policies and attitudes regardingdevelopment issues1 During that time NGOs have helped change the terms ofdiscussions on matters concerning the reduction of the foreign debt promotedthe monitoring of global agreements such as the certification of forests or childlabour contributed to the adoption of agreements like the Ottawa treaty for theeradication of land mines and so on2
The most developed sectors as far as these actions are concerned are theenvironment childrenrsquos rights and the fight for womenrsquos rights It was preciselybecause of these two issues that the lobbying and advocacy work reachedLatin America and was included in the agendas of NGOs
These were also the sectors in which ICT began to be used to influence publicpolicies being the best means of obtaining timely and transparent publicpolicies of a good quality The use of ICT helps to that numerous peoplecontribute in the advocacy and in the elaboration of the policy proposalsallowing massive debates including sectors traditionally excluded from thespaces of public participation It is important also to affect ICT policies thatenable them to be real instruments of development
It is a common mistake to define very general objective for an advocacystrategy like promote an ICT for development policies Advocacy is a long-termprocess that begins with a concrete definition of the changes to be made andin many cases it is the reason for success or failure of the process
25
1 BOND Guidance Notes Series 3 The What and the Why of Advocacy London 1999 2 Edwards Michael NGO legitimacy- voice or vote In Global Future Fourth Quarter 2002 p 3
Or gan izaciones d e la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes mat chmaking
Then the situation must be analysed in order to identify the best mechanismsand opportunities to promote such changes Coupled with the above is theidentification of key agents so as to determine who needs to be influenced andwho potential partners should be Subsequently messages for each targetpopulation must be prepared and the most adequate advocacy strategies foreach particular case selected This leads to the need for detailed planning ofeach step and then during the implementation the progress must bemonitored so that new actions can be planned when necessary With acontinuous monitoring and evaluation process the advocacy strategy can beadjusted to ensure that the desired objectives are achieved3
This is the process that numerous NGOs in the region have been followinghowever they have also faced numerous restrictions Below is a summary ofsome of the problems encountered by NGOs in their efforts to exerciseinfluence in Latin America which were identified during our research work
bull Institution-building is at a low level access to the political system is limitedand few practices are acknowledged either by the State or by the civilsociety for influence processes to prosper4
bull Advocacy is a special field and although several NGOs include influenceactions in their political system these do not always respond to a deliberateaction and a planned advocacy strategy5 In many cases specializationimplies casting aside grassroots actions
bull There are participation and influence opportunities that neither respond to astructure nor a system that permits them but rather to local circumstancesthat are very difficult to anticipate6
bull NGOs have a representation problem that often prevents them from beingaccepted by the State and others as valid spokesmen7 Take the case of theanti-globalisation movement for example
bull Funds are received to implement projects not to promote processes Thisgreatly restricts the actual capacity of NGOs to lead long-term advocacyprocesses8
bull The development of the advocacy capacity of NGOs has been limited totopics proposed by NGOs from the northern hemisphere which are veryorchestrated and fail to develop the ability to exercise influence in otherspheres9
bull There is no common advocacy agenda among the different agents of the civilsociety as far as matters related to the ldquoinformation societyrdquo are concerned10
26
3 Advocacy inintiatives planning manual Save the Children London Save the Children 20004 Influence on Public Policies and Citizenship Ineacutes Gonzales Bombal httpwwwicdorguymercosurinformesencuentrogonzalez7html 5 Gonzales Bombal op cit 6 By ldquoAunt Opheliardquo we refer to the likeness with the character of the IDRC publication Raiacuteces Maacutegicas and ITDG as a result of the Latin
American Meeting on ldquoAppropriation of Information and Communication Technologies in Latin Americahttpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsofeliahtm
7 Edwards Michael 2002 op cit8 El rol de interfase de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Ramoacuten Vargas Conference papers presented in Seminario Regional sobre
las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil y el desarrollo de una cultura democraacutetica 9 Ramoacuten Vargas op cit10 Save the Children 2001 op cit
The last conclusion sheds light on the characteristics of this research workOur main concern is to find a way to influence public policies for the informationsociety and not public policies in general The technical terms that define theinformation society are still unclear therefore opportunities are lost and variouscivilian organisations are afraid of making concrete proposals and applyingpressure to obtain what they want
Progress has been made with creating a social impression of the Internet butthat vision is yet to materialise in concrete regional and national advocacyproposals11
Undoubtedly the need to transform this collective social impression intoconcrete advocacy actions has been proved in the light of the participation ofcivilian organisations in the preparatory events of the World Summit of theInformation Society12 in which our participation was disjointed and without acommon regional standpoint The construction of this common advocacyagenda is a process that is just beginning and as already mentioned inrelevant electronic forums the process will not end with the World Summit
Miguel Saravia
27
11 Vision based on the work of the Comunidad Virtual Mistica For further information see httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 L ook i ng f or t he m o s tappr opr i at e f ramewor k hellip
It was found that the framework used by different government circles in theregion to design strategies related to the Information Society are very biasedtowards the ICT sector Emphasis is placed on setting up access facilitiesprogrammes to support the information and communication technologiessector the development of electronic government applications etc
A thorough review of different existing models and the proposals shared indifferent international forums such as the preparatory meeting in Bavaro forthe Information Society Summit the high level meeting between the EuropeanUnion-Latin America and the Andean ICT workshop reveals that as a commondenominator the existing framework is insufficient for understanding howinformation and communication technologies can make a significant change inthe struggle against poverty in our countries
The CEPAL Model
The Economic Commission for LatinA m e r i c a1 3 has designed a three-dimensional model with horizontallevels vertical sectors and transversalareas The horizontal dimension showsthe ldquosegmentsrdquo that representinfrastructure and generic services (TVradio Internet) The vertical dimensionshows the sectors that become thelsquoinformation societyrsquo
It is interesting to note that the cube adds a third dimension which makes thescheme more complicated but allows the introduction of transversal issuessuch as regulatory frameworks financing and human capital
The information society scheme proposed by CEPAL gives the impression thatthe society is limited to electronics and that the way to become an informationsociety is only viewed from the e-included in the sectors A legitimate questionwould be how does the model envisage the participation of civilians in theprocess Or how to face the evident qualms about starting the informationsociety development process
29
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
The horizontal segments are conceived as very functional for the sectorswhereas capacity-building is considered to be the technical capacity requiredto deal with the technologies involved in the construction of information ratherthan the social skills required to understand the processes and adapt them tonational contexts
The Gino Germani Research Institute Model
This scheme shows a series ofconcentric rings with the targetpoint in the middle referred toas the lsquoinformation societyrsquo
It was designed in the GinoGermani Research Institute ofthe University of Buenos Aires14
and proposes working inwardsfrom the outside starting withpolicies access developmentuse appropriation and finallyproduction Reading it that wayit is easy to understand thelogic of the processcomplemented by the transversal pivotal points that cut through the circleswhich refer to social inclusion gender and minorities
This way of depicting the information society structuring process considers theimportance of a gradual progress creating the conditions for the society toachieve another level of development in a joint collective manner
This model takes it for granted that there is a consensus that the informationsociety structuring process should be wide-ranging with the participation of allsectors including the civil society However our research shows that thedominating view is that in which priority is placed on the e-strategies
Another aspect the model fails to include concerns the forces that could eitherboost or stunt the processes that is where we should see the civil society andcivilian organisations In other words there is an evident lack of elements toshow the driving force behind the information society which should be thesociety itself with its needs and priorities
It may not be a specific responsibility of the theoretical frameworks but of thecapacity of the civil society itself to claim its role as the driving force behind thesociety
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
30
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
The Valenti Model15
D r Valenti of theOrganisation of Spanish-American States forEducation Science andCulture designed a modelsubsequent to existingmodels having beencriticised because of theirclassic way ofunderstanding thelsquoinformation societyrsquo As faras Dr Valenti is concernedtwo main componentsneeded to be added to the classic standpoint citizen participation andtechnological innovation Not that this was not acknowledged in the cube orthe circles since the explanation did in fact mention the importance ofconsidering all agents However Dr Valentirsquos text places social participationat the centre of the action as a fundamental component of the process
In the cube people are non-existent or invisible In the circles model socialparticipation is tacit but not explicit In Valentirsquos model the collective aspect isthe driving force ldquoWithout participation there is no interaction and withoutinteraction there is no innovation If there is no participation or a capacity forinnovation it would be impossible to structure an Information Societyrdquo16 DrValenti places emphasis on the need to promote institution-building upheld bylocal development systems and the promotion of local innovation mechanisms
In Latin America new local institutions are being consolidated such as thelocal development committees in various Latin American communities the anti-poverty boards the concerted action boards and the public-private discussionpanels17 It is interesting to note how these panels can make up the newinstitutions that Dr Valenti refers to
Nevertheless none of the models described above have includedtechnological innovation
A Transforming Innovation Model
In a book entitled ldquoRural Development and ICT A Rural Development Approachwith the Integration of Information and Communication Technologiesrdquo theconcept referred to as a transforming innovation is explained This conceptintroduces innovation as an element that will set in motion the socialtransformation process18
Miguel Saravia
31
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organised by the Department for International
Development of the United Kingdom the World Bank and other organisations (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (at the printerrsquos)
The lsquoinformation societyrsquo is something that needs to be attained and in orderto do so our society needs to change existing social relations must be fairerwith equal opportunities for everyone This model recovers the revolutionarydimension of the application of ICT to development processes
In order to understand how Latin America is progressing towards theInformation Society it is necessary to look for consistency in all theseapproaches rather than choosing just one Whereas the Valenti model providesa good definition of the different agents the circles scheme provides a clearunderstanding of the collective process and the CEPAL cube details theinteraction of the various sectors once we have move forward within theinformation society This last approach emphasizes the need to introduceinnovation processes to help transform the society
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
32
4 Pub l i c- pr i vate part ner sh i ps f o rstr uct uri ng t h e i n f ormat i on soc i et y
Structuring the information society is a taskthat involves all sectors of society ie citizensin their different facets - studentsentrepreneurs researchers social activists -and governors Anything not related to thegovernment should be considered privateencompassing the so-called third sector andthe business sector
We shall use the term ldquopublic-privatepartnershipsrdquo to refer to alliances betweengovernments the business sector and civilianorganisations These alliances can be definedas ldquothe arrangements whereby the public andprivate sectors sign agreements to implementjoint research and development projects joining their resources and skillsrdquo19
Another more accurate definition of what should be understood by the termpartnerships ldquojoint initiatives of the public and private sectors the profit-makingsector and the not-for-profit sector which are also understood to begovernmental business and civilian sectors Within these partnerships eachpartner contributes with resources (financial human technical and intangiblesuch as information or political support) and participates in the decision-makingprocessrdquo20
It was already been proved that public-private partnerships provide newresources to poverty-reduction initiatives It is safe to say that thesepartnerships increase the productivity of available resources Furthermorepartnerships imply a number of ways of generating assets in terms of humandevelopment and social capital creating the right conditions for achievingmultiplying effects
As Fiszbein and Lowden said ldquoPartnerships have the potential to createchanging patterns that strengthen themselves the great advantage being thatthe whole can be so much better than the sum of its partsrdquo
The main question is how to institutionalise the participation of the privatesector and the civil society in national programmes for the information society21
and how to create this mutually gainful environment
33
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz amp Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
This matter has not been clearly defined from the point of view of civilianorganizations much less from the viewpoint of the public sector In the earlynineties the main NGOs from the northern hemisphere realized that the impactof their work was temporary and of a very small scale Hence the developmentof a number of strategies to increase both the impact and the scope of their work
The following were among the actions promoted
bull Cooperation with the Governmentbull Expansion of their operationsbull Promotion of a direct contact between grassroots organisationsbull Local national and international advocacy and lobbying
In the ICT sector an analysis of advocacy agents reveals an unfair relationshipbetween the civil societyrsquos and the business sectorrsquos capacity to influence theGovernment and the State The following table prepared by Juliana Martinez22provides a better understanding of this statement
The graph also shows the lack of a relationship between civilian organisationsand the business sector Companies and their leaders are not usuallyconsidered influence subjects although it seems evident that if we influencethem and take advantage of their capacity to influence then indirectly we areinfluencing the Government as well
The idea is not to abandon the possibility of exercising a direct influence onpublic policies but to broaden the spectrum and learn from the experience ofother agents Again Juliana Martinez summarises the ideal model in a graph
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
34
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
Esta uacuteltima conclusioacuten saca a la luz la peculiaridad sobre la que trata lapresente investigacioacuten Nos interesa ver de queacute forma podemos incidir en laspoliacuteticas puacuteblicas destinadas a la sociedad de la informacioacuten y no a laspoliacuteticas puacuteblicas en general Hay todaviacutea mucha penumbra en los teacuterminosteacutecnicos que delimitan el espacio de la sociedad de la informacioacuten y esedesconocimiento hace perder oportunidades e intimida a las diversas OSC dehacer propuestas maacutes concretas y de presionar para lograr sus objetivosplanteados
Se ha avanzado en la construccioacuten de una visioacuten social de la Internet perotodaviacutea falta aterrizar dicha visioacuten en propuestas concretas de incidencia aescala regional y nacional11
Sin duda la necesidad de traducir esta visioacuten social en acciones concretas deincidencia ha quedado descubierta a la luz de la participacioacuten de las OSC enlos eventos preparatorios de la Cumbre Mundial de la Sociedad de laInformacioacuten12 a donde llegamos fragmentadas y sin posiciones comunes comoregioacuten La construccioacuten de esta agenda comuacuten de incidencia es un procesoque recieacuten se inicia y como se ha manifestado ya en los foros electroacutenicospertinentes es un proceso que no terminaraacute con la Cumbre Mundial
Ha quedado en evidencia tambieacuten que las posibilidades de incidir van maacutes allaacutede la Internet y que la visioacuten social compartida de esta tecnologiacutea debeextenderse a otras tecnologiacuteas de la informacioacuten y comunicacioacuten Por ellocreemos que se deben abrir espacios de participacioacuten a las OSC que vienentrabajando desde hace deacutecadas en los temas de comunicacioacuten popular radiocomunitaria etc afectados sin duda por la avalancha de regulaciones quevienen de la mano con la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Miguel Saravia
9
11 Visioacuten construida a partir del trabajo de la Comunidad Virtual Miacutestica Para mayor informacioacuten revisar httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 Buscando el marco maacutesapropiadohellip
Se ha encontrado que el marco utilizado en diversas esferas de los gobiernosde la regioacuten para el disentildeo de las estrategias relacionadas con la sociedad dela informacioacuten estaacute muy sesgado Se insiste en la instalacioacuten de maacutesinfraestructura de acceso programas de apoyo al sector de tecnologiacuteas de lainformacioacuten y comunicacioacuten desarrollo de aplicaciones de gobiernoelectroacutenico etc dejando de lado el desarrollo de capacidades la mejora delos mecanismos de comunicacioacuten profundizar la descentralizacioacuten poliacutetica yeconoacutemica incrementar la participacioacuten ciudadana en los procesos de toma dedecisiones propiciar la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica entre otros aspectos
Una revisioacuten exhaustiva de los diferentes modelos existentes y de losplanteamientos compartidos en diferentes foros internacionales como lareunioacuten de Baacutevaro preparatoria para la Cumbre de la Sociedad de laInformacioacuten la reunioacuten de alto nivel de la Unioacuten Europea - Ameacuterica Latina y eltaller TIC Andino muestra que el marco existente como comuacuten denominadores insuficiente para ayudar a entender coacutemo las tecnologiacuteas de la informacioacuteny la comunicacioacuten pueden hacer un cambio significativo a favor de la luchacontra la pobreza en nuestros paiacuteses
El modelo de la CEPAL
La Comisioacuten Econoacutemica para AmeacutericaL a t i n a1 3 ( C E PAL) ha desarrollado unmodelo tridimensional que buscaexplicar la sociedad de la informacioacuten yque estaacute compuesto por estratoshorizontales sectores verticales y aacutereastransversales Los estratos horizontalesincluyen la infraestructura y los serviciosgeneacutericos (TV radio Internet) Ladimensioacuten vertical presenta maacutes bien alos sectores en los cuales se traduce lasociedad de la informacioacuten
Lo interesante es que el cubo antildeade una tercera dimensioacuten que termina porhacer maacutes complicado el esquema pero que permite introducir temastransversales como lo son los marcos regulatorios el financiamiento y elcapital humano
Empero creemos que el esquema de sociedad de la informacioacuten planteadopor la CEPAL nos deja la sensacioacuten de estar limitaacutendola soacutelo al temaelectroacutenico y que el camino hacia la sociedad de la informacioacuten soacutelo se miradesde la ldquoe-ldquo que se ha incluiacutedo en los sectores Por tanto una preguntalegiacutetima seriacutea iquestCoacutemo concibe el modelo la participacioacuten de los ciudadanos en
11
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
el proceso y iquestcoacutemo enfrentar las inequidades evidentes que se presentaraacutenal iniciar el proceso de desarrollo de la sociedad de la informacioacuten
En este esquema se concibe a los estratos horizontales como muy funcionalesa los sectores de esta manera el desarrollo de capacidades estaacute confinado alconjunto de habilidades teacutecnicas necesarias para lidiar con las tecnologiacuteasinsertas en la elaboracioacuten de la informacioacuten Pero en este esquema se olvidalas habilidades sociales para poder entender los procesos y adecuarlos a loscontextos nacionales
El modelo del Instituto de Investigaciones Gino Germani
Este diagrama presenta unaserie de anillos conceacutentricoscuyo centro y punto de llegadaes la denominada sociedad dela informacioacuten
Este modelo que fuedesarrollado en el seno delInstituto de InvestigacionesGino Germani de la Universidadde Buenos A i r e s1 4 plantea unalectura de afuera hacia dentroesto es comenzando por laspoliacuteticas el acceso el desarrolloel uso la apropiacioacuten yfinalmente la produccioacuten Leyeacutendolo asiacute es faacutecil entender la loacutegica del procesoque es complementado por ejes transversales que cortan todos los ciacuterculosEstos son la inclusioacuten social el geacutenero y el respeto por las minoriacuteas
Esta manera de presentar el proceso de construccioacuten de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten contempla una progresioacuten Conforme se va avanzando en cadatema se puede pasar al otro nivel de desarrollo hasta llegar al centro del ciacuterculo
Este modelo de los ciacuterculos da por sentado el consenso de que la construccioacutende la sociedad de la informacioacuten debe ser un proceso amplio con laparticipacioacuten de todos los sectores incluida la sociedad civil
Sin embargo lo que no logra incluir el modelo son las fuerzas que puedendinamizar los procesos o que los pueden entrampar y es por alliacute dondedebemos ver a los ciudadanos y sus organizaciones Se hace evidente laausencia de elementos que muestren que la fuerza movilizadora de lasociedad de la informacioacuten es y debe ser la sociedad misma sus necesidadessus prioridades
Esto puede que no sea responsabilidad exclusiva de los marcos teoacutericos sinode la capacidad de la propia sociedad civil para reclamar su espacio comofuerza motora de la sociedad
Or ganizaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas na cionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
12
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
El modelo Valenti15
El Dr Valenti de la Organizacioacuten de Estados Iberoamericanos para la Educacioacutenla Ciencia y la Cultura ha desarrollado un modelo que critica la forma claacutesica deentender a la sociedad de la informacioacuten a partir de los modelos existentes (y alos que nos hemos referido anteriormente)
Para el Dr Valenti a lamirada claacutesica debemosantildeadirle dos componentescentrales la participacioacutenciudadana y la innovacioacutentecnoloacutegica Y no es que elcubo o los ciacuterculos no losreconocieran Sin embargoel modelo del Dr Va l e n t icoloca a la participacioacutensocial en el centro de laaccioacuten como un componentefundamental del proceso
En el cubo la persona la sociedad no existe En el modelo de los ciacuterculos lapresencia social es taacutecita falta explicitarla En cambio en el modelo de Valenti elmotor es el colectivo ldquoSin participacioacuten no hay interaccioacuten y sin interaccioacuten no hayinnovacioacuten Y si no hay participacioacuten y capacidad para la innovacioacuten no habraacuteSociedad de la Informacioacuten posiblerdquo1 6
El Dr Valenti hace eacutenfasis en la necesidad de fomentar una nuevainstitucionalidad que se sostenga en sistemas locales de desarrollo y en lapromocioacuten de mecanismos de innovacioacuten local
En Ameacuterica Latina se estaacute consolidando una nueva institucionalidad local comolo son los comiteacutes locales de desarrollo en diversas comunidades de A m eacute r i c aLatina las mesas de lucha contra la pobreza las mesas de concertacioacuten y losespacios de diaacutelogo puacuteblico-privados1 7 Es interesante coacutemo estos espaciospueden configurar la nueva institucionalidad de la que habla el Dr Valenti
Si bien el Dr Valenti menciona el tema de la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica no lodesarrolla a plenitud quedando un vaciacuteo necesario de llenar
El modelo de la Innovacioacuten Transformadora
En el libro ldquoDesarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacutenrdquo seexplica el concepto de innovacioacuten transformadora Esta nocioacuten recoge el tema dela innovacioacuten y lo presenta como un elemento catalizador del proceso detransformacioacuten social1 8
Miguel Saravia
13
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organizado por el Departamento para el Desarrollo
Internacional del Reino Unido el Banco Mundial y otras organizaciones (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (en imprenta)
La sociedad de la informacioacuten es algo a lo que hay que llegar y para llegar sedebe transformar nuestra sociedad transformar las relaciones socialesexistentes para tener maacutes equidad y donde exista igualdad de oportunidadesEste modelo rescata esta dimensioacuten revolucionaria que tiene la aplicacioacuten delas TIC a los procesos de desarrollo
Creemos que para entender el camino de Ameacuterica Latina hacia la sociedad dela informacioacuten es necesario buscar la convergencia de todos estos enfoquesmas que elegir uno solo El modelo de Valenti proporciona una muy buenadefinicioacuten de los actores el esquema de los ciacuterculos nos permite comprenderclaramente el proceso colectivo el cubo de la CEPAL nos detalla la interaccioacutende los diversos sectores una vez que hemos avanzado dentro de la sociedadde la informacioacuten Este uacuteltimo enfoque destaca la necesidad de introducirprocesos de innovacioacuten que ayuden en la transformacioacuten de la sociedad
Organizaciones de la socie dad civil y program as na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
14
4 Alianzas puacuteblico-privadas paraconstruir lasociedad de lainformacioacuten
La construccioacuten de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten es una tarea que involucra a todoslos sectores de la sociedad esto es a losciudadanos -en sus diferentes facetas comoestudiantes empresarios investigadoresactivistas sociales- y a los gobernantes Loprivado debe hacer alusioacuten a todo lo que no serelaciona con el gobierno englobando aldenominado tercer sector y al sectorempresarial
Util izaremos el teacutermino alianzas puacuteblico-privadas para referirnos a la asociacioacuten entregobiernos el sector empresarial y lasorganizaciones de la sociedad civil Estasalianzas podemos definirlas como ldquolos acuerdos en los que el sector puacuteblicoy el privado suscriben convenios para ejecutar proyectos conjuntos deinvestigacioacuten y desarrollo uniendo recursos y capacidadesrdquo19
Otra definicioacuten auacuten maacutes precisa indica que se debe entender como alianzasldquolas iniciativas conjuntas del sector puacuteblico junto con el sector privado el sectorcon fines de lucro y el sector sin fines de lucro tambieacuten entendidos como lossectores gubernamental empresarial y ciacutevico Dentro de estas alianzas cadauno de los miembros contribuye con recursos (financieros humanos teacutecnicose intangibles tales como informacioacuten o apoyo poliacutetico) y participa en elproceso de la toma de decisionesrdquo20
Las alianzas puacuteblico-privadas ya han demostrado que aportan nuevosrecursos a las iniciativas para la reduccioacuten de la pobreza Podemos decir quelas alianzas aumentan la productividad de los recursos disponibles Ademaacuteslas alianzas implican un nuacutemero considerable de formas de generacioacuten debienes en las aacutereas de desarrollo humano y de capital social lo cual crea lascondiciones para lograr efectos multiplicadores
Como dicen Fiszbein y Lowden ldquoLas alianzas tienen el potencial de generarpatrones de cambio que se refuerzan a siacute mismos y asiacute traen consigo el meacuteritoinmenso de que el todo puede ser mucho maacutes que la suma de las partesrdquo
Una pregunta central es coacutemo se puede institucionalizar la participacioacuten del sectorprivado y la sociedad civil en los programas nacionales para la sociedad de lainformacioacuten 2 1 y de queacute manera se puede generar un entorno de ganancia mutua
15
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz y Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag 27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
Desde las organizaciones de la sociedad civil este tema no se ha visto conmucha claridad y menos auacuten desde el sector puacuteblico A inicios de la deacutecadade los 90 las principales ONG del Norte se dieron cuenta que el impacto de sutrabajo era temporal y de escala muy pequentildea Por ello desarrollaron una seriede estrategias para aumentar su impacto y la escala de lo que haciacutean
Dentro de las acciones que se promovieron encontramos
bull Cooperacioacuten con el gobiernobull Expansioacuten de sus operacionesbull Promocioacuten del contacto directo con organizaciones de basebull Influencia y cabildeo local nacional e internacional
En el sector de las TIC un anaacutelisis de actores de incidencia nos muestra unadesemejanza entre la capacidad de la sociedad civil para incidir en el Gobiernoy el Estado y la capacidad que tiene el sector empresarial de hacerlo Elsiguiente cuadro preparado por Juliana Martiacutenez22 nos ayuda a entendermejor lo que estamos afirmando
El graacutefico tambieacuten nos muestra la inexistencia de una relacioacuten entre las OSCy el sector empresarial Comuacutenmente no se ve a las empresas y a sus liacutederescomo sujetos de incidencia Empero es evidente que si incidimos en estas yaprovechamos su capacidad de incidencia indirectamente tambieacuten estaremosincidiendo en el gobierno
No se trata de abandonar la posibilidad de incidir directamente en las poliacuteticaspuacuteblicas sino mas bien de ampliar el espectro y aprender de la experiencia de otrosactores Nuevamente Juliana Martiacutenez nos resume el modelo ideal en un graacutefico
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
16
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Propuestas parafortalecer la relacioacutensociedad civil-Gobierno
Como hemos visto a lo largo de este texto no es faacutecil hacer una siacutentesis quecombine todos los modelos Soacutelo un trabajo articulado de todos los actorespermitiraacute avanzar en la construccioacuten de la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Existen espacios para la participacioacuten activa de los actores en los procesos dehacer poliacutetica puacuteblica y por lo tanto de incidir directamente en los tomadoresde decisiones23 En la Presentacioacuten indicamos que una preocupacioacuten principalde la presente investigacioacuten era encontrar mecanismos de articulacioacuten de lasociedad civil para poder comprender el proceso de hacer poliacuteticas puacuteblicasrelacionadas con las TIC y de articular propuestas teacutecnica financiera ypoliacuteticamente viables
Sobre la base de las entrevistas visitas de campo y revisioacuten de documentosse han extraiacutedo 4 propuestas para contribuir a fortalecer la relacioacuten entre lasOSC y los Gobiernos Estas son
bull Ciacuterculos de aprendizaje permanentes espacios para el diaacutelogobull Monitor de proyectos TIC transparencia y rendicioacuten de cuentasbull Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo rescate de nuestra capacidad emprendedorabull SI programa de formacioacuten regional ldquoThink tankrdquo regional
Ciacuterculos de aprendizaje permanente
Los ciacuterculos de aprendizaje fueron utilizados por el proyecto Conectaacutendonosal Futuro de El Salvador como un mecanismo para promover la participacioacutende diversos actores en el disentildeo de la agenda puacuteblica relacionada con las TICy el desarrollo24
En los ciacuterculos de aprendizaje se realizaron diagnoacutesticos y propuestas deproyectos en seis temas importantes para el desarrollo de ese paiacutes como sonla educacioacuten la migracioacuten el desarrollo local el desarrollo rural la micro-pequentildea-mediana empresa y las grandes organizaciones puacuteblicas y privadas
En el caso peruano contamos con la experiencia de la Comisioacuten Multisectorialpara el Desarrollo de la Sociedad de la Informacioacuten-CODESI que inicialmenteteniacutea como objetivo principal elaborar un plan para el desarrollo de la sociedadde la informacioacuten en el Peruacute La CODESI se organizoacute en mesas de trabajosobre 6 temas infraestructura capacidades humanas aplicaciones socialesproduccioacuten y servicios gobierno electroacutenico y Cumbre Mundial de la Sociedadde la Informacioacuten25
17
23 Revisar El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedadde la Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Revisar el caso de El Salvador en el informe antes indicado25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
Luego de cumplida la tarea eacutestos colectivos se desarticularon cuando debieronpermanecer como espacios permanentes de anaacutelisis y reflexioacuten sobre la temaacuteticaque los unioacute Es claro que lo que estos espacios resuelvan no tendraacute el caraacutectervinculante ni el estatus consultivo originario pero seraacute fuente de empoderamientoy espacio de cabildeo para futuras acciones poliacuteticas
Promover estos espacios colectivos de reflexioacuten sobre aspectos puntuales detoda la estrategia de TIC para el desarrollo surge como una propuesta naturalque puede ser asumida raacutepidamente por los actores involucrados Creemosque estos espacios tienen que ser plurales garantizando la presencia de todoslos sectores Es muy importante tambieacuten que estos espacios socialicen sudebate y lo compartan con la sociedad en su conjunto a partir de foros puacuteblicoso medios electroacutenicos
Monitor de proyectos TIC
Los estudios de caso nos muestran que muchas organizaciones puacuteblicas yprivadas estaacuten repitiendo el mismo trabajo entre los diferentes paiacuteses de laregioacuten y aun al interior de los propios paiacuteses
El Instituto para la Conectividad de las Ameacutericas ha lanzado una iniciativa paracontar con una base de datos regional de proyectos TIC que permita mapearlas diferentes iniciativas presentes y pasadas26 Global Knowledge Partnershipestaacute tambieacuten por su lado elaborando un mapa de las organizaciones quetrabajan en el tema de las TIC para el desarrollo en toda la regioacuten27
La propuesta es complementaria a las iniciativas antes indicadas pero requierede un pacto entre los diversos actores trabajando en TIC para el desarrollo enAmeacuterica Latina activistas TIC donantes organismos multilaterales gobiernos
El Monitor que proponemos podriacutea nutrirse de los directorios antes indicadospero ademaacutes podriacutea compilar los documentos de proyectos las evaluacioneslas lecciones aprendidas y lo maacutes importante permitir la redaccioacuten decomentarios sobre los proyectos por parte de observadores e incluso de losmismos beneficiarios
La propuesta no contempla aceptar un marco comuacuten de evaluacioacuten que hariacuteaa nuestro entender inviable al Monitor Se plantea una propuesta maacutesconcreta orientada a apoyar la transparencia de las acciones en TIC para eldesarrollo y la rendicioacuten de cuentas desde todos los sectores
En el documento ldquoCarta a la Tiacutea Ofelia 7 propuestas para un desarrollo humanosostenible con el uso de las Tecnologiacuteas de la Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacutenrdquo se deciacutea
ldquoCuando se habla de evaluacioacuten muchas personas se sienten amenazadas como si se tratara siempre de unaauditoriacutea para ver a quieacuten echarle la culpa de los problemas Aunque las auditoriacuteas son importantes para larendicioacuten de cuentas y la verificacioacuten de procesos la evaluacioacuten de resultados es otra cosa completamente distintaCon el monitoreo se trata de aprender de los errores y de los aciertos mejorar sobre la marcha compartir lo quese aprende en el recorrido Con la evaluacioacuten se busca aprender sobre los resultados de las actividades yprogramas y comprender queacute se hizo para mejorar o empeorar la situacioacuten ojalaacute desde varias perspectivasdiferentes Pretender que de la auditoriacutea resulte el aprendizaje es un graviacutesimo errorrdquo28
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
18
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Esta es una propuesta que plantea un puente entre monitoreo y auditoriacutea con laparticipacioacuten de muacuteltiples actores e impactando directamente en la rendicioacuten decuentas y la transparencia de las acciones orientadas a promover el desarrollo
En la regioacuten contamos ya con las herramientas teacutecnicas para implementar unsistema de bajo costo pero lo maacutes complicado puede ser lo metodoloacutegico ElMonitor deberiacutea ser un sitio colaborativo donde los proyectos son alimentadospor los propios actores de los proyectos y donde se requiere de un acuerdoprevio entre agencias donantes para que acepten que los documentos de susproyectos se reporten en el Monitor y lo incluyan asiacute en el contrato
Mantener actualizada la informacioacuten del Monitor es tambieacuten una tarea difiacutecil sise piensa de manera tradicional El Monitor deberiacutea trabajar para que lo queestaacute reportado alliacute tenga visibilidad (a traveacutes de boletines electroacutenicosdistribucioacuten de resentildeas en otras redes y listas promocioacuten de foros etc) Laidea es generar la sensacioacuten de que conviene maacutes estar alliacute con la informacioacutenactualizada que quedarse fuera
Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo
El Dr Valenti comentaba la necesidad de recrear la institucionalidad local demanera que se convierta en protagonista de su desarrollo Hablaba de lossistemas locales de desarrollo como la base de esta nueva institucionalidad 29
En los paiacuteses latinoamericanos hay varias iniciativas de concertacioacuten para eldesarrollo local donde convergen los diferentes niveles del Estado y lasociedad civil incluidos los empresarios30 Sin embargo existen tambieacutencomplejos sistemas de innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica31 que generalmente no estaacuten endiaacutelogo con estos espacios de planificacioacuten del desarrollo local
La propuesta busca vincular estos espacios de concertacioacuten del desarrollo conel rescate de la capacidad emprendedora de los ciudadanos latinoamericanosenfocada hacia los procesos que conduzcan a la regioacuten hacia la sociedad dela informacioacuten
Encontramos que la mejor manera de llevar la propuesta a la praacutectica esgenerando mecanismos locales de promocioacuten de la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica yque la investigacioacuten no ha encontrado muy difundidos en la regioacuten Elantecedente concreto maacutes directo que se logroacute identificar es el proyectoldquoFortaleciendo la Participacioacuten Ciudadana para el Desarrollo EconoacutemicoLocalrdquo y que justamente buscaba rescatar la capacidad de innovacioacuten depobladores rurales en el Peruacute
El referido proyecto fue financiado por el DFID y la Comunidad Europea yejecutado por ITDG Ameacuterica Latina en seis municipalidades (en eldepartamento de San Martiacuten provincias de Picota San Martiacuten y Moyobambay en el departamento de Cajamarca provincias de Bambamarca y San Ignacioy en el distrito de Asuncioacuten)32
Miguel Saravia
19
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
Aplicar este concepto a la sociedad de la informacioacuten puede traer resultadossorprendentes y orientar mejor la intervencioacuten del Estado y de los propiosproyectos de desarrollo Pero la clave es el caraacutecter local del proceso y suengarzamiento con las instancias locales de concertacioacuten del desarrollo
Hemos identificado experiencias previas de concursos nacionales deinnovacioacuten pero cuya estructura y mecanismos de participacioacuten no favorecenel rescate de las iniciativas locales que por su dimensioacuten son maacutes faacuteciles deser apropiadas o adaptadas por otras comunidades
SI programa de formacioacuten regional
A partir de los estudios de caso y del mapeo inicialmente realizado en el marcode la presente investigacioacuten encontramos que una de las principalesdebilidades en la sociedad civil y en algunos sectores del Estado es que noexiste suficiente capacidad para disentildear y promover poliacuteticas puacuteblicas eficacesen la promocioacuten del uso de las TIC desde una perspectiva de desarrollo
Por ello se hace necesario disentildear un programa de formacioacuten regional queprepare regularmente a liacutederes de los diferentes sectores para que seancapaces de participar activamente en el proceso de disentildear y acompantildear lasestrategias hacia la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Es importante que este programa de formacioacuten se desarrolle sobre la base dela realidad de la regioacuten y que sea un espacio acadeacutemico de reflexioacuten sobre losmodelos las mejores praacutecticas y los impactos que estamos logrando ennuestro camino
Esta propuesta busca preparar a mediano y largo plazo a funcionarios puacuteblicosy a liacutederes de la sociedad civil con el suficiente conocimiento de la temaacuteticalocal y regional y con capacidad de aportar constructivamente en laformulacioacuten de nuevas poliacuteticas
La propuesta incluye involucrar a diferentes universidades institutosacadeacutemicos y de investigacioacuten en el programa de formacioacuten de manera quepermita cubrir un aacuterea geograacutefica maacutes grande y llegar a la mayor cantidad deliacutederes y funcionarios locales posibles
El espacio de formacioacuten puede permitir tambieacuten que exista un mayor diaacutelogoentre los actores si es que se garantiza la participacioacuten activa de funcionariospuacuteblicos y dirigentes de organizaciones de la sociedad civil
Es importante resaltar tambieacuten que esta propuesta no se refiere a un programade formacioacuten claacutesico sino mas bien a una serie de cursos talleres seminariose investigaciones que se pueden dar de manera descentralizada y que con eladecuado rigor acadeacutemico permitiraacute formar un ldquothink tankrdquo regional capaz dedialogar y de aportar en el desarrollo de estrategias locales y regionales
Organizaciones de la socie dad civil y program as na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
20
1 Forew or d
This text was written within the framework of the Project entitled ldquoCivilianOrganisations in the face of National ICT Projects 4 case studiesrdquo which ITDGcarried out with the support of the International Development Research CentreThis project was implemented between December 2002 and June 2004 andincluded visits to 4 Latin American countries (Peru Uruguay Venezuela and ElSalvador) as well as interviews with government representatives and civilianorganizations The results of each visit form part of the CD ldquoCivil Society andthe development of the information society in Latin Americardquo that will beaccessible at ITDG and IDRC websites
Is it possible to refer to the information society without the participation of thecivil society Is the lsquoinformation societyrsquo a matter of cables devices andbackbones How can the lsquoinformation societyrsquo be understood within a povertycontext What approaches can be used to explain the role to be played by thecivil society with other stakeholders of the information society Who are thoseother approaches Which is the most adequate model for understanding therelationships of key stakeholders in the structure of the Information SocietyThose questions guided this research
One of the main concerns during this research work has been to find out howthese stakeholders have become organised and in particular how the civilsociety has become organised in order to understand the process involved inmaking ICT a public policy and incorporating their proposals
This publication begins with an explanation of the public advocacy process andhow this reached the agenda of civil society organisations There follows ananalysis of the adequate framework for understanding the information societydevelopment process A summary of 4 different models is included which formpart of the typology of the relationship between the civil society and the Statein structuring the information society
The publication continues with an introduction of key stakeholders their rolein the construction of ICT policies and the kind of relationships that must beestablished to ensure that their influence is effective Finally a number ofrecommendations are made to strengthen the relationship between the civilsociety and the State
With this publication we hope to help disseminate key concepts for theimprovement of civil society organizations in the face of the institutionalprocesses taking place in Latin American countries within the framework of theldquoinformation societyrdquo structure
Miguel SaraviaDecember 2004
23
24
2 I ntr oduct i on
Information and communication technologies (ICT) are dramaticallytransforming our environment Today at least one if not several informationtechnologies are having an impact on our daily activities The abundance ofbusiness management information and technology is greatly influencing thedaily lives of Latin American men women boys and girls
Although the predominant perception of the ldquoinformation societyrdquo mainlyinvolves mobile telephones computers and the Internet ie infrastructure ourresearch work revealed some encouraging evidence of an ever-increasingconcern for the application of ICT in education health production workingmethods and how we communicate with and relate to each other
Consequently it is essential for society as a whole to become involved in theprocess of setting public policies and understanding how such a process canbe improved During the last 10 years NGOs have been concentrating onincreasing their lobbying and advocacy actions in an attempt to influencedifferent groups of agents ie individuals States corporations internationalorganisations etc so that they change their policies and attitudes regardingdevelopment issues1 During that time NGOs have helped change the terms ofdiscussions on matters concerning the reduction of the foreign debt promotedthe monitoring of global agreements such as the certification of forests or childlabour contributed to the adoption of agreements like the Ottawa treaty for theeradication of land mines and so on2
The most developed sectors as far as these actions are concerned are theenvironment childrenrsquos rights and the fight for womenrsquos rights It was preciselybecause of these two issues that the lobbying and advocacy work reachedLatin America and was included in the agendas of NGOs
These were also the sectors in which ICT began to be used to influence publicpolicies being the best means of obtaining timely and transparent publicpolicies of a good quality The use of ICT helps to that numerous peoplecontribute in the advocacy and in the elaboration of the policy proposalsallowing massive debates including sectors traditionally excluded from thespaces of public participation It is important also to affect ICT policies thatenable them to be real instruments of development
It is a common mistake to define very general objective for an advocacystrategy like promote an ICT for development policies Advocacy is a long-termprocess that begins with a concrete definition of the changes to be made andin many cases it is the reason for success or failure of the process
25
1 BOND Guidance Notes Series 3 The What and the Why of Advocacy London 1999 2 Edwards Michael NGO legitimacy- voice or vote In Global Future Fourth Quarter 2002 p 3
Or gan izaciones d e la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes mat chmaking
Then the situation must be analysed in order to identify the best mechanismsand opportunities to promote such changes Coupled with the above is theidentification of key agents so as to determine who needs to be influenced andwho potential partners should be Subsequently messages for each targetpopulation must be prepared and the most adequate advocacy strategies foreach particular case selected This leads to the need for detailed planning ofeach step and then during the implementation the progress must bemonitored so that new actions can be planned when necessary With acontinuous monitoring and evaluation process the advocacy strategy can beadjusted to ensure that the desired objectives are achieved3
This is the process that numerous NGOs in the region have been followinghowever they have also faced numerous restrictions Below is a summary ofsome of the problems encountered by NGOs in their efforts to exerciseinfluence in Latin America which were identified during our research work
bull Institution-building is at a low level access to the political system is limitedand few practices are acknowledged either by the State or by the civilsociety for influence processes to prosper4
bull Advocacy is a special field and although several NGOs include influenceactions in their political system these do not always respond to a deliberateaction and a planned advocacy strategy5 In many cases specializationimplies casting aside grassroots actions
bull There are participation and influence opportunities that neither respond to astructure nor a system that permits them but rather to local circumstancesthat are very difficult to anticipate6
bull NGOs have a representation problem that often prevents them from beingaccepted by the State and others as valid spokesmen7 Take the case of theanti-globalisation movement for example
bull Funds are received to implement projects not to promote processes Thisgreatly restricts the actual capacity of NGOs to lead long-term advocacyprocesses8
bull The development of the advocacy capacity of NGOs has been limited totopics proposed by NGOs from the northern hemisphere which are veryorchestrated and fail to develop the ability to exercise influence in otherspheres9
bull There is no common advocacy agenda among the different agents of the civilsociety as far as matters related to the ldquoinformation societyrdquo are concerned10
26
3 Advocacy inintiatives planning manual Save the Children London Save the Children 20004 Influence on Public Policies and Citizenship Ineacutes Gonzales Bombal httpwwwicdorguymercosurinformesencuentrogonzalez7html 5 Gonzales Bombal op cit 6 By ldquoAunt Opheliardquo we refer to the likeness with the character of the IDRC publication Raiacuteces Maacutegicas and ITDG as a result of the Latin
American Meeting on ldquoAppropriation of Information and Communication Technologies in Latin Americahttpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsofeliahtm
7 Edwards Michael 2002 op cit8 El rol de interfase de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Ramoacuten Vargas Conference papers presented in Seminario Regional sobre
las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil y el desarrollo de una cultura democraacutetica 9 Ramoacuten Vargas op cit10 Save the Children 2001 op cit
The last conclusion sheds light on the characteristics of this research workOur main concern is to find a way to influence public policies for the informationsociety and not public policies in general The technical terms that define theinformation society are still unclear therefore opportunities are lost and variouscivilian organisations are afraid of making concrete proposals and applyingpressure to obtain what they want
Progress has been made with creating a social impression of the Internet butthat vision is yet to materialise in concrete regional and national advocacyproposals11
Undoubtedly the need to transform this collective social impression intoconcrete advocacy actions has been proved in the light of the participation ofcivilian organisations in the preparatory events of the World Summit of theInformation Society12 in which our participation was disjointed and without acommon regional standpoint The construction of this common advocacyagenda is a process that is just beginning and as already mentioned inrelevant electronic forums the process will not end with the World Summit
Miguel Saravia
27
11 Vision based on the work of the Comunidad Virtual Mistica For further information see httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 L ook i ng f or t he m o s tappr opr i at e f ramewor k hellip
It was found that the framework used by different government circles in theregion to design strategies related to the Information Society are very biasedtowards the ICT sector Emphasis is placed on setting up access facilitiesprogrammes to support the information and communication technologiessector the development of electronic government applications etc
A thorough review of different existing models and the proposals shared indifferent international forums such as the preparatory meeting in Bavaro forthe Information Society Summit the high level meeting between the EuropeanUnion-Latin America and the Andean ICT workshop reveals that as a commondenominator the existing framework is insufficient for understanding howinformation and communication technologies can make a significant change inthe struggle against poverty in our countries
The CEPAL Model
The Economic Commission for LatinA m e r i c a1 3 has designed a three-dimensional model with horizontallevels vertical sectors and transversalareas The horizontal dimension showsthe ldquosegmentsrdquo that representinfrastructure and generic services (TVradio Internet) The vertical dimensionshows the sectors that become thelsquoinformation societyrsquo
It is interesting to note that the cube adds a third dimension which makes thescheme more complicated but allows the introduction of transversal issuessuch as regulatory frameworks financing and human capital
The information society scheme proposed by CEPAL gives the impression thatthe society is limited to electronics and that the way to become an informationsociety is only viewed from the e-included in the sectors A legitimate questionwould be how does the model envisage the participation of civilians in theprocess Or how to face the evident qualms about starting the informationsociety development process
29
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
The horizontal segments are conceived as very functional for the sectorswhereas capacity-building is considered to be the technical capacity requiredto deal with the technologies involved in the construction of information ratherthan the social skills required to understand the processes and adapt them tonational contexts
The Gino Germani Research Institute Model
This scheme shows a series ofconcentric rings with the targetpoint in the middle referred toas the lsquoinformation societyrsquo
It was designed in the GinoGermani Research Institute ofthe University of Buenos Aires14
and proposes working inwardsfrom the outside starting withpolicies access developmentuse appropriation and finallyproduction Reading it that wayit is easy to understand thelogic of the processcomplemented by the transversal pivotal points that cut through the circleswhich refer to social inclusion gender and minorities
This way of depicting the information society structuring process considers theimportance of a gradual progress creating the conditions for the society toachieve another level of development in a joint collective manner
This model takes it for granted that there is a consensus that the informationsociety structuring process should be wide-ranging with the participation of allsectors including the civil society However our research shows that thedominating view is that in which priority is placed on the e-strategies
Another aspect the model fails to include concerns the forces that could eitherboost or stunt the processes that is where we should see the civil society andcivilian organisations In other words there is an evident lack of elements toshow the driving force behind the information society which should be thesociety itself with its needs and priorities
It may not be a specific responsibility of the theoretical frameworks but of thecapacity of the civil society itself to claim its role as the driving force behind thesociety
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
30
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
The Valenti Model15
D r Valenti of theOrganisation of Spanish-American States forEducation Science andCulture designed a modelsubsequent to existingmodels having beencriticised because of theirclassic way ofunderstanding thelsquoinformation societyrsquo As faras Dr Valenti is concernedtwo main componentsneeded to be added to the classic standpoint citizen participation andtechnological innovation Not that this was not acknowledged in the cube orthe circles since the explanation did in fact mention the importance ofconsidering all agents However Dr Valentirsquos text places social participationat the centre of the action as a fundamental component of the process
In the cube people are non-existent or invisible In the circles model socialparticipation is tacit but not explicit In Valentirsquos model the collective aspect isthe driving force ldquoWithout participation there is no interaction and withoutinteraction there is no innovation If there is no participation or a capacity forinnovation it would be impossible to structure an Information Societyrdquo16 DrValenti places emphasis on the need to promote institution-building upheld bylocal development systems and the promotion of local innovation mechanisms
In Latin America new local institutions are being consolidated such as thelocal development committees in various Latin American communities the anti-poverty boards the concerted action boards and the public-private discussionpanels17 It is interesting to note how these panels can make up the newinstitutions that Dr Valenti refers to
Nevertheless none of the models described above have includedtechnological innovation
A Transforming Innovation Model
In a book entitled ldquoRural Development and ICT A Rural Development Approachwith the Integration of Information and Communication Technologiesrdquo theconcept referred to as a transforming innovation is explained This conceptintroduces innovation as an element that will set in motion the socialtransformation process18
Miguel Saravia
31
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organised by the Department for International
Development of the United Kingdom the World Bank and other organisations (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (at the printerrsquos)
The lsquoinformation societyrsquo is something that needs to be attained and in orderto do so our society needs to change existing social relations must be fairerwith equal opportunities for everyone This model recovers the revolutionarydimension of the application of ICT to development processes
In order to understand how Latin America is progressing towards theInformation Society it is necessary to look for consistency in all theseapproaches rather than choosing just one Whereas the Valenti model providesa good definition of the different agents the circles scheme provides a clearunderstanding of the collective process and the CEPAL cube details theinteraction of the various sectors once we have move forward within theinformation society This last approach emphasizes the need to introduceinnovation processes to help transform the society
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
32
4 Pub l i c- pr i vate part ner sh i ps f o rstr uct uri ng t h e i n f ormat i on soc i et y
Structuring the information society is a taskthat involves all sectors of society ie citizensin their different facets - studentsentrepreneurs researchers social activists -and governors Anything not related to thegovernment should be considered privateencompassing the so-called third sector andthe business sector
We shall use the term ldquopublic-privatepartnershipsrdquo to refer to alliances betweengovernments the business sector and civilianorganisations These alliances can be definedas ldquothe arrangements whereby the public andprivate sectors sign agreements to implementjoint research and development projects joining their resources and skillsrdquo19
Another more accurate definition of what should be understood by the termpartnerships ldquojoint initiatives of the public and private sectors the profit-makingsector and the not-for-profit sector which are also understood to begovernmental business and civilian sectors Within these partnerships eachpartner contributes with resources (financial human technical and intangiblesuch as information or political support) and participates in the decision-makingprocessrdquo20
It was already been proved that public-private partnerships provide newresources to poverty-reduction initiatives It is safe to say that thesepartnerships increase the productivity of available resources Furthermorepartnerships imply a number of ways of generating assets in terms of humandevelopment and social capital creating the right conditions for achievingmultiplying effects
As Fiszbein and Lowden said ldquoPartnerships have the potential to createchanging patterns that strengthen themselves the great advantage being thatthe whole can be so much better than the sum of its partsrdquo
The main question is how to institutionalise the participation of the privatesector and the civil society in national programmes for the information society21
and how to create this mutually gainful environment
33
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz amp Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
This matter has not been clearly defined from the point of view of civilianorganizations much less from the viewpoint of the public sector In the earlynineties the main NGOs from the northern hemisphere realized that the impactof their work was temporary and of a very small scale Hence the developmentof a number of strategies to increase both the impact and the scope of their work
The following were among the actions promoted
bull Cooperation with the Governmentbull Expansion of their operationsbull Promotion of a direct contact between grassroots organisationsbull Local national and international advocacy and lobbying
In the ICT sector an analysis of advocacy agents reveals an unfair relationshipbetween the civil societyrsquos and the business sectorrsquos capacity to influence theGovernment and the State The following table prepared by Juliana Martinez22provides a better understanding of this statement
The graph also shows the lack of a relationship between civilian organisationsand the business sector Companies and their leaders are not usuallyconsidered influence subjects although it seems evident that if we influencethem and take advantage of their capacity to influence then indirectly we areinfluencing the Government as well
The idea is not to abandon the possibility of exercising a direct influence onpublic policies but to broaden the spectrum and learn from the experience ofother agents Again Juliana Martinez summarises the ideal model in a graph
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
34
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
3 Buscando el marco maacutesapropiadohellip
Se ha encontrado que el marco utilizado en diversas esferas de los gobiernosde la regioacuten para el disentildeo de las estrategias relacionadas con la sociedad dela informacioacuten estaacute muy sesgado Se insiste en la instalacioacuten de maacutesinfraestructura de acceso programas de apoyo al sector de tecnologiacuteas de lainformacioacuten y comunicacioacuten desarrollo de aplicaciones de gobiernoelectroacutenico etc dejando de lado el desarrollo de capacidades la mejora delos mecanismos de comunicacioacuten profundizar la descentralizacioacuten poliacutetica yeconoacutemica incrementar la participacioacuten ciudadana en los procesos de toma dedecisiones propiciar la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica entre otros aspectos
Una revisioacuten exhaustiva de los diferentes modelos existentes y de losplanteamientos compartidos en diferentes foros internacionales como lareunioacuten de Baacutevaro preparatoria para la Cumbre de la Sociedad de laInformacioacuten la reunioacuten de alto nivel de la Unioacuten Europea - Ameacuterica Latina y eltaller TIC Andino muestra que el marco existente como comuacuten denominadores insuficiente para ayudar a entender coacutemo las tecnologiacuteas de la informacioacuteny la comunicacioacuten pueden hacer un cambio significativo a favor de la luchacontra la pobreza en nuestros paiacuteses
El modelo de la CEPAL
La Comisioacuten Econoacutemica para AmeacutericaL a t i n a1 3 ( C E PAL) ha desarrollado unmodelo tridimensional que buscaexplicar la sociedad de la informacioacuten yque estaacute compuesto por estratoshorizontales sectores verticales y aacutereastransversales Los estratos horizontalesincluyen la infraestructura y los serviciosgeneacutericos (TV radio Internet) Ladimensioacuten vertical presenta maacutes bien alos sectores en los cuales se traduce lasociedad de la informacioacuten
Lo interesante es que el cubo antildeade una tercera dimensioacuten que termina porhacer maacutes complicado el esquema pero que permite introducir temastransversales como lo son los marcos regulatorios el financiamiento y elcapital humano
Empero creemos que el esquema de sociedad de la informacioacuten planteadopor la CEPAL nos deja la sensacioacuten de estar limitaacutendola soacutelo al temaelectroacutenico y que el camino hacia la sociedad de la informacioacuten soacutelo se miradesde la ldquoe-ldquo que se ha incluiacutedo en los sectores Por tanto una preguntalegiacutetima seriacutea iquestCoacutemo concibe el modelo la participacioacuten de los ciudadanos en
11
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
el proceso y iquestcoacutemo enfrentar las inequidades evidentes que se presentaraacutenal iniciar el proceso de desarrollo de la sociedad de la informacioacuten
En este esquema se concibe a los estratos horizontales como muy funcionalesa los sectores de esta manera el desarrollo de capacidades estaacute confinado alconjunto de habilidades teacutecnicas necesarias para lidiar con las tecnologiacuteasinsertas en la elaboracioacuten de la informacioacuten Pero en este esquema se olvidalas habilidades sociales para poder entender los procesos y adecuarlos a loscontextos nacionales
El modelo del Instituto de Investigaciones Gino Germani
Este diagrama presenta unaserie de anillos conceacutentricoscuyo centro y punto de llegadaes la denominada sociedad dela informacioacuten
Este modelo que fuedesarrollado en el seno delInstituto de InvestigacionesGino Germani de la Universidadde Buenos A i r e s1 4 plantea unalectura de afuera hacia dentroesto es comenzando por laspoliacuteticas el acceso el desarrolloel uso la apropiacioacuten yfinalmente la produccioacuten Leyeacutendolo asiacute es faacutecil entender la loacutegica del procesoque es complementado por ejes transversales que cortan todos los ciacuterculosEstos son la inclusioacuten social el geacutenero y el respeto por las minoriacuteas
Esta manera de presentar el proceso de construccioacuten de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten contempla una progresioacuten Conforme se va avanzando en cadatema se puede pasar al otro nivel de desarrollo hasta llegar al centro del ciacuterculo
Este modelo de los ciacuterculos da por sentado el consenso de que la construccioacutende la sociedad de la informacioacuten debe ser un proceso amplio con laparticipacioacuten de todos los sectores incluida la sociedad civil
Sin embargo lo que no logra incluir el modelo son las fuerzas que puedendinamizar los procesos o que los pueden entrampar y es por alliacute dondedebemos ver a los ciudadanos y sus organizaciones Se hace evidente laausencia de elementos que muestren que la fuerza movilizadora de lasociedad de la informacioacuten es y debe ser la sociedad misma sus necesidadessus prioridades
Esto puede que no sea responsabilidad exclusiva de los marcos teoacutericos sinode la capacidad de la propia sociedad civil para reclamar su espacio comofuerza motora de la sociedad
Or ganizaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas na cionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
12
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
El modelo Valenti15
El Dr Valenti de la Organizacioacuten de Estados Iberoamericanos para la Educacioacutenla Ciencia y la Cultura ha desarrollado un modelo que critica la forma claacutesica deentender a la sociedad de la informacioacuten a partir de los modelos existentes (y alos que nos hemos referido anteriormente)
Para el Dr Valenti a lamirada claacutesica debemosantildeadirle dos componentescentrales la participacioacutenciudadana y la innovacioacutentecnoloacutegica Y no es que elcubo o los ciacuterculos no losreconocieran Sin embargoel modelo del Dr Va l e n t icoloca a la participacioacutensocial en el centro de laaccioacuten como un componentefundamental del proceso
En el cubo la persona la sociedad no existe En el modelo de los ciacuterculos lapresencia social es taacutecita falta explicitarla En cambio en el modelo de Valenti elmotor es el colectivo ldquoSin participacioacuten no hay interaccioacuten y sin interaccioacuten no hayinnovacioacuten Y si no hay participacioacuten y capacidad para la innovacioacuten no habraacuteSociedad de la Informacioacuten posiblerdquo1 6
El Dr Valenti hace eacutenfasis en la necesidad de fomentar una nuevainstitucionalidad que se sostenga en sistemas locales de desarrollo y en lapromocioacuten de mecanismos de innovacioacuten local
En Ameacuterica Latina se estaacute consolidando una nueva institucionalidad local comolo son los comiteacutes locales de desarrollo en diversas comunidades de A m eacute r i c aLatina las mesas de lucha contra la pobreza las mesas de concertacioacuten y losespacios de diaacutelogo puacuteblico-privados1 7 Es interesante coacutemo estos espaciospueden configurar la nueva institucionalidad de la que habla el Dr Valenti
Si bien el Dr Valenti menciona el tema de la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica no lodesarrolla a plenitud quedando un vaciacuteo necesario de llenar
El modelo de la Innovacioacuten Transformadora
En el libro ldquoDesarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacutenrdquo seexplica el concepto de innovacioacuten transformadora Esta nocioacuten recoge el tema dela innovacioacuten y lo presenta como un elemento catalizador del proceso detransformacioacuten social1 8
Miguel Saravia
13
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organizado por el Departamento para el Desarrollo
Internacional del Reino Unido el Banco Mundial y otras organizaciones (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (en imprenta)
La sociedad de la informacioacuten es algo a lo que hay que llegar y para llegar sedebe transformar nuestra sociedad transformar las relaciones socialesexistentes para tener maacutes equidad y donde exista igualdad de oportunidadesEste modelo rescata esta dimensioacuten revolucionaria que tiene la aplicacioacuten delas TIC a los procesos de desarrollo
Creemos que para entender el camino de Ameacuterica Latina hacia la sociedad dela informacioacuten es necesario buscar la convergencia de todos estos enfoquesmas que elegir uno solo El modelo de Valenti proporciona una muy buenadefinicioacuten de los actores el esquema de los ciacuterculos nos permite comprenderclaramente el proceso colectivo el cubo de la CEPAL nos detalla la interaccioacutende los diversos sectores una vez que hemos avanzado dentro de la sociedadde la informacioacuten Este uacuteltimo enfoque destaca la necesidad de introducirprocesos de innovacioacuten que ayuden en la transformacioacuten de la sociedad
Organizaciones de la socie dad civil y program as na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
14
4 Alianzas puacuteblico-privadas paraconstruir lasociedad de lainformacioacuten
La construccioacuten de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten es una tarea que involucra a todoslos sectores de la sociedad esto es a losciudadanos -en sus diferentes facetas comoestudiantes empresarios investigadoresactivistas sociales- y a los gobernantes Loprivado debe hacer alusioacuten a todo lo que no serelaciona con el gobierno englobando aldenominado tercer sector y al sectorempresarial
Util izaremos el teacutermino alianzas puacuteblico-privadas para referirnos a la asociacioacuten entregobiernos el sector empresarial y lasorganizaciones de la sociedad civil Estasalianzas podemos definirlas como ldquolos acuerdos en los que el sector puacuteblicoy el privado suscriben convenios para ejecutar proyectos conjuntos deinvestigacioacuten y desarrollo uniendo recursos y capacidadesrdquo19
Otra definicioacuten auacuten maacutes precisa indica que se debe entender como alianzasldquolas iniciativas conjuntas del sector puacuteblico junto con el sector privado el sectorcon fines de lucro y el sector sin fines de lucro tambieacuten entendidos como lossectores gubernamental empresarial y ciacutevico Dentro de estas alianzas cadauno de los miembros contribuye con recursos (financieros humanos teacutecnicose intangibles tales como informacioacuten o apoyo poliacutetico) y participa en elproceso de la toma de decisionesrdquo20
Las alianzas puacuteblico-privadas ya han demostrado que aportan nuevosrecursos a las iniciativas para la reduccioacuten de la pobreza Podemos decir quelas alianzas aumentan la productividad de los recursos disponibles Ademaacuteslas alianzas implican un nuacutemero considerable de formas de generacioacuten debienes en las aacutereas de desarrollo humano y de capital social lo cual crea lascondiciones para lograr efectos multiplicadores
Como dicen Fiszbein y Lowden ldquoLas alianzas tienen el potencial de generarpatrones de cambio que se refuerzan a siacute mismos y asiacute traen consigo el meacuteritoinmenso de que el todo puede ser mucho maacutes que la suma de las partesrdquo
Una pregunta central es coacutemo se puede institucionalizar la participacioacuten del sectorprivado y la sociedad civil en los programas nacionales para la sociedad de lainformacioacuten 2 1 y de queacute manera se puede generar un entorno de ganancia mutua
15
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz y Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag 27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
Desde las organizaciones de la sociedad civil este tema no se ha visto conmucha claridad y menos auacuten desde el sector puacuteblico A inicios de la deacutecadade los 90 las principales ONG del Norte se dieron cuenta que el impacto de sutrabajo era temporal y de escala muy pequentildea Por ello desarrollaron una seriede estrategias para aumentar su impacto y la escala de lo que haciacutean
Dentro de las acciones que se promovieron encontramos
bull Cooperacioacuten con el gobiernobull Expansioacuten de sus operacionesbull Promocioacuten del contacto directo con organizaciones de basebull Influencia y cabildeo local nacional e internacional
En el sector de las TIC un anaacutelisis de actores de incidencia nos muestra unadesemejanza entre la capacidad de la sociedad civil para incidir en el Gobiernoy el Estado y la capacidad que tiene el sector empresarial de hacerlo Elsiguiente cuadro preparado por Juliana Martiacutenez22 nos ayuda a entendermejor lo que estamos afirmando
El graacutefico tambieacuten nos muestra la inexistencia de una relacioacuten entre las OSCy el sector empresarial Comuacutenmente no se ve a las empresas y a sus liacutederescomo sujetos de incidencia Empero es evidente que si incidimos en estas yaprovechamos su capacidad de incidencia indirectamente tambieacuten estaremosincidiendo en el gobierno
No se trata de abandonar la posibilidad de incidir directamente en las poliacuteticaspuacuteblicas sino mas bien de ampliar el espectro y aprender de la experiencia de otrosactores Nuevamente Juliana Martiacutenez nos resume el modelo ideal en un graacutefico
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
16
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Propuestas parafortalecer la relacioacutensociedad civil-Gobierno
Como hemos visto a lo largo de este texto no es faacutecil hacer una siacutentesis quecombine todos los modelos Soacutelo un trabajo articulado de todos los actorespermitiraacute avanzar en la construccioacuten de la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Existen espacios para la participacioacuten activa de los actores en los procesos dehacer poliacutetica puacuteblica y por lo tanto de incidir directamente en los tomadoresde decisiones23 En la Presentacioacuten indicamos que una preocupacioacuten principalde la presente investigacioacuten era encontrar mecanismos de articulacioacuten de lasociedad civil para poder comprender el proceso de hacer poliacuteticas puacuteblicasrelacionadas con las TIC y de articular propuestas teacutecnica financiera ypoliacuteticamente viables
Sobre la base de las entrevistas visitas de campo y revisioacuten de documentosse han extraiacutedo 4 propuestas para contribuir a fortalecer la relacioacuten entre lasOSC y los Gobiernos Estas son
bull Ciacuterculos de aprendizaje permanentes espacios para el diaacutelogobull Monitor de proyectos TIC transparencia y rendicioacuten de cuentasbull Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo rescate de nuestra capacidad emprendedorabull SI programa de formacioacuten regional ldquoThink tankrdquo regional
Ciacuterculos de aprendizaje permanente
Los ciacuterculos de aprendizaje fueron utilizados por el proyecto Conectaacutendonosal Futuro de El Salvador como un mecanismo para promover la participacioacutende diversos actores en el disentildeo de la agenda puacuteblica relacionada con las TICy el desarrollo24
En los ciacuterculos de aprendizaje se realizaron diagnoacutesticos y propuestas deproyectos en seis temas importantes para el desarrollo de ese paiacutes como sonla educacioacuten la migracioacuten el desarrollo local el desarrollo rural la micro-pequentildea-mediana empresa y las grandes organizaciones puacuteblicas y privadas
En el caso peruano contamos con la experiencia de la Comisioacuten Multisectorialpara el Desarrollo de la Sociedad de la Informacioacuten-CODESI que inicialmenteteniacutea como objetivo principal elaborar un plan para el desarrollo de la sociedadde la informacioacuten en el Peruacute La CODESI se organizoacute en mesas de trabajosobre 6 temas infraestructura capacidades humanas aplicaciones socialesproduccioacuten y servicios gobierno electroacutenico y Cumbre Mundial de la Sociedadde la Informacioacuten25
17
23 Revisar El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedadde la Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Revisar el caso de El Salvador en el informe antes indicado25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
Luego de cumplida la tarea eacutestos colectivos se desarticularon cuando debieronpermanecer como espacios permanentes de anaacutelisis y reflexioacuten sobre la temaacuteticaque los unioacute Es claro que lo que estos espacios resuelvan no tendraacute el caraacutectervinculante ni el estatus consultivo originario pero seraacute fuente de empoderamientoy espacio de cabildeo para futuras acciones poliacuteticas
Promover estos espacios colectivos de reflexioacuten sobre aspectos puntuales detoda la estrategia de TIC para el desarrollo surge como una propuesta naturalque puede ser asumida raacutepidamente por los actores involucrados Creemosque estos espacios tienen que ser plurales garantizando la presencia de todoslos sectores Es muy importante tambieacuten que estos espacios socialicen sudebate y lo compartan con la sociedad en su conjunto a partir de foros puacuteblicoso medios electroacutenicos
Monitor de proyectos TIC
Los estudios de caso nos muestran que muchas organizaciones puacuteblicas yprivadas estaacuten repitiendo el mismo trabajo entre los diferentes paiacuteses de laregioacuten y aun al interior de los propios paiacuteses
El Instituto para la Conectividad de las Ameacutericas ha lanzado una iniciativa paracontar con una base de datos regional de proyectos TIC que permita mapearlas diferentes iniciativas presentes y pasadas26 Global Knowledge Partnershipestaacute tambieacuten por su lado elaborando un mapa de las organizaciones quetrabajan en el tema de las TIC para el desarrollo en toda la regioacuten27
La propuesta es complementaria a las iniciativas antes indicadas pero requierede un pacto entre los diversos actores trabajando en TIC para el desarrollo enAmeacuterica Latina activistas TIC donantes organismos multilaterales gobiernos
El Monitor que proponemos podriacutea nutrirse de los directorios antes indicadospero ademaacutes podriacutea compilar los documentos de proyectos las evaluacioneslas lecciones aprendidas y lo maacutes importante permitir la redaccioacuten decomentarios sobre los proyectos por parte de observadores e incluso de losmismos beneficiarios
La propuesta no contempla aceptar un marco comuacuten de evaluacioacuten que hariacuteaa nuestro entender inviable al Monitor Se plantea una propuesta maacutesconcreta orientada a apoyar la transparencia de las acciones en TIC para eldesarrollo y la rendicioacuten de cuentas desde todos los sectores
En el documento ldquoCarta a la Tiacutea Ofelia 7 propuestas para un desarrollo humanosostenible con el uso de las Tecnologiacuteas de la Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacutenrdquo se deciacutea
ldquoCuando se habla de evaluacioacuten muchas personas se sienten amenazadas como si se tratara siempre de unaauditoriacutea para ver a quieacuten echarle la culpa de los problemas Aunque las auditoriacuteas son importantes para larendicioacuten de cuentas y la verificacioacuten de procesos la evaluacioacuten de resultados es otra cosa completamente distintaCon el monitoreo se trata de aprender de los errores y de los aciertos mejorar sobre la marcha compartir lo quese aprende en el recorrido Con la evaluacioacuten se busca aprender sobre los resultados de las actividades yprogramas y comprender queacute se hizo para mejorar o empeorar la situacioacuten ojalaacute desde varias perspectivasdiferentes Pretender que de la auditoriacutea resulte el aprendizaje es un graviacutesimo errorrdquo28
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
18
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Esta es una propuesta que plantea un puente entre monitoreo y auditoriacutea con laparticipacioacuten de muacuteltiples actores e impactando directamente en la rendicioacuten decuentas y la transparencia de las acciones orientadas a promover el desarrollo
En la regioacuten contamos ya con las herramientas teacutecnicas para implementar unsistema de bajo costo pero lo maacutes complicado puede ser lo metodoloacutegico ElMonitor deberiacutea ser un sitio colaborativo donde los proyectos son alimentadospor los propios actores de los proyectos y donde se requiere de un acuerdoprevio entre agencias donantes para que acepten que los documentos de susproyectos se reporten en el Monitor y lo incluyan asiacute en el contrato
Mantener actualizada la informacioacuten del Monitor es tambieacuten una tarea difiacutecil sise piensa de manera tradicional El Monitor deberiacutea trabajar para que lo queestaacute reportado alliacute tenga visibilidad (a traveacutes de boletines electroacutenicosdistribucioacuten de resentildeas en otras redes y listas promocioacuten de foros etc) Laidea es generar la sensacioacuten de que conviene maacutes estar alliacute con la informacioacutenactualizada que quedarse fuera
Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo
El Dr Valenti comentaba la necesidad de recrear la institucionalidad local demanera que se convierta en protagonista de su desarrollo Hablaba de lossistemas locales de desarrollo como la base de esta nueva institucionalidad 29
En los paiacuteses latinoamericanos hay varias iniciativas de concertacioacuten para eldesarrollo local donde convergen los diferentes niveles del Estado y lasociedad civil incluidos los empresarios30 Sin embargo existen tambieacutencomplejos sistemas de innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica31 que generalmente no estaacuten endiaacutelogo con estos espacios de planificacioacuten del desarrollo local
La propuesta busca vincular estos espacios de concertacioacuten del desarrollo conel rescate de la capacidad emprendedora de los ciudadanos latinoamericanosenfocada hacia los procesos que conduzcan a la regioacuten hacia la sociedad dela informacioacuten
Encontramos que la mejor manera de llevar la propuesta a la praacutectica esgenerando mecanismos locales de promocioacuten de la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica yque la investigacioacuten no ha encontrado muy difundidos en la regioacuten Elantecedente concreto maacutes directo que se logroacute identificar es el proyectoldquoFortaleciendo la Participacioacuten Ciudadana para el Desarrollo EconoacutemicoLocalrdquo y que justamente buscaba rescatar la capacidad de innovacioacuten depobladores rurales en el Peruacute
El referido proyecto fue financiado por el DFID y la Comunidad Europea yejecutado por ITDG Ameacuterica Latina en seis municipalidades (en eldepartamento de San Martiacuten provincias de Picota San Martiacuten y Moyobambay en el departamento de Cajamarca provincias de Bambamarca y San Ignacioy en el distrito de Asuncioacuten)32
Miguel Saravia
19
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
Aplicar este concepto a la sociedad de la informacioacuten puede traer resultadossorprendentes y orientar mejor la intervencioacuten del Estado y de los propiosproyectos de desarrollo Pero la clave es el caraacutecter local del proceso y suengarzamiento con las instancias locales de concertacioacuten del desarrollo
Hemos identificado experiencias previas de concursos nacionales deinnovacioacuten pero cuya estructura y mecanismos de participacioacuten no favorecenel rescate de las iniciativas locales que por su dimensioacuten son maacutes faacuteciles deser apropiadas o adaptadas por otras comunidades
SI programa de formacioacuten regional
A partir de los estudios de caso y del mapeo inicialmente realizado en el marcode la presente investigacioacuten encontramos que una de las principalesdebilidades en la sociedad civil y en algunos sectores del Estado es que noexiste suficiente capacidad para disentildear y promover poliacuteticas puacuteblicas eficacesen la promocioacuten del uso de las TIC desde una perspectiva de desarrollo
Por ello se hace necesario disentildear un programa de formacioacuten regional queprepare regularmente a liacutederes de los diferentes sectores para que seancapaces de participar activamente en el proceso de disentildear y acompantildear lasestrategias hacia la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Es importante que este programa de formacioacuten se desarrolle sobre la base dela realidad de la regioacuten y que sea un espacio acadeacutemico de reflexioacuten sobre losmodelos las mejores praacutecticas y los impactos que estamos logrando ennuestro camino
Esta propuesta busca preparar a mediano y largo plazo a funcionarios puacuteblicosy a liacutederes de la sociedad civil con el suficiente conocimiento de la temaacuteticalocal y regional y con capacidad de aportar constructivamente en laformulacioacuten de nuevas poliacuteticas
La propuesta incluye involucrar a diferentes universidades institutosacadeacutemicos y de investigacioacuten en el programa de formacioacuten de manera quepermita cubrir un aacuterea geograacutefica maacutes grande y llegar a la mayor cantidad deliacutederes y funcionarios locales posibles
El espacio de formacioacuten puede permitir tambieacuten que exista un mayor diaacutelogoentre los actores si es que se garantiza la participacioacuten activa de funcionariospuacuteblicos y dirigentes de organizaciones de la sociedad civil
Es importante resaltar tambieacuten que esta propuesta no se refiere a un programade formacioacuten claacutesico sino mas bien a una serie de cursos talleres seminariose investigaciones que se pueden dar de manera descentralizada y que con eladecuado rigor acadeacutemico permitiraacute formar un ldquothink tankrdquo regional capaz dedialogar y de aportar en el desarrollo de estrategias locales y regionales
Organizaciones de la socie dad civil y program as na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
20
1 Forew or d
This text was written within the framework of the Project entitled ldquoCivilianOrganisations in the face of National ICT Projects 4 case studiesrdquo which ITDGcarried out with the support of the International Development Research CentreThis project was implemented between December 2002 and June 2004 andincluded visits to 4 Latin American countries (Peru Uruguay Venezuela and ElSalvador) as well as interviews with government representatives and civilianorganizations The results of each visit form part of the CD ldquoCivil Society andthe development of the information society in Latin Americardquo that will beaccessible at ITDG and IDRC websites
Is it possible to refer to the information society without the participation of thecivil society Is the lsquoinformation societyrsquo a matter of cables devices andbackbones How can the lsquoinformation societyrsquo be understood within a povertycontext What approaches can be used to explain the role to be played by thecivil society with other stakeholders of the information society Who are thoseother approaches Which is the most adequate model for understanding therelationships of key stakeholders in the structure of the Information SocietyThose questions guided this research
One of the main concerns during this research work has been to find out howthese stakeholders have become organised and in particular how the civilsociety has become organised in order to understand the process involved inmaking ICT a public policy and incorporating their proposals
This publication begins with an explanation of the public advocacy process andhow this reached the agenda of civil society organisations There follows ananalysis of the adequate framework for understanding the information societydevelopment process A summary of 4 different models is included which formpart of the typology of the relationship between the civil society and the Statein structuring the information society
The publication continues with an introduction of key stakeholders their rolein the construction of ICT policies and the kind of relationships that must beestablished to ensure that their influence is effective Finally a number ofrecommendations are made to strengthen the relationship between the civilsociety and the State
With this publication we hope to help disseminate key concepts for theimprovement of civil society organizations in the face of the institutionalprocesses taking place in Latin American countries within the framework of theldquoinformation societyrdquo structure
Miguel SaraviaDecember 2004
23
24
2 I ntr oduct i on
Information and communication technologies (ICT) are dramaticallytransforming our environment Today at least one if not several informationtechnologies are having an impact on our daily activities The abundance ofbusiness management information and technology is greatly influencing thedaily lives of Latin American men women boys and girls
Although the predominant perception of the ldquoinformation societyrdquo mainlyinvolves mobile telephones computers and the Internet ie infrastructure ourresearch work revealed some encouraging evidence of an ever-increasingconcern for the application of ICT in education health production workingmethods and how we communicate with and relate to each other
Consequently it is essential for society as a whole to become involved in theprocess of setting public policies and understanding how such a process canbe improved During the last 10 years NGOs have been concentrating onincreasing their lobbying and advocacy actions in an attempt to influencedifferent groups of agents ie individuals States corporations internationalorganisations etc so that they change their policies and attitudes regardingdevelopment issues1 During that time NGOs have helped change the terms ofdiscussions on matters concerning the reduction of the foreign debt promotedthe monitoring of global agreements such as the certification of forests or childlabour contributed to the adoption of agreements like the Ottawa treaty for theeradication of land mines and so on2
The most developed sectors as far as these actions are concerned are theenvironment childrenrsquos rights and the fight for womenrsquos rights It was preciselybecause of these two issues that the lobbying and advocacy work reachedLatin America and was included in the agendas of NGOs
These were also the sectors in which ICT began to be used to influence publicpolicies being the best means of obtaining timely and transparent publicpolicies of a good quality The use of ICT helps to that numerous peoplecontribute in the advocacy and in the elaboration of the policy proposalsallowing massive debates including sectors traditionally excluded from thespaces of public participation It is important also to affect ICT policies thatenable them to be real instruments of development
It is a common mistake to define very general objective for an advocacystrategy like promote an ICT for development policies Advocacy is a long-termprocess that begins with a concrete definition of the changes to be made andin many cases it is the reason for success or failure of the process
25
1 BOND Guidance Notes Series 3 The What and the Why of Advocacy London 1999 2 Edwards Michael NGO legitimacy- voice or vote In Global Future Fourth Quarter 2002 p 3
Or gan izaciones d e la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes mat chmaking
Then the situation must be analysed in order to identify the best mechanismsand opportunities to promote such changes Coupled with the above is theidentification of key agents so as to determine who needs to be influenced andwho potential partners should be Subsequently messages for each targetpopulation must be prepared and the most adequate advocacy strategies foreach particular case selected This leads to the need for detailed planning ofeach step and then during the implementation the progress must bemonitored so that new actions can be planned when necessary With acontinuous monitoring and evaluation process the advocacy strategy can beadjusted to ensure that the desired objectives are achieved3
This is the process that numerous NGOs in the region have been followinghowever they have also faced numerous restrictions Below is a summary ofsome of the problems encountered by NGOs in their efforts to exerciseinfluence in Latin America which were identified during our research work
bull Institution-building is at a low level access to the political system is limitedand few practices are acknowledged either by the State or by the civilsociety for influence processes to prosper4
bull Advocacy is a special field and although several NGOs include influenceactions in their political system these do not always respond to a deliberateaction and a planned advocacy strategy5 In many cases specializationimplies casting aside grassroots actions
bull There are participation and influence opportunities that neither respond to astructure nor a system that permits them but rather to local circumstancesthat are very difficult to anticipate6
bull NGOs have a representation problem that often prevents them from beingaccepted by the State and others as valid spokesmen7 Take the case of theanti-globalisation movement for example
bull Funds are received to implement projects not to promote processes Thisgreatly restricts the actual capacity of NGOs to lead long-term advocacyprocesses8
bull The development of the advocacy capacity of NGOs has been limited totopics proposed by NGOs from the northern hemisphere which are veryorchestrated and fail to develop the ability to exercise influence in otherspheres9
bull There is no common advocacy agenda among the different agents of the civilsociety as far as matters related to the ldquoinformation societyrdquo are concerned10
26
3 Advocacy inintiatives planning manual Save the Children London Save the Children 20004 Influence on Public Policies and Citizenship Ineacutes Gonzales Bombal httpwwwicdorguymercosurinformesencuentrogonzalez7html 5 Gonzales Bombal op cit 6 By ldquoAunt Opheliardquo we refer to the likeness with the character of the IDRC publication Raiacuteces Maacutegicas and ITDG as a result of the Latin
American Meeting on ldquoAppropriation of Information and Communication Technologies in Latin Americahttpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsofeliahtm
7 Edwards Michael 2002 op cit8 El rol de interfase de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Ramoacuten Vargas Conference papers presented in Seminario Regional sobre
las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil y el desarrollo de una cultura democraacutetica 9 Ramoacuten Vargas op cit10 Save the Children 2001 op cit
The last conclusion sheds light on the characteristics of this research workOur main concern is to find a way to influence public policies for the informationsociety and not public policies in general The technical terms that define theinformation society are still unclear therefore opportunities are lost and variouscivilian organisations are afraid of making concrete proposals and applyingpressure to obtain what they want
Progress has been made with creating a social impression of the Internet butthat vision is yet to materialise in concrete regional and national advocacyproposals11
Undoubtedly the need to transform this collective social impression intoconcrete advocacy actions has been proved in the light of the participation ofcivilian organisations in the preparatory events of the World Summit of theInformation Society12 in which our participation was disjointed and without acommon regional standpoint The construction of this common advocacyagenda is a process that is just beginning and as already mentioned inrelevant electronic forums the process will not end with the World Summit
Miguel Saravia
27
11 Vision based on the work of the Comunidad Virtual Mistica For further information see httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 L ook i ng f or t he m o s tappr opr i at e f ramewor k hellip
It was found that the framework used by different government circles in theregion to design strategies related to the Information Society are very biasedtowards the ICT sector Emphasis is placed on setting up access facilitiesprogrammes to support the information and communication technologiessector the development of electronic government applications etc
A thorough review of different existing models and the proposals shared indifferent international forums such as the preparatory meeting in Bavaro forthe Information Society Summit the high level meeting between the EuropeanUnion-Latin America and the Andean ICT workshop reveals that as a commondenominator the existing framework is insufficient for understanding howinformation and communication technologies can make a significant change inthe struggle against poverty in our countries
The CEPAL Model
The Economic Commission for LatinA m e r i c a1 3 has designed a three-dimensional model with horizontallevels vertical sectors and transversalareas The horizontal dimension showsthe ldquosegmentsrdquo that representinfrastructure and generic services (TVradio Internet) The vertical dimensionshows the sectors that become thelsquoinformation societyrsquo
It is interesting to note that the cube adds a third dimension which makes thescheme more complicated but allows the introduction of transversal issuessuch as regulatory frameworks financing and human capital
The information society scheme proposed by CEPAL gives the impression thatthe society is limited to electronics and that the way to become an informationsociety is only viewed from the e-included in the sectors A legitimate questionwould be how does the model envisage the participation of civilians in theprocess Or how to face the evident qualms about starting the informationsociety development process
29
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
The horizontal segments are conceived as very functional for the sectorswhereas capacity-building is considered to be the technical capacity requiredto deal with the technologies involved in the construction of information ratherthan the social skills required to understand the processes and adapt them tonational contexts
The Gino Germani Research Institute Model
This scheme shows a series ofconcentric rings with the targetpoint in the middle referred toas the lsquoinformation societyrsquo
It was designed in the GinoGermani Research Institute ofthe University of Buenos Aires14
and proposes working inwardsfrom the outside starting withpolicies access developmentuse appropriation and finallyproduction Reading it that wayit is easy to understand thelogic of the processcomplemented by the transversal pivotal points that cut through the circleswhich refer to social inclusion gender and minorities
This way of depicting the information society structuring process considers theimportance of a gradual progress creating the conditions for the society toachieve another level of development in a joint collective manner
This model takes it for granted that there is a consensus that the informationsociety structuring process should be wide-ranging with the participation of allsectors including the civil society However our research shows that thedominating view is that in which priority is placed on the e-strategies
Another aspect the model fails to include concerns the forces that could eitherboost or stunt the processes that is where we should see the civil society andcivilian organisations In other words there is an evident lack of elements toshow the driving force behind the information society which should be thesociety itself with its needs and priorities
It may not be a specific responsibility of the theoretical frameworks but of thecapacity of the civil society itself to claim its role as the driving force behind thesociety
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
30
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
The Valenti Model15
D r Valenti of theOrganisation of Spanish-American States forEducation Science andCulture designed a modelsubsequent to existingmodels having beencriticised because of theirclassic way ofunderstanding thelsquoinformation societyrsquo As faras Dr Valenti is concernedtwo main componentsneeded to be added to the classic standpoint citizen participation andtechnological innovation Not that this was not acknowledged in the cube orthe circles since the explanation did in fact mention the importance ofconsidering all agents However Dr Valentirsquos text places social participationat the centre of the action as a fundamental component of the process
In the cube people are non-existent or invisible In the circles model socialparticipation is tacit but not explicit In Valentirsquos model the collective aspect isthe driving force ldquoWithout participation there is no interaction and withoutinteraction there is no innovation If there is no participation or a capacity forinnovation it would be impossible to structure an Information Societyrdquo16 DrValenti places emphasis on the need to promote institution-building upheld bylocal development systems and the promotion of local innovation mechanisms
In Latin America new local institutions are being consolidated such as thelocal development committees in various Latin American communities the anti-poverty boards the concerted action boards and the public-private discussionpanels17 It is interesting to note how these panels can make up the newinstitutions that Dr Valenti refers to
Nevertheless none of the models described above have includedtechnological innovation
A Transforming Innovation Model
In a book entitled ldquoRural Development and ICT A Rural Development Approachwith the Integration of Information and Communication Technologiesrdquo theconcept referred to as a transforming innovation is explained This conceptintroduces innovation as an element that will set in motion the socialtransformation process18
Miguel Saravia
31
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organised by the Department for International
Development of the United Kingdom the World Bank and other organisations (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (at the printerrsquos)
The lsquoinformation societyrsquo is something that needs to be attained and in orderto do so our society needs to change existing social relations must be fairerwith equal opportunities for everyone This model recovers the revolutionarydimension of the application of ICT to development processes
In order to understand how Latin America is progressing towards theInformation Society it is necessary to look for consistency in all theseapproaches rather than choosing just one Whereas the Valenti model providesa good definition of the different agents the circles scheme provides a clearunderstanding of the collective process and the CEPAL cube details theinteraction of the various sectors once we have move forward within theinformation society This last approach emphasizes the need to introduceinnovation processes to help transform the society
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
32
4 Pub l i c- pr i vate part ner sh i ps f o rstr uct uri ng t h e i n f ormat i on soc i et y
Structuring the information society is a taskthat involves all sectors of society ie citizensin their different facets - studentsentrepreneurs researchers social activists -and governors Anything not related to thegovernment should be considered privateencompassing the so-called third sector andthe business sector
We shall use the term ldquopublic-privatepartnershipsrdquo to refer to alliances betweengovernments the business sector and civilianorganisations These alliances can be definedas ldquothe arrangements whereby the public andprivate sectors sign agreements to implementjoint research and development projects joining their resources and skillsrdquo19
Another more accurate definition of what should be understood by the termpartnerships ldquojoint initiatives of the public and private sectors the profit-makingsector and the not-for-profit sector which are also understood to begovernmental business and civilian sectors Within these partnerships eachpartner contributes with resources (financial human technical and intangiblesuch as information or political support) and participates in the decision-makingprocessrdquo20
It was already been proved that public-private partnerships provide newresources to poverty-reduction initiatives It is safe to say that thesepartnerships increase the productivity of available resources Furthermorepartnerships imply a number of ways of generating assets in terms of humandevelopment and social capital creating the right conditions for achievingmultiplying effects
As Fiszbein and Lowden said ldquoPartnerships have the potential to createchanging patterns that strengthen themselves the great advantage being thatthe whole can be so much better than the sum of its partsrdquo
The main question is how to institutionalise the participation of the privatesector and the civil society in national programmes for the information society21
and how to create this mutually gainful environment
33
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz amp Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
This matter has not been clearly defined from the point of view of civilianorganizations much less from the viewpoint of the public sector In the earlynineties the main NGOs from the northern hemisphere realized that the impactof their work was temporary and of a very small scale Hence the developmentof a number of strategies to increase both the impact and the scope of their work
The following were among the actions promoted
bull Cooperation with the Governmentbull Expansion of their operationsbull Promotion of a direct contact between grassroots organisationsbull Local national and international advocacy and lobbying
In the ICT sector an analysis of advocacy agents reveals an unfair relationshipbetween the civil societyrsquos and the business sectorrsquos capacity to influence theGovernment and the State The following table prepared by Juliana Martinez22provides a better understanding of this statement
The graph also shows the lack of a relationship between civilian organisationsand the business sector Companies and their leaders are not usuallyconsidered influence subjects although it seems evident that if we influencethem and take advantage of their capacity to influence then indirectly we areinfluencing the Government as well
The idea is not to abandon the possibility of exercising a direct influence onpublic policies but to broaden the spectrum and learn from the experience ofother agents Again Juliana Martinez summarises the ideal model in a graph
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
34
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
el proceso y iquestcoacutemo enfrentar las inequidades evidentes que se presentaraacutenal iniciar el proceso de desarrollo de la sociedad de la informacioacuten
En este esquema se concibe a los estratos horizontales como muy funcionalesa los sectores de esta manera el desarrollo de capacidades estaacute confinado alconjunto de habilidades teacutecnicas necesarias para lidiar con las tecnologiacuteasinsertas en la elaboracioacuten de la informacioacuten Pero en este esquema se olvidalas habilidades sociales para poder entender los procesos y adecuarlos a loscontextos nacionales
El modelo del Instituto de Investigaciones Gino Germani
Este diagrama presenta unaserie de anillos conceacutentricoscuyo centro y punto de llegadaes la denominada sociedad dela informacioacuten
Este modelo que fuedesarrollado en el seno delInstituto de InvestigacionesGino Germani de la Universidadde Buenos A i r e s1 4 plantea unalectura de afuera hacia dentroesto es comenzando por laspoliacuteticas el acceso el desarrolloel uso la apropiacioacuten yfinalmente la produccioacuten Leyeacutendolo asiacute es faacutecil entender la loacutegica del procesoque es complementado por ejes transversales que cortan todos los ciacuterculosEstos son la inclusioacuten social el geacutenero y el respeto por las minoriacuteas
Esta manera de presentar el proceso de construccioacuten de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten contempla una progresioacuten Conforme se va avanzando en cadatema se puede pasar al otro nivel de desarrollo hasta llegar al centro del ciacuterculo
Este modelo de los ciacuterculos da por sentado el consenso de que la construccioacutende la sociedad de la informacioacuten debe ser un proceso amplio con laparticipacioacuten de todos los sectores incluida la sociedad civil
Sin embargo lo que no logra incluir el modelo son las fuerzas que puedendinamizar los procesos o que los pueden entrampar y es por alliacute dondedebemos ver a los ciudadanos y sus organizaciones Se hace evidente laausencia de elementos que muestren que la fuerza movilizadora de lasociedad de la informacioacuten es y debe ser la sociedad misma sus necesidadessus prioridades
Esto puede que no sea responsabilidad exclusiva de los marcos teoacutericos sinode la capacidad de la propia sociedad civil para reclamar su espacio comofuerza motora de la sociedad
Or ganizaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas na cionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
12
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
El modelo Valenti15
El Dr Valenti de la Organizacioacuten de Estados Iberoamericanos para la Educacioacutenla Ciencia y la Cultura ha desarrollado un modelo que critica la forma claacutesica deentender a la sociedad de la informacioacuten a partir de los modelos existentes (y alos que nos hemos referido anteriormente)
Para el Dr Valenti a lamirada claacutesica debemosantildeadirle dos componentescentrales la participacioacutenciudadana y la innovacioacutentecnoloacutegica Y no es que elcubo o los ciacuterculos no losreconocieran Sin embargoel modelo del Dr Va l e n t icoloca a la participacioacutensocial en el centro de laaccioacuten como un componentefundamental del proceso
En el cubo la persona la sociedad no existe En el modelo de los ciacuterculos lapresencia social es taacutecita falta explicitarla En cambio en el modelo de Valenti elmotor es el colectivo ldquoSin participacioacuten no hay interaccioacuten y sin interaccioacuten no hayinnovacioacuten Y si no hay participacioacuten y capacidad para la innovacioacuten no habraacuteSociedad de la Informacioacuten posiblerdquo1 6
El Dr Valenti hace eacutenfasis en la necesidad de fomentar una nuevainstitucionalidad que se sostenga en sistemas locales de desarrollo y en lapromocioacuten de mecanismos de innovacioacuten local
En Ameacuterica Latina se estaacute consolidando una nueva institucionalidad local comolo son los comiteacutes locales de desarrollo en diversas comunidades de A m eacute r i c aLatina las mesas de lucha contra la pobreza las mesas de concertacioacuten y losespacios de diaacutelogo puacuteblico-privados1 7 Es interesante coacutemo estos espaciospueden configurar la nueva institucionalidad de la que habla el Dr Valenti
Si bien el Dr Valenti menciona el tema de la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica no lodesarrolla a plenitud quedando un vaciacuteo necesario de llenar
El modelo de la Innovacioacuten Transformadora
En el libro ldquoDesarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacutenrdquo seexplica el concepto de innovacioacuten transformadora Esta nocioacuten recoge el tema dela innovacioacuten y lo presenta como un elemento catalizador del proceso detransformacioacuten social1 8
Miguel Saravia
13
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organizado por el Departamento para el Desarrollo
Internacional del Reino Unido el Banco Mundial y otras organizaciones (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (en imprenta)
La sociedad de la informacioacuten es algo a lo que hay que llegar y para llegar sedebe transformar nuestra sociedad transformar las relaciones socialesexistentes para tener maacutes equidad y donde exista igualdad de oportunidadesEste modelo rescata esta dimensioacuten revolucionaria que tiene la aplicacioacuten delas TIC a los procesos de desarrollo
Creemos que para entender el camino de Ameacuterica Latina hacia la sociedad dela informacioacuten es necesario buscar la convergencia de todos estos enfoquesmas que elegir uno solo El modelo de Valenti proporciona una muy buenadefinicioacuten de los actores el esquema de los ciacuterculos nos permite comprenderclaramente el proceso colectivo el cubo de la CEPAL nos detalla la interaccioacutende los diversos sectores una vez que hemos avanzado dentro de la sociedadde la informacioacuten Este uacuteltimo enfoque destaca la necesidad de introducirprocesos de innovacioacuten que ayuden en la transformacioacuten de la sociedad
Organizaciones de la socie dad civil y program as na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
14
4 Alianzas puacuteblico-privadas paraconstruir lasociedad de lainformacioacuten
La construccioacuten de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten es una tarea que involucra a todoslos sectores de la sociedad esto es a losciudadanos -en sus diferentes facetas comoestudiantes empresarios investigadoresactivistas sociales- y a los gobernantes Loprivado debe hacer alusioacuten a todo lo que no serelaciona con el gobierno englobando aldenominado tercer sector y al sectorempresarial
Util izaremos el teacutermino alianzas puacuteblico-privadas para referirnos a la asociacioacuten entregobiernos el sector empresarial y lasorganizaciones de la sociedad civil Estasalianzas podemos definirlas como ldquolos acuerdos en los que el sector puacuteblicoy el privado suscriben convenios para ejecutar proyectos conjuntos deinvestigacioacuten y desarrollo uniendo recursos y capacidadesrdquo19
Otra definicioacuten auacuten maacutes precisa indica que se debe entender como alianzasldquolas iniciativas conjuntas del sector puacuteblico junto con el sector privado el sectorcon fines de lucro y el sector sin fines de lucro tambieacuten entendidos como lossectores gubernamental empresarial y ciacutevico Dentro de estas alianzas cadauno de los miembros contribuye con recursos (financieros humanos teacutecnicose intangibles tales como informacioacuten o apoyo poliacutetico) y participa en elproceso de la toma de decisionesrdquo20
Las alianzas puacuteblico-privadas ya han demostrado que aportan nuevosrecursos a las iniciativas para la reduccioacuten de la pobreza Podemos decir quelas alianzas aumentan la productividad de los recursos disponibles Ademaacuteslas alianzas implican un nuacutemero considerable de formas de generacioacuten debienes en las aacutereas de desarrollo humano y de capital social lo cual crea lascondiciones para lograr efectos multiplicadores
Como dicen Fiszbein y Lowden ldquoLas alianzas tienen el potencial de generarpatrones de cambio que se refuerzan a siacute mismos y asiacute traen consigo el meacuteritoinmenso de que el todo puede ser mucho maacutes que la suma de las partesrdquo
Una pregunta central es coacutemo se puede institucionalizar la participacioacuten del sectorprivado y la sociedad civil en los programas nacionales para la sociedad de lainformacioacuten 2 1 y de queacute manera se puede generar un entorno de ganancia mutua
15
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz y Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag 27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
Desde las organizaciones de la sociedad civil este tema no se ha visto conmucha claridad y menos auacuten desde el sector puacuteblico A inicios de la deacutecadade los 90 las principales ONG del Norte se dieron cuenta que el impacto de sutrabajo era temporal y de escala muy pequentildea Por ello desarrollaron una seriede estrategias para aumentar su impacto y la escala de lo que haciacutean
Dentro de las acciones que se promovieron encontramos
bull Cooperacioacuten con el gobiernobull Expansioacuten de sus operacionesbull Promocioacuten del contacto directo con organizaciones de basebull Influencia y cabildeo local nacional e internacional
En el sector de las TIC un anaacutelisis de actores de incidencia nos muestra unadesemejanza entre la capacidad de la sociedad civil para incidir en el Gobiernoy el Estado y la capacidad que tiene el sector empresarial de hacerlo Elsiguiente cuadro preparado por Juliana Martiacutenez22 nos ayuda a entendermejor lo que estamos afirmando
El graacutefico tambieacuten nos muestra la inexistencia de una relacioacuten entre las OSCy el sector empresarial Comuacutenmente no se ve a las empresas y a sus liacutederescomo sujetos de incidencia Empero es evidente que si incidimos en estas yaprovechamos su capacidad de incidencia indirectamente tambieacuten estaremosincidiendo en el gobierno
No se trata de abandonar la posibilidad de incidir directamente en las poliacuteticaspuacuteblicas sino mas bien de ampliar el espectro y aprender de la experiencia de otrosactores Nuevamente Juliana Martiacutenez nos resume el modelo ideal en un graacutefico
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
16
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Propuestas parafortalecer la relacioacutensociedad civil-Gobierno
Como hemos visto a lo largo de este texto no es faacutecil hacer una siacutentesis quecombine todos los modelos Soacutelo un trabajo articulado de todos los actorespermitiraacute avanzar en la construccioacuten de la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Existen espacios para la participacioacuten activa de los actores en los procesos dehacer poliacutetica puacuteblica y por lo tanto de incidir directamente en los tomadoresde decisiones23 En la Presentacioacuten indicamos que una preocupacioacuten principalde la presente investigacioacuten era encontrar mecanismos de articulacioacuten de lasociedad civil para poder comprender el proceso de hacer poliacuteticas puacuteblicasrelacionadas con las TIC y de articular propuestas teacutecnica financiera ypoliacuteticamente viables
Sobre la base de las entrevistas visitas de campo y revisioacuten de documentosse han extraiacutedo 4 propuestas para contribuir a fortalecer la relacioacuten entre lasOSC y los Gobiernos Estas son
bull Ciacuterculos de aprendizaje permanentes espacios para el diaacutelogobull Monitor de proyectos TIC transparencia y rendicioacuten de cuentasbull Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo rescate de nuestra capacidad emprendedorabull SI programa de formacioacuten regional ldquoThink tankrdquo regional
Ciacuterculos de aprendizaje permanente
Los ciacuterculos de aprendizaje fueron utilizados por el proyecto Conectaacutendonosal Futuro de El Salvador como un mecanismo para promover la participacioacutende diversos actores en el disentildeo de la agenda puacuteblica relacionada con las TICy el desarrollo24
En los ciacuterculos de aprendizaje se realizaron diagnoacutesticos y propuestas deproyectos en seis temas importantes para el desarrollo de ese paiacutes como sonla educacioacuten la migracioacuten el desarrollo local el desarrollo rural la micro-pequentildea-mediana empresa y las grandes organizaciones puacuteblicas y privadas
En el caso peruano contamos con la experiencia de la Comisioacuten Multisectorialpara el Desarrollo de la Sociedad de la Informacioacuten-CODESI que inicialmenteteniacutea como objetivo principal elaborar un plan para el desarrollo de la sociedadde la informacioacuten en el Peruacute La CODESI se organizoacute en mesas de trabajosobre 6 temas infraestructura capacidades humanas aplicaciones socialesproduccioacuten y servicios gobierno electroacutenico y Cumbre Mundial de la Sociedadde la Informacioacuten25
17
23 Revisar El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedadde la Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Revisar el caso de El Salvador en el informe antes indicado25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
Luego de cumplida la tarea eacutestos colectivos se desarticularon cuando debieronpermanecer como espacios permanentes de anaacutelisis y reflexioacuten sobre la temaacuteticaque los unioacute Es claro que lo que estos espacios resuelvan no tendraacute el caraacutectervinculante ni el estatus consultivo originario pero seraacute fuente de empoderamientoy espacio de cabildeo para futuras acciones poliacuteticas
Promover estos espacios colectivos de reflexioacuten sobre aspectos puntuales detoda la estrategia de TIC para el desarrollo surge como una propuesta naturalque puede ser asumida raacutepidamente por los actores involucrados Creemosque estos espacios tienen que ser plurales garantizando la presencia de todoslos sectores Es muy importante tambieacuten que estos espacios socialicen sudebate y lo compartan con la sociedad en su conjunto a partir de foros puacuteblicoso medios electroacutenicos
Monitor de proyectos TIC
Los estudios de caso nos muestran que muchas organizaciones puacuteblicas yprivadas estaacuten repitiendo el mismo trabajo entre los diferentes paiacuteses de laregioacuten y aun al interior de los propios paiacuteses
El Instituto para la Conectividad de las Ameacutericas ha lanzado una iniciativa paracontar con una base de datos regional de proyectos TIC que permita mapearlas diferentes iniciativas presentes y pasadas26 Global Knowledge Partnershipestaacute tambieacuten por su lado elaborando un mapa de las organizaciones quetrabajan en el tema de las TIC para el desarrollo en toda la regioacuten27
La propuesta es complementaria a las iniciativas antes indicadas pero requierede un pacto entre los diversos actores trabajando en TIC para el desarrollo enAmeacuterica Latina activistas TIC donantes organismos multilaterales gobiernos
El Monitor que proponemos podriacutea nutrirse de los directorios antes indicadospero ademaacutes podriacutea compilar los documentos de proyectos las evaluacioneslas lecciones aprendidas y lo maacutes importante permitir la redaccioacuten decomentarios sobre los proyectos por parte de observadores e incluso de losmismos beneficiarios
La propuesta no contempla aceptar un marco comuacuten de evaluacioacuten que hariacuteaa nuestro entender inviable al Monitor Se plantea una propuesta maacutesconcreta orientada a apoyar la transparencia de las acciones en TIC para eldesarrollo y la rendicioacuten de cuentas desde todos los sectores
En el documento ldquoCarta a la Tiacutea Ofelia 7 propuestas para un desarrollo humanosostenible con el uso de las Tecnologiacuteas de la Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacutenrdquo se deciacutea
ldquoCuando se habla de evaluacioacuten muchas personas se sienten amenazadas como si se tratara siempre de unaauditoriacutea para ver a quieacuten echarle la culpa de los problemas Aunque las auditoriacuteas son importantes para larendicioacuten de cuentas y la verificacioacuten de procesos la evaluacioacuten de resultados es otra cosa completamente distintaCon el monitoreo se trata de aprender de los errores y de los aciertos mejorar sobre la marcha compartir lo quese aprende en el recorrido Con la evaluacioacuten se busca aprender sobre los resultados de las actividades yprogramas y comprender queacute se hizo para mejorar o empeorar la situacioacuten ojalaacute desde varias perspectivasdiferentes Pretender que de la auditoriacutea resulte el aprendizaje es un graviacutesimo errorrdquo28
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
18
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Esta es una propuesta que plantea un puente entre monitoreo y auditoriacutea con laparticipacioacuten de muacuteltiples actores e impactando directamente en la rendicioacuten decuentas y la transparencia de las acciones orientadas a promover el desarrollo
En la regioacuten contamos ya con las herramientas teacutecnicas para implementar unsistema de bajo costo pero lo maacutes complicado puede ser lo metodoloacutegico ElMonitor deberiacutea ser un sitio colaborativo donde los proyectos son alimentadospor los propios actores de los proyectos y donde se requiere de un acuerdoprevio entre agencias donantes para que acepten que los documentos de susproyectos se reporten en el Monitor y lo incluyan asiacute en el contrato
Mantener actualizada la informacioacuten del Monitor es tambieacuten una tarea difiacutecil sise piensa de manera tradicional El Monitor deberiacutea trabajar para que lo queestaacute reportado alliacute tenga visibilidad (a traveacutes de boletines electroacutenicosdistribucioacuten de resentildeas en otras redes y listas promocioacuten de foros etc) Laidea es generar la sensacioacuten de que conviene maacutes estar alliacute con la informacioacutenactualizada que quedarse fuera
Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo
El Dr Valenti comentaba la necesidad de recrear la institucionalidad local demanera que se convierta en protagonista de su desarrollo Hablaba de lossistemas locales de desarrollo como la base de esta nueva institucionalidad 29
En los paiacuteses latinoamericanos hay varias iniciativas de concertacioacuten para eldesarrollo local donde convergen los diferentes niveles del Estado y lasociedad civil incluidos los empresarios30 Sin embargo existen tambieacutencomplejos sistemas de innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica31 que generalmente no estaacuten endiaacutelogo con estos espacios de planificacioacuten del desarrollo local
La propuesta busca vincular estos espacios de concertacioacuten del desarrollo conel rescate de la capacidad emprendedora de los ciudadanos latinoamericanosenfocada hacia los procesos que conduzcan a la regioacuten hacia la sociedad dela informacioacuten
Encontramos que la mejor manera de llevar la propuesta a la praacutectica esgenerando mecanismos locales de promocioacuten de la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica yque la investigacioacuten no ha encontrado muy difundidos en la regioacuten Elantecedente concreto maacutes directo que se logroacute identificar es el proyectoldquoFortaleciendo la Participacioacuten Ciudadana para el Desarrollo EconoacutemicoLocalrdquo y que justamente buscaba rescatar la capacidad de innovacioacuten depobladores rurales en el Peruacute
El referido proyecto fue financiado por el DFID y la Comunidad Europea yejecutado por ITDG Ameacuterica Latina en seis municipalidades (en eldepartamento de San Martiacuten provincias de Picota San Martiacuten y Moyobambay en el departamento de Cajamarca provincias de Bambamarca y San Ignacioy en el distrito de Asuncioacuten)32
Miguel Saravia
19
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
Aplicar este concepto a la sociedad de la informacioacuten puede traer resultadossorprendentes y orientar mejor la intervencioacuten del Estado y de los propiosproyectos de desarrollo Pero la clave es el caraacutecter local del proceso y suengarzamiento con las instancias locales de concertacioacuten del desarrollo
Hemos identificado experiencias previas de concursos nacionales deinnovacioacuten pero cuya estructura y mecanismos de participacioacuten no favorecenel rescate de las iniciativas locales que por su dimensioacuten son maacutes faacuteciles deser apropiadas o adaptadas por otras comunidades
SI programa de formacioacuten regional
A partir de los estudios de caso y del mapeo inicialmente realizado en el marcode la presente investigacioacuten encontramos que una de las principalesdebilidades en la sociedad civil y en algunos sectores del Estado es que noexiste suficiente capacidad para disentildear y promover poliacuteticas puacuteblicas eficacesen la promocioacuten del uso de las TIC desde una perspectiva de desarrollo
Por ello se hace necesario disentildear un programa de formacioacuten regional queprepare regularmente a liacutederes de los diferentes sectores para que seancapaces de participar activamente en el proceso de disentildear y acompantildear lasestrategias hacia la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Es importante que este programa de formacioacuten se desarrolle sobre la base dela realidad de la regioacuten y que sea un espacio acadeacutemico de reflexioacuten sobre losmodelos las mejores praacutecticas y los impactos que estamos logrando ennuestro camino
Esta propuesta busca preparar a mediano y largo plazo a funcionarios puacuteblicosy a liacutederes de la sociedad civil con el suficiente conocimiento de la temaacuteticalocal y regional y con capacidad de aportar constructivamente en laformulacioacuten de nuevas poliacuteticas
La propuesta incluye involucrar a diferentes universidades institutosacadeacutemicos y de investigacioacuten en el programa de formacioacuten de manera quepermita cubrir un aacuterea geograacutefica maacutes grande y llegar a la mayor cantidad deliacutederes y funcionarios locales posibles
El espacio de formacioacuten puede permitir tambieacuten que exista un mayor diaacutelogoentre los actores si es que se garantiza la participacioacuten activa de funcionariospuacuteblicos y dirigentes de organizaciones de la sociedad civil
Es importante resaltar tambieacuten que esta propuesta no se refiere a un programade formacioacuten claacutesico sino mas bien a una serie de cursos talleres seminariose investigaciones que se pueden dar de manera descentralizada y que con eladecuado rigor acadeacutemico permitiraacute formar un ldquothink tankrdquo regional capaz dedialogar y de aportar en el desarrollo de estrategias locales y regionales
Organizaciones de la socie dad civil y program as na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
20
1 Forew or d
This text was written within the framework of the Project entitled ldquoCivilianOrganisations in the face of National ICT Projects 4 case studiesrdquo which ITDGcarried out with the support of the International Development Research CentreThis project was implemented between December 2002 and June 2004 andincluded visits to 4 Latin American countries (Peru Uruguay Venezuela and ElSalvador) as well as interviews with government representatives and civilianorganizations The results of each visit form part of the CD ldquoCivil Society andthe development of the information society in Latin Americardquo that will beaccessible at ITDG and IDRC websites
Is it possible to refer to the information society without the participation of thecivil society Is the lsquoinformation societyrsquo a matter of cables devices andbackbones How can the lsquoinformation societyrsquo be understood within a povertycontext What approaches can be used to explain the role to be played by thecivil society with other stakeholders of the information society Who are thoseother approaches Which is the most adequate model for understanding therelationships of key stakeholders in the structure of the Information SocietyThose questions guided this research
One of the main concerns during this research work has been to find out howthese stakeholders have become organised and in particular how the civilsociety has become organised in order to understand the process involved inmaking ICT a public policy and incorporating their proposals
This publication begins with an explanation of the public advocacy process andhow this reached the agenda of civil society organisations There follows ananalysis of the adequate framework for understanding the information societydevelopment process A summary of 4 different models is included which formpart of the typology of the relationship between the civil society and the Statein structuring the information society
The publication continues with an introduction of key stakeholders their rolein the construction of ICT policies and the kind of relationships that must beestablished to ensure that their influence is effective Finally a number ofrecommendations are made to strengthen the relationship between the civilsociety and the State
With this publication we hope to help disseminate key concepts for theimprovement of civil society organizations in the face of the institutionalprocesses taking place in Latin American countries within the framework of theldquoinformation societyrdquo structure
Miguel SaraviaDecember 2004
23
24
2 I ntr oduct i on
Information and communication technologies (ICT) are dramaticallytransforming our environment Today at least one if not several informationtechnologies are having an impact on our daily activities The abundance ofbusiness management information and technology is greatly influencing thedaily lives of Latin American men women boys and girls
Although the predominant perception of the ldquoinformation societyrdquo mainlyinvolves mobile telephones computers and the Internet ie infrastructure ourresearch work revealed some encouraging evidence of an ever-increasingconcern for the application of ICT in education health production workingmethods and how we communicate with and relate to each other
Consequently it is essential for society as a whole to become involved in theprocess of setting public policies and understanding how such a process canbe improved During the last 10 years NGOs have been concentrating onincreasing their lobbying and advocacy actions in an attempt to influencedifferent groups of agents ie individuals States corporations internationalorganisations etc so that they change their policies and attitudes regardingdevelopment issues1 During that time NGOs have helped change the terms ofdiscussions on matters concerning the reduction of the foreign debt promotedthe monitoring of global agreements such as the certification of forests or childlabour contributed to the adoption of agreements like the Ottawa treaty for theeradication of land mines and so on2
The most developed sectors as far as these actions are concerned are theenvironment childrenrsquos rights and the fight for womenrsquos rights It was preciselybecause of these two issues that the lobbying and advocacy work reachedLatin America and was included in the agendas of NGOs
These were also the sectors in which ICT began to be used to influence publicpolicies being the best means of obtaining timely and transparent publicpolicies of a good quality The use of ICT helps to that numerous peoplecontribute in the advocacy and in the elaboration of the policy proposalsallowing massive debates including sectors traditionally excluded from thespaces of public participation It is important also to affect ICT policies thatenable them to be real instruments of development
It is a common mistake to define very general objective for an advocacystrategy like promote an ICT for development policies Advocacy is a long-termprocess that begins with a concrete definition of the changes to be made andin many cases it is the reason for success or failure of the process
25
1 BOND Guidance Notes Series 3 The What and the Why of Advocacy London 1999 2 Edwards Michael NGO legitimacy- voice or vote In Global Future Fourth Quarter 2002 p 3
Or gan izaciones d e la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes mat chmaking
Then the situation must be analysed in order to identify the best mechanismsand opportunities to promote such changes Coupled with the above is theidentification of key agents so as to determine who needs to be influenced andwho potential partners should be Subsequently messages for each targetpopulation must be prepared and the most adequate advocacy strategies foreach particular case selected This leads to the need for detailed planning ofeach step and then during the implementation the progress must bemonitored so that new actions can be planned when necessary With acontinuous monitoring and evaluation process the advocacy strategy can beadjusted to ensure that the desired objectives are achieved3
This is the process that numerous NGOs in the region have been followinghowever they have also faced numerous restrictions Below is a summary ofsome of the problems encountered by NGOs in their efforts to exerciseinfluence in Latin America which were identified during our research work
bull Institution-building is at a low level access to the political system is limitedand few practices are acknowledged either by the State or by the civilsociety for influence processes to prosper4
bull Advocacy is a special field and although several NGOs include influenceactions in their political system these do not always respond to a deliberateaction and a planned advocacy strategy5 In many cases specializationimplies casting aside grassroots actions
bull There are participation and influence opportunities that neither respond to astructure nor a system that permits them but rather to local circumstancesthat are very difficult to anticipate6
bull NGOs have a representation problem that often prevents them from beingaccepted by the State and others as valid spokesmen7 Take the case of theanti-globalisation movement for example
bull Funds are received to implement projects not to promote processes Thisgreatly restricts the actual capacity of NGOs to lead long-term advocacyprocesses8
bull The development of the advocacy capacity of NGOs has been limited totopics proposed by NGOs from the northern hemisphere which are veryorchestrated and fail to develop the ability to exercise influence in otherspheres9
bull There is no common advocacy agenda among the different agents of the civilsociety as far as matters related to the ldquoinformation societyrdquo are concerned10
26
3 Advocacy inintiatives planning manual Save the Children London Save the Children 20004 Influence on Public Policies and Citizenship Ineacutes Gonzales Bombal httpwwwicdorguymercosurinformesencuentrogonzalez7html 5 Gonzales Bombal op cit 6 By ldquoAunt Opheliardquo we refer to the likeness with the character of the IDRC publication Raiacuteces Maacutegicas and ITDG as a result of the Latin
American Meeting on ldquoAppropriation of Information and Communication Technologies in Latin Americahttpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsofeliahtm
7 Edwards Michael 2002 op cit8 El rol de interfase de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Ramoacuten Vargas Conference papers presented in Seminario Regional sobre
las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil y el desarrollo de una cultura democraacutetica 9 Ramoacuten Vargas op cit10 Save the Children 2001 op cit
The last conclusion sheds light on the characteristics of this research workOur main concern is to find a way to influence public policies for the informationsociety and not public policies in general The technical terms that define theinformation society are still unclear therefore opportunities are lost and variouscivilian organisations are afraid of making concrete proposals and applyingpressure to obtain what they want
Progress has been made with creating a social impression of the Internet butthat vision is yet to materialise in concrete regional and national advocacyproposals11
Undoubtedly the need to transform this collective social impression intoconcrete advocacy actions has been proved in the light of the participation ofcivilian organisations in the preparatory events of the World Summit of theInformation Society12 in which our participation was disjointed and without acommon regional standpoint The construction of this common advocacyagenda is a process that is just beginning and as already mentioned inrelevant electronic forums the process will not end with the World Summit
Miguel Saravia
27
11 Vision based on the work of the Comunidad Virtual Mistica For further information see httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 L ook i ng f or t he m o s tappr opr i at e f ramewor k hellip
It was found that the framework used by different government circles in theregion to design strategies related to the Information Society are very biasedtowards the ICT sector Emphasis is placed on setting up access facilitiesprogrammes to support the information and communication technologiessector the development of electronic government applications etc
A thorough review of different existing models and the proposals shared indifferent international forums such as the preparatory meeting in Bavaro forthe Information Society Summit the high level meeting between the EuropeanUnion-Latin America and the Andean ICT workshop reveals that as a commondenominator the existing framework is insufficient for understanding howinformation and communication technologies can make a significant change inthe struggle against poverty in our countries
The CEPAL Model
The Economic Commission for LatinA m e r i c a1 3 has designed a three-dimensional model with horizontallevels vertical sectors and transversalareas The horizontal dimension showsthe ldquosegmentsrdquo that representinfrastructure and generic services (TVradio Internet) The vertical dimensionshows the sectors that become thelsquoinformation societyrsquo
It is interesting to note that the cube adds a third dimension which makes thescheme more complicated but allows the introduction of transversal issuessuch as regulatory frameworks financing and human capital
The information society scheme proposed by CEPAL gives the impression thatthe society is limited to electronics and that the way to become an informationsociety is only viewed from the e-included in the sectors A legitimate questionwould be how does the model envisage the participation of civilians in theprocess Or how to face the evident qualms about starting the informationsociety development process
29
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
The horizontal segments are conceived as very functional for the sectorswhereas capacity-building is considered to be the technical capacity requiredto deal with the technologies involved in the construction of information ratherthan the social skills required to understand the processes and adapt them tonational contexts
The Gino Germani Research Institute Model
This scheme shows a series ofconcentric rings with the targetpoint in the middle referred toas the lsquoinformation societyrsquo
It was designed in the GinoGermani Research Institute ofthe University of Buenos Aires14
and proposes working inwardsfrom the outside starting withpolicies access developmentuse appropriation and finallyproduction Reading it that wayit is easy to understand thelogic of the processcomplemented by the transversal pivotal points that cut through the circleswhich refer to social inclusion gender and minorities
This way of depicting the information society structuring process considers theimportance of a gradual progress creating the conditions for the society toachieve another level of development in a joint collective manner
This model takes it for granted that there is a consensus that the informationsociety structuring process should be wide-ranging with the participation of allsectors including the civil society However our research shows that thedominating view is that in which priority is placed on the e-strategies
Another aspect the model fails to include concerns the forces that could eitherboost or stunt the processes that is where we should see the civil society andcivilian organisations In other words there is an evident lack of elements toshow the driving force behind the information society which should be thesociety itself with its needs and priorities
It may not be a specific responsibility of the theoretical frameworks but of thecapacity of the civil society itself to claim its role as the driving force behind thesociety
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
30
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
The Valenti Model15
D r Valenti of theOrganisation of Spanish-American States forEducation Science andCulture designed a modelsubsequent to existingmodels having beencriticised because of theirclassic way ofunderstanding thelsquoinformation societyrsquo As faras Dr Valenti is concernedtwo main componentsneeded to be added to the classic standpoint citizen participation andtechnological innovation Not that this was not acknowledged in the cube orthe circles since the explanation did in fact mention the importance ofconsidering all agents However Dr Valentirsquos text places social participationat the centre of the action as a fundamental component of the process
In the cube people are non-existent or invisible In the circles model socialparticipation is tacit but not explicit In Valentirsquos model the collective aspect isthe driving force ldquoWithout participation there is no interaction and withoutinteraction there is no innovation If there is no participation or a capacity forinnovation it would be impossible to structure an Information Societyrdquo16 DrValenti places emphasis on the need to promote institution-building upheld bylocal development systems and the promotion of local innovation mechanisms
In Latin America new local institutions are being consolidated such as thelocal development committees in various Latin American communities the anti-poverty boards the concerted action boards and the public-private discussionpanels17 It is interesting to note how these panels can make up the newinstitutions that Dr Valenti refers to
Nevertheless none of the models described above have includedtechnological innovation
A Transforming Innovation Model
In a book entitled ldquoRural Development and ICT A Rural Development Approachwith the Integration of Information and Communication Technologiesrdquo theconcept referred to as a transforming innovation is explained This conceptintroduces innovation as an element that will set in motion the socialtransformation process18
Miguel Saravia
31
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organised by the Department for International
Development of the United Kingdom the World Bank and other organisations (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (at the printerrsquos)
The lsquoinformation societyrsquo is something that needs to be attained and in orderto do so our society needs to change existing social relations must be fairerwith equal opportunities for everyone This model recovers the revolutionarydimension of the application of ICT to development processes
In order to understand how Latin America is progressing towards theInformation Society it is necessary to look for consistency in all theseapproaches rather than choosing just one Whereas the Valenti model providesa good definition of the different agents the circles scheme provides a clearunderstanding of the collective process and the CEPAL cube details theinteraction of the various sectors once we have move forward within theinformation society This last approach emphasizes the need to introduceinnovation processes to help transform the society
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
32
4 Pub l i c- pr i vate part ner sh i ps f o rstr uct uri ng t h e i n f ormat i on soc i et y
Structuring the information society is a taskthat involves all sectors of society ie citizensin their different facets - studentsentrepreneurs researchers social activists -and governors Anything not related to thegovernment should be considered privateencompassing the so-called third sector andthe business sector
We shall use the term ldquopublic-privatepartnershipsrdquo to refer to alliances betweengovernments the business sector and civilianorganisations These alliances can be definedas ldquothe arrangements whereby the public andprivate sectors sign agreements to implementjoint research and development projects joining their resources and skillsrdquo19
Another more accurate definition of what should be understood by the termpartnerships ldquojoint initiatives of the public and private sectors the profit-makingsector and the not-for-profit sector which are also understood to begovernmental business and civilian sectors Within these partnerships eachpartner contributes with resources (financial human technical and intangiblesuch as information or political support) and participates in the decision-makingprocessrdquo20
It was already been proved that public-private partnerships provide newresources to poverty-reduction initiatives It is safe to say that thesepartnerships increase the productivity of available resources Furthermorepartnerships imply a number of ways of generating assets in terms of humandevelopment and social capital creating the right conditions for achievingmultiplying effects
As Fiszbein and Lowden said ldquoPartnerships have the potential to createchanging patterns that strengthen themselves the great advantage being thatthe whole can be so much better than the sum of its partsrdquo
The main question is how to institutionalise the participation of the privatesector and the civil society in national programmes for the information society21
and how to create this mutually gainful environment
33
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz amp Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
This matter has not been clearly defined from the point of view of civilianorganizations much less from the viewpoint of the public sector In the earlynineties the main NGOs from the northern hemisphere realized that the impactof their work was temporary and of a very small scale Hence the developmentof a number of strategies to increase both the impact and the scope of their work
The following were among the actions promoted
bull Cooperation with the Governmentbull Expansion of their operationsbull Promotion of a direct contact between grassroots organisationsbull Local national and international advocacy and lobbying
In the ICT sector an analysis of advocacy agents reveals an unfair relationshipbetween the civil societyrsquos and the business sectorrsquos capacity to influence theGovernment and the State The following table prepared by Juliana Martinez22provides a better understanding of this statement
The graph also shows the lack of a relationship between civilian organisationsand the business sector Companies and their leaders are not usuallyconsidered influence subjects although it seems evident that if we influencethem and take advantage of their capacity to influence then indirectly we areinfluencing the Government as well
The idea is not to abandon the possibility of exercising a direct influence onpublic policies but to broaden the spectrum and learn from the experience ofother agents Again Juliana Martinez summarises the ideal model in a graph
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
34
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
El modelo Valenti15
El Dr Valenti de la Organizacioacuten de Estados Iberoamericanos para la Educacioacutenla Ciencia y la Cultura ha desarrollado un modelo que critica la forma claacutesica deentender a la sociedad de la informacioacuten a partir de los modelos existentes (y alos que nos hemos referido anteriormente)
Para el Dr Valenti a lamirada claacutesica debemosantildeadirle dos componentescentrales la participacioacutenciudadana y la innovacioacutentecnoloacutegica Y no es que elcubo o los ciacuterculos no losreconocieran Sin embargoel modelo del Dr Va l e n t icoloca a la participacioacutensocial en el centro de laaccioacuten como un componentefundamental del proceso
En el cubo la persona la sociedad no existe En el modelo de los ciacuterculos lapresencia social es taacutecita falta explicitarla En cambio en el modelo de Valenti elmotor es el colectivo ldquoSin participacioacuten no hay interaccioacuten y sin interaccioacuten no hayinnovacioacuten Y si no hay participacioacuten y capacidad para la innovacioacuten no habraacuteSociedad de la Informacioacuten posiblerdquo1 6
El Dr Valenti hace eacutenfasis en la necesidad de fomentar una nuevainstitucionalidad que se sostenga en sistemas locales de desarrollo y en lapromocioacuten de mecanismos de innovacioacuten local
En Ameacuterica Latina se estaacute consolidando una nueva institucionalidad local comolo son los comiteacutes locales de desarrollo en diversas comunidades de A m eacute r i c aLatina las mesas de lucha contra la pobreza las mesas de concertacioacuten y losespacios de diaacutelogo puacuteblico-privados1 7 Es interesante coacutemo estos espaciospueden configurar la nueva institucionalidad de la que habla el Dr Valenti
Si bien el Dr Valenti menciona el tema de la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica no lodesarrolla a plenitud quedando un vaciacuteo necesario de llenar
El modelo de la Innovacioacuten Transformadora
En el libro ldquoDesarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacutenrdquo seexplica el concepto de innovacioacuten transformadora Esta nocioacuten recoge el tema dela innovacioacuten y lo presenta como un elemento catalizador del proceso detransformacioacuten social1 8
Miguel Saravia
13
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organizado por el Departamento para el Desarrollo
Internacional del Reino Unido el Banco Mundial y otras organizaciones (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (en imprenta)
La sociedad de la informacioacuten es algo a lo que hay que llegar y para llegar sedebe transformar nuestra sociedad transformar las relaciones socialesexistentes para tener maacutes equidad y donde exista igualdad de oportunidadesEste modelo rescata esta dimensioacuten revolucionaria que tiene la aplicacioacuten delas TIC a los procesos de desarrollo
Creemos que para entender el camino de Ameacuterica Latina hacia la sociedad dela informacioacuten es necesario buscar la convergencia de todos estos enfoquesmas que elegir uno solo El modelo de Valenti proporciona una muy buenadefinicioacuten de los actores el esquema de los ciacuterculos nos permite comprenderclaramente el proceso colectivo el cubo de la CEPAL nos detalla la interaccioacutende los diversos sectores una vez que hemos avanzado dentro de la sociedadde la informacioacuten Este uacuteltimo enfoque destaca la necesidad de introducirprocesos de innovacioacuten que ayuden en la transformacioacuten de la sociedad
Organizaciones de la socie dad civil y program as na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
14
4 Alianzas puacuteblico-privadas paraconstruir lasociedad de lainformacioacuten
La construccioacuten de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten es una tarea que involucra a todoslos sectores de la sociedad esto es a losciudadanos -en sus diferentes facetas comoestudiantes empresarios investigadoresactivistas sociales- y a los gobernantes Loprivado debe hacer alusioacuten a todo lo que no serelaciona con el gobierno englobando aldenominado tercer sector y al sectorempresarial
Util izaremos el teacutermino alianzas puacuteblico-privadas para referirnos a la asociacioacuten entregobiernos el sector empresarial y lasorganizaciones de la sociedad civil Estasalianzas podemos definirlas como ldquolos acuerdos en los que el sector puacuteblicoy el privado suscriben convenios para ejecutar proyectos conjuntos deinvestigacioacuten y desarrollo uniendo recursos y capacidadesrdquo19
Otra definicioacuten auacuten maacutes precisa indica que se debe entender como alianzasldquolas iniciativas conjuntas del sector puacuteblico junto con el sector privado el sectorcon fines de lucro y el sector sin fines de lucro tambieacuten entendidos como lossectores gubernamental empresarial y ciacutevico Dentro de estas alianzas cadauno de los miembros contribuye con recursos (financieros humanos teacutecnicose intangibles tales como informacioacuten o apoyo poliacutetico) y participa en elproceso de la toma de decisionesrdquo20
Las alianzas puacuteblico-privadas ya han demostrado que aportan nuevosrecursos a las iniciativas para la reduccioacuten de la pobreza Podemos decir quelas alianzas aumentan la productividad de los recursos disponibles Ademaacuteslas alianzas implican un nuacutemero considerable de formas de generacioacuten debienes en las aacutereas de desarrollo humano y de capital social lo cual crea lascondiciones para lograr efectos multiplicadores
Como dicen Fiszbein y Lowden ldquoLas alianzas tienen el potencial de generarpatrones de cambio que se refuerzan a siacute mismos y asiacute traen consigo el meacuteritoinmenso de que el todo puede ser mucho maacutes que la suma de las partesrdquo
Una pregunta central es coacutemo se puede institucionalizar la participacioacuten del sectorprivado y la sociedad civil en los programas nacionales para la sociedad de lainformacioacuten 2 1 y de queacute manera se puede generar un entorno de ganancia mutua
15
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz y Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag 27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
Desde las organizaciones de la sociedad civil este tema no se ha visto conmucha claridad y menos auacuten desde el sector puacuteblico A inicios de la deacutecadade los 90 las principales ONG del Norte se dieron cuenta que el impacto de sutrabajo era temporal y de escala muy pequentildea Por ello desarrollaron una seriede estrategias para aumentar su impacto y la escala de lo que haciacutean
Dentro de las acciones que se promovieron encontramos
bull Cooperacioacuten con el gobiernobull Expansioacuten de sus operacionesbull Promocioacuten del contacto directo con organizaciones de basebull Influencia y cabildeo local nacional e internacional
En el sector de las TIC un anaacutelisis de actores de incidencia nos muestra unadesemejanza entre la capacidad de la sociedad civil para incidir en el Gobiernoy el Estado y la capacidad que tiene el sector empresarial de hacerlo Elsiguiente cuadro preparado por Juliana Martiacutenez22 nos ayuda a entendermejor lo que estamos afirmando
El graacutefico tambieacuten nos muestra la inexistencia de una relacioacuten entre las OSCy el sector empresarial Comuacutenmente no se ve a las empresas y a sus liacutederescomo sujetos de incidencia Empero es evidente que si incidimos en estas yaprovechamos su capacidad de incidencia indirectamente tambieacuten estaremosincidiendo en el gobierno
No se trata de abandonar la posibilidad de incidir directamente en las poliacuteticaspuacuteblicas sino mas bien de ampliar el espectro y aprender de la experiencia de otrosactores Nuevamente Juliana Martiacutenez nos resume el modelo ideal en un graacutefico
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
16
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Propuestas parafortalecer la relacioacutensociedad civil-Gobierno
Como hemos visto a lo largo de este texto no es faacutecil hacer una siacutentesis quecombine todos los modelos Soacutelo un trabajo articulado de todos los actorespermitiraacute avanzar en la construccioacuten de la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Existen espacios para la participacioacuten activa de los actores en los procesos dehacer poliacutetica puacuteblica y por lo tanto de incidir directamente en los tomadoresde decisiones23 En la Presentacioacuten indicamos que una preocupacioacuten principalde la presente investigacioacuten era encontrar mecanismos de articulacioacuten de lasociedad civil para poder comprender el proceso de hacer poliacuteticas puacuteblicasrelacionadas con las TIC y de articular propuestas teacutecnica financiera ypoliacuteticamente viables
Sobre la base de las entrevistas visitas de campo y revisioacuten de documentosse han extraiacutedo 4 propuestas para contribuir a fortalecer la relacioacuten entre lasOSC y los Gobiernos Estas son
bull Ciacuterculos de aprendizaje permanentes espacios para el diaacutelogobull Monitor de proyectos TIC transparencia y rendicioacuten de cuentasbull Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo rescate de nuestra capacidad emprendedorabull SI programa de formacioacuten regional ldquoThink tankrdquo regional
Ciacuterculos de aprendizaje permanente
Los ciacuterculos de aprendizaje fueron utilizados por el proyecto Conectaacutendonosal Futuro de El Salvador como un mecanismo para promover la participacioacutende diversos actores en el disentildeo de la agenda puacuteblica relacionada con las TICy el desarrollo24
En los ciacuterculos de aprendizaje se realizaron diagnoacutesticos y propuestas deproyectos en seis temas importantes para el desarrollo de ese paiacutes como sonla educacioacuten la migracioacuten el desarrollo local el desarrollo rural la micro-pequentildea-mediana empresa y las grandes organizaciones puacuteblicas y privadas
En el caso peruano contamos con la experiencia de la Comisioacuten Multisectorialpara el Desarrollo de la Sociedad de la Informacioacuten-CODESI que inicialmenteteniacutea como objetivo principal elaborar un plan para el desarrollo de la sociedadde la informacioacuten en el Peruacute La CODESI se organizoacute en mesas de trabajosobre 6 temas infraestructura capacidades humanas aplicaciones socialesproduccioacuten y servicios gobierno electroacutenico y Cumbre Mundial de la Sociedadde la Informacioacuten25
17
23 Revisar El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedadde la Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Revisar el caso de El Salvador en el informe antes indicado25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
Luego de cumplida la tarea eacutestos colectivos se desarticularon cuando debieronpermanecer como espacios permanentes de anaacutelisis y reflexioacuten sobre la temaacuteticaque los unioacute Es claro que lo que estos espacios resuelvan no tendraacute el caraacutectervinculante ni el estatus consultivo originario pero seraacute fuente de empoderamientoy espacio de cabildeo para futuras acciones poliacuteticas
Promover estos espacios colectivos de reflexioacuten sobre aspectos puntuales detoda la estrategia de TIC para el desarrollo surge como una propuesta naturalque puede ser asumida raacutepidamente por los actores involucrados Creemosque estos espacios tienen que ser plurales garantizando la presencia de todoslos sectores Es muy importante tambieacuten que estos espacios socialicen sudebate y lo compartan con la sociedad en su conjunto a partir de foros puacuteblicoso medios electroacutenicos
Monitor de proyectos TIC
Los estudios de caso nos muestran que muchas organizaciones puacuteblicas yprivadas estaacuten repitiendo el mismo trabajo entre los diferentes paiacuteses de laregioacuten y aun al interior de los propios paiacuteses
El Instituto para la Conectividad de las Ameacutericas ha lanzado una iniciativa paracontar con una base de datos regional de proyectos TIC que permita mapearlas diferentes iniciativas presentes y pasadas26 Global Knowledge Partnershipestaacute tambieacuten por su lado elaborando un mapa de las organizaciones quetrabajan en el tema de las TIC para el desarrollo en toda la regioacuten27
La propuesta es complementaria a las iniciativas antes indicadas pero requierede un pacto entre los diversos actores trabajando en TIC para el desarrollo enAmeacuterica Latina activistas TIC donantes organismos multilaterales gobiernos
El Monitor que proponemos podriacutea nutrirse de los directorios antes indicadospero ademaacutes podriacutea compilar los documentos de proyectos las evaluacioneslas lecciones aprendidas y lo maacutes importante permitir la redaccioacuten decomentarios sobre los proyectos por parte de observadores e incluso de losmismos beneficiarios
La propuesta no contempla aceptar un marco comuacuten de evaluacioacuten que hariacuteaa nuestro entender inviable al Monitor Se plantea una propuesta maacutesconcreta orientada a apoyar la transparencia de las acciones en TIC para eldesarrollo y la rendicioacuten de cuentas desde todos los sectores
En el documento ldquoCarta a la Tiacutea Ofelia 7 propuestas para un desarrollo humanosostenible con el uso de las Tecnologiacuteas de la Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacutenrdquo se deciacutea
ldquoCuando se habla de evaluacioacuten muchas personas se sienten amenazadas como si se tratara siempre de unaauditoriacutea para ver a quieacuten echarle la culpa de los problemas Aunque las auditoriacuteas son importantes para larendicioacuten de cuentas y la verificacioacuten de procesos la evaluacioacuten de resultados es otra cosa completamente distintaCon el monitoreo se trata de aprender de los errores y de los aciertos mejorar sobre la marcha compartir lo quese aprende en el recorrido Con la evaluacioacuten se busca aprender sobre los resultados de las actividades yprogramas y comprender queacute se hizo para mejorar o empeorar la situacioacuten ojalaacute desde varias perspectivasdiferentes Pretender que de la auditoriacutea resulte el aprendizaje es un graviacutesimo errorrdquo28
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
18
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Esta es una propuesta que plantea un puente entre monitoreo y auditoriacutea con laparticipacioacuten de muacuteltiples actores e impactando directamente en la rendicioacuten decuentas y la transparencia de las acciones orientadas a promover el desarrollo
En la regioacuten contamos ya con las herramientas teacutecnicas para implementar unsistema de bajo costo pero lo maacutes complicado puede ser lo metodoloacutegico ElMonitor deberiacutea ser un sitio colaborativo donde los proyectos son alimentadospor los propios actores de los proyectos y donde se requiere de un acuerdoprevio entre agencias donantes para que acepten que los documentos de susproyectos se reporten en el Monitor y lo incluyan asiacute en el contrato
Mantener actualizada la informacioacuten del Monitor es tambieacuten una tarea difiacutecil sise piensa de manera tradicional El Monitor deberiacutea trabajar para que lo queestaacute reportado alliacute tenga visibilidad (a traveacutes de boletines electroacutenicosdistribucioacuten de resentildeas en otras redes y listas promocioacuten de foros etc) Laidea es generar la sensacioacuten de que conviene maacutes estar alliacute con la informacioacutenactualizada que quedarse fuera
Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo
El Dr Valenti comentaba la necesidad de recrear la institucionalidad local demanera que se convierta en protagonista de su desarrollo Hablaba de lossistemas locales de desarrollo como la base de esta nueva institucionalidad 29
En los paiacuteses latinoamericanos hay varias iniciativas de concertacioacuten para eldesarrollo local donde convergen los diferentes niveles del Estado y lasociedad civil incluidos los empresarios30 Sin embargo existen tambieacutencomplejos sistemas de innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica31 que generalmente no estaacuten endiaacutelogo con estos espacios de planificacioacuten del desarrollo local
La propuesta busca vincular estos espacios de concertacioacuten del desarrollo conel rescate de la capacidad emprendedora de los ciudadanos latinoamericanosenfocada hacia los procesos que conduzcan a la regioacuten hacia la sociedad dela informacioacuten
Encontramos que la mejor manera de llevar la propuesta a la praacutectica esgenerando mecanismos locales de promocioacuten de la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica yque la investigacioacuten no ha encontrado muy difundidos en la regioacuten Elantecedente concreto maacutes directo que se logroacute identificar es el proyectoldquoFortaleciendo la Participacioacuten Ciudadana para el Desarrollo EconoacutemicoLocalrdquo y que justamente buscaba rescatar la capacidad de innovacioacuten depobladores rurales en el Peruacute
El referido proyecto fue financiado por el DFID y la Comunidad Europea yejecutado por ITDG Ameacuterica Latina en seis municipalidades (en eldepartamento de San Martiacuten provincias de Picota San Martiacuten y Moyobambay en el departamento de Cajamarca provincias de Bambamarca y San Ignacioy en el distrito de Asuncioacuten)32
Miguel Saravia
19
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
Aplicar este concepto a la sociedad de la informacioacuten puede traer resultadossorprendentes y orientar mejor la intervencioacuten del Estado y de los propiosproyectos de desarrollo Pero la clave es el caraacutecter local del proceso y suengarzamiento con las instancias locales de concertacioacuten del desarrollo
Hemos identificado experiencias previas de concursos nacionales deinnovacioacuten pero cuya estructura y mecanismos de participacioacuten no favorecenel rescate de las iniciativas locales que por su dimensioacuten son maacutes faacuteciles deser apropiadas o adaptadas por otras comunidades
SI programa de formacioacuten regional
A partir de los estudios de caso y del mapeo inicialmente realizado en el marcode la presente investigacioacuten encontramos que una de las principalesdebilidades en la sociedad civil y en algunos sectores del Estado es que noexiste suficiente capacidad para disentildear y promover poliacuteticas puacuteblicas eficacesen la promocioacuten del uso de las TIC desde una perspectiva de desarrollo
Por ello se hace necesario disentildear un programa de formacioacuten regional queprepare regularmente a liacutederes de los diferentes sectores para que seancapaces de participar activamente en el proceso de disentildear y acompantildear lasestrategias hacia la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Es importante que este programa de formacioacuten se desarrolle sobre la base dela realidad de la regioacuten y que sea un espacio acadeacutemico de reflexioacuten sobre losmodelos las mejores praacutecticas y los impactos que estamos logrando ennuestro camino
Esta propuesta busca preparar a mediano y largo plazo a funcionarios puacuteblicosy a liacutederes de la sociedad civil con el suficiente conocimiento de la temaacuteticalocal y regional y con capacidad de aportar constructivamente en laformulacioacuten de nuevas poliacuteticas
La propuesta incluye involucrar a diferentes universidades institutosacadeacutemicos y de investigacioacuten en el programa de formacioacuten de manera quepermita cubrir un aacuterea geograacutefica maacutes grande y llegar a la mayor cantidad deliacutederes y funcionarios locales posibles
El espacio de formacioacuten puede permitir tambieacuten que exista un mayor diaacutelogoentre los actores si es que se garantiza la participacioacuten activa de funcionariospuacuteblicos y dirigentes de organizaciones de la sociedad civil
Es importante resaltar tambieacuten que esta propuesta no se refiere a un programade formacioacuten claacutesico sino mas bien a una serie de cursos talleres seminariose investigaciones que se pueden dar de manera descentralizada y que con eladecuado rigor acadeacutemico permitiraacute formar un ldquothink tankrdquo regional capaz dedialogar y de aportar en el desarrollo de estrategias locales y regionales
Organizaciones de la socie dad civil y program as na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
20
1 Forew or d
This text was written within the framework of the Project entitled ldquoCivilianOrganisations in the face of National ICT Projects 4 case studiesrdquo which ITDGcarried out with the support of the International Development Research CentreThis project was implemented between December 2002 and June 2004 andincluded visits to 4 Latin American countries (Peru Uruguay Venezuela and ElSalvador) as well as interviews with government representatives and civilianorganizations The results of each visit form part of the CD ldquoCivil Society andthe development of the information society in Latin Americardquo that will beaccessible at ITDG and IDRC websites
Is it possible to refer to the information society without the participation of thecivil society Is the lsquoinformation societyrsquo a matter of cables devices andbackbones How can the lsquoinformation societyrsquo be understood within a povertycontext What approaches can be used to explain the role to be played by thecivil society with other stakeholders of the information society Who are thoseother approaches Which is the most adequate model for understanding therelationships of key stakeholders in the structure of the Information SocietyThose questions guided this research
One of the main concerns during this research work has been to find out howthese stakeholders have become organised and in particular how the civilsociety has become organised in order to understand the process involved inmaking ICT a public policy and incorporating their proposals
This publication begins with an explanation of the public advocacy process andhow this reached the agenda of civil society organisations There follows ananalysis of the adequate framework for understanding the information societydevelopment process A summary of 4 different models is included which formpart of the typology of the relationship between the civil society and the Statein structuring the information society
The publication continues with an introduction of key stakeholders their rolein the construction of ICT policies and the kind of relationships that must beestablished to ensure that their influence is effective Finally a number ofrecommendations are made to strengthen the relationship between the civilsociety and the State
With this publication we hope to help disseminate key concepts for theimprovement of civil society organizations in the face of the institutionalprocesses taking place in Latin American countries within the framework of theldquoinformation societyrdquo structure
Miguel SaraviaDecember 2004
23
24
2 I ntr oduct i on
Information and communication technologies (ICT) are dramaticallytransforming our environment Today at least one if not several informationtechnologies are having an impact on our daily activities The abundance ofbusiness management information and technology is greatly influencing thedaily lives of Latin American men women boys and girls
Although the predominant perception of the ldquoinformation societyrdquo mainlyinvolves mobile telephones computers and the Internet ie infrastructure ourresearch work revealed some encouraging evidence of an ever-increasingconcern for the application of ICT in education health production workingmethods and how we communicate with and relate to each other
Consequently it is essential for society as a whole to become involved in theprocess of setting public policies and understanding how such a process canbe improved During the last 10 years NGOs have been concentrating onincreasing their lobbying and advocacy actions in an attempt to influencedifferent groups of agents ie individuals States corporations internationalorganisations etc so that they change their policies and attitudes regardingdevelopment issues1 During that time NGOs have helped change the terms ofdiscussions on matters concerning the reduction of the foreign debt promotedthe monitoring of global agreements such as the certification of forests or childlabour contributed to the adoption of agreements like the Ottawa treaty for theeradication of land mines and so on2
The most developed sectors as far as these actions are concerned are theenvironment childrenrsquos rights and the fight for womenrsquos rights It was preciselybecause of these two issues that the lobbying and advocacy work reachedLatin America and was included in the agendas of NGOs
These were also the sectors in which ICT began to be used to influence publicpolicies being the best means of obtaining timely and transparent publicpolicies of a good quality The use of ICT helps to that numerous peoplecontribute in the advocacy and in the elaboration of the policy proposalsallowing massive debates including sectors traditionally excluded from thespaces of public participation It is important also to affect ICT policies thatenable them to be real instruments of development
It is a common mistake to define very general objective for an advocacystrategy like promote an ICT for development policies Advocacy is a long-termprocess that begins with a concrete definition of the changes to be made andin many cases it is the reason for success or failure of the process
25
1 BOND Guidance Notes Series 3 The What and the Why of Advocacy London 1999 2 Edwards Michael NGO legitimacy- voice or vote In Global Future Fourth Quarter 2002 p 3
Or gan izaciones d e la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes mat chmaking
Then the situation must be analysed in order to identify the best mechanismsand opportunities to promote such changes Coupled with the above is theidentification of key agents so as to determine who needs to be influenced andwho potential partners should be Subsequently messages for each targetpopulation must be prepared and the most adequate advocacy strategies foreach particular case selected This leads to the need for detailed planning ofeach step and then during the implementation the progress must bemonitored so that new actions can be planned when necessary With acontinuous monitoring and evaluation process the advocacy strategy can beadjusted to ensure that the desired objectives are achieved3
This is the process that numerous NGOs in the region have been followinghowever they have also faced numerous restrictions Below is a summary ofsome of the problems encountered by NGOs in their efforts to exerciseinfluence in Latin America which were identified during our research work
bull Institution-building is at a low level access to the political system is limitedand few practices are acknowledged either by the State or by the civilsociety for influence processes to prosper4
bull Advocacy is a special field and although several NGOs include influenceactions in their political system these do not always respond to a deliberateaction and a planned advocacy strategy5 In many cases specializationimplies casting aside grassroots actions
bull There are participation and influence opportunities that neither respond to astructure nor a system that permits them but rather to local circumstancesthat are very difficult to anticipate6
bull NGOs have a representation problem that often prevents them from beingaccepted by the State and others as valid spokesmen7 Take the case of theanti-globalisation movement for example
bull Funds are received to implement projects not to promote processes Thisgreatly restricts the actual capacity of NGOs to lead long-term advocacyprocesses8
bull The development of the advocacy capacity of NGOs has been limited totopics proposed by NGOs from the northern hemisphere which are veryorchestrated and fail to develop the ability to exercise influence in otherspheres9
bull There is no common advocacy agenda among the different agents of the civilsociety as far as matters related to the ldquoinformation societyrdquo are concerned10
26
3 Advocacy inintiatives planning manual Save the Children London Save the Children 20004 Influence on Public Policies and Citizenship Ineacutes Gonzales Bombal httpwwwicdorguymercosurinformesencuentrogonzalez7html 5 Gonzales Bombal op cit 6 By ldquoAunt Opheliardquo we refer to the likeness with the character of the IDRC publication Raiacuteces Maacutegicas and ITDG as a result of the Latin
American Meeting on ldquoAppropriation of Information and Communication Technologies in Latin Americahttpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsofeliahtm
7 Edwards Michael 2002 op cit8 El rol de interfase de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Ramoacuten Vargas Conference papers presented in Seminario Regional sobre
las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil y el desarrollo de una cultura democraacutetica 9 Ramoacuten Vargas op cit10 Save the Children 2001 op cit
The last conclusion sheds light on the characteristics of this research workOur main concern is to find a way to influence public policies for the informationsociety and not public policies in general The technical terms that define theinformation society are still unclear therefore opportunities are lost and variouscivilian organisations are afraid of making concrete proposals and applyingpressure to obtain what they want
Progress has been made with creating a social impression of the Internet butthat vision is yet to materialise in concrete regional and national advocacyproposals11
Undoubtedly the need to transform this collective social impression intoconcrete advocacy actions has been proved in the light of the participation ofcivilian organisations in the preparatory events of the World Summit of theInformation Society12 in which our participation was disjointed and without acommon regional standpoint The construction of this common advocacyagenda is a process that is just beginning and as already mentioned inrelevant electronic forums the process will not end with the World Summit
Miguel Saravia
27
11 Vision based on the work of the Comunidad Virtual Mistica For further information see httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 L ook i ng f or t he m o s tappr opr i at e f ramewor k hellip
It was found that the framework used by different government circles in theregion to design strategies related to the Information Society are very biasedtowards the ICT sector Emphasis is placed on setting up access facilitiesprogrammes to support the information and communication technologiessector the development of electronic government applications etc
A thorough review of different existing models and the proposals shared indifferent international forums such as the preparatory meeting in Bavaro forthe Information Society Summit the high level meeting between the EuropeanUnion-Latin America and the Andean ICT workshop reveals that as a commondenominator the existing framework is insufficient for understanding howinformation and communication technologies can make a significant change inthe struggle against poverty in our countries
The CEPAL Model
The Economic Commission for LatinA m e r i c a1 3 has designed a three-dimensional model with horizontallevels vertical sectors and transversalareas The horizontal dimension showsthe ldquosegmentsrdquo that representinfrastructure and generic services (TVradio Internet) The vertical dimensionshows the sectors that become thelsquoinformation societyrsquo
It is interesting to note that the cube adds a third dimension which makes thescheme more complicated but allows the introduction of transversal issuessuch as regulatory frameworks financing and human capital
The information society scheme proposed by CEPAL gives the impression thatthe society is limited to electronics and that the way to become an informationsociety is only viewed from the e-included in the sectors A legitimate questionwould be how does the model envisage the participation of civilians in theprocess Or how to face the evident qualms about starting the informationsociety development process
29
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
The horizontal segments are conceived as very functional for the sectorswhereas capacity-building is considered to be the technical capacity requiredto deal with the technologies involved in the construction of information ratherthan the social skills required to understand the processes and adapt them tonational contexts
The Gino Germani Research Institute Model
This scheme shows a series ofconcentric rings with the targetpoint in the middle referred toas the lsquoinformation societyrsquo
It was designed in the GinoGermani Research Institute ofthe University of Buenos Aires14
and proposes working inwardsfrom the outside starting withpolicies access developmentuse appropriation and finallyproduction Reading it that wayit is easy to understand thelogic of the processcomplemented by the transversal pivotal points that cut through the circleswhich refer to social inclusion gender and minorities
This way of depicting the information society structuring process considers theimportance of a gradual progress creating the conditions for the society toachieve another level of development in a joint collective manner
This model takes it for granted that there is a consensus that the informationsociety structuring process should be wide-ranging with the participation of allsectors including the civil society However our research shows that thedominating view is that in which priority is placed on the e-strategies
Another aspect the model fails to include concerns the forces that could eitherboost or stunt the processes that is where we should see the civil society andcivilian organisations In other words there is an evident lack of elements toshow the driving force behind the information society which should be thesociety itself with its needs and priorities
It may not be a specific responsibility of the theoretical frameworks but of thecapacity of the civil society itself to claim its role as the driving force behind thesociety
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
30
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
The Valenti Model15
D r Valenti of theOrganisation of Spanish-American States forEducation Science andCulture designed a modelsubsequent to existingmodels having beencriticised because of theirclassic way ofunderstanding thelsquoinformation societyrsquo As faras Dr Valenti is concernedtwo main componentsneeded to be added to the classic standpoint citizen participation andtechnological innovation Not that this was not acknowledged in the cube orthe circles since the explanation did in fact mention the importance ofconsidering all agents However Dr Valentirsquos text places social participationat the centre of the action as a fundamental component of the process
In the cube people are non-existent or invisible In the circles model socialparticipation is tacit but not explicit In Valentirsquos model the collective aspect isthe driving force ldquoWithout participation there is no interaction and withoutinteraction there is no innovation If there is no participation or a capacity forinnovation it would be impossible to structure an Information Societyrdquo16 DrValenti places emphasis on the need to promote institution-building upheld bylocal development systems and the promotion of local innovation mechanisms
In Latin America new local institutions are being consolidated such as thelocal development committees in various Latin American communities the anti-poverty boards the concerted action boards and the public-private discussionpanels17 It is interesting to note how these panels can make up the newinstitutions that Dr Valenti refers to
Nevertheless none of the models described above have includedtechnological innovation
A Transforming Innovation Model
In a book entitled ldquoRural Development and ICT A Rural Development Approachwith the Integration of Information and Communication Technologiesrdquo theconcept referred to as a transforming innovation is explained This conceptintroduces innovation as an element that will set in motion the socialtransformation process18
Miguel Saravia
31
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organised by the Department for International
Development of the United Kingdom the World Bank and other organisations (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (at the printerrsquos)
The lsquoinformation societyrsquo is something that needs to be attained and in orderto do so our society needs to change existing social relations must be fairerwith equal opportunities for everyone This model recovers the revolutionarydimension of the application of ICT to development processes
In order to understand how Latin America is progressing towards theInformation Society it is necessary to look for consistency in all theseapproaches rather than choosing just one Whereas the Valenti model providesa good definition of the different agents the circles scheme provides a clearunderstanding of the collective process and the CEPAL cube details theinteraction of the various sectors once we have move forward within theinformation society This last approach emphasizes the need to introduceinnovation processes to help transform the society
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
32
4 Pub l i c- pr i vate part ner sh i ps f o rstr uct uri ng t h e i n f ormat i on soc i et y
Structuring the information society is a taskthat involves all sectors of society ie citizensin their different facets - studentsentrepreneurs researchers social activists -and governors Anything not related to thegovernment should be considered privateencompassing the so-called third sector andthe business sector
We shall use the term ldquopublic-privatepartnershipsrdquo to refer to alliances betweengovernments the business sector and civilianorganisations These alliances can be definedas ldquothe arrangements whereby the public andprivate sectors sign agreements to implementjoint research and development projects joining their resources and skillsrdquo19
Another more accurate definition of what should be understood by the termpartnerships ldquojoint initiatives of the public and private sectors the profit-makingsector and the not-for-profit sector which are also understood to begovernmental business and civilian sectors Within these partnerships eachpartner contributes with resources (financial human technical and intangiblesuch as information or political support) and participates in the decision-makingprocessrdquo20
It was already been proved that public-private partnerships provide newresources to poverty-reduction initiatives It is safe to say that thesepartnerships increase the productivity of available resources Furthermorepartnerships imply a number of ways of generating assets in terms of humandevelopment and social capital creating the right conditions for achievingmultiplying effects
As Fiszbein and Lowden said ldquoPartnerships have the potential to createchanging patterns that strengthen themselves the great advantage being thatthe whole can be so much better than the sum of its partsrdquo
The main question is how to institutionalise the participation of the privatesector and the civil society in national programmes for the information society21
and how to create this mutually gainful environment
33
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz amp Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
This matter has not been clearly defined from the point of view of civilianorganizations much less from the viewpoint of the public sector In the earlynineties the main NGOs from the northern hemisphere realized that the impactof their work was temporary and of a very small scale Hence the developmentof a number of strategies to increase both the impact and the scope of their work
The following were among the actions promoted
bull Cooperation with the Governmentbull Expansion of their operationsbull Promotion of a direct contact between grassroots organisationsbull Local national and international advocacy and lobbying
In the ICT sector an analysis of advocacy agents reveals an unfair relationshipbetween the civil societyrsquos and the business sectorrsquos capacity to influence theGovernment and the State The following table prepared by Juliana Martinez22provides a better understanding of this statement
The graph also shows the lack of a relationship between civilian organisationsand the business sector Companies and their leaders are not usuallyconsidered influence subjects although it seems evident that if we influencethem and take advantage of their capacity to influence then indirectly we areinfluencing the Government as well
The idea is not to abandon the possibility of exercising a direct influence onpublic policies but to broaden the spectrum and learn from the experience ofother agents Again Juliana Martinez summarises the ideal model in a graph
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
34
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
La sociedad de la informacioacuten es algo a lo que hay que llegar y para llegar sedebe transformar nuestra sociedad transformar las relaciones socialesexistentes para tener maacutes equidad y donde exista igualdad de oportunidadesEste modelo rescata esta dimensioacuten revolucionaria que tiene la aplicacioacuten delas TIC a los procesos de desarrollo
Creemos que para entender el camino de Ameacuterica Latina hacia la sociedad dela informacioacuten es necesario buscar la convergencia de todos estos enfoquesmas que elegir uno solo El modelo de Valenti proporciona una muy buenadefinicioacuten de los actores el esquema de los ciacuterculos nos permite comprenderclaramente el proceso colectivo el cubo de la CEPAL nos detalla la interaccioacutende los diversos sectores una vez que hemos avanzado dentro de la sociedadde la informacioacuten Este uacuteltimo enfoque destaca la necesidad de introducirprocesos de innovacioacuten que ayuden en la transformacioacuten de la sociedad
Organizaciones de la socie dad civil y program as na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
14
4 Alianzas puacuteblico-privadas paraconstruir lasociedad de lainformacioacuten
La construccioacuten de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten es una tarea que involucra a todoslos sectores de la sociedad esto es a losciudadanos -en sus diferentes facetas comoestudiantes empresarios investigadoresactivistas sociales- y a los gobernantes Loprivado debe hacer alusioacuten a todo lo que no serelaciona con el gobierno englobando aldenominado tercer sector y al sectorempresarial
Util izaremos el teacutermino alianzas puacuteblico-privadas para referirnos a la asociacioacuten entregobiernos el sector empresarial y lasorganizaciones de la sociedad civil Estasalianzas podemos definirlas como ldquolos acuerdos en los que el sector puacuteblicoy el privado suscriben convenios para ejecutar proyectos conjuntos deinvestigacioacuten y desarrollo uniendo recursos y capacidadesrdquo19
Otra definicioacuten auacuten maacutes precisa indica que se debe entender como alianzasldquolas iniciativas conjuntas del sector puacuteblico junto con el sector privado el sectorcon fines de lucro y el sector sin fines de lucro tambieacuten entendidos como lossectores gubernamental empresarial y ciacutevico Dentro de estas alianzas cadauno de los miembros contribuye con recursos (financieros humanos teacutecnicose intangibles tales como informacioacuten o apoyo poliacutetico) y participa en elproceso de la toma de decisionesrdquo20
Las alianzas puacuteblico-privadas ya han demostrado que aportan nuevosrecursos a las iniciativas para la reduccioacuten de la pobreza Podemos decir quelas alianzas aumentan la productividad de los recursos disponibles Ademaacuteslas alianzas implican un nuacutemero considerable de formas de generacioacuten debienes en las aacutereas de desarrollo humano y de capital social lo cual crea lascondiciones para lograr efectos multiplicadores
Como dicen Fiszbein y Lowden ldquoLas alianzas tienen el potencial de generarpatrones de cambio que se refuerzan a siacute mismos y asiacute traen consigo el meacuteritoinmenso de que el todo puede ser mucho maacutes que la suma de las partesrdquo
Una pregunta central es coacutemo se puede institucionalizar la participacioacuten del sectorprivado y la sociedad civil en los programas nacionales para la sociedad de lainformacioacuten 2 1 y de queacute manera se puede generar un entorno de ganancia mutua
15
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz y Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag 27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
Desde las organizaciones de la sociedad civil este tema no se ha visto conmucha claridad y menos auacuten desde el sector puacuteblico A inicios de la deacutecadade los 90 las principales ONG del Norte se dieron cuenta que el impacto de sutrabajo era temporal y de escala muy pequentildea Por ello desarrollaron una seriede estrategias para aumentar su impacto y la escala de lo que haciacutean
Dentro de las acciones que se promovieron encontramos
bull Cooperacioacuten con el gobiernobull Expansioacuten de sus operacionesbull Promocioacuten del contacto directo con organizaciones de basebull Influencia y cabildeo local nacional e internacional
En el sector de las TIC un anaacutelisis de actores de incidencia nos muestra unadesemejanza entre la capacidad de la sociedad civil para incidir en el Gobiernoy el Estado y la capacidad que tiene el sector empresarial de hacerlo Elsiguiente cuadro preparado por Juliana Martiacutenez22 nos ayuda a entendermejor lo que estamos afirmando
El graacutefico tambieacuten nos muestra la inexistencia de una relacioacuten entre las OSCy el sector empresarial Comuacutenmente no se ve a las empresas y a sus liacutederescomo sujetos de incidencia Empero es evidente que si incidimos en estas yaprovechamos su capacidad de incidencia indirectamente tambieacuten estaremosincidiendo en el gobierno
No se trata de abandonar la posibilidad de incidir directamente en las poliacuteticaspuacuteblicas sino mas bien de ampliar el espectro y aprender de la experiencia de otrosactores Nuevamente Juliana Martiacutenez nos resume el modelo ideal en un graacutefico
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
16
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Propuestas parafortalecer la relacioacutensociedad civil-Gobierno
Como hemos visto a lo largo de este texto no es faacutecil hacer una siacutentesis quecombine todos los modelos Soacutelo un trabajo articulado de todos los actorespermitiraacute avanzar en la construccioacuten de la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Existen espacios para la participacioacuten activa de los actores en los procesos dehacer poliacutetica puacuteblica y por lo tanto de incidir directamente en los tomadoresde decisiones23 En la Presentacioacuten indicamos que una preocupacioacuten principalde la presente investigacioacuten era encontrar mecanismos de articulacioacuten de lasociedad civil para poder comprender el proceso de hacer poliacuteticas puacuteblicasrelacionadas con las TIC y de articular propuestas teacutecnica financiera ypoliacuteticamente viables
Sobre la base de las entrevistas visitas de campo y revisioacuten de documentosse han extraiacutedo 4 propuestas para contribuir a fortalecer la relacioacuten entre lasOSC y los Gobiernos Estas son
bull Ciacuterculos de aprendizaje permanentes espacios para el diaacutelogobull Monitor de proyectos TIC transparencia y rendicioacuten de cuentasbull Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo rescate de nuestra capacidad emprendedorabull SI programa de formacioacuten regional ldquoThink tankrdquo regional
Ciacuterculos de aprendizaje permanente
Los ciacuterculos de aprendizaje fueron utilizados por el proyecto Conectaacutendonosal Futuro de El Salvador como un mecanismo para promover la participacioacutende diversos actores en el disentildeo de la agenda puacuteblica relacionada con las TICy el desarrollo24
En los ciacuterculos de aprendizaje se realizaron diagnoacutesticos y propuestas deproyectos en seis temas importantes para el desarrollo de ese paiacutes como sonla educacioacuten la migracioacuten el desarrollo local el desarrollo rural la micro-pequentildea-mediana empresa y las grandes organizaciones puacuteblicas y privadas
En el caso peruano contamos con la experiencia de la Comisioacuten Multisectorialpara el Desarrollo de la Sociedad de la Informacioacuten-CODESI que inicialmenteteniacutea como objetivo principal elaborar un plan para el desarrollo de la sociedadde la informacioacuten en el Peruacute La CODESI se organizoacute en mesas de trabajosobre 6 temas infraestructura capacidades humanas aplicaciones socialesproduccioacuten y servicios gobierno electroacutenico y Cumbre Mundial de la Sociedadde la Informacioacuten25
17
23 Revisar El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedadde la Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Revisar el caso de El Salvador en el informe antes indicado25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
Luego de cumplida la tarea eacutestos colectivos se desarticularon cuando debieronpermanecer como espacios permanentes de anaacutelisis y reflexioacuten sobre la temaacuteticaque los unioacute Es claro que lo que estos espacios resuelvan no tendraacute el caraacutectervinculante ni el estatus consultivo originario pero seraacute fuente de empoderamientoy espacio de cabildeo para futuras acciones poliacuteticas
Promover estos espacios colectivos de reflexioacuten sobre aspectos puntuales detoda la estrategia de TIC para el desarrollo surge como una propuesta naturalque puede ser asumida raacutepidamente por los actores involucrados Creemosque estos espacios tienen que ser plurales garantizando la presencia de todoslos sectores Es muy importante tambieacuten que estos espacios socialicen sudebate y lo compartan con la sociedad en su conjunto a partir de foros puacuteblicoso medios electroacutenicos
Monitor de proyectos TIC
Los estudios de caso nos muestran que muchas organizaciones puacuteblicas yprivadas estaacuten repitiendo el mismo trabajo entre los diferentes paiacuteses de laregioacuten y aun al interior de los propios paiacuteses
El Instituto para la Conectividad de las Ameacutericas ha lanzado una iniciativa paracontar con una base de datos regional de proyectos TIC que permita mapearlas diferentes iniciativas presentes y pasadas26 Global Knowledge Partnershipestaacute tambieacuten por su lado elaborando un mapa de las organizaciones quetrabajan en el tema de las TIC para el desarrollo en toda la regioacuten27
La propuesta es complementaria a las iniciativas antes indicadas pero requierede un pacto entre los diversos actores trabajando en TIC para el desarrollo enAmeacuterica Latina activistas TIC donantes organismos multilaterales gobiernos
El Monitor que proponemos podriacutea nutrirse de los directorios antes indicadospero ademaacutes podriacutea compilar los documentos de proyectos las evaluacioneslas lecciones aprendidas y lo maacutes importante permitir la redaccioacuten decomentarios sobre los proyectos por parte de observadores e incluso de losmismos beneficiarios
La propuesta no contempla aceptar un marco comuacuten de evaluacioacuten que hariacuteaa nuestro entender inviable al Monitor Se plantea una propuesta maacutesconcreta orientada a apoyar la transparencia de las acciones en TIC para eldesarrollo y la rendicioacuten de cuentas desde todos los sectores
En el documento ldquoCarta a la Tiacutea Ofelia 7 propuestas para un desarrollo humanosostenible con el uso de las Tecnologiacuteas de la Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacutenrdquo se deciacutea
ldquoCuando se habla de evaluacioacuten muchas personas se sienten amenazadas como si se tratara siempre de unaauditoriacutea para ver a quieacuten echarle la culpa de los problemas Aunque las auditoriacuteas son importantes para larendicioacuten de cuentas y la verificacioacuten de procesos la evaluacioacuten de resultados es otra cosa completamente distintaCon el monitoreo se trata de aprender de los errores y de los aciertos mejorar sobre la marcha compartir lo quese aprende en el recorrido Con la evaluacioacuten se busca aprender sobre los resultados de las actividades yprogramas y comprender queacute se hizo para mejorar o empeorar la situacioacuten ojalaacute desde varias perspectivasdiferentes Pretender que de la auditoriacutea resulte el aprendizaje es un graviacutesimo errorrdquo28
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
18
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Esta es una propuesta que plantea un puente entre monitoreo y auditoriacutea con laparticipacioacuten de muacuteltiples actores e impactando directamente en la rendicioacuten decuentas y la transparencia de las acciones orientadas a promover el desarrollo
En la regioacuten contamos ya con las herramientas teacutecnicas para implementar unsistema de bajo costo pero lo maacutes complicado puede ser lo metodoloacutegico ElMonitor deberiacutea ser un sitio colaborativo donde los proyectos son alimentadospor los propios actores de los proyectos y donde se requiere de un acuerdoprevio entre agencias donantes para que acepten que los documentos de susproyectos se reporten en el Monitor y lo incluyan asiacute en el contrato
Mantener actualizada la informacioacuten del Monitor es tambieacuten una tarea difiacutecil sise piensa de manera tradicional El Monitor deberiacutea trabajar para que lo queestaacute reportado alliacute tenga visibilidad (a traveacutes de boletines electroacutenicosdistribucioacuten de resentildeas en otras redes y listas promocioacuten de foros etc) Laidea es generar la sensacioacuten de que conviene maacutes estar alliacute con la informacioacutenactualizada que quedarse fuera
Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo
El Dr Valenti comentaba la necesidad de recrear la institucionalidad local demanera que se convierta en protagonista de su desarrollo Hablaba de lossistemas locales de desarrollo como la base de esta nueva institucionalidad 29
En los paiacuteses latinoamericanos hay varias iniciativas de concertacioacuten para eldesarrollo local donde convergen los diferentes niveles del Estado y lasociedad civil incluidos los empresarios30 Sin embargo existen tambieacutencomplejos sistemas de innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica31 que generalmente no estaacuten endiaacutelogo con estos espacios de planificacioacuten del desarrollo local
La propuesta busca vincular estos espacios de concertacioacuten del desarrollo conel rescate de la capacidad emprendedora de los ciudadanos latinoamericanosenfocada hacia los procesos que conduzcan a la regioacuten hacia la sociedad dela informacioacuten
Encontramos que la mejor manera de llevar la propuesta a la praacutectica esgenerando mecanismos locales de promocioacuten de la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica yque la investigacioacuten no ha encontrado muy difundidos en la regioacuten Elantecedente concreto maacutes directo que se logroacute identificar es el proyectoldquoFortaleciendo la Participacioacuten Ciudadana para el Desarrollo EconoacutemicoLocalrdquo y que justamente buscaba rescatar la capacidad de innovacioacuten depobladores rurales en el Peruacute
El referido proyecto fue financiado por el DFID y la Comunidad Europea yejecutado por ITDG Ameacuterica Latina en seis municipalidades (en eldepartamento de San Martiacuten provincias de Picota San Martiacuten y Moyobambay en el departamento de Cajamarca provincias de Bambamarca y San Ignacioy en el distrito de Asuncioacuten)32
Miguel Saravia
19
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
Aplicar este concepto a la sociedad de la informacioacuten puede traer resultadossorprendentes y orientar mejor la intervencioacuten del Estado y de los propiosproyectos de desarrollo Pero la clave es el caraacutecter local del proceso y suengarzamiento con las instancias locales de concertacioacuten del desarrollo
Hemos identificado experiencias previas de concursos nacionales deinnovacioacuten pero cuya estructura y mecanismos de participacioacuten no favorecenel rescate de las iniciativas locales que por su dimensioacuten son maacutes faacuteciles deser apropiadas o adaptadas por otras comunidades
SI programa de formacioacuten regional
A partir de los estudios de caso y del mapeo inicialmente realizado en el marcode la presente investigacioacuten encontramos que una de las principalesdebilidades en la sociedad civil y en algunos sectores del Estado es que noexiste suficiente capacidad para disentildear y promover poliacuteticas puacuteblicas eficacesen la promocioacuten del uso de las TIC desde una perspectiva de desarrollo
Por ello se hace necesario disentildear un programa de formacioacuten regional queprepare regularmente a liacutederes de los diferentes sectores para que seancapaces de participar activamente en el proceso de disentildear y acompantildear lasestrategias hacia la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Es importante que este programa de formacioacuten se desarrolle sobre la base dela realidad de la regioacuten y que sea un espacio acadeacutemico de reflexioacuten sobre losmodelos las mejores praacutecticas y los impactos que estamos logrando ennuestro camino
Esta propuesta busca preparar a mediano y largo plazo a funcionarios puacuteblicosy a liacutederes de la sociedad civil con el suficiente conocimiento de la temaacuteticalocal y regional y con capacidad de aportar constructivamente en laformulacioacuten de nuevas poliacuteticas
La propuesta incluye involucrar a diferentes universidades institutosacadeacutemicos y de investigacioacuten en el programa de formacioacuten de manera quepermita cubrir un aacuterea geograacutefica maacutes grande y llegar a la mayor cantidad deliacutederes y funcionarios locales posibles
El espacio de formacioacuten puede permitir tambieacuten que exista un mayor diaacutelogoentre los actores si es que se garantiza la participacioacuten activa de funcionariospuacuteblicos y dirigentes de organizaciones de la sociedad civil
Es importante resaltar tambieacuten que esta propuesta no se refiere a un programade formacioacuten claacutesico sino mas bien a una serie de cursos talleres seminariose investigaciones que se pueden dar de manera descentralizada y que con eladecuado rigor acadeacutemico permitiraacute formar un ldquothink tankrdquo regional capaz dedialogar y de aportar en el desarrollo de estrategias locales y regionales
Organizaciones de la socie dad civil y program as na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
20
1 Forew or d
This text was written within the framework of the Project entitled ldquoCivilianOrganisations in the face of National ICT Projects 4 case studiesrdquo which ITDGcarried out with the support of the International Development Research CentreThis project was implemented between December 2002 and June 2004 andincluded visits to 4 Latin American countries (Peru Uruguay Venezuela and ElSalvador) as well as interviews with government representatives and civilianorganizations The results of each visit form part of the CD ldquoCivil Society andthe development of the information society in Latin Americardquo that will beaccessible at ITDG and IDRC websites
Is it possible to refer to the information society without the participation of thecivil society Is the lsquoinformation societyrsquo a matter of cables devices andbackbones How can the lsquoinformation societyrsquo be understood within a povertycontext What approaches can be used to explain the role to be played by thecivil society with other stakeholders of the information society Who are thoseother approaches Which is the most adequate model for understanding therelationships of key stakeholders in the structure of the Information SocietyThose questions guided this research
One of the main concerns during this research work has been to find out howthese stakeholders have become organised and in particular how the civilsociety has become organised in order to understand the process involved inmaking ICT a public policy and incorporating their proposals
This publication begins with an explanation of the public advocacy process andhow this reached the agenda of civil society organisations There follows ananalysis of the adequate framework for understanding the information societydevelopment process A summary of 4 different models is included which formpart of the typology of the relationship between the civil society and the Statein structuring the information society
The publication continues with an introduction of key stakeholders their rolein the construction of ICT policies and the kind of relationships that must beestablished to ensure that their influence is effective Finally a number ofrecommendations are made to strengthen the relationship between the civilsociety and the State
With this publication we hope to help disseminate key concepts for theimprovement of civil society organizations in the face of the institutionalprocesses taking place in Latin American countries within the framework of theldquoinformation societyrdquo structure
Miguel SaraviaDecember 2004
23
24
2 I ntr oduct i on
Information and communication technologies (ICT) are dramaticallytransforming our environment Today at least one if not several informationtechnologies are having an impact on our daily activities The abundance ofbusiness management information and technology is greatly influencing thedaily lives of Latin American men women boys and girls
Although the predominant perception of the ldquoinformation societyrdquo mainlyinvolves mobile telephones computers and the Internet ie infrastructure ourresearch work revealed some encouraging evidence of an ever-increasingconcern for the application of ICT in education health production workingmethods and how we communicate with and relate to each other
Consequently it is essential for society as a whole to become involved in theprocess of setting public policies and understanding how such a process canbe improved During the last 10 years NGOs have been concentrating onincreasing their lobbying and advocacy actions in an attempt to influencedifferent groups of agents ie individuals States corporations internationalorganisations etc so that they change their policies and attitudes regardingdevelopment issues1 During that time NGOs have helped change the terms ofdiscussions on matters concerning the reduction of the foreign debt promotedthe monitoring of global agreements such as the certification of forests or childlabour contributed to the adoption of agreements like the Ottawa treaty for theeradication of land mines and so on2
The most developed sectors as far as these actions are concerned are theenvironment childrenrsquos rights and the fight for womenrsquos rights It was preciselybecause of these two issues that the lobbying and advocacy work reachedLatin America and was included in the agendas of NGOs
These were also the sectors in which ICT began to be used to influence publicpolicies being the best means of obtaining timely and transparent publicpolicies of a good quality The use of ICT helps to that numerous peoplecontribute in the advocacy and in the elaboration of the policy proposalsallowing massive debates including sectors traditionally excluded from thespaces of public participation It is important also to affect ICT policies thatenable them to be real instruments of development
It is a common mistake to define very general objective for an advocacystrategy like promote an ICT for development policies Advocacy is a long-termprocess that begins with a concrete definition of the changes to be made andin many cases it is the reason for success or failure of the process
25
1 BOND Guidance Notes Series 3 The What and the Why of Advocacy London 1999 2 Edwards Michael NGO legitimacy- voice or vote In Global Future Fourth Quarter 2002 p 3
Or gan izaciones d e la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes mat chmaking
Then the situation must be analysed in order to identify the best mechanismsand opportunities to promote such changes Coupled with the above is theidentification of key agents so as to determine who needs to be influenced andwho potential partners should be Subsequently messages for each targetpopulation must be prepared and the most adequate advocacy strategies foreach particular case selected This leads to the need for detailed planning ofeach step and then during the implementation the progress must bemonitored so that new actions can be planned when necessary With acontinuous monitoring and evaluation process the advocacy strategy can beadjusted to ensure that the desired objectives are achieved3
This is the process that numerous NGOs in the region have been followinghowever they have also faced numerous restrictions Below is a summary ofsome of the problems encountered by NGOs in their efforts to exerciseinfluence in Latin America which were identified during our research work
bull Institution-building is at a low level access to the political system is limitedand few practices are acknowledged either by the State or by the civilsociety for influence processes to prosper4
bull Advocacy is a special field and although several NGOs include influenceactions in their political system these do not always respond to a deliberateaction and a planned advocacy strategy5 In many cases specializationimplies casting aside grassroots actions
bull There are participation and influence opportunities that neither respond to astructure nor a system that permits them but rather to local circumstancesthat are very difficult to anticipate6
bull NGOs have a representation problem that often prevents them from beingaccepted by the State and others as valid spokesmen7 Take the case of theanti-globalisation movement for example
bull Funds are received to implement projects not to promote processes Thisgreatly restricts the actual capacity of NGOs to lead long-term advocacyprocesses8
bull The development of the advocacy capacity of NGOs has been limited totopics proposed by NGOs from the northern hemisphere which are veryorchestrated and fail to develop the ability to exercise influence in otherspheres9
bull There is no common advocacy agenda among the different agents of the civilsociety as far as matters related to the ldquoinformation societyrdquo are concerned10
26
3 Advocacy inintiatives planning manual Save the Children London Save the Children 20004 Influence on Public Policies and Citizenship Ineacutes Gonzales Bombal httpwwwicdorguymercosurinformesencuentrogonzalez7html 5 Gonzales Bombal op cit 6 By ldquoAunt Opheliardquo we refer to the likeness with the character of the IDRC publication Raiacuteces Maacutegicas and ITDG as a result of the Latin
American Meeting on ldquoAppropriation of Information and Communication Technologies in Latin Americahttpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsofeliahtm
7 Edwards Michael 2002 op cit8 El rol de interfase de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Ramoacuten Vargas Conference papers presented in Seminario Regional sobre
las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil y el desarrollo de una cultura democraacutetica 9 Ramoacuten Vargas op cit10 Save the Children 2001 op cit
The last conclusion sheds light on the characteristics of this research workOur main concern is to find a way to influence public policies for the informationsociety and not public policies in general The technical terms that define theinformation society are still unclear therefore opportunities are lost and variouscivilian organisations are afraid of making concrete proposals and applyingpressure to obtain what they want
Progress has been made with creating a social impression of the Internet butthat vision is yet to materialise in concrete regional and national advocacyproposals11
Undoubtedly the need to transform this collective social impression intoconcrete advocacy actions has been proved in the light of the participation ofcivilian organisations in the preparatory events of the World Summit of theInformation Society12 in which our participation was disjointed and without acommon regional standpoint The construction of this common advocacyagenda is a process that is just beginning and as already mentioned inrelevant electronic forums the process will not end with the World Summit
Miguel Saravia
27
11 Vision based on the work of the Comunidad Virtual Mistica For further information see httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 L ook i ng f or t he m o s tappr opr i at e f ramewor k hellip
It was found that the framework used by different government circles in theregion to design strategies related to the Information Society are very biasedtowards the ICT sector Emphasis is placed on setting up access facilitiesprogrammes to support the information and communication technologiessector the development of electronic government applications etc
A thorough review of different existing models and the proposals shared indifferent international forums such as the preparatory meeting in Bavaro forthe Information Society Summit the high level meeting between the EuropeanUnion-Latin America and the Andean ICT workshop reveals that as a commondenominator the existing framework is insufficient for understanding howinformation and communication technologies can make a significant change inthe struggle against poverty in our countries
The CEPAL Model
The Economic Commission for LatinA m e r i c a1 3 has designed a three-dimensional model with horizontallevels vertical sectors and transversalareas The horizontal dimension showsthe ldquosegmentsrdquo that representinfrastructure and generic services (TVradio Internet) The vertical dimensionshows the sectors that become thelsquoinformation societyrsquo
It is interesting to note that the cube adds a third dimension which makes thescheme more complicated but allows the introduction of transversal issuessuch as regulatory frameworks financing and human capital
The information society scheme proposed by CEPAL gives the impression thatthe society is limited to electronics and that the way to become an informationsociety is only viewed from the e-included in the sectors A legitimate questionwould be how does the model envisage the participation of civilians in theprocess Or how to face the evident qualms about starting the informationsociety development process
29
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
The horizontal segments are conceived as very functional for the sectorswhereas capacity-building is considered to be the technical capacity requiredto deal with the technologies involved in the construction of information ratherthan the social skills required to understand the processes and adapt them tonational contexts
The Gino Germani Research Institute Model
This scheme shows a series ofconcentric rings with the targetpoint in the middle referred toas the lsquoinformation societyrsquo
It was designed in the GinoGermani Research Institute ofthe University of Buenos Aires14
and proposes working inwardsfrom the outside starting withpolicies access developmentuse appropriation and finallyproduction Reading it that wayit is easy to understand thelogic of the processcomplemented by the transversal pivotal points that cut through the circleswhich refer to social inclusion gender and minorities
This way of depicting the information society structuring process considers theimportance of a gradual progress creating the conditions for the society toachieve another level of development in a joint collective manner
This model takes it for granted that there is a consensus that the informationsociety structuring process should be wide-ranging with the participation of allsectors including the civil society However our research shows that thedominating view is that in which priority is placed on the e-strategies
Another aspect the model fails to include concerns the forces that could eitherboost or stunt the processes that is where we should see the civil society andcivilian organisations In other words there is an evident lack of elements toshow the driving force behind the information society which should be thesociety itself with its needs and priorities
It may not be a specific responsibility of the theoretical frameworks but of thecapacity of the civil society itself to claim its role as the driving force behind thesociety
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
30
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
The Valenti Model15
D r Valenti of theOrganisation of Spanish-American States forEducation Science andCulture designed a modelsubsequent to existingmodels having beencriticised because of theirclassic way ofunderstanding thelsquoinformation societyrsquo As faras Dr Valenti is concernedtwo main componentsneeded to be added to the classic standpoint citizen participation andtechnological innovation Not that this was not acknowledged in the cube orthe circles since the explanation did in fact mention the importance ofconsidering all agents However Dr Valentirsquos text places social participationat the centre of the action as a fundamental component of the process
In the cube people are non-existent or invisible In the circles model socialparticipation is tacit but not explicit In Valentirsquos model the collective aspect isthe driving force ldquoWithout participation there is no interaction and withoutinteraction there is no innovation If there is no participation or a capacity forinnovation it would be impossible to structure an Information Societyrdquo16 DrValenti places emphasis on the need to promote institution-building upheld bylocal development systems and the promotion of local innovation mechanisms
In Latin America new local institutions are being consolidated such as thelocal development committees in various Latin American communities the anti-poverty boards the concerted action boards and the public-private discussionpanels17 It is interesting to note how these panels can make up the newinstitutions that Dr Valenti refers to
Nevertheless none of the models described above have includedtechnological innovation
A Transforming Innovation Model
In a book entitled ldquoRural Development and ICT A Rural Development Approachwith the Integration of Information and Communication Technologiesrdquo theconcept referred to as a transforming innovation is explained This conceptintroduces innovation as an element that will set in motion the socialtransformation process18
Miguel Saravia
31
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organised by the Department for International
Development of the United Kingdom the World Bank and other organisations (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (at the printerrsquos)
The lsquoinformation societyrsquo is something that needs to be attained and in orderto do so our society needs to change existing social relations must be fairerwith equal opportunities for everyone This model recovers the revolutionarydimension of the application of ICT to development processes
In order to understand how Latin America is progressing towards theInformation Society it is necessary to look for consistency in all theseapproaches rather than choosing just one Whereas the Valenti model providesa good definition of the different agents the circles scheme provides a clearunderstanding of the collective process and the CEPAL cube details theinteraction of the various sectors once we have move forward within theinformation society This last approach emphasizes the need to introduceinnovation processes to help transform the society
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
32
4 Pub l i c- pr i vate part ner sh i ps f o rstr uct uri ng t h e i n f ormat i on soc i et y
Structuring the information society is a taskthat involves all sectors of society ie citizensin their different facets - studentsentrepreneurs researchers social activists -and governors Anything not related to thegovernment should be considered privateencompassing the so-called third sector andthe business sector
We shall use the term ldquopublic-privatepartnershipsrdquo to refer to alliances betweengovernments the business sector and civilianorganisations These alliances can be definedas ldquothe arrangements whereby the public andprivate sectors sign agreements to implementjoint research and development projects joining their resources and skillsrdquo19
Another more accurate definition of what should be understood by the termpartnerships ldquojoint initiatives of the public and private sectors the profit-makingsector and the not-for-profit sector which are also understood to begovernmental business and civilian sectors Within these partnerships eachpartner contributes with resources (financial human technical and intangiblesuch as information or political support) and participates in the decision-makingprocessrdquo20
It was already been proved that public-private partnerships provide newresources to poverty-reduction initiatives It is safe to say that thesepartnerships increase the productivity of available resources Furthermorepartnerships imply a number of ways of generating assets in terms of humandevelopment and social capital creating the right conditions for achievingmultiplying effects
As Fiszbein and Lowden said ldquoPartnerships have the potential to createchanging patterns that strengthen themselves the great advantage being thatthe whole can be so much better than the sum of its partsrdquo
The main question is how to institutionalise the participation of the privatesector and the civil society in national programmes for the information society21
and how to create this mutually gainful environment
33
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz amp Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
This matter has not been clearly defined from the point of view of civilianorganizations much less from the viewpoint of the public sector In the earlynineties the main NGOs from the northern hemisphere realized that the impactof their work was temporary and of a very small scale Hence the developmentof a number of strategies to increase both the impact and the scope of their work
The following were among the actions promoted
bull Cooperation with the Governmentbull Expansion of their operationsbull Promotion of a direct contact between grassroots organisationsbull Local national and international advocacy and lobbying
In the ICT sector an analysis of advocacy agents reveals an unfair relationshipbetween the civil societyrsquos and the business sectorrsquos capacity to influence theGovernment and the State The following table prepared by Juliana Martinez22provides a better understanding of this statement
The graph also shows the lack of a relationship between civilian organisationsand the business sector Companies and their leaders are not usuallyconsidered influence subjects although it seems evident that if we influencethem and take advantage of their capacity to influence then indirectly we areinfluencing the Government as well
The idea is not to abandon the possibility of exercising a direct influence onpublic policies but to broaden the spectrum and learn from the experience ofother agents Again Juliana Martinez summarises the ideal model in a graph
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
34
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
4 Alianzas puacuteblico-privadas paraconstruir lasociedad de lainformacioacuten
La construccioacuten de la sociedad de lainformacioacuten es una tarea que involucra a todoslos sectores de la sociedad esto es a losciudadanos -en sus diferentes facetas comoestudiantes empresarios investigadoresactivistas sociales- y a los gobernantes Loprivado debe hacer alusioacuten a todo lo que no serelaciona con el gobierno englobando aldenominado tercer sector y al sectorempresarial
Util izaremos el teacutermino alianzas puacuteblico-privadas para referirnos a la asociacioacuten entregobiernos el sector empresarial y lasorganizaciones de la sociedad civil Estasalianzas podemos definirlas como ldquolos acuerdos en los que el sector puacuteblicoy el privado suscriben convenios para ejecutar proyectos conjuntos deinvestigacioacuten y desarrollo uniendo recursos y capacidadesrdquo19
Otra definicioacuten auacuten maacutes precisa indica que se debe entender como alianzasldquolas iniciativas conjuntas del sector puacuteblico junto con el sector privado el sectorcon fines de lucro y el sector sin fines de lucro tambieacuten entendidos como lossectores gubernamental empresarial y ciacutevico Dentro de estas alianzas cadauno de los miembros contribuye con recursos (financieros humanos teacutecnicose intangibles tales como informacioacuten o apoyo poliacutetico) y participa en elproceso de la toma de decisionesrdquo20
Las alianzas puacuteblico-privadas ya han demostrado que aportan nuevosrecursos a las iniciativas para la reduccioacuten de la pobreza Podemos decir quelas alianzas aumentan la productividad de los recursos disponibles Ademaacuteslas alianzas implican un nuacutemero considerable de formas de generacioacuten debienes en las aacutereas de desarrollo humano y de capital social lo cual crea lascondiciones para lograr efectos multiplicadores
Como dicen Fiszbein y Lowden ldquoLas alianzas tienen el potencial de generarpatrones de cambio que se refuerzan a siacute mismos y asiacute traen consigo el meacuteritoinmenso de que el todo puede ser mucho maacutes que la suma de las partesrdquo
Una pregunta central es coacutemo se puede institucionalizar la participacioacuten del sectorprivado y la sociedad civil en los programas nacionales para la sociedad de lainformacioacuten 2 1 y de queacute manera se puede generar un entorno de ganancia mutua
15
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz y Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag 27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
Desde las organizaciones de la sociedad civil este tema no se ha visto conmucha claridad y menos auacuten desde el sector puacuteblico A inicios de la deacutecadade los 90 las principales ONG del Norte se dieron cuenta que el impacto de sutrabajo era temporal y de escala muy pequentildea Por ello desarrollaron una seriede estrategias para aumentar su impacto y la escala de lo que haciacutean
Dentro de las acciones que se promovieron encontramos
bull Cooperacioacuten con el gobiernobull Expansioacuten de sus operacionesbull Promocioacuten del contacto directo con organizaciones de basebull Influencia y cabildeo local nacional e internacional
En el sector de las TIC un anaacutelisis de actores de incidencia nos muestra unadesemejanza entre la capacidad de la sociedad civil para incidir en el Gobiernoy el Estado y la capacidad que tiene el sector empresarial de hacerlo Elsiguiente cuadro preparado por Juliana Martiacutenez22 nos ayuda a entendermejor lo que estamos afirmando
El graacutefico tambieacuten nos muestra la inexistencia de una relacioacuten entre las OSCy el sector empresarial Comuacutenmente no se ve a las empresas y a sus liacutederescomo sujetos de incidencia Empero es evidente que si incidimos en estas yaprovechamos su capacidad de incidencia indirectamente tambieacuten estaremosincidiendo en el gobierno
No se trata de abandonar la posibilidad de incidir directamente en las poliacuteticaspuacuteblicas sino mas bien de ampliar el espectro y aprender de la experiencia de otrosactores Nuevamente Juliana Martiacutenez nos resume el modelo ideal en un graacutefico
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
16
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Propuestas parafortalecer la relacioacutensociedad civil-Gobierno
Como hemos visto a lo largo de este texto no es faacutecil hacer una siacutentesis quecombine todos los modelos Soacutelo un trabajo articulado de todos los actorespermitiraacute avanzar en la construccioacuten de la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Existen espacios para la participacioacuten activa de los actores en los procesos dehacer poliacutetica puacuteblica y por lo tanto de incidir directamente en los tomadoresde decisiones23 En la Presentacioacuten indicamos que una preocupacioacuten principalde la presente investigacioacuten era encontrar mecanismos de articulacioacuten de lasociedad civil para poder comprender el proceso de hacer poliacuteticas puacuteblicasrelacionadas con las TIC y de articular propuestas teacutecnica financiera ypoliacuteticamente viables
Sobre la base de las entrevistas visitas de campo y revisioacuten de documentosse han extraiacutedo 4 propuestas para contribuir a fortalecer la relacioacuten entre lasOSC y los Gobiernos Estas son
bull Ciacuterculos de aprendizaje permanentes espacios para el diaacutelogobull Monitor de proyectos TIC transparencia y rendicioacuten de cuentasbull Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo rescate de nuestra capacidad emprendedorabull SI programa de formacioacuten regional ldquoThink tankrdquo regional
Ciacuterculos de aprendizaje permanente
Los ciacuterculos de aprendizaje fueron utilizados por el proyecto Conectaacutendonosal Futuro de El Salvador como un mecanismo para promover la participacioacutende diversos actores en el disentildeo de la agenda puacuteblica relacionada con las TICy el desarrollo24
En los ciacuterculos de aprendizaje se realizaron diagnoacutesticos y propuestas deproyectos en seis temas importantes para el desarrollo de ese paiacutes como sonla educacioacuten la migracioacuten el desarrollo local el desarrollo rural la micro-pequentildea-mediana empresa y las grandes organizaciones puacuteblicas y privadas
En el caso peruano contamos con la experiencia de la Comisioacuten Multisectorialpara el Desarrollo de la Sociedad de la Informacioacuten-CODESI que inicialmenteteniacutea como objetivo principal elaborar un plan para el desarrollo de la sociedadde la informacioacuten en el Peruacute La CODESI se organizoacute en mesas de trabajosobre 6 temas infraestructura capacidades humanas aplicaciones socialesproduccioacuten y servicios gobierno electroacutenico y Cumbre Mundial de la Sociedadde la Informacioacuten25
17
23 Revisar El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedadde la Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Revisar el caso de El Salvador en el informe antes indicado25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
Luego de cumplida la tarea eacutestos colectivos se desarticularon cuando debieronpermanecer como espacios permanentes de anaacutelisis y reflexioacuten sobre la temaacuteticaque los unioacute Es claro que lo que estos espacios resuelvan no tendraacute el caraacutectervinculante ni el estatus consultivo originario pero seraacute fuente de empoderamientoy espacio de cabildeo para futuras acciones poliacuteticas
Promover estos espacios colectivos de reflexioacuten sobre aspectos puntuales detoda la estrategia de TIC para el desarrollo surge como una propuesta naturalque puede ser asumida raacutepidamente por los actores involucrados Creemosque estos espacios tienen que ser plurales garantizando la presencia de todoslos sectores Es muy importante tambieacuten que estos espacios socialicen sudebate y lo compartan con la sociedad en su conjunto a partir de foros puacuteblicoso medios electroacutenicos
Monitor de proyectos TIC
Los estudios de caso nos muestran que muchas organizaciones puacuteblicas yprivadas estaacuten repitiendo el mismo trabajo entre los diferentes paiacuteses de laregioacuten y aun al interior de los propios paiacuteses
El Instituto para la Conectividad de las Ameacutericas ha lanzado una iniciativa paracontar con una base de datos regional de proyectos TIC que permita mapearlas diferentes iniciativas presentes y pasadas26 Global Knowledge Partnershipestaacute tambieacuten por su lado elaborando un mapa de las organizaciones quetrabajan en el tema de las TIC para el desarrollo en toda la regioacuten27
La propuesta es complementaria a las iniciativas antes indicadas pero requierede un pacto entre los diversos actores trabajando en TIC para el desarrollo enAmeacuterica Latina activistas TIC donantes organismos multilaterales gobiernos
El Monitor que proponemos podriacutea nutrirse de los directorios antes indicadospero ademaacutes podriacutea compilar los documentos de proyectos las evaluacioneslas lecciones aprendidas y lo maacutes importante permitir la redaccioacuten decomentarios sobre los proyectos por parte de observadores e incluso de losmismos beneficiarios
La propuesta no contempla aceptar un marco comuacuten de evaluacioacuten que hariacuteaa nuestro entender inviable al Monitor Se plantea una propuesta maacutesconcreta orientada a apoyar la transparencia de las acciones en TIC para eldesarrollo y la rendicioacuten de cuentas desde todos los sectores
En el documento ldquoCarta a la Tiacutea Ofelia 7 propuestas para un desarrollo humanosostenible con el uso de las Tecnologiacuteas de la Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacutenrdquo se deciacutea
ldquoCuando se habla de evaluacioacuten muchas personas se sienten amenazadas como si se tratara siempre de unaauditoriacutea para ver a quieacuten echarle la culpa de los problemas Aunque las auditoriacuteas son importantes para larendicioacuten de cuentas y la verificacioacuten de procesos la evaluacioacuten de resultados es otra cosa completamente distintaCon el monitoreo se trata de aprender de los errores y de los aciertos mejorar sobre la marcha compartir lo quese aprende en el recorrido Con la evaluacioacuten se busca aprender sobre los resultados de las actividades yprogramas y comprender queacute se hizo para mejorar o empeorar la situacioacuten ojalaacute desde varias perspectivasdiferentes Pretender que de la auditoriacutea resulte el aprendizaje es un graviacutesimo errorrdquo28
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
18
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Esta es una propuesta que plantea un puente entre monitoreo y auditoriacutea con laparticipacioacuten de muacuteltiples actores e impactando directamente en la rendicioacuten decuentas y la transparencia de las acciones orientadas a promover el desarrollo
En la regioacuten contamos ya con las herramientas teacutecnicas para implementar unsistema de bajo costo pero lo maacutes complicado puede ser lo metodoloacutegico ElMonitor deberiacutea ser un sitio colaborativo donde los proyectos son alimentadospor los propios actores de los proyectos y donde se requiere de un acuerdoprevio entre agencias donantes para que acepten que los documentos de susproyectos se reporten en el Monitor y lo incluyan asiacute en el contrato
Mantener actualizada la informacioacuten del Monitor es tambieacuten una tarea difiacutecil sise piensa de manera tradicional El Monitor deberiacutea trabajar para que lo queestaacute reportado alliacute tenga visibilidad (a traveacutes de boletines electroacutenicosdistribucioacuten de resentildeas en otras redes y listas promocioacuten de foros etc) Laidea es generar la sensacioacuten de que conviene maacutes estar alliacute con la informacioacutenactualizada que quedarse fuera
Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo
El Dr Valenti comentaba la necesidad de recrear la institucionalidad local demanera que se convierta en protagonista de su desarrollo Hablaba de lossistemas locales de desarrollo como la base de esta nueva institucionalidad 29
En los paiacuteses latinoamericanos hay varias iniciativas de concertacioacuten para eldesarrollo local donde convergen los diferentes niveles del Estado y lasociedad civil incluidos los empresarios30 Sin embargo existen tambieacutencomplejos sistemas de innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica31 que generalmente no estaacuten endiaacutelogo con estos espacios de planificacioacuten del desarrollo local
La propuesta busca vincular estos espacios de concertacioacuten del desarrollo conel rescate de la capacidad emprendedora de los ciudadanos latinoamericanosenfocada hacia los procesos que conduzcan a la regioacuten hacia la sociedad dela informacioacuten
Encontramos que la mejor manera de llevar la propuesta a la praacutectica esgenerando mecanismos locales de promocioacuten de la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica yque la investigacioacuten no ha encontrado muy difundidos en la regioacuten Elantecedente concreto maacutes directo que se logroacute identificar es el proyectoldquoFortaleciendo la Participacioacuten Ciudadana para el Desarrollo EconoacutemicoLocalrdquo y que justamente buscaba rescatar la capacidad de innovacioacuten depobladores rurales en el Peruacute
El referido proyecto fue financiado por el DFID y la Comunidad Europea yejecutado por ITDG Ameacuterica Latina en seis municipalidades (en eldepartamento de San Martiacuten provincias de Picota San Martiacuten y Moyobambay en el departamento de Cajamarca provincias de Bambamarca y San Ignacioy en el distrito de Asuncioacuten)32
Miguel Saravia
19
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
Aplicar este concepto a la sociedad de la informacioacuten puede traer resultadossorprendentes y orientar mejor la intervencioacuten del Estado y de los propiosproyectos de desarrollo Pero la clave es el caraacutecter local del proceso y suengarzamiento con las instancias locales de concertacioacuten del desarrollo
Hemos identificado experiencias previas de concursos nacionales deinnovacioacuten pero cuya estructura y mecanismos de participacioacuten no favorecenel rescate de las iniciativas locales que por su dimensioacuten son maacutes faacuteciles deser apropiadas o adaptadas por otras comunidades
SI programa de formacioacuten regional
A partir de los estudios de caso y del mapeo inicialmente realizado en el marcode la presente investigacioacuten encontramos que una de las principalesdebilidades en la sociedad civil y en algunos sectores del Estado es que noexiste suficiente capacidad para disentildear y promover poliacuteticas puacuteblicas eficacesen la promocioacuten del uso de las TIC desde una perspectiva de desarrollo
Por ello se hace necesario disentildear un programa de formacioacuten regional queprepare regularmente a liacutederes de los diferentes sectores para que seancapaces de participar activamente en el proceso de disentildear y acompantildear lasestrategias hacia la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Es importante que este programa de formacioacuten se desarrolle sobre la base dela realidad de la regioacuten y que sea un espacio acadeacutemico de reflexioacuten sobre losmodelos las mejores praacutecticas y los impactos que estamos logrando ennuestro camino
Esta propuesta busca preparar a mediano y largo plazo a funcionarios puacuteblicosy a liacutederes de la sociedad civil con el suficiente conocimiento de la temaacuteticalocal y regional y con capacidad de aportar constructivamente en laformulacioacuten de nuevas poliacuteticas
La propuesta incluye involucrar a diferentes universidades institutosacadeacutemicos y de investigacioacuten en el programa de formacioacuten de manera quepermita cubrir un aacuterea geograacutefica maacutes grande y llegar a la mayor cantidad deliacutederes y funcionarios locales posibles
El espacio de formacioacuten puede permitir tambieacuten que exista un mayor diaacutelogoentre los actores si es que se garantiza la participacioacuten activa de funcionariospuacuteblicos y dirigentes de organizaciones de la sociedad civil
Es importante resaltar tambieacuten que esta propuesta no se refiere a un programade formacioacuten claacutesico sino mas bien a una serie de cursos talleres seminariose investigaciones que se pueden dar de manera descentralizada y que con eladecuado rigor acadeacutemico permitiraacute formar un ldquothink tankrdquo regional capaz dedialogar y de aportar en el desarrollo de estrategias locales y regionales
Organizaciones de la socie dad civil y program as na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
20
1 Forew or d
This text was written within the framework of the Project entitled ldquoCivilianOrganisations in the face of National ICT Projects 4 case studiesrdquo which ITDGcarried out with the support of the International Development Research CentreThis project was implemented between December 2002 and June 2004 andincluded visits to 4 Latin American countries (Peru Uruguay Venezuela and ElSalvador) as well as interviews with government representatives and civilianorganizations The results of each visit form part of the CD ldquoCivil Society andthe development of the information society in Latin Americardquo that will beaccessible at ITDG and IDRC websites
Is it possible to refer to the information society without the participation of thecivil society Is the lsquoinformation societyrsquo a matter of cables devices andbackbones How can the lsquoinformation societyrsquo be understood within a povertycontext What approaches can be used to explain the role to be played by thecivil society with other stakeholders of the information society Who are thoseother approaches Which is the most adequate model for understanding therelationships of key stakeholders in the structure of the Information SocietyThose questions guided this research
One of the main concerns during this research work has been to find out howthese stakeholders have become organised and in particular how the civilsociety has become organised in order to understand the process involved inmaking ICT a public policy and incorporating their proposals
This publication begins with an explanation of the public advocacy process andhow this reached the agenda of civil society organisations There follows ananalysis of the adequate framework for understanding the information societydevelopment process A summary of 4 different models is included which formpart of the typology of the relationship between the civil society and the Statein structuring the information society
The publication continues with an introduction of key stakeholders their rolein the construction of ICT policies and the kind of relationships that must beestablished to ensure that their influence is effective Finally a number ofrecommendations are made to strengthen the relationship between the civilsociety and the State
With this publication we hope to help disseminate key concepts for theimprovement of civil society organizations in the face of the institutionalprocesses taking place in Latin American countries within the framework of theldquoinformation societyrdquo structure
Miguel SaraviaDecember 2004
23
24
2 I ntr oduct i on
Information and communication technologies (ICT) are dramaticallytransforming our environment Today at least one if not several informationtechnologies are having an impact on our daily activities The abundance ofbusiness management information and technology is greatly influencing thedaily lives of Latin American men women boys and girls
Although the predominant perception of the ldquoinformation societyrdquo mainlyinvolves mobile telephones computers and the Internet ie infrastructure ourresearch work revealed some encouraging evidence of an ever-increasingconcern for the application of ICT in education health production workingmethods and how we communicate with and relate to each other
Consequently it is essential for society as a whole to become involved in theprocess of setting public policies and understanding how such a process canbe improved During the last 10 years NGOs have been concentrating onincreasing their lobbying and advocacy actions in an attempt to influencedifferent groups of agents ie individuals States corporations internationalorganisations etc so that they change their policies and attitudes regardingdevelopment issues1 During that time NGOs have helped change the terms ofdiscussions on matters concerning the reduction of the foreign debt promotedthe monitoring of global agreements such as the certification of forests or childlabour contributed to the adoption of agreements like the Ottawa treaty for theeradication of land mines and so on2
The most developed sectors as far as these actions are concerned are theenvironment childrenrsquos rights and the fight for womenrsquos rights It was preciselybecause of these two issues that the lobbying and advocacy work reachedLatin America and was included in the agendas of NGOs
These were also the sectors in which ICT began to be used to influence publicpolicies being the best means of obtaining timely and transparent publicpolicies of a good quality The use of ICT helps to that numerous peoplecontribute in the advocacy and in the elaboration of the policy proposalsallowing massive debates including sectors traditionally excluded from thespaces of public participation It is important also to affect ICT policies thatenable them to be real instruments of development
It is a common mistake to define very general objective for an advocacystrategy like promote an ICT for development policies Advocacy is a long-termprocess that begins with a concrete definition of the changes to be made andin many cases it is the reason for success or failure of the process
25
1 BOND Guidance Notes Series 3 The What and the Why of Advocacy London 1999 2 Edwards Michael NGO legitimacy- voice or vote In Global Future Fourth Quarter 2002 p 3
Or gan izaciones d e la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes mat chmaking
Then the situation must be analysed in order to identify the best mechanismsand opportunities to promote such changes Coupled with the above is theidentification of key agents so as to determine who needs to be influenced andwho potential partners should be Subsequently messages for each targetpopulation must be prepared and the most adequate advocacy strategies foreach particular case selected This leads to the need for detailed planning ofeach step and then during the implementation the progress must bemonitored so that new actions can be planned when necessary With acontinuous monitoring and evaluation process the advocacy strategy can beadjusted to ensure that the desired objectives are achieved3
This is the process that numerous NGOs in the region have been followinghowever they have also faced numerous restrictions Below is a summary ofsome of the problems encountered by NGOs in their efforts to exerciseinfluence in Latin America which were identified during our research work
bull Institution-building is at a low level access to the political system is limitedand few practices are acknowledged either by the State or by the civilsociety for influence processes to prosper4
bull Advocacy is a special field and although several NGOs include influenceactions in their political system these do not always respond to a deliberateaction and a planned advocacy strategy5 In many cases specializationimplies casting aside grassroots actions
bull There are participation and influence opportunities that neither respond to astructure nor a system that permits them but rather to local circumstancesthat are very difficult to anticipate6
bull NGOs have a representation problem that often prevents them from beingaccepted by the State and others as valid spokesmen7 Take the case of theanti-globalisation movement for example
bull Funds are received to implement projects not to promote processes Thisgreatly restricts the actual capacity of NGOs to lead long-term advocacyprocesses8
bull The development of the advocacy capacity of NGOs has been limited totopics proposed by NGOs from the northern hemisphere which are veryorchestrated and fail to develop the ability to exercise influence in otherspheres9
bull There is no common advocacy agenda among the different agents of the civilsociety as far as matters related to the ldquoinformation societyrdquo are concerned10
26
3 Advocacy inintiatives planning manual Save the Children London Save the Children 20004 Influence on Public Policies and Citizenship Ineacutes Gonzales Bombal httpwwwicdorguymercosurinformesencuentrogonzalez7html 5 Gonzales Bombal op cit 6 By ldquoAunt Opheliardquo we refer to the likeness with the character of the IDRC publication Raiacuteces Maacutegicas and ITDG as a result of the Latin
American Meeting on ldquoAppropriation of Information and Communication Technologies in Latin Americahttpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsofeliahtm
7 Edwards Michael 2002 op cit8 El rol de interfase de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Ramoacuten Vargas Conference papers presented in Seminario Regional sobre
las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil y el desarrollo de una cultura democraacutetica 9 Ramoacuten Vargas op cit10 Save the Children 2001 op cit
The last conclusion sheds light on the characteristics of this research workOur main concern is to find a way to influence public policies for the informationsociety and not public policies in general The technical terms that define theinformation society are still unclear therefore opportunities are lost and variouscivilian organisations are afraid of making concrete proposals and applyingpressure to obtain what they want
Progress has been made with creating a social impression of the Internet butthat vision is yet to materialise in concrete regional and national advocacyproposals11
Undoubtedly the need to transform this collective social impression intoconcrete advocacy actions has been proved in the light of the participation ofcivilian organisations in the preparatory events of the World Summit of theInformation Society12 in which our participation was disjointed and without acommon regional standpoint The construction of this common advocacyagenda is a process that is just beginning and as already mentioned inrelevant electronic forums the process will not end with the World Summit
Miguel Saravia
27
11 Vision based on the work of the Comunidad Virtual Mistica For further information see httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 L ook i ng f or t he m o s tappr opr i at e f ramewor k hellip
It was found that the framework used by different government circles in theregion to design strategies related to the Information Society are very biasedtowards the ICT sector Emphasis is placed on setting up access facilitiesprogrammes to support the information and communication technologiessector the development of electronic government applications etc
A thorough review of different existing models and the proposals shared indifferent international forums such as the preparatory meeting in Bavaro forthe Information Society Summit the high level meeting between the EuropeanUnion-Latin America and the Andean ICT workshop reveals that as a commondenominator the existing framework is insufficient for understanding howinformation and communication technologies can make a significant change inthe struggle against poverty in our countries
The CEPAL Model
The Economic Commission for LatinA m e r i c a1 3 has designed a three-dimensional model with horizontallevels vertical sectors and transversalareas The horizontal dimension showsthe ldquosegmentsrdquo that representinfrastructure and generic services (TVradio Internet) The vertical dimensionshows the sectors that become thelsquoinformation societyrsquo
It is interesting to note that the cube adds a third dimension which makes thescheme more complicated but allows the introduction of transversal issuessuch as regulatory frameworks financing and human capital
The information society scheme proposed by CEPAL gives the impression thatthe society is limited to electronics and that the way to become an informationsociety is only viewed from the e-included in the sectors A legitimate questionwould be how does the model envisage the participation of civilians in theprocess Or how to face the evident qualms about starting the informationsociety development process
29
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
The horizontal segments are conceived as very functional for the sectorswhereas capacity-building is considered to be the technical capacity requiredto deal with the technologies involved in the construction of information ratherthan the social skills required to understand the processes and adapt them tonational contexts
The Gino Germani Research Institute Model
This scheme shows a series ofconcentric rings with the targetpoint in the middle referred toas the lsquoinformation societyrsquo
It was designed in the GinoGermani Research Institute ofthe University of Buenos Aires14
and proposes working inwardsfrom the outside starting withpolicies access developmentuse appropriation and finallyproduction Reading it that wayit is easy to understand thelogic of the processcomplemented by the transversal pivotal points that cut through the circleswhich refer to social inclusion gender and minorities
This way of depicting the information society structuring process considers theimportance of a gradual progress creating the conditions for the society toachieve another level of development in a joint collective manner
This model takes it for granted that there is a consensus that the informationsociety structuring process should be wide-ranging with the participation of allsectors including the civil society However our research shows that thedominating view is that in which priority is placed on the e-strategies
Another aspect the model fails to include concerns the forces that could eitherboost or stunt the processes that is where we should see the civil society andcivilian organisations In other words there is an evident lack of elements toshow the driving force behind the information society which should be thesociety itself with its needs and priorities
It may not be a specific responsibility of the theoretical frameworks but of thecapacity of the civil society itself to claim its role as the driving force behind thesociety
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
30
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
The Valenti Model15
D r Valenti of theOrganisation of Spanish-American States forEducation Science andCulture designed a modelsubsequent to existingmodels having beencriticised because of theirclassic way ofunderstanding thelsquoinformation societyrsquo As faras Dr Valenti is concernedtwo main componentsneeded to be added to the classic standpoint citizen participation andtechnological innovation Not that this was not acknowledged in the cube orthe circles since the explanation did in fact mention the importance ofconsidering all agents However Dr Valentirsquos text places social participationat the centre of the action as a fundamental component of the process
In the cube people are non-existent or invisible In the circles model socialparticipation is tacit but not explicit In Valentirsquos model the collective aspect isthe driving force ldquoWithout participation there is no interaction and withoutinteraction there is no innovation If there is no participation or a capacity forinnovation it would be impossible to structure an Information Societyrdquo16 DrValenti places emphasis on the need to promote institution-building upheld bylocal development systems and the promotion of local innovation mechanisms
In Latin America new local institutions are being consolidated such as thelocal development committees in various Latin American communities the anti-poverty boards the concerted action boards and the public-private discussionpanels17 It is interesting to note how these panels can make up the newinstitutions that Dr Valenti refers to
Nevertheless none of the models described above have includedtechnological innovation
A Transforming Innovation Model
In a book entitled ldquoRural Development and ICT A Rural Development Approachwith the Integration of Information and Communication Technologiesrdquo theconcept referred to as a transforming innovation is explained This conceptintroduces innovation as an element that will set in motion the socialtransformation process18
Miguel Saravia
31
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organised by the Department for International
Development of the United Kingdom the World Bank and other organisations (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (at the printerrsquos)
The lsquoinformation societyrsquo is something that needs to be attained and in orderto do so our society needs to change existing social relations must be fairerwith equal opportunities for everyone This model recovers the revolutionarydimension of the application of ICT to development processes
In order to understand how Latin America is progressing towards theInformation Society it is necessary to look for consistency in all theseapproaches rather than choosing just one Whereas the Valenti model providesa good definition of the different agents the circles scheme provides a clearunderstanding of the collective process and the CEPAL cube details theinteraction of the various sectors once we have move forward within theinformation society This last approach emphasizes the need to introduceinnovation processes to help transform the society
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
32
4 Pub l i c- pr i vate part ner sh i ps f o rstr uct uri ng t h e i n f ormat i on soc i et y
Structuring the information society is a taskthat involves all sectors of society ie citizensin their different facets - studentsentrepreneurs researchers social activists -and governors Anything not related to thegovernment should be considered privateencompassing the so-called third sector andthe business sector
We shall use the term ldquopublic-privatepartnershipsrdquo to refer to alliances betweengovernments the business sector and civilianorganisations These alliances can be definedas ldquothe arrangements whereby the public andprivate sectors sign agreements to implementjoint research and development projects joining their resources and skillsrdquo19
Another more accurate definition of what should be understood by the termpartnerships ldquojoint initiatives of the public and private sectors the profit-makingsector and the not-for-profit sector which are also understood to begovernmental business and civilian sectors Within these partnerships eachpartner contributes with resources (financial human technical and intangiblesuch as information or political support) and participates in the decision-makingprocessrdquo20
It was already been proved that public-private partnerships provide newresources to poverty-reduction initiatives It is safe to say that thesepartnerships increase the productivity of available resources Furthermorepartnerships imply a number of ways of generating assets in terms of humandevelopment and social capital creating the right conditions for achievingmultiplying effects
As Fiszbein and Lowden said ldquoPartnerships have the potential to createchanging patterns that strengthen themselves the great advantage being thatthe whole can be so much better than the sum of its partsrdquo
The main question is how to institutionalise the participation of the privatesector and the civil society in national programmes for the information society21
and how to create this mutually gainful environment
33
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz amp Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
This matter has not been clearly defined from the point of view of civilianorganizations much less from the viewpoint of the public sector In the earlynineties the main NGOs from the northern hemisphere realized that the impactof their work was temporary and of a very small scale Hence the developmentof a number of strategies to increase both the impact and the scope of their work
The following were among the actions promoted
bull Cooperation with the Governmentbull Expansion of their operationsbull Promotion of a direct contact between grassroots organisationsbull Local national and international advocacy and lobbying
In the ICT sector an analysis of advocacy agents reveals an unfair relationshipbetween the civil societyrsquos and the business sectorrsquos capacity to influence theGovernment and the State The following table prepared by Juliana Martinez22provides a better understanding of this statement
The graph also shows the lack of a relationship between civilian organisationsand the business sector Companies and their leaders are not usuallyconsidered influence subjects although it seems evident that if we influencethem and take advantage of their capacity to influence then indirectly we areinfluencing the Government as well
The idea is not to abandon the possibility of exercising a direct influence onpublic policies but to broaden the spectrum and learn from the experience ofother agents Again Juliana Martinez summarises the ideal model in a graph
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
34
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
Desde las organizaciones de la sociedad civil este tema no se ha visto conmucha claridad y menos auacuten desde el sector puacuteblico A inicios de la deacutecadade los 90 las principales ONG del Norte se dieron cuenta que el impacto de sutrabajo era temporal y de escala muy pequentildea Por ello desarrollaron una seriede estrategias para aumentar su impacto y la escala de lo que haciacutean
Dentro de las acciones que se promovieron encontramos
bull Cooperacioacuten con el gobiernobull Expansioacuten de sus operacionesbull Promocioacuten del contacto directo con organizaciones de basebull Influencia y cabildeo local nacional e internacional
En el sector de las TIC un anaacutelisis de actores de incidencia nos muestra unadesemejanza entre la capacidad de la sociedad civil para incidir en el Gobiernoy el Estado y la capacidad que tiene el sector empresarial de hacerlo Elsiguiente cuadro preparado por Juliana Martiacutenez22 nos ayuda a entendermejor lo que estamos afirmando
El graacutefico tambieacuten nos muestra la inexistencia de una relacioacuten entre las OSCy el sector empresarial Comuacutenmente no se ve a las empresas y a sus liacutederescomo sujetos de incidencia Empero es evidente que si incidimos en estas yaprovechamos su capacidad de incidencia indirectamente tambieacuten estaremosincidiendo en el gobierno
No se trata de abandonar la posibilidad de incidir directamente en las poliacuteticaspuacuteblicas sino mas bien de ampliar el espectro y aprender de la experiencia de otrosactores Nuevamente Juliana Martiacutenez nos resume el modelo ideal en un graacutefico
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
16
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Propuestas parafortalecer la relacioacutensociedad civil-Gobierno
Como hemos visto a lo largo de este texto no es faacutecil hacer una siacutentesis quecombine todos los modelos Soacutelo un trabajo articulado de todos los actorespermitiraacute avanzar en la construccioacuten de la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Existen espacios para la participacioacuten activa de los actores en los procesos dehacer poliacutetica puacuteblica y por lo tanto de incidir directamente en los tomadoresde decisiones23 En la Presentacioacuten indicamos que una preocupacioacuten principalde la presente investigacioacuten era encontrar mecanismos de articulacioacuten de lasociedad civil para poder comprender el proceso de hacer poliacuteticas puacuteblicasrelacionadas con las TIC y de articular propuestas teacutecnica financiera ypoliacuteticamente viables
Sobre la base de las entrevistas visitas de campo y revisioacuten de documentosse han extraiacutedo 4 propuestas para contribuir a fortalecer la relacioacuten entre lasOSC y los Gobiernos Estas son
bull Ciacuterculos de aprendizaje permanentes espacios para el diaacutelogobull Monitor de proyectos TIC transparencia y rendicioacuten de cuentasbull Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo rescate de nuestra capacidad emprendedorabull SI programa de formacioacuten regional ldquoThink tankrdquo regional
Ciacuterculos de aprendizaje permanente
Los ciacuterculos de aprendizaje fueron utilizados por el proyecto Conectaacutendonosal Futuro de El Salvador como un mecanismo para promover la participacioacutende diversos actores en el disentildeo de la agenda puacuteblica relacionada con las TICy el desarrollo24
En los ciacuterculos de aprendizaje se realizaron diagnoacutesticos y propuestas deproyectos en seis temas importantes para el desarrollo de ese paiacutes como sonla educacioacuten la migracioacuten el desarrollo local el desarrollo rural la micro-pequentildea-mediana empresa y las grandes organizaciones puacuteblicas y privadas
En el caso peruano contamos con la experiencia de la Comisioacuten Multisectorialpara el Desarrollo de la Sociedad de la Informacioacuten-CODESI que inicialmenteteniacutea como objetivo principal elaborar un plan para el desarrollo de la sociedadde la informacioacuten en el Peruacute La CODESI se organizoacute en mesas de trabajosobre 6 temas infraestructura capacidades humanas aplicaciones socialesproduccioacuten y servicios gobierno electroacutenico y Cumbre Mundial de la Sociedadde la Informacioacuten25
17
23 Revisar El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedadde la Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Revisar el caso de El Salvador en el informe antes indicado25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
Luego de cumplida la tarea eacutestos colectivos se desarticularon cuando debieronpermanecer como espacios permanentes de anaacutelisis y reflexioacuten sobre la temaacuteticaque los unioacute Es claro que lo que estos espacios resuelvan no tendraacute el caraacutectervinculante ni el estatus consultivo originario pero seraacute fuente de empoderamientoy espacio de cabildeo para futuras acciones poliacuteticas
Promover estos espacios colectivos de reflexioacuten sobre aspectos puntuales detoda la estrategia de TIC para el desarrollo surge como una propuesta naturalque puede ser asumida raacutepidamente por los actores involucrados Creemosque estos espacios tienen que ser plurales garantizando la presencia de todoslos sectores Es muy importante tambieacuten que estos espacios socialicen sudebate y lo compartan con la sociedad en su conjunto a partir de foros puacuteblicoso medios electroacutenicos
Monitor de proyectos TIC
Los estudios de caso nos muestran que muchas organizaciones puacuteblicas yprivadas estaacuten repitiendo el mismo trabajo entre los diferentes paiacuteses de laregioacuten y aun al interior de los propios paiacuteses
El Instituto para la Conectividad de las Ameacutericas ha lanzado una iniciativa paracontar con una base de datos regional de proyectos TIC que permita mapearlas diferentes iniciativas presentes y pasadas26 Global Knowledge Partnershipestaacute tambieacuten por su lado elaborando un mapa de las organizaciones quetrabajan en el tema de las TIC para el desarrollo en toda la regioacuten27
La propuesta es complementaria a las iniciativas antes indicadas pero requierede un pacto entre los diversos actores trabajando en TIC para el desarrollo enAmeacuterica Latina activistas TIC donantes organismos multilaterales gobiernos
El Monitor que proponemos podriacutea nutrirse de los directorios antes indicadospero ademaacutes podriacutea compilar los documentos de proyectos las evaluacioneslas lecciones aprendidas y lo maacutes importante permitir la redaccioacuten decomentarios sobre los proyectos por parte de observadores e incluso de losmismos beneficiarios
La propuesta no contempla aceptar un marco comuacuten de evaluacioacuten que hariacuteaa nuestro entender inviable al Monitor Se plantea una propuesta maacutesconcreta orientada a apoyar la transparencia de las acciones en TIC para eldesarrollo y la rendicioacuten de cuentas desde todos los sectores
En el documento ldquoCarta a la Tiacutea Ofelia 7 propuestas para un desarrollo humanosostenible con el uso de las Tecnologiacuteas de la Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacutenrdquo se deciacutea
ldquoCuando se habla de evaluacioacuten muchas personas se sienten amenazadas como si se tratara siempre de unaauditoriacutea para ver a quieacuten echarle la culpa de los problemas Aunque las auditoriacuteas son importantes para larendicioacuten de cuentas y la verificacioacuten de procesos la evaluacioacuten de resultados es otra cosa completamente distintaCon el monitoreo se trata de aprender de los errores y de los aciertos mejorar sobre la marcha compartir lo quese aprende en el recorrido Con la evaluacioacuten se busca aprender sobre los resultados de las actividades yprogramas y comprender queacute se hizo para mejorar o empeorar la situacioacuten ojalaacute desde varias perspectivasdiferentes Pretender que de la auditoriacutea resulte el aprendizaje es un graviacutesimo errorrdquo28
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
18
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Esta es una propuesta que plantea un puente entre monitoreo y auditoriacutea con laparticipacioacuten de muacuteltiples actores e impactando directamente en la rendicioacuten decuentas y la transparencia de las acciones orientadas a promover el desarrollo
En la regioacuten contamos ya con las herramientas teacutecnicas para implementar unsistema de bajo costo pero lo maacutes complicado puede ser lo metodoloacutegico ElMonitor deberiacutea ser un sitio colaborativo donde los proyectos son alimentadospor los propios actores de los proyectos y donde se requiere de un acuerdoprevio entre agencias donantes para que acepten que los documentos de susproyectos se reporten en el Monitor y lo incluyan asiacute en el contrato
Mantener actualizada la informacioacuten del Monitor es tambieacuten una tarea difiacutecil sise piensa de manera tradicional El Monitor deberiacutea trabajar para que lo queestaacute reportado alliacute tenga visibilidad (a traveacutes de boletines electroacutenicosdistribucioacuten de resentildeas en otras redes y listas promocioacuten de foros etc) Laidea es generar la sensacioacuten de que conviene maacutes estar alliacute con la informacioacutenactualizada que quedarse fuera
Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo
El Dr Valenti comentaba la necesidad de recrear la institucionalidad local demanera que se convierta en protagonista de su desarrollo Hablaba de lossistemas locales de desarrollo como la base de esta nueva institucionalidad 29
En los paiacuteses latinoamericanos hay varias iniciativas de concertacioacuten para eldesarrollo local donde convergen los diferentes niveles del Estado y lasociedad civil incluidos los empresarios30 Sin embargo existen tambieacutencomplejos sistemas de innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica31 que generalmente no estaacuten endiaacutelogo con estos espacios de planificacioacuten del desarrollo local
La propuesta busca vincular estos espacios de concertacioacuten del desarrollo conel rescate de la capacidad emprendedora de los ciudadanos latinoamericanosenfocada hacia los procesos que conduzcan a la regioacuten hacia la sociedad dela informacioacuten
Encontramos que la mejor manera de llevar la propuesta a la praacutectica esgenerando mecanismos locales de promocioacuten de la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica yque la investigacioacuten no ha encontrado muy difundidos en la regioacuten Elantecedente concreto maacutes directo que se logroacute identificar es el proyectoldquoFortaleciendo la Participacioacuten Ciudadana para el Desarrollo EconoacutemicoLocalrdquo y que justamente buscaba rescatar la capacidad de innovacioacuten depobladores rurales en el Peruacute
El referido proyecto fue financiado por el DFID y la Comunidad Europea yejecutado por ITDG Ameacuterica Latina en seis municipalidades (en eldepartamento de San Martiacuten provincias de Picota San Martiacuten y Moyobambay en el departamento de Cajamarca provincias de Bambamarca y San Ignacioy en el distrito de Asuncioacuten)32
Miguel Saravia
19
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
Aplicar este concepto a la sociedad de la informacioacuten puede traer resultadossorprendentes y orientar mejor la intervencioacuten del Estado y de los propiosproyectos de desarrollo Pero la clave es el caraacutecter local del proceso y suengarzamiento con las instancias locales de concertacioacuten del desarrollo
Hemos identificado experiencias previas de concursos nacionales deinnovacioacuten pero cuya estructura y mecanismos de participacioacuten no favorecenel rescate de las iniciativas locales que por su dimensioacuten son maacutes faacuteciles deser apropiadas o adaptadas por otras comunidades
SI programa de formacioacuten regional
A partir de los estudios de caso y del mapeo inicialmente realizado en el marcode la presente investigacioacuten encontramos que una de las principalesdebilidades en la sociedad civil y en algunos sectores del Estado es que noexiste suficiente capacidad para disentildear y promover poliacuteticas puacuteblicas eficacesen la promocioacuten del uso de las TIC desde una perspectiva de desarrollo
Por ello se hace necesario disentildear un programa de formacioacuten regional queprepare regularmente a liacutederes de los diferentes sectores para que seancapaces de participar activamente en el proceso de disentildear y acompantildear lasestrategias hacia la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Es importante que este programa de formacioacuten se desarrolle sobre la base dela realidad de la regioacuten y que sea un espacio acadeacutemico de reflexioacuten sobre losmodelos las mejores praacutecticas y los impactos que estamos logrando ennuestro camino
Esta propuesta busca preparar a mediano y largo plazo a funcionarios puacuteblicosy a liacutederes de la sociedad civil con el suficiente conocimiento de la temaacuteticalocal y regional y con capacidad de aportar constructivamente en laformulacioacuten de nuevas poliacuteticas
La propuesta incluye involucrar a diferentes universidades institutosacadeacutemicos y de investigacioacuten en el programa de formacioacuten de manera quepermita cubrir un aacuterea geograacutefica maacutes grande y llegar a la mayor cantidad deliacutederes y funcionarios locales posibles
El espacio de formacioacuten puede permitir tambieacuten que exista un mayor diaacutelogoentre los actores si es que se garantiza la participacioacuten activa de funcionariospuacuteblicos y dirigentes de organizaciones de la sociedad civil
Es importante resaltar tambieacuten que esta propuesta no se refiere a un programade formacioacuten claacutesico sino mas bien a una serie de cursos talleres seminariose investigaciones que se pueden dar de manera descentralizada y que con eladecuado rigor acadeacutemico permitiraacute formar un ldquothink tankrdquo regional capaz dedialogar y de aportar en el desarrollo de estrategias locales y regionales
Organizaciones de la socie dad civil y program as na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
20
1 Forew or d
This text was written within the framework of the Project entitled ldquoCivilianOrganisations in the face of National ICT Projects 4 case studiesrdquo which ITDGcarried out with the support of the International Development Research CentreThis project was implemented between December 2002 and June 2004 andincluded visits to 4 Latin American countries (Peru Uruguay Venezuela and ElSalvador) as well as interviews with government representatives and civilianorganizations The results of each visit form part of the CD ldquoCivil Society andthe development of the information society in Latin Americardquo that will beaccessible at ITDG and IDRC websites
Is it possible to refer to the information society without the participation of thecivil society Is the lsquoinformation societyrsquo a matter of cables devices andbackbones How can the lsquoinformation societyrsquo be understood within a povertycontext What approaches can be used to explain the role to be played by thecivil society with other stakeholders of the information society Who are thoseother approaches Which is the most adequate model for understanding therelationships of key stakeholders in the structure of the Information SocietyThose questions guided this research
One of the main concerns during this research work has been to find out howthese stakeholders have become organised and in particular how the civilsociety has become organised in order to understand the process involved inmaking ICT a public policy and incorporating their proposals
This publication begins with an explanation of the public advocacy process andhow this reached the agenda of civil society organisations There follows ananalysis of the adequate framework for understanding the information societydevelopment process A summary of 4 different models is included which formpart of the typology of the relationship between the civil society and the Statein structuring the information society
The publication continues with an introduction of key stakeholders their rolein the construction of ICT policies and the kind of relationships that must beestablished to ensure that their influence is effective Finally a number ofrecommendations are made to strengthen the relationship between the civilsociety and the State
With this publication we hope to help disseminate key concepts for theimprovement of civil society organizations in the face of the institutionalprocesses taking place in Latin American countries within the framework of theldquoinformation societyrdquo structure
Miguel SaraviaDecember 2004
23
24
2 I ntr oduct i on
Information and communication technologies (ICT) are dramaticallytransforming our environment Today at least one if not several informationtechnologies are having an impact on our daily activities The abundance ofbusiness management information and technology is greatly influencing thedaily lives of Latin American men women boys and girls
Although the predominant perception of the ldquoinformation societyrdquo mainlyinvolves mobile telephones computers and the Internet ie infrastructure ourresearch work revealed some encouraging evidence of an ever-increasingconcern for the application of ICT in education health production workingmethods and how we communicate with and relate to each other
Consequently it is essential for society as a whole to become involved in theprocess of setting public policies and understanding how such a process canbe improved During the last 10 years NGOs have been concentrating onincreasing their lobbying and advocacy actions in an attempt to influencedifferent groups of agents ie individuals States corporations internationalorganisations etc so that they change their policies and attitudes regardingdevelopment issues1 During that time NGOs have helped change the terms ofdiscussions on matters concerning the reduction of the foreign debt promotedthe monitoring of global agreements such as the certification of forests or childlabour contributed to the adoption of agreements like the Ottawa treaty for theeradication of land mines and so on2
The most developed sectors as far as these actions are concerned are theenvironment childrenrsquos rights and the fight for womenrsquos rights It was preciselybecause of these two issues that the lobbying and advocacy work reachedLatin America and was included in the agendas of NGOs
These were also the sectors in which ICT began to be used to influence publicpolicies being the best means of obtaining timely and transparent publicpolicies of a good quality The use of ICT helps to that numerous peoplecontribute in the advocacy and in the elaboration of the policy proposalsallowing massive debates including sectors traditionally excluded from thespaces of public participation It is important also to affect ICT policies thatenable them to be real instruments of development
It is a common mistake to define very general objective for an advocacystrategy like promote an ICT for development policies Advocacy is a long-termprocess that begins with a concrete definition of the changes to be made andin many cases it is the reason for success or failure of the process
25
1 BOND Guidance Notes Series 3 The What and the Why of Advocacy London 1999 2 Edwards Michael NGO legitimacy- voice or vote In Global Future Fourth Quarter 2002 p 3
Or gan izaciones d e la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes mat chmaking
Then the situation must be analysed in order to identify the best mechanismsand opportunities to promote such changes Coupled with the above is theidentification of key agents so as to determine who needs to be influenced andwho potential partners should be Subsequently messages for each targetpopulation must be prepared and the most adequate advocacy strategies foreach particular case selected This leads to the need for detailed planning ofeach step and then during the implementation the progress must bemonitored so that new actions can be planned when necessary With acontinuous monitoring and evaluation process the advocacy strategy can beadjusted to ensure that the desired objectives are achieved3
This is the process that numerous NGOs in the region have been followinghowever they have also faced numerous restrictions Below is a summary ofsome of the problems encountered by NGOs in their efforts to exerciseinfluence in Latin America which were identified during our research work
bull Institution-building is at a low level access to the political system is limitedand few practices are acknowledged either by the State or by the civilsociety for influence processes to prosper4
bull Advocacy is a special field and although several NGOs include influenceactions in their political system these do not always respond to a deliberateaction and a planned advocacy strategy5 In many cases specializationimplies casting aside grassroots actions
bull There are participation and influence opportunities that neither respond to astructure nor a system that permits them but rather to local circumstancesthat are very difficult to anticipate6
bull NGOs have a representation problem that often prevents them from beingaccepted by the State and others as valid spokesmen7 Take the case of theanti-globalisation movement for example
bull Funds are received to implement projects not to promote processes Thisgreatly restricts the actual capacity of NGOs to lead long-term advocacyprocesses8
bull The development of the advocacy capacity of NGOs has been limited totopics proposed by NGOs from the northern hemisphere which are veryorchestrated and fail to develop the ability to exercise influence in otherspheres9
bull There is no common advocacy agenda among the different agents of the civilsociety as far as matters related to the ldquoinformation societyrdquo are concerned10
26
3 Advocacy inintiatives planning manual Save the Children London Save the Children 20004 Influence on Public Policies and Citizenship Ineacutes Gonzales Bombal httpwwwicdorguymercosurinformesencuentrogonzalez7html 5 Gonzales Bombal op cit 6 By ldquoAunt Opheliardquo we refer to the likeness with the character of the IDRC publication Raiacuteces Maacutegicas and ITDG as a result of the Latin
American Meeting on ldquoAppropriation of Information and Communication Technologies in Latin Americahttpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsofeliahtm
7 Edwards Michael 2002 op cit8 El rol de interfase de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Ramoacuten Vargas Conference papers presented in Seminario Regional sobre
las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil y el desarrollo de una cultura democraacutetica 9 Ramoacuten Vargas op cit10 Save the Children 2001 op cit
The last conclusion sheds light on the characteristics of this research workOur main concern is to find a way to influence public policies for the informationsociety and not public policies in general The technical terms that define theinformation society are still unclear therefore opportunities are lost and variouscivilian organisations are afraid of making concrete proposals and applyingpressure to obtain what they want
Progress has been made with creating a social impression of the Internet butthat vision is yet to materialise in concrete regional and national advocacyproposals11
Undoubtedly the need to transform this collective social impression intoconcrete advocacy actions has been proved in the light of the participation ofcivilian organisations in the preparatory events of the World Summit of theInformation Society12 in which our participation was disjointed and without acommon regional standpoint The construction of this common advocacyagenda is a process that is just beginning and as already mentioned inrelevant electronic forums the process will not end with the World Summit
Miguel Saravia
27
11 Vision based on the work of the Comunidad Virtual Mistica For further information see httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 L ook i ng f or t he m o s tappr opr i at e f ramewor k hellip
It was found that the framework used by different government circles in theregion to design strategies related to the Information Society are very biasedtowards the ICT sector Emphasis is placed on setting up access facilitiesprogrammes to support the information and communication technologiessector the development of electronic government applications etc
A thorough review of different existing models and the proposals shared indifferent international forums such as the preparatory meeting in Bavaro forthe Information Society Summit the high level meeting between the EuropeanUnion-Latin America and the Andean ICT workshop reveals that as a commondenominator the existing framework is insufficient for understanding howinformation and communication technologies can make a significant change inthe struggle against poverty in our countries
The CEPAL Model
The Economic Commission for LatinA m e r i c a1 3 has designed a three-dimensional model with horizontallevels vertical sectors and transversalareas The horizontal dimension showsthe ldquosegmentsrdquo that representinfrastructure and generic services (TVradio Internet) The vertical dimensionshows the sectors that become thelsquoinformation societyrsquo
It is interesting to note that the cube adds a third dimension which makes thescheme more complicated but allows the introduction of transversal issuessuch as regulatory frameworks financing and human capital
The information society scheme proposed by CEPAL gives the impression thatthe society is limited to electronics and that the way to become an informationsociety is only viewed from the e-included in the sectors A legitimate questionwould be how does the model envisage the participation of civilians in theprocess Or how to face the evident qualms about starting the informationsociety development process
29
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
The horizontal segments are conceived as very functional for the sectorswhereas capacity-building is considered to be the technical capacity requiredto deal with the technologies involved in the construction of information ratherthan the social skills required to understand the processes and adapt them tonational contexts
The Gino Germani Research Institute Model
This scheme shows a series ofconcentric rings with the targetpoint in the middle referred toas the lsquoinformation societyrsquo
It was designed in the GinoGermani Research Institute ofthe University of Buenos Aires14
and proposes working inwardsfrom the outside starting withpolicies access developmentuse appropriation and finallyproduction Reading it that wayit is easy to understand thelogic of the processcomplemented by the transversal pivotal points that cut through the circleswhich refer to social inclusion gender and minorities
This way of depicting the information society structuring process considers theimportance of a gradual progress creating the conditions for the society toachieve another level of development in a joint collective manner
This model takes it for granted that there is a consensus that the informationsociety structuring process should be wide-ranging with the participation of allsectors including the civil society However our research shows that thedominating view is that in which priority is placed on the e-strategies
Another aspect the model fails to include concerns the forces that could eitherboost or stunt the processes that is where we should see the civil society andcivilian organisations In other words there is an evident lack of elements toshow the driving force behind the information society which should be thesociety itself with its needs and priorities
It may not be a specific responsibility of the theoretical frameworks but of thecapacity of the civil society itself to claim its role as the driving force behind thesociety
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
30
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
The Valenti Model15
D r Valenti of theOrganisation of Spanish-American States forEducation Science andCulture designed a modelsubsequent to existingmodels having beencriticised because of theirclassic way ofunderstanding thelsquoinformation societyrsquo As faras Dr Valenti is concernedtwo main componentsneeded to be added to the classic standpoint citizen participation andtechnological innovation Not that this was not acknowledged in the cube orthe circles since the explanation did in fact mention the importance ofconsidering all agents However Dr Valentirsquos text places social participationat the centre of the action as a fundamental component of the process
In the cube people are non-existent or invisible In the circles model socialparticipation is tacit but not explicit In Valentirsquos model the collective aspect isthe driving force ldquoWithout participation there is no interaction and withoutinteraction there is no innovation If there is no participation or a capacity forinnovation it would be impossible to structure an Information Societyrdquo16 DrValenti places emphasis on the need to promote institution-building upheld bylocal development systems and the promotion of local innovation mechanisms
In Latin America new local institutions are being consolidated such as thelocal development committees in various Latin American communities the anti-poverty boards the concerted action boards and the public-private discussionpanels17 It is interesting to note how these panels can make up the newinstitutions that Dr Valenti refers to
Nevertheless none of the models described above have includedtechnological innovation
A Transforming Innovation Model
In a book entitled ldquoRural Development and ICT A Rural Development Approachwith the Integration of Information and Communication Technologiesrdquo theconcept referred to as a transforming innovation is explained This conceptintroduces innovation as an element that will set in motion the socialtransformation process18
Miguel Saravia
31
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organised by the Department for International
Development of the United Kingdom the World Bank and other organisations (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (at the printerrsquos)
The lsquoinformation societyrsquo is something that needs to be attained and in orderto do so our society needs to change existing social relations must be fairerwith equal opportunities for everyone This model recovers the revolutionarydimension of the application of ICT to development processes
In order to understand how Latin America is progressing towards theInformation Society it is necessary to look for consistency in all theseapproaches rather than choosing just one Whereas the Valenti model providesa good definition of the different agents the circles scheme provides a clearunderstanding of the collective process and the CEPAL cube details theinteraction of the various sectors once we have move forward within theinformation society This last approach emphasizes the need to introduceinnovation processes to help transform the society
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
32
4 Pub l i c- pr i vate part ner sh i ps f o rstr uct uri ng t h e i n f ormat i on soc i et y
Structuring the information society is a taskthat involves all sectors of society ie citizensin their different facets - studentsentrepreneurs researchers social activists -and governors Anything not related to thegovernment should be considered privateencompassing the so-called third sector andthe business sector
We shall use the term ldquopublic-privatepartnershipsrdquo to refer to alliances betweengovernments the business sector and civilianorganisations These alliances can be definedas ldquothe arrangements whereby the public andprivate sectors sign agreements to implementjoint research and development projects joining their resources and skillsrdquo19
Another more accurate definition of what should be understood by the termpartnerships ldquojoint initiatives of the public and private sectors the profit-makingsector and the not-for-profit sector which are also understood to begovernmental business and civilian sectors Within these partnerships eachpartner contributes with resources (financial human technical and intangiblesuch as information or political support) and participates in the decision-makingprocessrdquo20
It was already been proved that public-private partnerships provide newresources to poverty-reduction initiatives It is safe to say that thesepartnerships increase the productivity of available resources Furthermorepartnerships imply a number of ways of generating assets in terms of humandevelopment and social capital creating the right conditions for achievingmultiplying effects
As Fiszbein and Lowden said ldquoPartnerships have the potential to createchanging patterns that strengthen themselves the great advantage being thatthe whole can be so much better than the sum of its partsrdquo
The main question is how to institutionalise the participation of the privatesector and the civil society in national programmes for the information society21
and how to create this mutually gainful environment
33
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz amp Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
This matter has not been clearly defined from the point of view of civilianorganizations much less from the viewpoint of the public sector In the earlynineties the main NGOs from the northern hemisphere realized that the impactof their work was temporary and of a very small scale Hence the developmentof a number of strategies to increase both the impact and the scope of their work
The following were among the actions promoted
bull Cooperation with the Governmentbull Expansion of their operationsbull Promotion of a direct contact between grassroots organisationsbull Local national and international advocacy and lobbying
In the ICT sector an analysis of advocacy agents reveals an unfair relationshipbetween the civil societyrsquos and the business sectorrsquos capacity to influence theGovernment and the State The following table prepared by Juliana Martinez22provides a better understanding of this statement
The graph also shows the lack of a relationship between civilian organisationsand the business sector Companies and their leaders are not usuallyconsidered influence subjects although it seems evident that if we influencethem and take advantage of their capacity to influence then indirectly we areinfluencing the Government as well
The idea is not to abandon the possibility of exercising a direct influence onpublic policies but to broaden the spectrum and learn from the experience ofother agents Again Juliana Martinez summarises the ideal model in a graph
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
34
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
5 Propuestas parafortalecer la relacioacutensociedad civil-Gobierno
Como hemos visto a lo largo de este texto no es faacutecil hacer una siacutentesis quecombine todos los modelos Soacutelo un trabajo articulado de todos los actorespermitiraacute avanzar en la construccioacuten de la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Existen espacios para la participacioacuten activa de los actores en los procesos dehacer poliacutetica puacuteblica y por lo tanto de incidir directamente en los tomadoresde decisiones23 En la Presentacioacuten indicamos que una preocupacioacuten principalde la presente investigacioacuten era encontrar mecanismos de articulacioacuten de lasociedad civil para poder comprender el proceso de hacer poliacuteticas puacuteblicasrelacionadas con las TIC y de articular propuestas teacutecnica financiera ypoliacuteticamente viables
Sobre la base de las entrevistas visitas de campo y revisioacuten de documentosse han extraiacutedo 4 propuestas para contribuir a fortalecer la relacioacuten entre lasOSC y los Gobiernos Estas son
bull Ciacuterculos de aprendizaje permanentes espacios para el diaacutelogobull Monitor de proyectos TIC transparencia y rendicioacuten de cuentasbull Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo rescate de nuestra capacidad emprendedorabull SI programa de formacioacuten regional ldquoThink tankrdquo regional
Ciacuterculos de aprendizaje permanente
Los ciacuterculos de aprendizaje fueron utilizados por el proyecto Conectaacutendonosal Futuro de El Salvador como un mecanismo para promover la participacioacutende diversos actores en el disentildeo de la agenda puacuteblica relacionada con las TICy el desarrollo24
En los ciacuterculos de aprendizaje se realizaron diagnoacutesticos y propuestas deproyectos en seis temas importantes para el desarrollo de ese paiacutes como sonla educacioacuten la migracioacuten el desarrollo local el desarrollo rural la micro-pequentildea-mediana empresa y las grandes organizaciones puacuteblicas y privadas
En el caso peruano contamos con la experiencia de la Comisioacuten Multisectorialpara el Desarrollo de la Sociedad de la Informacioacuten-CODESI que inicialmenteteniacutea como objetivo principal elaborar un plan para el desarrollo de la sociedadde la informacioacuten en el Peruacute La CODESI se organizoacute en mesas de trabajosobre 6 temas infraestructura capacidades humanas aplicaciones socialesproduccioacuten y servicios gobierno electroacutenico y Cumbre Mundial de la Sociedadde la Informacioacuten25
17
23 Revisar El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedadde la Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Revisar el caso de El Salvador en el informe antes indicado25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
Luego de cumplida la tarea eacutestos colectivos se desarticularon cuando debieronpermanecer como espacios permanentes de anaacutelisis y reflexioacuten sobre la temaacuteticaque los unioacute Es claro que lo que estos espacios resuelvan no tendraacute el caraacutectervinculante ni el estatus consultivo originario pero seraacute fuente de empoderamientoy espacio de cabildeo para futuras acciones poliacuteticas
Promover estos espacios colectivos de reflexioacuten sobre aspectos puntuales detoda la estrategia de TIC para el desarrollo surge como una propuesta naturalque puede ser asumida raacutepidamente por los actores involucrados Creemosque estos espacios tienen que ser plurales garantizando la presencia de todoslos sectores Es muy importante tambieacuten que estos espacios socialicen sudebate y lo compartan con la sociedad en su conjunto a partir de foros puacuteblicoso medios electroacutenicos
Monitor de proyectos TIC
Los estudios de caso nos muestran que muchas organizaciones puacuteblicas yprivadas estaacuten repitiendo el mismo trabajo entre los diferentes paiacuteses de laregioacuten y aun al interior de los propios paiacuteses
El Instituto para la Conectividad de las Ameacutericas ha lanzado una iniciativa paracontar con una base de datos regional de proyectos TIC que permita mapearlas diferentes iniciativas presentes y pasadas26 Global Knowledge Partnershipestaacute tambieacuten por su lado elaborando un mapa de las organizaciones quetrabajan en el tema de las TIC para el desarrollo en toda la regioacuten27
La propuesta es complementaria a las iniciativas antes indicadas pero requierede un pacto entre los diversos actores trabajando en TIC para el desarrollo enAmeacuterica Latina activistas TIC donantes organismos multilaterales gobiernos
El Monitor que proponemos podriacutea nutrirse de los directorios antes indicadospero ademaacutes podriacutea compilar los documentos de proyectos las evaluacioneslas lecciones aprendidas y lo maacutes importante permitir la redaccioacuten decomentarios sobre los proyectos por parte de observadores e incluso de losmismos beneficiarios
La propuesta no contempla aceptar un marco comuacuten de evaluacioacuten que hariacuteaa nuestro entender inviable al Monitor Se plantea una propuesta maacutesconcreta orientada a apoyar la transparencia de las acciones en TIC para eldesarrollo y la rendicioacuten de cuentas desde todos los sectores
En el documento ldquoCarta a la Tiacutea Ofelia 7 propuestas para un desarrollo humanosostenible con el uso de las Tecnologiacuteas de la Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacutenrdquo se deciacutea
ldquoCuando se habla de evaluacioacuten muchas personas se sienten amenazadas como si se tratara siempre de unaauditoriacutea para ver a quieacuten echarle la culpa de los problemas Aunque las auditoriacuteas son importantes para larendicioacuten de cuentas y la verificacioacuten de procesos la evaluacioacuten de resultados es otra cosa completamente distintaCon el monitoreo se trata de aprender de los errores y de los aciertos mejorar sobre la marcha compartir lo quese aprende en el recorrido Con la evaluacioacuten se busca aprender sobre los resultados de las actividades yprogramas y comprender queacute se hizo para mejorar o empeorar la situacioacuten ojalaacute desde varias perspectivasdiferentes Pretender que de la auditoriacutea resulte el aprendizaje es un graviacutesimo errorrdquo28
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
18
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Esta es una propuesta que plantea un puente entre monitoreo y auditoriacutea con laparticipacioacuten de muacuteltiples actores e impactando directamente en la rendicioacuten decuentas y la transparencia de las acciones orientadas a promover el desarrollo
En la regioacuten contamos ya con las herramientas teacutecnicas para implementar unsistema de bajo costo pero lo maacutes complicado puede ser lo metodoloacutegico ElMonitor deberiacutea ser un sitio colaborativo donde los proyectos son alimentadospor los propios actores de los proyectos y donde se requiere de un acuerdoprevio entre agencias donantes para que acepten que los documentos de susproyectos se reporten en el Monitor y lo incluyan asiacute en el contrato
Mantener actualizada la informacioacuten del Monitor es tambieacuten una tarea difiacutecil sise piensa de manera tradicional El Monitor deberiacutea trabajar para que lo queestaacute reportado alliacute tenga visibilidad (a traveacutes de boletines electroacutenicosdistribucioacuten de resentildeas en otras redes y listas promocioacuten de foros etc) Laidea es generar la sensacioacuten de que conviene maacutes estar alliacute con la informacioacutenactualizada que quedarse fuera
Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo
El Dr Valenti comentaba la necesidad de recrear la institucionalidad local demanera que se convierta en protagonista de su desarrollo Hablaba de lossistemas locales de desarrollo como la base de esta nueva institucionalidad 29
En los paiacuteses latinoamericanos hay varias iniciativas de concertacioacuten para eldesarrollo local donde convergen los diferentes niveles del Estado y lasociedad civil incluidos los empresarios30 Sin embargo existen tambieacutencomplejos sistemas de innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica31 que generalmente no estaacuten endiaacutelogo con estos espacios de planificacioacuten del desarrollo local
La propuesta busca vincular estos espacios de concertacioacuten del desarrollo conel rescate de la capacidad emprendedora de los ciudadanos latinoamericanosenfocada hacia los procesos que conduzcan a la regioacuten hacia la sociedad dela informacioacuten
Encontramos que la mejor manera de llevar la propuesta a la praacutectica esgenerando mecanismos locales de promocioacuten de la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica yque la investigacioacuten no ha encontrado muy difundidos en la regioacuten Elantecedente concreto maacutes directo que se logroacute identificar es el proyectoldquoFortaleciendo la Participacioacuten Ciudadana para el Desarrollo EconoacutemicoLocalrdquo y que justamente buscaba rescatar la capacidad de innovacioacuten depobladores rurales en el Peruacute
El referido proyecto fue financiado por el DFID y la Comunidad Europea yejecutado por ITDG Ameacuterica Latina en seis municipalidades (en eldepartamento de San Martiacuten provincias de Picota San Martiacuten y Moyobambay en el departamento de Cajamarca provincias de Bambamarca y San Ignacioy en el distrito de Asuncioacuten)32
Miguel Saravia
19
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
Aplicar este concepto a la sociedad de la informacioacuten puede traer resultadossorprendentes y orientar mejor la intervencioacuten del Estado y de los propiosproyectos de desarrollo Pero la clave es el caraacutecter local del proceso y suengarzamiento con las instancias locales de concertacioacuten del desarrollo
Hemos identificado experiencias previas de concursos nacionales deinnovacioacuten pero cuya estructura y mecanismos de participacioacuten no favorecenel rescate de las iniciativas locales que por su dimensioacuten son maacutes faacuteciles deser apropiadas o adaptadas por otras comunidades
SI programa de formacioacuten regional
A partir de los estudios de caso y del mapeo inicialmente realizado en el marcode la presente investigacioacuten encontramos que una de las principalesdebilidades en la sociedad civil y en algunos sectores del Estado es que noexiste suficiente capacidad para disentildear y promover poliacuteticas puacuteblicas eficacesen la promocioacuten del uso de las TIC desde una perspectiva de desarrollo
Por ello se hace necesario disentildear un programa de formacioacuten regional queprepare regularmente a liacutederes de los diferentes sectores para que seancapaces de participar activamente en el proceso de disentildear y acompantildear lasestrategias hacia la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Es importante que este programa de formacioacuten se desarrolle sobre la base dela realidad de la regioacuten y que sea un espacio acadeacutemico de reflexioacuten sobre losmodelos las mejores praacutecticas y los impactos que estamos logrando ennuestro camino
Esta propuesta busca preparar a mediano y largo plazo a funcionarios puacuteblicosy a liacutederes de la sociedad civil con el suficiente conocimiento de la temaacuteticalocal y regional y con capacidad de aportar constructivamente en laformulacioacuten de nuevas poliacuteticas
La propuesta incluye involucrar a diferentes universidades institutosacadeacutemicos y de investigacioacuten en el programa de formacioacuten de manera quepermita cubrir un aacuterea geograacutefica maacutes grande y llegar a la mayor cantidad deliacutederes y funcionarios locales posibles
El espacio de formacioacuten puede permitir tambieacuten que exista un mayor diaacutelogoentre los actores si es que se garantiza la participacioacuten activa de funcionariospuacuteblicos y dirigentes de organizaciones de la sociedad civil
Es importante resaltar tambieacuten que esta propuesta no se refiere a un programade formacioacuten claacutesico sino mas bien a una serie de cursos talleres seminariose investigaciones que se pueden dar de manera descentralizada y que con eladecuado rigor acadeacutemico permitiraacute formar un ldquothink tankrdquo regional capaz dedialogar y de aportar en el desarrollo de estrategias locales y regionales
Organizaciones de la socie dad civil y program as na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
20
1 Forew or d
This text was written within the framework of the Project entitled ldquoCivilianOrganisations in the face of National ICT Projects 4 case studiesrdquo which ITDGcarried out with the support of the International Development Research CentreThis project was implemented between December 2002 and June 2004 andincluded visits to 4 Latin American countries (Peru Uruguay Venezuela and ElSalvador) as well as interviews with government representatives and civilianorganizations The results of each visit form part of the CD ldquoCivil Society andthe development of the information society in Latin Americardquo that will beaccessible at ITDG and IDRC websites
Is it possible to refer to the information society without the participation of thecivil society Is the lsquoinformation societyrsquo a matter of cables devices andbackbones How can the lsquoinformation societyrsquo be understood within a povertycontext What approaches can be used to explain the role to be played by thecivil society with other stakeholders of the information society Who are thoseother approaches Which is the most adequate model for understanding therelationships of key stakeholders in the structure of the Information SocietyThose questions guided this research
One of the main concerns during this research work has been to find out howthese stakeholders have become organised and in particular how the civilsociety has become organised in order to understand the process involved inmaking ICT a public policy and incorporating their proposals
This publication begins with an explanation of the public advocacy process andhow this reached the agenda of civil society organisations There follows ananalysis of the adequate framework for understanding the information societydevelopment process A summary of 4 different models is included which formpart of the typology of the relationship between the civil society and the Statein structuring the information society
The publication continues with an introduction of key stakeholders their rolein the construction of ICT policies and the kind of relationships that must beestablished to ensure that their influence is effective Finally a number ofrecommendations are made to strengthen the relationship between the civilsociety and the State
With this publication we hope to help disseminate key concepts for theimprovement of civil society organizations in the face of the institutionalprocesses taking place in Latin American countries within the framework of theldquoinformation societyrdquo structure
Miguel SaraviaDecember 2004
23
24
2 I ntr oduct i on
Information and communication technologies (ICT) are dramaticallytransforming our environment Today at least one if not several informationtechnologies are having an impact on our daily activities The abundance ofbusiness management information and technology is greatly influencing thedaily lives of Latin American men women boys and girls
Although the predominant perception of the ldquoinformation societyrdquo mainlyinvolves mobile telephones computers and the Internet ie infrastructure ourresearch work revealed some encouraging evidence of an ever-increasingconcern for the application of ICT in education health production workingmethods and how we communicate with and relate to each other
Consequently it is essential for society as a whole to become involved in theprocess of setting public policies and understanding how such a process canbe improved During the last 10 years NGOs have been concentrating onincreasing their lobbying and advocacy actions in an attempt to influencedifferent groups of agents ie individuals States corporations internationalorganisations etc so that they change their policies and attitudes regardingdevelopment issues1 During that time NGOs have helped change the terms ofdiscussions on matters concerning the reduction of the foreign debt promotedthe monitoring of global agreements such as the certification of forests or childlabour contributed to the adoption of agreements like the Ottawa treaty for theeradication of land mines and so on2
The most developed sectors as far as these actions are concerned are theenvironment childrenrsquos rights and the fight for womenrsquos rights It was preciselybecause of these two issues that the lobbying and advocacy work reachedLatin America and was included in the agendas of NGOs
These were also the sectors in which ICT began to be used to influence publicpolicies being the best means of obtaining timely and transparent publicpolicies of a good quality The use of ICT helps to that numerous peoplecontribute in the advocacy and in the elaboration of the policy proposalsallowing massive debates including sectors traditionally excluded from thespaces of public participation It is important also to affect ICT policies thatenable them to be real instruments of development
It is a common mistake to define very general objective for an advocacystrategy like promote an ICT for development policies Advocacy is a long-termprocess that begins with a concrete definition of the changes to be made andin many cases it is the reason for success or failure of the process
25
1 BOND Guidance Notes Series 3 The What and the Why of Advocacy London 1999 2 Edwards Michael NGO legitimacy- voice or vote In Global Future Fourth Quarter 2002 p 3
Or gan izaciones d e la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes mat chmaking
Then the situation must be analysed in order to identify the best mechanismsand opportunities to promote such changes Coupled with the above is theidentification of key agents so as to determine who needs to be influenced andwho potential partners should be Subsequently messages for each targetpopulation must be prepared and the most adequate advocacy strategies foreach particular case selected This leads to the need for detailed planning ofeach step and then during the implementation the progress must bemonitored so that new actions can be planned when necessary With acontinuous monitoring and evaluation process the advocacy strategy can beadjusted to ensure that the desired objectives are achieved3
This is the process that numerous NGOs in the region have been followinghowever they have also faced numerous restrictions Below is a summary ofsome of the problems encountered by NGOs in their efforts to exerciseinfluence in Latin America which were identified during our research work
bull Institution-building is at a low level access to the political system is limitedand few practices are acknowledged either by the State or by the civilsociety for influence processes to prosper4
bull Advocacy is a special field and although several NGOs include influenceactions in their political system these do not always respond to a deliberateaction and a planned advocacy strategy5 In many cases specializationimplies casting aside grassroots actions
bull There are participation and influence opportunities that neither respond to astructure nor a system that permits them but rather to local circumstancesthat are very difficult to anticipate6
bull NGOs have a representation problem that often prevents them from beingaccepted by the State and others as valid spokesmen7 Take the case of theanti-globalisation movement for example
bull Funds are received to implement projects not to promote processes Thisgreatly restricts the actual capacity of NGOs to lead long-term advocacyprocesses8
bull The development of the advocacy capacity of NGOs has been limited totopics proposed by NGOs from the northern hemisphere which are veryorchestrated and fail to develop the ability to exercise influence in otherspheres9
bull There is no common advocacy agenda among the different agents of the civilsociety as far as matters related to the ldquoinformation societyrdquo are concerned10
26
3 Advocacy inintiatives planning manual Save the Children London Save the Children 20004 Influence on Public Policies and Citizenship Ineacutes Gonzales Bombal httpwwwicdorguymercosurinformesencuentrogonzalez7html 5 Gonzales Bombal op cit 6 By ldquoAunt Opheliardquo we refer to the likeness with the character of the IDRC publication Raiacuteces Maacutegicas and ITDG as a result of the Latin
American Meeting on ldquoAppropriation of Information and Communication Technologies in Latin Americahttpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsofeliahtm
7 Edwards Michael 2002 op cit8 El rol de interfase de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Ramoacuten Vargas Conference papers presented in Seminario Regional sobre
las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil y el desarrollo de una cultura democraacutetica 9 Ramoacuten Vargas op cit10 Save the Children 2001 op cit
The last conclusion sheds light on the characteristics of this research workOur main concern is to find a way to influence public policies for the informationsociety and not public policies in general The technical terms that define theinformation society are still unclear therefore opportunities are lost and variouscivilian organisations are afraid of making concrete proposals and applyingpressure to obtain what they want
Progress has been made with creating a social impression of the Internet butthat vision is yet to materialise in concrete regional and national advocacyproposals11
Undoubtedly the need to transform this collective social impression intoconcrete advocacy actions has been proved in the light of the participation ofcivilian organisations in the preparatory events of the World Summit of theInformation Society12 in which our participation was disjointed and without acommon regional standpoint The construction of this common advocacyagenda is a process that is just beginning and as already mentioned inrelevant electronic forums the process will not end with the World Summit
Miguel Saravia
27
11 Vision based on the work of the Comunidad Virtual Mistica For further information see httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 L ook i ng f or t he m o s tappr opr i at e f ramewor k hellip
It was found that the framework used by different government circles in theregion to design strategies related to the Information Society are very biasedtowards the ICT sector Emphasis is placed on setting up access facilitiesprogrammes to support the information and communication technologiessector the development of electronic government applications etc
A thorough review of different existing models and the proposals shared indifferent international forums such as the preparatory meeting in Bavaro forthe Information Society Summit the high level meeting between the EuropeanUnion-Latin America and the Andean ICT workshop reveals that as a commondenominator the existing framework is insufficient for understanding howinformation and communication technologies can make a significant change inthe struggle against poverty in our countries
The CEPAL Model
The Economic Commission for LatinA m e r i c a1 3 has designed a three-dimensional model with horizontallevels vertical sectors and transversalareas The horizontal dimension showsthe ldquosegmentsrdquo that representinfrastructure and generic services (TVradio Internet) The vertical dimensionshows the sectors that become thelsquoinformation societyrsquo
It is interesting to note that the cube adds a third dimension which makes thescheme more complicated but allows the introduction of transversal issuessuch as regulatory frameworks financing and human capital
The information society scheme proposed by CEPAL gives the impression thatthe society is limited to electronics and that the way to become an informationsociety is only viewed from the e-included in the sectors A legitimate questionwould be how does the model envisage the participation of civilians in theprocess Or how to face the evident qualms about starting the informationsociety development process
29
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
The horizontal segments are conceived as very functional for the sectorswhereas capacity-building is considered to be the technical capacity requiredto deal with the technologies involved in the construction of information ratherthan the social skills required to understand the processes and adapt them tonational contexts
The Gino Germani Research Institute Model
This scheme shows a series ofconcentric rings with the targetpoint in the middle referred toas the lsquoinformation societyrsquo
It was designed in the GinoGermani Research Institute ofthe University of Buenos Aires14
and proposes working inwardsfrom the outside starting withpolicies access developmentuse appropriation and finallyproduction Reading it that wayit is easy to understand thelogic of the processcomplemented by the transversal pivotal points that cut through the circleswhich refer to social inclusion gender and minorities
This way of depicting the information society structuring process considers theimportance of a gradual progress creating the conditions for the society toachieve another level of development in a joint collective manner
This model takes it for granted that there is a consensus that the informationsociety structuring process should be wide-ranging with the participation of allsectors including the civil society However our research shows that thedominating view is that in which priority is placed on the e-strategies
Another aspect the model fails to include concerns the forces that could eitherboost or stunt the processes that is where we should see the civil society andcivilian organisations In other words there is an evident lack of elements toshow the driving force behind the information society which should be thesociety itself with its needs and priorities
It may not be a specific responsibility of the theoretical frameworks but of thecapacity of the civil society itself to claim its role as the driving force behind thesociety
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
30
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
The Valenti Model15
D r Valenti of theOrganisation of Spanish-American States forEducation Science andCulture designed a modelsubsequent to existingmodels having beencriticised because of theirclassic way ofunderstanding thelsquoinformation societyrsquo As faras Dr Valenti is concernedtwo main componentsneeded to be added to the classic standpoint citizen participation andtechnological innovation Not that this was not acknowledged in the cube orthe circles since the explanation did in fact mention the importance ofconsidering all agents However Dr Valentirsquos text places social participationat the centre of the action as a fundamental component of the process
In the cube people are non-existent or invisible In the circles model socialparticipation is tacit but not explicit In Valentirsquos model the collective aspect isthe driving force ldquoWithout participation there is no interaction and withoutinteraction there is no innovation If there is no participation or a capacity forinnovation it would be impossible to structure an Information Societyrdquo16 DrValenti places emphasis on the need to promote institution-building upheld bylocal development systems and the promotion of local innovation mechanisms
In Latin America new local institutions are being consolidated such as thelocal development committees in various Latin American communities the anti-poverty boards the concerted action boards and the public-private discussionpanels17 It is interesting to note how these panels can make up the newinstitutions that Dr Valenti refers to
Nevertheless none of the models described above have includedtechnological innovation
A Transforming Innovation Model
In a book entitled ldquoRural Development and ICT A Rural Development Approachwith the Integration of Information and Communication Technologiesrdquo theconcept referred to as a transforming innovation is explained This conceptintroduces innovation as an element that will set in motion the socialtransformation process18
Miguel Saravia
31
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organised by the Department for International
Development of the United Kingdom the World Bank and other organisations (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (at the printerrsquos)
The lsquoinformation societyrsquo is something that needs to be attained and in orderto do so our society needs to change existing social relations must be fairerwith equal opportunities for everyone This model recovers the revolutionarydimension of the application of ICT to development processes
In order to understand how Latin America is progressing towards theInformation Society it is necessary to look for consistency in all theseapproaches rather than choosing just one Whereas the Valenti model providesa good definition of the different agents the circles scheme provides a clearunderstanding of the collective process and the CEPAL cube details theinteraction of the various sectors once we have move forward within theinformation society This last approach emphasizes the need to introduceinnovation processes to help transform the society
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
32
4 Pub l i c- pr i vate part ner sh i ps f o rstr uct uri ng t h e i n f ormat i on soc i et y
Structuring the information society is a taskthat involves all sectors of society ie citizensin their different facets - studentsentrepreneurs researchers social activists -and governors Anything not related to thegovernment should be considered privateencompassing the so-called third sector andthe business sector
We shall use the term ldquopublic-privatepartnershipsrdquo to refer to alliances betweengovernments the business sector and civilianorganisations These alliances can be definedas ldquothe arrangements whereby the public andprivate sectors sign agreements to implementjoint research and development projects joining their resources and skillsrdquo19
Another more accurate definition of what should be understood by the termpartnerships ldquojoint initiatives of the public and private sectors the profit-makingsector and the not-for-profit sector which are also understood to begovernmental business and civilian sectors Within these partnerships eachpartner contributes with resources (financial human technical and intangiblesuch as information or political support) and participates in the decision-makingprocessrdquo20
It was already been proved that public-private partnerships provide newresources to poverty-reduction initiatives It is safe to say that thesepartnerships increase the productivity of available resources Furthermorepartnerships imply a number of ways of generating assets in terms of humandevelopment and social capital creating the right conditions for achievingmultiplying effects
As Fiszbein and Lowden said ldquoPartnerships have the potential to createchanging patterns that strengthen themselves the great advantage being thatthe whole can be so much better than the sum of its partsrdquo
The main question is how to institutionalise the participation of the privatesector and the civil society in national programmes for the information society21
and how to create this mutually gainful environment
33
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz amp Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
This matter has not been clearly defined from the point of view of civilianorganizations much less from the viewpoint of the public sector In the earlynineties the main NGOs from the northern hemisphere realized that the impactof their work was temporary and of a very small scale Hence the developmentof a number of strategies to increase both the impact and the scope of their work
The following were among the actions promoted
bull Cooperation with the Governmentbull Expansion of their operationsbull Promotion of a direct contact between grassroots organisationsbull Local national and international advocacy and lobbying
In the ICT sector an analysis of advocacy agents reveals an unfair relationshipbetween the civil societyrsquos and the business sectorrsquos capacity to influence theGovernment and the State The following table prepared by Juliana Martinez22provides a better understanding of this statement
The graph also shows the lack of a relationship between civilian organisationsand the business sector Companies and their leaders are not usuallyconsidered influence subjects although it seems evident that if we influencethem and take advantage of their capacity to influence then indirectly we areinfluencing the Government as well
The idea is not to abandon the possibility of exercising a direct influence onpublic policies but to broaden the spectrum and learn from the experience ofother agents Again Juliana Martinez summarises the ideal model in a graph
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
34
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
Luego de cumplida la tarea eacutestos colectivos se desarticularon cuando debieronpermanecer como espacios permanentes de anaacutelisis y reflexioacuten sobre la temaacuteticaque los unioacute Es claro que lo que estos espacios resuelvan no tendraacute el caraacutectervinculante ni el estatus consultivo originario pero seraacute fuente de empoderamientoy espacio de cabildeo para futuras acciones poliacuteticas
Promover estos espacios colectivos de reflexioacuten sobre aspectos puntuales detoda la estrategia de TIC para el desarrollo surge como una propuesta naturalque puede ser asumida raacutepidamente por los actores involucrados Creemosque estos espacios tienen que ser plurales garantizando la presencia de todoslos sectores Es muy importante tambieacuten que estos espacios socialicen sudebate y lo compartan con la sociedad en su conjunto a partir de foros puacuteblicoso medios electroacutenicos
Monitor de proyectos TIC
Los estudios de caso nos muestran que muchas organizaciones puacuteblicas yprivadas estaacuten repitiendo el mismo trabajo entre los diferentes paiacuteses de laregioacuten y aun al interior de los propios paiacuteses
El Instituto para la Conectividad de las Ameacutericas ha lanzado una iniciativa paracontar con una base de datos regional de proyectos TIC que permita mapearlas diferentes iniciativas presentes y pasadas26 Global Knowledge Partnershipestaacute tambieacuten por su lado elaborando un mapa de las organizaciones quetrabajan en el tema de las TIC para el desarrollo en toda la regioacuten27
La propuesta es complementaria a las iniciativas antes indicadas pero requierede un pacto entre los diversos actores trabajando en TIC para el desarrollo enAmeacuterica Latina activistas TIC donantes organismos multilaterales gobiernos
El Monitor que proponemos podriacutea nutrirse de los directorios antes indicadospero ademaacutes podriacutea compilar los documentos de proyectos las evaluacioneslas lecciones aprendidas y lo maacutes importante permitir la redaccioacuten decomentarios sobre los proyectos por parte de observadores e incluso de losmismos beneficiarios
La propuesta no contempla aceptar un marco comuacuten de evaluacioacuten que hariacuteaa nuestro entender inviable al Monitor Se plantea una propuesta maacutesconcreta orientada a apoyar la transparencia de las acciones en TIC para eldesarrollo y la rendicioacuten de cuentas desde todos los sectores
En el documento ldquoCarta a la Tiacutea Ofelia 7 propuestas para un desarrollo humanosostenible con el uso de las Tecnologiacuteas de la Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacutenrdquo se deciacutea
ldquoCuando se habla de evaluacioacuten muchas personas se sienten amenazadas como si se tratara siempre de unaauditoriacutea para ver a quieacuten echarle la culpa de los problemas Aunque las auditoriacuteas son importantes para larendicioacuten de cuentas y la verificacioacuten de procesos la evaluacioacuten de resultados es otra cosa completamente distintaCon el monitoreo se trata de aprender de los errores y de los aciertos mejorar sobre la marcha compartir lo quese aprende en el recorrido Con la evaluacioacuten se busca aprender sobre los resultados de las actividades yprogramas y comprender queacute se hizo para mejorar o empeorar la situacioacuten ojalaacute desde varias perspectivasdiferentes Pretender que de la auditoriacutea resulte el aprendizaje es un graviacutesimo errorrdquo28
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
18
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Esta es una propuesta que plantea un puente entre monitoreo y auditoriacutea con laparticipacioacuten de muacuteltiples actores e impactando directamente en la rendicioacuten decuentas y la transparencia de las acciones orientadas a promover el desarrollo
En la regioacuten contamos ya con las herramientas teacutecnicas para implementar unsistema de bajo costo pero lo maacutes complicado puede ser lo metodoloacutegico ElMonitor deberiacutea ser un sitio colaborativo donde los proyectos son alimentadospor los propios actores de los proyectos y donde se requiere de un acuerdoprevio entre agencias donantes para que acepten que los documentos de susproyectos se reporten en el Monitor y lo incluyan asiacute en el contrato
Mantener actualizada la informacioacuten del Monitor es tambieacuten una tarea difiacutecil sise piensa de manera tradicional El Monitor deberiacutea trabajar para que lo queestaacute reportado alliacute tenga visibilidad (a traveacutes de boletines electroacutenicosdistribucioacuten de resentildeas en otras redes y listas promocioacuten de foros etc) Laidea es generar la sensacioacuten de que conviene maacutes estar alliacute con la informacioacutenactualizada que quedarse fuera
Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo
El Dr Valenti comentaba la necesidad de recrear la institucionalidad local demanera que se convierta en protagonista de su desarrollo Hablaba de lossistemas locales de desarrollo como la base de esta nueva institucionalidad 29
En los paiacuteses latinoamericanos hay varias iniciativas de concertacioacuten para eldesarrollo local donde convergen los diferentes niveles del Estado y lasociedad civil incluidos los empresarios30 Sin embargo existen tambieacutencomplejos sistemas de innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica31 que generalmente no estaacuten endiaacutelogo con estos espacios de planificacioacuten del desarrollo local
La propuesta busca vincular estos espacios de concertacioacuten del desarrollo conel rescate de la capacidad emprendedora de los ciudadanos latinoamericanosenfocada hacia los procesos que conduzcan a la regioacuten hacia la sociedad dela informacioacuten
Encontramos que la mejor manera de llevar la propuesta a la praacutectica esgenerando mecanismos locales de promocioacuten de la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica yque la investigacioacuten no ha encontrado muy difundidos en la regioacuten Elantecedente concreto maacutes directo que se logroacute identificar es el proyectoldquoFortaleciendo la Participacioacuten Ciudadana para el Desarrollo EconoacutemicoLocalrdquo y que justamente buscaba rescatar la capacidad de innovacioacuten depobladores rurales en el Peruacute
El referido proyecto fue financiado por el DFID y la Comunidad Europea yejecutado por ITDG Ameacuterica Latina en seis municipalidades (en eldepartamento de San Martiacuten provincias de Picota San Martiacuten y Moyobambay en el departamento de Cajamarca provincias de Bambamarca y San Ignacioy en el distrito de Asuncioacuten)32
Miguel Saravia
19
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
Aplicar este concepto a la sociedad de la informacioacuten puede traer resultadossorprendentes y orientar mejor la intervencioacuten del Estado y de los propiosproyectos de desarrollo Pero la clave es el caraacutecter local del proceso y suengarzamiento con las instancias locales de concertacioacuten del desarrollo
Hemos identificado experiencias previas de concursos nacionales deinnovacioacuten pero cuya estructura y mecanismos de participacioacuten no favorecenel rescate de las iniciativas locales que por su dimensioacuten son maacutes faacuteciles deser apropiadas o adaptadas por otras comunidades
SI programa de formacioacuten regional
A partir de los estudios de caso y del mapeo inicialmente realizado en el marcode la presente investigacioacuten encontramos que una de las principalesdebilidades en la sociedad civil y en algunos sectores del Estado es que noexiste suficiente capacidad para disentildear y promover poliacuteticas puacuteblicas eficacesen la promocioacuten del uso de las TIC desde una perspectiva de desarrollo
Por ello se hace necesario disentildear un programa de formacioacuten regional queprepare regularmente a liacutederes de los diferentes sectores para que seancapaces de participar activamente en el proceso de disentildear y acompantildear lasestrategias hacia la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Es importante que este programa de formacioacuten se desarrolle sobre la base dela realidad de la regioacuten y que sea un espacio acadeacutemico de reflexioacuten sobre losmodelos las mejores praacutecticas y los impactos que estamos logrando ennuestro camino
Esta propuesta busca preparar a mediano y largo plazo a funcionarios puacuteblicosy a liacutederes de la sociedad civil con el suficiente conocimiento de la temaacuteticalocal y regional y con capacidad de aportar constructivamente en laformulacioacuten de nuevas poliacuteticas
La propuesta incluye involucrar a diferentes universidades institutosacadeacutemicos y de investigacioacuten en el programa de formacioacuten de manera quepermita cubrir un aacuterea geograacutefica maacutes grande y llegar a la mayor cantidad deliacutederes y funcionarios locales posibles
El espacio de formacioacuten puede permitir tambieacuten que exista un mayor diaacutelogoentre los actores si es que se garantiza la participacioacuten activa de funcionariospuacuteblicos y dirigentes de organizaciones de la sociedad civil
Es importante resaltar tambieacuten que esta propuesta no se refiere a un programade formacioacuten claacutesico sino mas bien a una serie de cursos talleres seminariose investigaciones que se pueden dar de manera descentralizada y que con eladecuado rigor acadeacutemico permitiraacute formar un ldquothink tankrdquo regional capaz dedialogar y de aportar en el desarrollo de estrategias locales y regionales
Organizaciones de la socie dad civil y program as na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
20
1 Forew or d
This text was written within the framework of the Project entitled ldquoCivilianOrganisations in the face of National ICT Projects 4 case studiesrdquo which ITDGcarried out with the support of the International Development Research CentreThis project was implemented between December 2002 and June 2004 andincluded visits to 4 Latin American countries (Peru Uruguay Venezuela and ElSalvador) as well as interviews with government representatives and civilianorganizations The results of each visit form part of the CD ldquoCivil Society andthe development of the information society in Latin Americardquo that will beaccessible at ITDG and IDRC websites
Is it possible to refer to the information society without the participation of thecivil society Is the lsquoinformation societyrsquo a matter of cables devices andbackbones How can the lsquoinformation societyrsquo be understood within a povertycontext What approaches can be used to explain the role to be played by thecivil society with other stakeholders of the information society Who are thoseother approaches Which is the most adequate model for understanding therelationships of key stakeholders in the structure of the Information SocietyThose questions guided this research
One of the main concerns during this research work has been to find out howthese stakeholders have become organised and in particular how the civilsociety has become organised in order to understand the process involved inmaking ICT a public policy and incorporating their proposals
This publication begins with an explanation of the public advocacy process andhow this reached the agenda of civil society organisations There follows ananalysis of the adequate framework for understanding the information societydevelopment process A summary of 4 different models is included which formpart of the typology of the relationship between the civil society and the Statein structuring the information society
The publication continues with an introduction of key stakeholders their rolein the construction of ICT policies and the kind of relationships that must beestablished to ensure that their influence is effective Finally a number ofrecommendations are made to strengthen the relationship between the civilsociety and the State
With this publication we hope to help disseminate key concepts for theimprovement of civil society organizations in the face of the institutionalprocesses taking place in Latin American countries within the framework of theldquoinformation societyrdquo structure
Miguel SaraviaDecember 2004
23
24
2 I ntr oduct i on
Information and communication technologies (ICT) are dramaticallytransforming our environment Today at least one if not several informationtechnologies are having an impact on our daily activities The abundance ofbusiness management information and technology is greatly influencing thedaily lives of Latin American men women boys and girls
Although the predominant perception of the ldquoinformation societyrdquo mainlyinvolves mobile telephones computers and the Internet ie infrastructure ourresearch work revealed some encouraging evidence of an ever-increasingconcern for the application of ICT in education health production workingmethods and how we communicate with and relate to each other
Consequently it is essential for society as a whole to become involved in theprocess of setting public policies and understanding how such a process canbe improved During the last 10 years NGOs have been concentrating onincreasing their lobbying and advocacy actions in an attempt to influencedifferent groups of agents ie individuals States corporations internationalorganisations etc so that they change their policies and attitudes regardingdevelopment issues1 During that time NGOs have helped change the terms ofdiscussions on matters concerning the reduction of the foreign debt promotedthe monitoring of global agreements such as the certification of forests or childlabour contributed to the adoption of agreements like the Ottawa treaty for theeradication of land mines and so on2
The most developed sectors as far as these actions are concerned are theenvironment childrenrsquos rights and the fight for womenrsquos rights It was preciselybecause of these two issues that the lobbying and advocacy work reachedLatin America and was included in the agendas of NGOs
These were also the sectors in which ICT began to be used to influence publicpolicies being the best means of obtaining timely and transparent publicpolicies of a good quality The use of ICT helps to that numerous peoplecontribute in the advocacy and in the elaboration of the policy proposalsallowing massive debates including sectors traditionally excluded from thespaces of public participation It is important also to affect ICT policies thatenable them to be real instruments of development
It is a common mistake to define very general objective for an advocacystrategy like promote an ICT for development policies Advocacy is a long-termprocess that begins with a concrete definition of the changes to be made andin many cases it is the reason for success or failure of the process
25
1 BOND Guidance Notes Series 3 The What and the Why of Advocacy London 1999 2 Edwards Michael NGO legitimacy- voice or vote In Global Future Fourth Quarter 2002 p 3
Or gan izaciones d e la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes mat chmaking
Then the situation must be analysed in order to identify the best mechanismsand opportunities to promote such changes Coupled with the above is theidentification of key agents so as to determine who needs to be influenced andwho potential partners should be Subsequently messages for each targetpopulation must be prepared and the most adequate advocacy strategies foreach particular case selected This leads to the need for detailed planning ofeach step and then during the implementation the progress must bemonitored so that new actions can be planned when necessary With acontinuous monitoring and evaluation process the advocacy strategy can beadjusted to ensure that the desired objectives are achieved3
This is the process that numerous NGOs in the region have been followinghowever they have also faced numerous restrictions Below is a summary ofsome of the problems encountered by NGOs in their efforts to exerciseinfluence in Latin America which were identified during our research work
bull Institution-building is at a low level access to the political system is limitedand few practices are acknowledged either by the State or by the civilsociety for influence processes to prosper4
bull Advocacy is a special field and although several NGOs include influenceactions in their political system these do not always respond to a deliberateaction and a planned advocacy strategy5 In many cases specializationimplies casting aside grassroots actions
bull There are participation and influence opportunities that neither respond to astructure nor a system that permits them but rather to local circumstancesthat are very difficult to anticipate6
bull NGOs have a representation problem that often prevents them from beingaccepted by the State and others as valid spokesmen7 Take the case of theanti-globalisation movement for example
bull Funds are received to implement projects not to promote processes Thisgreatly restricts the actual capacity of NGOs to lead long-term advocacyprocesses8
bull The development of the advocacy capacity of NGOs has been limited totopics proposed by NGOs from the northern hemisphere which are veryorchestrated and fail to develop the ability to exercise influence in otherspheres9
bull There is no common advocacy agenda among the different agents of the civilsociety as far as matters related to the ldquoinformation societyrdquo are concerned10
26
3 Advocacy inintiatives planning manual Save the Children London Save the Children 20004 Influence on Public Policies and Citizenship Ineacutes Gonzales Bombal httpwwwicdorguymercosurinformesencuentrogonzalez7html 5 Gonzales Bombal op cit 6 By ldquoAunt Opheliardquo we refer to the likeness with the character of the IDRC publication Raiacuteces Maacutegicas and ITDG as a result of the Latin
American Meeting on ldquoAppropriation of Information and Communication Technologies in Latin Americahttpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsofeliahtm
7 Edwards Michael 2002 op cit8 El rol de interfase de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Ramoacuten Vargas Conference papers presented in Seminario Regional sobre
las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil y el desarrollo de una cultura democraacutetica 9 Ramoacuten Vargas op cit10 Save the Children 2001 op cit
The last conclusion sheds light on the characteristics of this research workOur main concern is to find a way to influence public policies for the informationsociety and not public policies in general The technical terms that define theinformation society are still unclear therefore opportunities are lost and variouscivilian organisations are afraid of making concrete proposals and applyingpressure to obtain what they want
Progress has been made with creating a social impression of the Internet butthat vision is yet to materialise in concrete regional and national advocacyproposals11
Undoubtedly the need to transform this collective social impression intoconcrete advocacy actions has been proved in the light of the participation ofcivilian organisations in the preparatory events of the World Summit of theInformation Society12 in which our participation was disjointed and without acommon regional standpoint The construction of this common advocacyagenda is a process that is just beginning and as already mentioned inrelevant electronic forums the process will not end with the World Summit
Miguel Saravia
27
11 Vision based on the work of the Comunidad Virtual Mistica For further information see httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 L ook i ng f or t he m o s tappr opr i at e f ramewor k hellip
It was found that the framework used by different government circles in theregion to design strategies related to the Information Society are very biasedtowards the ICT sector Emphasis is placed on setting up access facilitiesprogrammes to support the information and communication technologiessector the development of electronic government applications etc
A thorough review of different existing models and the proposals shared indifferent international forums such as the preparatory meeting in Bavaro forthe Information Society Summit the high level meeting between the EuropeanUnion-Latin America and the Andean ICT workshop reveals that as a commondenominator the existing framework is insufficient for understanding howinformation and communication technologies can make a significant change inthe struggle against poverty in our countries
The CEPAL Model
The Economic Commission for LatinA m e r i c a1 3 has designed a three-dimensional model with horizontallevels vertical sectors and transversalareas The horizontal dimension showsthe ldquosegmentsrdquo that representinfrastructure and generic services (TVradio Internet) The vertical dimensionshows the sectors that become thelsquoinformation societyrsquo
It is interesting to note that the cube adds a third dimension which makes thescheme more complicated but allows the introduction of transversal issuessuch as regulatory frameworks financing and human capital
The information society scheme proposed by CEPAL gives the impression thatthe society is limited to electronics and that the way to become an informationsociety is only viewed from the e-included in the sectors A legitimate questionwould be how does the model envisage the participation of civilians in theprocess Or how to face the evident qualms about starting the informationsociety development process
29
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
The horizontal segments are conceived as very functional for the sectorswhereas capacity-building is considered to be the technical capacity requiredto deal with the technologies involved in the construction of information ratherthan the social skills required to understand the processes and adapt them tonational contexts
The Gino Germani Research Institute Model
This scheme shows a series ofconcentric rings with the targetpoint in the middle referred toas the lsquoinformation societyrsquo
It was designed in the GinoGermani Research Institute ofthe University of Buenos Aires14
and proposes working inwardsfrom the outside starting withpolicies access developmentuse appropriation and finallyproduction Reading it that wayit is easy to understand thelogic of the processcomplemented by the transversal pivotal points that cut through the circleswhich refer to social inclusion gender and minorities
This way of depicting the information society structuring process considers theimportance of a gradual progress creating the conditions for the society toachieve another level of development in a joint collective manner
This model takes it for granted that there is a consensus that the informationsociety structuring process should be wide-ranging with the participation of allsectors including the civil society However our research shows that thedominating view is that in which priority is placed on the e-strategies
Another aspect the model fails to include concerns the forces that could eitherboost or stunt the processes that is where we should see the civil society andcivilian organisations In other words there is an evident lack of elements toshow the driving force behind the information society which should be thesociety itself with its needs and priorities
It may not be a specific responsibility of the theoretical frameworks but of thecapacity of the civil society itself to claim its role as the driving force behind thesociety
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
30
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
The Valenti Model15
D r Valenti of theOrganisation of Spanish-American States forEducation Science andCulture designed a modelsubsequent to existingmodels having beencriticised because of theirclassic way ofunderstanding thelsquoinformation societyrsquo As faras Dr Valenti is concernedtwo main componentsneeded to be added to the classic standpoint citizen participation andtechnological innovation Not that this was not acknowledged in the cube orthe circles since the explanation did in fact mention the importance ofconsidering all agents However Dr Valentirsquos text places social participationat the centre of the action as a fundamental component of the process
In the cube people are non-existent or invisible In the circles model socialparticipation is tacit but not explicit In Valentirsquos model the collective aspect isthe driving force ldquoWithout participation there is no interaction and withoutinteraction there is no innovation If there is no participation or a capacity forinnovation it would be impossible to structure an Information Societyrdquo16 DrValenti places emphasis on the need to promote institution-building upheld bylocal development systems and the promotion of local innovation mechanisms
In Latin America new local institutions are being consolidated such as thelocal development committees in various Latin American communities the anti-poverty boards the concerted action boards and the public-private discussionpanels17 It is interesting to note how these panels can make up the newinstitutions that Dr Valenti refers to
Nevertheless none of the models described above have includedtechnological innovation
A Transforming Innovation Model
In a book entitled ldquoRural Development and ICT A Rural Development Approachwith the Integration of Information and Communication Technologiesrdquo theconcept referred to as a transforming innovation is explained This conceptintroduces innovation as an element that will set in motion the socialtransformation process18
Miguel Saravia
31
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organised by the Department for International
Development of the United Kingdom the World Bank and other organisations (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (at the printerrsquos)
The lsquoinformation societyrsquo is something that needs to be attained and in orderto do so our society needs to change existing social relations must be fairerwith equal opportunities for everyone This model recovers the revolutionarydimension of the application of ICT to development processes
In order to understand how Latin America is progressing towards theInformation Society it is necessary to look for consistency in all theseapproaches rather than choosing just one Whereas the Valenti model providesa good definition of the different agents the circles scheme provides a clearunderstanding of the collective process and the CEPAL cube details theinteraction of the various sectors once we have move forward within theinformation society This last approach emphasizes the need to introduceinnovation processes to help transform the society
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
32
4 Pub l i c- pr i vate part ner sh i ps f o rstr uct uri ng t h e i n f ormat i on soc i et y
Structuring the information society is a taskthat involves all sectors of society ie citizensin their different facets - studentsentrepreneurs researchers social activists -and governors Anything not related to thegovernment should be considered privateencompassing the so-called third sector andthe business sector
We shall use the term ldquopublic-privatepartnershipsrdquo to refer to alliances betweengovernments the business sector and civilianorganisations These alliances can be definedas ldquothe arrangements whereby the public andprivate sectors sign agreements to implementjoint research and development projects joining their resources and skillsrdquo19
Another more accurate definition of what should be understood by the termpartnerships ldquojoint initiatives of the public and private sectors the profit-makingsector and the not-for-profit sector which are also understood to begovernmental business and civilian sectors Within these partnerships eachpartner contributes with resources (financial human technical and intangiblesuch as information or political support) and participates in the decision-makingprocessrdquo20
It was already been proved that public-private partnerships provide newresources to poverty-reduction initiatives It is safe to say that thesepartnerships increase the productivity of available resources Furthermorepartnerships imply a number of ways of generating assets in terms of humandevelopment and social capital creating the right conditions for achievingmultiplying effects
As Fiszbein and Lowden said ldquoPartnerships have the potential to createchanging patterns that strengthen themselves the great advantage being thatthe whole can be so much better than the sum of its partsrdquo
The main question is how to institutionalise the participation of the privatesector and the civil society in national programmes for the information society21
and how to create this mutually gainful environment
33
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz amp Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
This matter has not been clearly defined from the point of view of civilianorganizations much less from the viewpoint of the public sector In the earlynineties the main NGOs from the northern hemisphere realized that the impactof their work was temporary and of a very small scale Hence the developmentof a number of strategies to increase both the impact and the scope of their work
The following were among the actions promoted
bull Cooperation with the Governmentbull Expansion of their operationsbull Promotion of a direct contact between grassroots organisationsbull Local national and international advocacy and lobbying
In the ICT sector an analysis of advocacy agents reveals an unfair relationshipbetween the civil societyrsquos and the business sectorrsquos capacity to influence theGovernment and the State The following table prepared by Juliana Martinez22provides a better understanding of this statement
The graph also shows the lack of a relationship between civilian organisationsand the business sector Companies and their leaders are not usuallyconsidered influence subjects although it seems evident that if we influencethem and take advantage of their capacity to influence then indirectly we areinfluencing the Government as well
The idea is not to abandon the possibility of exercising a direct influence onpublic policies but to broaden the spectrum and learn from the experience ofother agents Again Juliana Martinez summarises the ideal model in a graph
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
34
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
Esta es una propuesta que plantea un puente entre monitoreo y auditoriacutea con laparticipacioacuten de muacuteltiples actores e impactando directamente en la rendicioacuten decuentas y la transparencia de las acciones orientadas a promover el desarrollo
En la regioacuten contamos ya con las herramientas teacutecnicas para implementar unsistema de bajo costo pero lo maacutes complicado puede ser lo metodoloacutegico ElMonitor deberiacutea ser un sitio colaborativo donde los proyectos son alimentadospor los propios actores de los proyectos y donde se requiere de un acuerdoprevio entre agencias donantes para que acepten que los documentos de susproyectos se reporten en el Monitor y lo incluyan asiacute en el contrato
Mantener actualizada la informacioacuten del Monitor es tambieacuten una tarea difiacutecil sise piensa de manera tradicional El Monitor deberiacutea trabajar para que lo queestaacute reportado alliacute tenga visibilidad (a traveacutes de boletines electroacutenicosdistribucioacuten de resentildeas en otras redes y listas promocioacuten de foros etc) Laidea es generar la sensacioacuten de que conviene maacutes estar alliacute con la informacioacutenactualizada que quedarse fuera
Innovacioacuten para el desarrollo
El Dr Valenti comentaba la necesidad de recrear la institucionalidad local demanera que se convierta en protagonista de su desarrollo Hablaba de lossistemas locales de desarrollo como la base de esta nueva institucionalidad 29
En los paiacuteses latinoamericanos hay varias iniciativas de concertacioacuten para eldesarrollo local donde convergen los diferentes niveles del Estado y lasociedad civil incluidos los empresarios30 Sin embargo existen tambieacutencomplejos sistemas de innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica31 que generalmente no estaacuten endiaacutelogo con estos espacios de planificacioacuten del desarrollo local
La propuesta busca vincular estos espacios de concertacioacuten del desarrollo conel rescate de la capacidad emprendedora de los ciudadanos latinoamericanosenfocada hacia los procesos que conduzcan a la regioacuten hacia la sociedad dela informacioacuten
Encontramos que la mejor manera de llevar la propuesta a la praacutectica esgenerando mecanismos locales de promocioacuten de la innovacioacuten tecnoloacutegica yque la investigacioacuten no ha encontrado muy difundidos en la regioacuten Elantecedente concreto maacutes directo que se logroacute identificar es el proyectoldquoFortaleciendo la Participacioacuten Ciudadana para el Desarrollo EconoacutemicoLocalrdquo y que justamente buscaba rescatar la capacidad de innovacioacuten depobladores rurales en el Peruacute
El referido proyecto fue financiado por el DFID y la Comunidad Europea yejecutado por ITDG Ameacuterica Latina en seis municipalidades (en eldepartamento de San Martiacuten provincias de Picota San Martiacuten y Moyobambay en el departamento de Cajamarca provincias de Bambamarca y San Ignacioy en el distrito de Asuncioacuten)32
Miguel Saravia
19
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
Aplicar este concepto a la sociedad de la informacioacuten puede traer resultadossorprendentes y orientar mejor la intervencioacuten del Estado y de los propiosproyectos de desarrollo Pero la clave es el caraacutecter local del proceso y suengarzamiento con las instancias locales de concertacioacuten del desarrollo
Hemos identificado experiencias previas de concursos nacionales deinnovacioacuten pero cuya estructura y mecanismos de participacioacuten no favorecenel rescate de las iniciativas locales que por su dimensioacuten son maacutes faacuteciles deser apropiadas o adaptadas por otras comunidades
SI programa de formacioacuten regional
A partir de los estudios de caso y del mapeo inicialmente realizado en el marcode la presente investigacioacuten encontramos que una de las principalesdebilidades en la sociedad civil y en algunos sectores del Estado es que noexiste suficiente capacidad para disentildear y promover poliacuteticas puacuteblicas eficacesen la promocioacuten del uso de las TIC desde una perspectiva de desarrollo
Por ello se hace necesario disentildear un programa de formacioacuten regional queprepare regularmente a liacutederes de los diferentes sectores para que seancapaces de participar activamente en el proceso de disentildear y acompantildear lasestrategias hacia la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Es importante que este programa de formacioacuten se desarrolle sobre la base dela realidad de la regioacuten y que sea un espacio acadeacutemico de reflexioacuten sobre losmodelos las mejores praacutecticas y los impactos que estamos logrando ennuestro camino
Esta propuesta busca preparar a mediano y largo plazo a funcionarios puacuteblicosy a liacutederes de la sociedad civil con el suficiente conocimiento de la temaacuteticalocal y regional y con capacidad de aportar constructivamente en laformulacioacuten de nuevas poliacuteticas
La propuesta incluye involucrar a diferentes universidades institutosacadeacutemicos y de investigacioacuten en el programa de formacioacuten de manera quepermita cubrir un aacuterea geograacutefica maacutes grande y llegar a la mayor cantidad deliacutederes y funcionarios locales posibles
El espacio de formacioacuten puede permitir tambieacuten que exista un mayor diaacutelogoentre los actores si es que se garantiza la participacioacuten activa de funcionariospuacuteblicos y dirigentes de organizaciones de la sociedad civil
Es importante resaltar tambieacuten que esta propuesta no se refiere a un programade formacioacuten claacutesico sino mas bien a una serie de cursos talleres seminariose investigaciones que se pueden dar de manera descentralizada y que con eladecuado rigor acadeacutemico permitiraacute formar un ldquothink tankrdquo regional capaz dedialogar y de aportar en el desarrollo de estrategias locales y regionales
Organizaciones de la socie dad civil y program as na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
20
1 Forew or d
This text was written within the framework of the Project entitled ldquoCivilianOrganisations in the face of National ICT Projects 4 case studiesrdquo which ITDGcarried out with the support of the International Development Research CentreThis project was implemented between December 2002 and June 2004 andincluded visits to 4 Latin American countries (Peru Uruguay Venezuela and ElSalvador) as well as interviews with government representatives and civilianorganizations The results of each visit form part of the CD ldquoCivil Society andthe development of the information society in Latin Americardquo that will beaccessible at ITDG and IDRC websites
Is it possible to refer to the information society without the participation of thecivil society Is the lsquoinformation societyrsquo a matter of cables devices andbackbones How can the lsquoinformation societyrsquo be understood within a povertycontext What approaches can be used to explain the role to be played by thecivil society with other stakeholders of the information society Who are thoseother approaches Which is the most adequate model for understanding therelationships of key stakeholders in the structure of the Information SocietyThose questions guided this research
One of the main concerns during this research work has been to find out howthese stakeholders have become organised and in particular how the civilsociety has become organised in order to understand the process involved inmaking ICT a public policy and incorporating their proposals
This publication begins with an explanation of the public advocacy process andhow this reached the agenda of civil society organisations There follows ananalysis of the adequate framework for understanding the information societydevelopment process A summary of 4 different models is included which formpart of the typology of the relationship between the civil society and the Statein structuring the information society
The publication continues with an introduction of key stakeholders their rolein the construction of ICT policies and the kind of relationships that must beestablished to ensure that their influence is effective Finally a number ofrecommendations are made to strengthen the relationship between the civilsociety and the State
With this publication we hope to help disseminate key concepts for theimprovement of civil society organizations in the face of the institutionalprocesses taking place in Latin American countries within the framework of theldquoinformation societyrdquo structure
Miguel SaraviaDecember 2004
23
24
2 I ntr oduct i on
Information and communication technologies (ICT) are dramaticallytransforming our environment Today at least one if not several informationtechnologies are having an impact on our daily activities The abundance ofbusiness management information and technology is greatly influencing thedaily lives of Latin American men women boys and girls
Although the predominant perception of the ldquoinformation societyrdquo mainlyinvolves mobile telephones computers and the Internet ie infrastructure ourresearch work revealed some encouraging evidence of an ever-increasingconcern for the application of ICT in education health production workingmethods and how we communicate with and relate to each other
Consequently it is essential for society as a whole to become involved in theprocess of setting public policies and understanding how such a process canbe improved During the last 10 years NGOs have been concentrating onincreasing their lobbying and advocacy actions in an attempt to influencedifferent groups of agents ie individuals States corporations internationalorganisations etc so that they change their policies and attitudes regardingdevelopment issues1 During that time NGOs have helped change the terms ofdiscussions on matters concerning the reduction of the foreign debt promotedthe monitoring of global agreements such as the certification of forests or childlabour contributed to the adoption of agreements like the Ottawa treaty for theeradication of land mines and so on2
The most developed sectors as far as these actions are concerned are theenvironment childrenrsquos rights and the fight for womenrsquos rights It was preciselybecause of these two issues that the lobbying and advocacy work reachedLatin America and was included in the agendas of NGOs
These were also the sectors in which ICT began to be used to influence publicpolicies being the best means of obtaining timely and transparent publicpolicies of a good quality The use of ICT helps to that numerous peoplecontribute in the advocacy and in the elaboration of the policy proposalsallowing massive debates including sectors traditionally excluded from thespaces of public participation It is important also to affect ICT policies thatenable them to be real instruments of development
It is a common mistake to define very general objective for an advocacystrategy like promote an ICT for development policies Advocacy is a long-termprocess that begins with a concrete definition of the changes to be made andin many cases it is the reason for success or failure of the process
25
1 BOND Guidance Notes Series 3 The What and the Why of Advocacy London 1999 2 Edwards Michael NGO legitimacy- voice or vote In Global Future Fourth Quarter 2002 p 3
Or gan izaciones d e la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes mat chmaking
Then the situation must be analysed in order to identify the best mechanismsand opportunities to promote such changes Coupled with the above is theidentification of key agents so as to determine who needs to be influenced andwho potential partners should be Subsequently messages for each targetpopulation must be prepared and the most adequate advocacy strategies foreach particular case selected This leads to the need for detailed planning ofeach step and then during the implementation the progress must bemonitored so that new actions can be planned when necessary With acontinuous monitoring and evaluation process the advocacy strategy can beadjusted to ensure that the desired objectives are achieved3
This is the process that numerous NGOs in the region have been followinghowever they have also faced numerous restrictions Below is a summary ofsome of the problems encountered by NGOs in their efforts to exerciseinfluence in Latin America which were identified during our research work
bull Institution-building is at a low level access to the political system is limitedand few practices are acknowledged either by the State or by the civilsociety for influence processes to prosper4
bull Advocacy is a special field and although several NGOs include influenceactions in their political system these do not always respond to a deliberateaction and a planned advocacy strategy5 In many cases specializationimplies casting aside grassroots actions
bull There are participation and influence opportunities that neither respond to astructure nor a system that permits them but rather to local circumstancesthat are very difficult to anticipate6
bull NGOs have a representation problem that often prevents them from beingaccepted by the State and others as valid spokesmen7 Take the case of theanti-globalisation movement for example
bull Funds are received to implement projects not to promote processes Thisgreatly restricts the actual capacity of NGOs to lead long-term advocacyprocesses8
bull The development of the advocacy capacity of NGOs has been limited totopics proposed by NGOs from the northern hemisphere which are veryorchestrated and fail to develop the ability to exercise influence in otherspheres9
bull There is no common advocacy agenda among the different agents of the civilsociety as far as matters related to the ldquoinformation societyrdquo are concerned10
26
3 Advocacy inintiatives planning manual Save the Children London Save the Children 20004 Influence on Public Policies and Citizenship Ineacutes Gonzales Bombal httpwwwicdorguymercosurinformesencuentrogonzalez7html 5 Gonzales Bombal op cit 6 By ldquoAunt Opheliardquo we refer to the likeness with the character of the IDRC publication Raiacuteces Maacutegicas and ITDG as a result of the Latin
American Meeting on ldquoAppropriation of Information and Communication Technologies in Latin Americahttpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsofeliahtm
7 Edwards Michael 2002 op cit8 El rol de interfase de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Ramoacuten Vargas Conference papers presented in Seminario Regional sobre
las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil y el desarrollo de una cultura democraacutetica 9 Ramoacuten Vargas op cit10 Save the Children 2001 op cit
The last conclusion sheds light on the characteristics of this research workOur main concern is to find a way to influence public policies for the informationsociety and not public policies in general The technical terms that define theinformation society are still unclear therefore opportunities are lost and variouscivilian organisations are afraid of making concrete proposals and applyingpressure to obtain what they want
Progress has been made with creating a social impression of the Internet butthat vision is yet to materialise in concrete regional and national advocacyproposals11
Undoubtedly the need to transform this collective social impression intoconcrete advocacy actions has been proved in the light of the participation ofcivilian organisations in the preparatory events of the World Summit of theInformation Society12 in which our participation was disjointed and without acommon regional standpoint The construction of this common advocacyagenda is a process that is just beginning and as already mentioned inrelevant electronic forums the process will not end with the World Summit
Miguel Saravia
27
11 Vision based on the work of the Comunidad Virtual Mistica For further information see httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 L ook i ng f or t he m o s tappr opr i at e f ramewor k hellip
It was found that the framework used by different government circles in theregion to design strategies related to the Information Society are very biasedtowards the ICT sector Emphasis is placed on setting up access facilitiesprogrammes to support the information and communication technologiessector the development of electronic government applications etc
A thorough review of different existing models and the proposals shared indifferent international forums such as the preparatory meeting in Bavaro forthe Information Society Summit the high level meeting between the EuropeanUnion-Latin America and the Andean ICT workshop reveals that as a commondenominator the existing framework is insufficient for understanding howinformation and communication technologies can make a significant change inthe struggle against poverty in our countries
The CEPAL Model
The Economic Commission for LatinA m e r i c a1 3 has designed a three-dimensional model with horizontallevels vertical sectors and transversalareas The horizontal dimension showsthe ldquosegmentsrdquo that representinfrastructure and generic services (TVradio Internet) The vertical dimensionshows the sectors that become thelsquoinformation societyrsquo
It is interesting to note that the cube adds a third dimension which makes thescheme more complicated but allows the introduction of transversal issuessuch as regulatory frameworks financing and human capital
The information society scheme proposed by CEPAL gives the impression thatthe society is limited to electronics and that the way to become an informationsociety is only viewed from the e-included in the sectors A legitimate questionwould be how does the model envisage the participation of civilians in theprocess Or how to face the evident qualms about starting the informationsociety development process
29
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
The horizontal segments are conceived as very functional for the sectorswhereas capacity-building is considered to be the technical capacity requiredto deal with the technologies involved in the construction of information ratherthan the social skills required to understand the processes and adapt them tonational contexts
The Gino Germani Research Institute Model
This scheme shows a series ofconcentric rings with the targetpoint in the middle referred toas the lsquoinformation societyrsquo
It was designed in the GinoGermani Research Institute ofthe University of Buenos Aires14
and proposes working inwardsfrom the outside starting withpolicies access developmentuse appropriation and finallyproduction Reading it that wayit is easy to understand thelogic of the processcomplemented by the transversal pivotal points that cut through the circleswhich refer to social inclusion gender and minorities
This way of depicting the information society structuring process considers theimportance of a gradual progress creating the conditions for the society toachieve another level of development in a joint collective manner
This model takes it for granted that there is a consensus that the informationsociety structuring process should be wide-ranging with the participation of allsectors including the civil society However our research shows that thedominating view is that in which priority is placed on the e-strategies
Another aspect the model fails to include concerns the forces that could eitherboost or stunt the processes that is where we should see the civil society andcivilian organisations In other words there is an evident lack of elements toshow the driving force behind the information society which should be thesociety itself with its needs and priorities
It may not be a specific responsibility of the theoretical frameworks but of thecapacity of the civil society itself to claim its role as the driving force behind thesociety
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
30
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
The Valenti Model15
D r Valenti of theOrganisation of Spanish-American States forEducation Science andCulture designed a modelsubsequent to existingmodels having beencriticised because of theirclassic way ofunderstanding thelsquoinformation societyrsquo As faras Dr Valenti is concernedtwo main componentsneeded to be added to the classic standpoint citizen participation andtechnological innovation Not that this was not acknowledged in the cube orthe circles since the explanation did in fact mention the importance ofconsidering all agents However Dr Valentirsquos text places social participationat the centre of the action as a fundamental component of the process
In the cube people are non-existent or invisible In the circles model socialparticipation is tacit but not explicit In Valentirsquos model the collective aspect isthe driving force ldquoWithout participation there is no interaction and withoutinteraction there is no innovation If there is no participation or a capacity forinnovation it would be impossible to structure an Information Societyrdquo16 DrValenti places emphasis on the need to promote institution-building upheld bylocal development systems and the promotion of local innovation mechanisms
In Latin America new local institutions are being consolidated such as thelocal development committees in various Latin American communities the anti-poverty boards the concerted action boards and the public-private discussionpanels17 It is interesting to note how these panels can make up the newinstitutions that Dr Valenti refers to
Nevertheless none of the models described above have includedtechnological innovation
A Transforming Innovation Model
In a book entitled ldquoRural Development and ICT A Rural Development Approachwith the Integration of Information and Communication Technologiesrdquo theconcept referred to as a transforming innovation is explained This conceptintroduces innovation as an element that will set in motion the socialtransformation process18
Miguel Saravia
31
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organised by the Department for International
Development of the United Kingdom the World Bank and other organisations (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (at the printerrsquos)
The lsquoinformation societyrsquo is something that needs to be attained and in orderto do so our society needs to change existing social relations must be fairerwith equal opportunities for everyone This model recovers the revolutionarydimension of the application of ICT to development processes
In order to understand how Latin America is progressing towards theInformation Society it is necessary to look for consistency in all theseapproaches rather than choosing just one Whereas the Valenti model providesa good definition of the different agents the circles scheme provides a clearunderstanding of the collective process and the CEPAL cube details theinteraction of the various sectors once we have move forward within theinformation society This last approach emphasizes the need to introduceinnovation processes to help transform the society
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
32
4 Pub l i c- pr i vate part ner sh i ps f o rstr uct uri ng t h e i n f ormat i on soc i et y
Structuring the information society is a taskthat involves all sectors of society ie citizensin their different facets - studentsentrepreneurs researchers social activists -and governors Anything not related to thegovernment should be considered privateencompassing the so-called third sector andthe business sector
We shall use the term ldquopublic-privatepartnershipsrdquo to refer to alliances betweengovernments the business sector and civilianorganisations These alliances can be definedas ldquothe arrangements whereby the public andprivate sectors sign agreements to implementjoint research and development projects joining their resources and skillsrdquo19
Another more accurate definition of what should be understood by the termpartnerships ldquojoint initiatives of the public and private sectors the profit-makingsector and the not-for-profit sector which are also understood to begovernmental business and civilian sectors Within these partnerships eachpartner contributes with resources (financial human technical and intangiblesuch as information or political support) and participates in the decision-makingprocessrdquo20
It was already been proved that public-private partnerships provide newresources to poverty-reduction initiatives It is safe to say that thesepartnerships increase the productivity of available resources Furthermorepartnerships imply a number of ways of generating assets in terms of humandevelopment and social capital creating the right conditions for achievingmultiplying effects
As Fiszbein and Lowden said ldquoPartnerships have the potential to createchanging patterns that strengthen themselves the great advantage being thatthe whole can be so much better than the sum of its partsrdquo
The main question is how to institutionalise the participation of the privatesector and the civil society in national programmes for the information society21
and how to create this mutually gainful environment
33
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz amp Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
This matter has not been clearly defined from the point of view of civilianorganizations much less from the viewpoint of the public sector In the earlynineties the main NGOs from the northern hemisphere realized that the impactof their work was temporary and of a very small scale Hence the developmentof a number of strategies to increase both the impact and the scope of their work
The following were among the actions promoted
bull Cooperation with the Governmentbull Expansion of their operationsbull Promotion of a direct contact between grassroots organisationsbull Local national and international advocacy and lobbying
In the ICT sector an analysis of advocacy agents reveals an unfair relationshipbetween the civil societyrsquos and the business sectorrsquos capacity to influence theGovernment and the State The following table prepared by Juliana Martinez22provides a better understanding of this statement
The graph also shows the lack of a relationship between civilian organisationsand the business sector Companies and their leaders are not usuallyconsidered influence subjects although it seems evident that if we influencethem and take advantage of their capacity to influence then indirectly we areinfluencing the Government as well
The idea is not to abandon the possibility of exercising a direct influence onpublic policies but to broaden the spectrum and learn from the experience ofother agents Again Juliana Martinez summarises the ideal model in a graph
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
34
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
Aplicar este concepto a la sociedad de la informacioacuten puede traer resultadossorprendentes y orientar mejor la intervencioacuten del Estado y de los propiosproyectos de desarrollo Pero la clave es el caraacutecter local del proceso y suengarzamiento con las instancias locales de concertacioacuten del desarrollo
Hemos identificado experiencias previas de concursos nacionales deinnovacioacuten pero cuya estructura y mecanismos de participacioacuten no favorecenel rescate de las iniciativas locales que por su dimensioacuten son maacutes faacuteciles deser apropiadas o adaptadas por otras comunidades
SI programa de formacioacuten regional
A partir de los estudios de caso y del mapeo inicialmente realizado en el marcode la presente investigacioacuten encontramos que una de las principalesdebilidades en la sociedad civil y en algunos sectores del Estado es que noexiste suficiente capacidad para disentildear y promover poliacuteticas puacuteblicas eficacesen la promocioacuten del uso de las TIC desde una perspectiva de desarrollo
Por ello se hace necesario disentildear un programa de formacioacuten regional queprepare regularmente a liacutederes de los diferentes sectores para que seancapaces de participar activamente en el proceso de disentildear y acompantildear lasestrategias hacia la sociedad de la informacioacuten
Es importante que este programa de formacioacuten se desarrolle sobre la base dela realidad de la regioacuten y que sea un espacio acadeacutemico de reflexioacuten sobre losmodelos las mejores praacutecticas y los impactos que estamos logrando ennuestro camino
Esta propuesta busca preparar a mediano y largo plazo a funcionarios puacuteblicosy a liacutederes de la sociedad civil con el suficiente conocimiento de la temaacuteticalocal y regional y con capacidad de aportar constructivamente en laformulacioacuten de nuevas poliacuteticas
La propuesta incluye involucrar a diferentes universidades institutosacadeacutemicos y de investigacioacuten en el programa de formacioacuten de manera quepermita cubrir un aacuterea geograacutefica maacutes grande y llegar a la mayor cantidad deliacutederes y funcionarios locales posibles
El espacio de formacioacuten puede permitir tambieacuten que exista un mayor diaacutelogoentre los actores si es que se garantiza la participacioacuten activa de funcionariospuacuteblicos y dirigentes de organizaciones de la sociedad civil
Es importante resaltar tambieacuten que esta propuesta no se refiere a un programade formacioacuten claacutesico sino mas bien a una serie de cursos talleres seminariose investigaciones que se pueden dar de manera descentralizada y que con eladecuado rigor acadeacutemico permitiraacute formar un ldquothink tankrdquo regional capaz dedialogar y de aportar en el desarrollo de estrategias locales y regionales
Organizaciones de la socie dad civil y program as na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
20
1 Forew or d
This text was written within the framework of the Project entitled ldquoCivilianOrganisations in the face of National ICT Projects 4 case studiesrdquo which ITDGcarried out with the support of the International Development Research CentreThis project was implemented between December 2002 and June 2004 andincluded visits to 4 Latin American countries (Peru Uruguay Venezuela and ElSalvador) as well as interviews with government representatives and civilianorganizations The results of each visit form part of the CD ldquoCivil Society andthe development of the information society in Latin Americardquo that will beaccessible at ITDG and IDRC websites
Is it possible to refer to the information society without the participation of thecivil society Is the lsquoinformation societyrsquo a matter of cables devices andbackbones How can the lsquoinformation societyrsquo be understood within a povertycontext What approaches can be used to explain the role to be played by thecivil society with other stakeholders of the information society Who are thoseother approaches Which is the most adequate model for understanding therelationships of key stakeholders in the structure of the Information SocietyThose questions guided this research
One of the main concerns during this research work has been to find out howthese stakeholders have become organised and in particular how the civilsociety has become organised in order to understand the process involved inmaking ICT a public policy and incorporating their proposals
This publication begins with an explanation of the public advocacy process andhow this reached the agenda of civil society organisations There follows ananalysis of the adequate framework for understanding the information societydevelopment process A summary of 4 different models is included which formpart of the typology of the relationship between the civil society and the Statein structuring the information society
The publication continues with an introduction of key stakeholders their rolein the construction of ICT policies and the kind of relationships that must beestablished to ensure that their influence is effective Finally a number ofrecommendations are made to strengthen the relationship between the civilsociety and the State
With this publication we hope to help disseminate key concepts for theimprovement of civil society organizations in the face of the institutionalprocesses taking place in Latin American countries within the framework of theldquoinformation societyrdquo structure
Miguel SaraviaDecember 2004
23
24
2 I ntr oduct i on
Information and communication technologies (ICT) are dramaticallytransforming our environment Today at least one if not several informationtechnologies are having an impact on our daily activities The abundance ofbusiness management information and technology is greatly influencing thedaily lives of Latin American men women boys and girls
Although the predominant perception of the ldquoinformation societyrdquo mainlyinvolves mobile telephones computers and the Internet ie infrastructure ourresearch work revealed some encouraging evidence of an ever-increasingconcern for the application of ICT in education health production workingmethods and how we communicate with and relate to each other
Consequently it is essential for society as a whole to become involved in theprocess of setting public policies and understanding how such a process canbe improved During the last 10 years NGOs have been concentrating onincreasing their lobbying and advocacy actions in an attempt to influencedifferent groups of agents ie individuals States corporations internationalorganisations etc so that they change their policies and attitudes regardingdevelopment issues1 During that time NGOs have helped change the terms ofdiscussions on matters concerning the reduction of the foreign debt promotedthe monitoring of global agreements such as the certification of forests or childlabour contributed to the adoption of agreements like the Ottawa treaty for theeradication of land mines and so on2
The most developed sectors as far as these actions are concerned are theenvironment childrenrsquos rights and the fight for womenrsquos rights It was preciselybecause of these two issues that the lobbying and advocacy work reachedLatin America and was included in the agendas of NGOs
These were also the sectors in which ICT began to be used to influence publicpolicies being the best means of obtaining timely and transparent publicpolicies of a good quality The use of ICT helps to that numerous peoplecontribute in the advocacy and in the elaboration of the policy proposalsallowing massive debates including sectors traditionally excluded from thespaces of public participation It is important also to affect ICT policies thatenable them to be real instruments of development
It is a common mistake to define very general objective for an advocacystrategy like promote an ICT for development policies Advocacy is a long-termprocess that begins with a concrete definition of the changes to be made andin many cases it is the reason for success or failure of the process
25
1 BOND Guidance Notes Series 3 The What and the Why of Advocacy London 1999 2 Edwards Michael NGO legitimacy- voice or vote In Global Future Fourth Quarter 2002 p 3
Or gan izaciones d e la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes mat chmaking
Then the situation must be analysed in order to identify the best mechanismsand opportunities to promote such changes Coupled with the above is theidentification of key agents so as to determine who needs to be influenced andwho potential partners should be Subsequently messages for each targetpopulation must be prepared and the most adequate advocacy strategies foreach particular case selected This leads to the need for detailed planning ofeach step and then during the implementation the progress must bemonitored so that new actions can be planned when necessary With acontinuous monitoring and evaluation process the advocacy strategy can beadjusted to ensure that the desired objectives are achieved3
This is the process that numerous NGOs in the region have been followinghowever they have also faced numerous restrictions Below is a summary ofsome of the problems encountered by NGOs in their efforts to exerciseinfluence in Latin America which were identified during our research work
bull Institution-building is at a low level access to the political system is limitedand few practices are acknowledged either by the State or by the civilsociety for influence processes to prosper4
bull Advocacy is a special field and although several NGOs include influenceactions in their political system these do not always respond to a deliberateaction and a planned advocacy strategy5 In many cases specializationimplies casting aside grassroots actions
bull There are participation and influence opportunities that neither respond to astructure nor a system that permits them but rather to local circumstancesthat are very difficult to anticipate6
bull NGOs have a representation problem that often prevents them from beingaccepted by the State and others as valid spokesmen7 Take the case of theanti-globalisation movement for example
bull Funds are received to implement projects not to promote processes Thisgreatly restricts the actual capacity of NGOs to lead long-term advocacyprocesses8
bull The development of the advocacy capacity of NGOs has been limited totopics proposed by NGOs from the northern hemisphere which are veryorchestrated and fail to develop the ability to exercise influence in otherspheres9
bull There is no common advocacy agenda among the different agents of the civilsociety as far as matters related to the ldquoinformation societyrdquo are concerned10
26
3 Advocacy inintiatives planning manual Save the Children London Save the Children 20004 Influence on Public Policies and Citizenship Ineacutes Gonzales Bombal httpwwwicdorguymercosurinformesencuentrogonzalez7html 5 Gonzales Bombal op cit 6 By ldquoAunt Opheliardquo we refer to the likeness with the character of the IDRC publication Raiacuteces Maacutegicas and ITDG as a result of the Latin
American Meeting on ldquoAppropriation of Information and Communication Technologies in Latin Americahttpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsofeliahtm
7 Edwards Michael 2002 op cit8 El rol de interfase de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Ramoacuten Vargas Conference papers presented in Seminario Regional sobre
las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil y el desarrollo de una cultura democraacutetica 9 Ramoacuten Vargas op cit10 Save the Children 2001 op cit
The last conclusion sheds light on the characteristics of this research workOur main concern is to find a way to influence public policies for the informationsociety and not public policies in general The technical terms that define theinformation society are still unclear therefore opportunities are lost and variouscivilian organisations are afraid of making concrete proposals and applyingpressure to obtain what they want
Progress has been made with creating a social impression of the Internet butthat vision is yet to materialise in concrete regional and national advocacyproposals11
Undoubtedly the need to transform this collective social impression intoconcrete advocacy actions has been proved in the light of the participation ofcivilian organisations in the preparatory events of the World Summit of theInformation Society12 in which our participation was disjointed and without acommon regional standpoint The construction of this common advocacyagenda is a process that is just beginning and as already mentioned inrelevant electronic forums the process will not end with the World Summit
Miguel Saravia
27
11 Vision based on the work of the Comunidad Virtual Mistica For further information see httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 L ook i ng f or t he m o s tappr opr i at e f ramewor k hellip
It was found that the framework used by different government circles in theregion to design strategies related to the Information Society are very biasedtowards the ICT sector Emphasis is placed on setting up access facilitiesprogrammes to support the information and communication technologiessector the development of electronic government applications etc
A thorough review of different existing models and the proposals shared indifferent international forums such as the preparatory meeting in Bavaro forthe Information Society Summit the high level meeting between the EuropeanUnion-Latin America and the Andean ICT workshop reveals that as a commondenominator the existing framework is insufficient for understanding howinformation and communication technologies can make a significant change inthe struggle against poverty in our countries
The CEPAL Model
The Economic Commission for LatinA m e r i c a1 3 has designed a three-dimensional model with horizontallevels vertical sectors and transversalareas The horizontal dimension showsthe ldquosegmentsrdquo that representinfrastructure and generic services (TVradio Internet) The vertical dimensionshows the sectors that become thelsquoinformation societyrsquo
It is interesting to note that the cube adds a third dimension which makes thescheme more complicated but allows the introduction of transversal issuessuch as regulatory frameworks financing and human capital
The information society scheme proposed by CEPAL gives the impression thatthe society is limited to electronics and that the way to become an informationsociety is only viewed from the e-included in the sectors A legitimate questionwould be how does the model envisage the participation of civilians in theprocess Or how to face the evident qualms about starting the informationsociety development process
29
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
The horizontal segments are conceived as very functional for the sectorswhereas capacity-building is considered to be the technical capacity requiredto deal with the technologies involved in the construction of information ratherthan the social skills required to understand the processes and adapt them tonational contexts
The Gino Germani Research Institute Model
This scheme shows a series ofconcentric rings with the targetpoint in the middle referred toas the lsquoinformation societyrsquo
It was designed in the GinoGermani Research Institute ofthe University of Buenos Aires14
and proposes working inwardsfrom the outside starting withpolicies access developmentuse appropriation and finallyproduction Reading it that wayit is easy to understand thelogic of the processcomplemented by the transversal pivotal points that cut through the circleswhich refer to social inclusion gender and minorities
This way of depicting the information society structuring process considers theimportance of a gradual progress creating the conditions for the society toachieve another level of development in a joint collective manner
This model takes it for granted that there is a consensus that the informationsociety structuring process should be wide-ranging with the participation of allsectors including the civil society However our research shows that thedominating view is that in which priority is placed on the e-strategies
Another aspect the model fails to include concerns the forces that could eitherboost or stunt the processes that is where we should see the civil society andcivilian organisations In other words there is an evident lack of elements toshow the driving force behind the information society which should be thesociety itself with its needs and priorities
It may not be a specific responsibility of the theoretical frameworks but of thecapacity of the civil society itself to claim its role as the driving force behind thesociety
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
30
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
The Valenti Model15
D r Valenti of theOrganisation of Spanish-American States forEducation Science andCulture designed a modelsubsequent to existingmodels having beencriticised because of theirclassic way ofunderstanding thelsquoinformation societyrsquo As faras Dr Valenti is concernedtwo main componentsneeded to be added to the classic standpoint citizen participation andtechnological innovation Not that this was not acknowledged in the cube orthe circles since the explanation did in fact mention the importance ofconsidering all agents However Dr Valentirsquos text places social participationat the centre of the action as a fundamental component of the process
In the cube people are non-existent or invisible In the circles model socialparticipation is tacit but not explicit In Valentirsquos model the collective aspect isthe driving force ldquoWithout participation there is no interaction and withoutinteraction there is no innovation If there is no participation or a capacity forinnovation it would be impossible to structure an Information Societyrdquo16 DrValenti places emphasis on the need to promote institution-building upheld bylocal development systems and the promotion of local innovation mechanisms
In Latin America new local institutions are being consolidated such as thelocal development committees in various Latin American communities the anti-poverty boards the concerted action boards and the public-private discussionpanels17 It is interesting to note how these panels can make up the newinstitutions that Dr Valenti refers to
Nevertheless none of the models described above have includedtechnological innovation
A Transforming Innovation Model
In a book entitled ldquoRural Development and ICT A Rural Development Approachwith the Integration of Information and Communication Technologiesrdquo theconcept referred to as a transforming innovation is explained This conceptintroduces innovation as an element that will set in motion the socialtransformation process18
Miguel Saravia
31
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organised by the Department for International
Development of the United Kingdom the World Bank and other organisations (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (at the printerrsquos)
The lsquoinformation societyrsquo is something that needs to be attained and in orderto do so our society needs to change existing social relations must be fairerwith equal opportunities for everyone This model recovers the revolutionarydimension of the application of ICT to development processes
In order to understand how Latin America is progressing towards theInformation Society it is necessary to look for consistency in all theseapproaches rather than choosing just one Whereas the Valenti model providesa good definition of the different agents the circles scheme provides a clearunderstanding of the collective process and the CEPAL cube details theinteraction of the various sectors once we have move forward within theinformation society This last approach emphasizes the need to introduceinnovation processes to help transform the society
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
32
4 Pub l i c- pr i vate part ner sh i ps f o rstr uct uri ng t h e i n f ormat i on soc i et y
Structuring the information society is a taskthat involves all sectors of society ie citizensin their different facets - studentsentrepreneurs researchers social activists -and governors Anything not related to thegovernment should be considered privateencompassing the so-called third sector andthe business sector
We shall use the term ldquopublic-privatepartnershipsrdquo to refer to alliances betweengovernments the business sector and civilianorganisations These alliances can be definedas ldquothe arrangements whereby the public andprivate sectors sign agreements to implementjoint research and development projects joining their resources and skillsrdquo19
Another more accurate definition of what should be understood by the termpartnerships ldquojoint initiatives of the public and private sectors the profit-makingsector and the not-for-profit sector which are also understood to begovernmental business and civilian sectors Within these partnerships eachpartner contributes with resources (financial human technical and intangiblesuch as information or political support) and participates in the decision-makingprocessrdquo20
It was already been proved that public-private partnerships provide newresources to poverty-reduction initiatives It is safe to say that thesepartnerships increase the productivity of available resources Furthermorepartnerships imply a number of ways of generating assets in terms of humandevelopment and social capital creating the right conditions for achievingmultiplying effects
As Fiszbein and Lowden said ldquoPartnerships have the potential to createchanging patterns that strengthen themselves the great advantage being thatthe whole can be so much better than the sum of its partsrdquo
The main question is how to institutionalise the participation of the privatesector and the civil society in national programmes for the information society21
and how to create this mutually gainful environment
33
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz amp Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
This matter has not been clearly defined from the point of view of civilianorganizations much less from the viewpoint of the public sector In the earlynineties the main NGOs from the northern hemisphere realized that the impactof their work was temporary and of a very small scale Hence the developmentof a number of strategies to increase both the impact and the scope of their work
The following were among the actions promoted
bull Cooperation with the Governmentbull Expansion of their operationsbull Promotion of a direct contact between grassroots organisationsbull Local national and international advocacy and lobbying
In the ICT sector an analysis of advocacy agents reveals an unfair relationshipbetween the civil societyrsquos and the business sectorrsquos capacity to influence theGovernment and the State The following table prepared by Juliana Martinez22provides a better understanding of this statement
The graph also shows the lack of a relationship between civilian organisationsand the business sector Companies and their leaders are not usuallyconsidered influence subjects although it seems evident that if we influencethem and take advantage of their capacity to influence then indirectly we areinfluencing the Government as well
The idea is not to abandon the possibility of exercising a direct influence onpublic policies but to broaden the spectrum and learn from the experience ofother agents Again Juliana Martinez summarises the ideal model in a graph
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
34
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
1 Forew or d
This text was written within the framework of the Project entitled ldquoCivilianOrganisations in the face of National ICT Projects 4 case studiesrdquo which ITDGcarried out with the support of the International Development Research CentreThis project was implemented between December 2002 and June 2004 andincluded visits to 4 Latin American countries (Peru Uruguay Venezuela and ElSalvador) as well as interviews with government representatives and civilianorganizations The results of each visit form part of the CD ldquoCivil Society andthe development of the information society in Latin Americardquo that will beaccessible at ITDG and IDRC websites
Is it possible to refer to the information society without the participation of thecivil society Is the lsquoinformation societyrsquo a matter of cables devices andbackbones How can the lsquoinformation societyrsquo be understood within a povertycontext What approaches can be used to explain the role to be played by thecivil society with other stakeholders of the information society Who are thoseother approaches Which is the most adequate model for understanding therelationships of key stakeholders in the structure of the Information SocietyThose questions guided this research
One of the main concerns during this research work has been to find out howthese stakeholders have become organised and in particular how the civilsociety has become organised in order to understand the process involved inmaking ICT a public policy and incorporating their proposals
This publication begins with an explanation of the public advocacy process andhow this reached the agenda of civil society organisations There follows ananalysis of the adequate framework for understanding the information societydevelopment process A summary of 4 different models is included which formpart of the typology of the relationship between the civil society and the Statein structuring the information society
The publication continues with an introduction of key stakeholders their rolein the construction of ICT policies and the kind of relationships that must beestablished to ensure that their influence is effective Finally a number ofrecommendations are made to strengthen the relationship between the civilsociety and the State
With this publication we hope to help disseminate key concepts for theimprovement of civil society organizations in the face of the institutionalprocesses taking place in Latin American countries within the framework of theldquoinformation societyrdquo structure
Miguel SaraviaDecember 2004
23
24
2 I ntr oduct i on
Information and communication technologies (ICT) are dramaticallytransforming our environment Today at least one if not several informationtechnologies are having an impact on our daily activities The abundance ofbusiness management information and technology is greatly influencing thedaily lives of Latin American men women boys and girls
Although the predominant perception of the ldquoinformation societyrdquo mainlyinvolves mobile telephones computers and the Internet ie infrastructure ourresearch work revealed some encouraging evidence of an ever-increasingconcern for the application of ICT in education health production workingmethods and how we communicate with and relate to each other
Consequently it is essential for society as a whole to become involved in theprocess of setting public policies and understanding how such a process canbe improved During the last 10 years NGOs have been concentrating onincreasing their lobbying and advocacy actions in an attempt to influencedifferent groups of agents ie individuals States corporations internationalorganisations etc so that they change their policies and attitudes regardingdevelopment issues1 During that time NGOs have helped change the terms ofdiscussions on matters concerning the reduction of the foreign debt promotedthe monitoring of global agreements such as the certification of forests or childlabour contributed to the adoption of agreements like the Ottawa treaty for theeradication of land mines and so on2
The most developed sectors as far as these actions are concerned are theenvironment childrenrsquos rights and the fight for womenrsquos rights It was preciselybecause of these two issues that the lobbying and advocacy work reachedLatin America and was included in the agendas of NGOs
These were also the sectors in which ICT began to be used to influence publicpolicies being the best means of obtaining timely and transparent publicpolicies of a good quality The use of ICT helps to that numerous peoplecontribute in the advocacy and in the elaboration of the policy proposalsallowing massive debates including sectors traditionally excluded from thespaces of public participation It is important also to affect ICT policies thatenable them to be real instruments of development
It is a common mistake to define very general objective for an advocacystrategy like promote an ICT for development policies Advocacy is a long-termprocess that begins with a concrete definition of the changes to be made andin many cases it is the reason for success or failure of the process
25
1 BOND Guidance Notes Series 3 The What and the Why of Advocacy London 1999 2 Edwards Michael NGO legitimacy- voice or vote In Global Future Fourth Quarter 2002 p 3
Or gan izaciones d e la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes mat chmaking
Then the situation must be analysed in order to identify the best mechanismsand opportunities to promote such changes Coupled with the above is theidentification of key agents so as to determine who needs to be influenced andwho potential partners should be Subsequently messages for each targetpopulation must be prepared and the most adequate advocacy strategies foreach particular case selected This leads to the need for detailed planning ofeach step and then during the implementation the progress must bemonitored so that new actions can be planned when necessary With acontinuous monitoring and evaluation process the advocacy strategy can beadjusted to ensure that the desired objectives are achieved3
This is the process that numerous NGOs in the region have been followinghowever they have also faced numerous restrictions Below is a summary ofsome of the problems encountered by NGOs in their efforts to exerciseinfluence in Latin America which were identified during our research work
bull Institution-building is at a low level access to the political system is limitedand few practices are acknowledged either by the State or by the civilsociety for influence processes to prosper4
bull Advocacy is a special field and although several NGOs include influenceactions in their political system these do not always respond to a deliberateaction and a planned advocacy strategy5 In many cases specializationimplies casting aside grassroots actions
bull There are participation and influence opportunities that neither respond to astructure nor a system that permits them but rather to local circumstancesthat are very difficult to anticipate6
bull NGOs have a representation problem that often prevents them from beingaccepted by the State and others as valid spokesmen7 Take the case of theanti-globalisation movement for example
bull Funds are received to implement projects not to promote processes Thisgreatly restricts the actual capacity of NGOs to lead long-term advocacyprocesses8
bull The development of the advocacy capacity of NGOs has been limited totopics proposed by NGOs from the northern hemisphere which are veryorchestrated and fail to develop the ability to exercise influence in otherspheres9
bull There is no common advocacy agenda among the different agents of the civilsociety as far as matters related to the ldquoinformation societyrdquo are concerned10
26
3 Advocacy inintiatives planning manual Save the Children London Save the Children 20004 Influence on Public Policies and Citizenship Ineacutes Gonzales Bombal httpwwwicdorguymercosurinformesencuentrogonzalez7html 5 Gonzales Bombal op cit 6 By ldquoAunt Opheliardquo we refer to the likeness with the character of the IDRC publication Raiacuteces Maacutegicas and ITDG as a result of the Latin
American Meeting on ldquoAppropriation of Information and Communication Technologies in Latin Americahttpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsofeliahtm
7 Edwards Michael 2002 op cit8 El rol de interfase de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Ramoacuten Vargas Conference papers presented in Seminario Regional sobre
las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil y el desarrollo de una cultura democraacutetica 9 Ramoacuten Vargas op cit10 Save the Children 2001 op cit
The last conclusion sheds light on the characteristics of this research workOur main concern is to find a way to influence public policies for the informationsociety and not public policies in general The technical terms that define theinformation society are still unclear therefore opportunities are lost and variouscivilian organisations are afraid of making concrete proposals and applyingpressure to obtain what they want
Progress has been made with creating a social impression of the Internet butthat vision is yet to materialise in concrete regional and national advocacyproposals11
Undoubtedly the need to transform this collective social impression intoconcrete advocacy actions has been proved in the light of the participation ofcivilian organisations in the preparatory events of the World Summit of theInformation Society12 in which our participation was disjointed and without acommon regional standpoint The construction of this common advocacyagenda is a process that is just beginning and as already mentioned inrelevant electronic forums the process will not end with the World Summit
Miguel Saravia
27
11 Vision based on the work of the Comunidad Virtual Mistica For further information see httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 L ook i ng f or t he m o s tappr opr i at e f ramewor k hellip
It was found that the framework used by different government circles in theregion to design strategies related to the Information Society are very biasedtowards the ICT sector Emphasis is placed on setting up access facilitiesprogrammes to support the information and communication technologiessector the development of electronic government applications etc
A thorough review of different existing models and the proposals shared indifferent international forums such as the preparatory meeting in Bavaro forthe Information Society Summit the high level meeting between the EuropeanUnion-Latin America and the Andean ICT workshop reveals that as a commondenominator the existing framework is insufficient for understanding howinformation and communication technologies can make a significant change inthe struggle against poverty in our countries
The CEPAL Model
The Economic Commission for LatinA m e r i c a1 3 has designed a three-dimensional model with horizontallevels vertical sectors and transversalareas The horizontal dimension showsthe ldquosegmentsrdquo that representinfrastructure and generic services (TVradio Internet) The vertical dimensionshows the sectors that become thelsquoinformation societyrsquo
It is interesting to note that the cube adds a third dimension which makes thescheme more complicated but allows the introduction of transversal issuessuch as regulatory frameworks financing and human capital
The information society scheme proposed by CEPAL gives the impression thatthe society is limited to electronics and that the way to become an informationsociety is only viewed from the e-included in the sectors A legitimate questionwould be how does the model envisage the participation of civilians in theprocess Or how to face the evident qualms about starting the informationsociety development process
29
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
The horizontal segments are conceived as very functional for the sectorswhereas capacity-building is considered to be the technical capacity requiredto deal with the technologies involved in the construction of information ratherthan the social skills required to understand the processes and adapt them tonational contexts
The Gino Germani Research Institute Model
This scheme shows a series ofconcentric rings with the targetpoint in the middle referred toas the lsquoinformation societyrsquo
It was designed in the GinoGermani Research Institute ofthe University of Buenos Aires14
and proposes working inwardsfrom the outside starting withpolicies access developmentuse appropriation and finallyproduction Reading it that wayit is easy to understand thelogic of the processcomplemented by the transversal pivotal points that cut through the circleswhich refer to social inclusion gender and minorities
This way of depicting the information society structuring process considers theimportance of a gradual progress creating the conditions for the society toachieve another level of development in a joint collective manner
This model takes it for granted that there is a consensus that the informationsociety structuring process should be wide-ranging with the participation of allsectors including the civil society However our research shows that thedominating view is that in which priority is placed on the e-strategies
Another aspect the model fails to include concerns the forces that could eitherboost or stunt the processes that is where we should see the civil society andcivilian organisations In other words there is an evident lack of elements toshow the driving force behind the information society which should be thesociety itself with its needs and priorities
It may not be a specific responsibility of the theoretical frameworks but of thecapacity of the civil society itself to claim its role as the driving force behind thesociety
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
30
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
The Valenti Model15
D r Valenti of theOrganisation of Spanish-American States forEducation Science andCulture designed a modelsubsequent to existingmodels having beencriticised because of theirclassic way ofunderstanding thelsquoinformation societyrsquo As faras Dr Valenti is concernedtwo main componentsneeded to be added to the classic standpoint citizen participation andtechnological innovation Not that this was not acknowledged in the cube orthe circles since the explanation did in fact mention the importance ofconsidering all agents However Dr Valentirsquos text places social participationat the centre of the action as a fundamental component of the process
In the cube people are non-existent or invisible In the circles model socialparticipation is tacit but not explicit In Valentirsquos model the collective aspect isthe driving force ldquoWithout participation there is no interaction and withoutinteraction there is no innovation If there is no participation or a capacity forinnovation it would be impossible to structure an Information Societyrdquo16 DrValenti places emphasis on the need to promote institution-building upheld bylocal development systems and the promotion of local innovation mechanisms
In Latin America new local institutions are being consolidated such as thelocal development committees in various Latin American communities the anti-poverty boards the concerted action boards and the public-private discussionpanels17 It is interesting to note how these panels can make up the newinstitutions that Dr Valenti refers to
Nevertheless none of the models described above have includedtechnological innovation
A Transforming Innovation Model
In a book entitled ldquoRural Development and ICT A Rural Development Approachwith the Integration of Information and Communication Technologiesrdquo theconcept referred to as a transforming innovation is explained This conceptintroduces innovation as an element that will set in motion the socialtransformation process18
Miguel Saravia
31
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organised by the Department for International
Development of the United Kingdom the World Bank and other organisations (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (at the printerrsquos)
The lsquoinformation societyrsquo is something that needs to be attained and in orderto do so our society needs to change existing social relations must be fairerwith equal opportunities for everyone This model recovers the revolutionarydimension of the application of ICT to development processes
In order to understand how Latin America is progressing towards theInformation Society it is necessary to look for consistency in all theseapproaches rather than choosing just one Whereas the Valenti model providesa good definition of the different agents the circles scheme provides a clearunderstanding of the collective process and the CEPAL cube details theinteraction of the various sectors once we have move forward within theinformation society This last approach emphasizes the need to introduceinnovation processes to help transform the society
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
32
4 Pub l i c- pr i vate part ner sh i ps f o rstr uct uri ng t h e i n f ormat i on soc i et y
Structuring the information society is a taskthat involves all sectors of society ie citizensin their different facets - studentsentrepreneurs researchers social activists -and governors Anything not related to thegovernment should be considered privateencompassing the so-called third sector andthe business sector
We shall use the term ldquopublic-privatepartnershipsrdquo to refer to alliances betweengovernments the business sector and civilianorganisations These alliances can be definedas ldquothe arrangements whereby the public andprivate sectors sign agreements to implementjoint research and development projects joining their resources and skillsrdquo19
Another more accurate definition of what should be understood by the termpartnerships ldquojoint initiatives of the public and private sectors the profit-makingsector and the not-for-profit sector which are also understood to begovernmental business and civilian sectors Within these partnerships eachpartner contributes with resources (financial human technical and intangiblesuch as information or political support) and participates in the decision-makingprocessrdquo20
It was already been proved that public-private partnerships provide newresources to poverty-reduction initiatives It is safe to say that thesepartnerships increase the productivity of available resources Furthermorepartnerships imply a number of ways of generating assets in terms of humandevelopment and social capital creating the right conditions for achievingmultiplying effects
As Fiszbein and Lowden said ldquoPartnerships have the potential to createchanging patterns that strengthen themselves the great advantage being thatthe whole can be so much better than the sum of its partsrdquo
The main question is how to institutionalise the participation of the privatesector and the civil society in national programmes for the information society21
and how to create this mutually gainful environment
33
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz amp Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
This matter has not been clearly defined from the point of view of civilianorganizations much less from the viewpoint of the public sector In the earlynineties the main NGOs from the northern hemisphere realized that the impactof their work was temporary and of a very small scale Hence the developmentof a number of strategies to increase both the impact and the scope of their work
The following were among the actions promoted
bull Cooperation with the Governmentbull Expansion of their operationsbull Promotion of a direct contact between grassroots organisationsbull Local national and international advocacy and lobbying
In the ICT sector an analysis of advocacy agents reveals an unfair relationshipbetween the civil societyrsquos and the business sectorrsquos capacity to influence theGovernment and the State The following table prepared by Juliana Martinez22provides a better understanding of this statement
The graph also shows the lack of a relationship between civilian organisationsand the business sector Companies and their leaders are not usuallyconsidered influence subjects although it seems evident that if we influencethem and take advantage of their capacity to influence then indirectly we areinfluencing the Government as well
The idea is not to abandon the possibility of exercising a direct influence onpublic policies but to broaden the spectrum and learn from the experience ofother agents Again Juliana Martinez summarises the ideal model in a graph
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
34
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
24
2 I ntr oduct i on
Information and communication technologies (ICT) are dramaticallytransforming our environment Today at least one if not several informationtechnologies are having an impact on our daily activities The abundance ofbusiness management information and technology is greatly influencing thedaily lives of Latin American men women boys and girls
Although the predominant perception of the ldquoinformation societyrdquo mainlyinvolves mobile telephones computers and the Internet ie infrastructure ourresearch work revealed some encouraging evidence of an ever-increasingconcern for the application of ICT in education health production workingmethods and how we communicate with and relate to each other
Consequently it is essential for society as a whole to become involved in theprocess of setting public policies and understanding how such a process canbe improved During the last 10 years NGOs have been concentrating onincreasing their lobbying and advocacy actions in an attempt to influencedifferent groups of agents ie individuals States corporations internationalorganisations etc so that they change their policies and attitudes regardingdevelopment issues1 During that time NGOs have helped change the terms ofdiscussions on matters concerning the reduction of the foreign debt promotedthe monitoring of global agreements such as the certification of forests or childlabour contributed to the adoption of agreements like the Ottawa treaty for theeradication of land mines and so on2
The most developed sectors as far as these actions are concerned are theenvironment childrenrsquos rights and the fight for womenrsquos rights It was preciselybecause of these two issues that the lobbying and advocacy work reachedLatin America and was included in the agendas of NGOs
These were also the sectors in which ICT began to be used to influence publicpolicies being the best means of obtaining timely and transparent publicpolicies of a good quality The use of ICT helps to that numerous peoplecontribute in the advocacy and in the elaboration of the policy proposalsallowing massive debates including sectors traditionally excluded from thespaces of public participation It is important also to affect ICT policies thatenable them to be real instruments of development
It is a common mistake to define very general objective for an advocacystrategy like promote an ICT for development policies Advocacy is a long-termprocess that begins with a concrete definition of the changes to be made andin many cases it is the reason for success or failure of the process
25
1 BOND Guidance Notes Series 3 The What and the Why of Advocacy London 1999 2 Edwards Michael NGO legitimacy- voice or vote In Global Future Fourth Quarter 2002 p 3
Or gan izaciones d e la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes mat chmaking
Then the situation must be analysed in order to identify the best mechanismsand opportunities to promote such changes Coupled with the above is theidentification of key agents so as to determine who needs to be influenced andwho potential partners should be Subsequently messages for each targetpopulation must be prepared and the most adequate advocacy strategies foreach particular case selected This leads to the need for detailed planning ofeach step and then during the implementation the progress must bemonitored so that new actions can be planned when necessary With acontinuous monitoring and evaluation process the advocacy strategy can beadjusted to ensure that the desired objectives are achieved3
This is the process that numerous NGOs in the region have been followinghowever they have also faced numerous restrictions Below is a summary ofsome of the problems encountered by NGOs in their efforts to exerciseinfluence in Latin America which were identified during our research work
bull Institution-building is at a low level access to the political system is limitedand few practices are acknowledged either by the State or by the civilsociety for influence processes to prosper4
bull Advocacy is a special field and although several NGOs include influenceactions in their political system these do not always respond to a deliberateaction and a planned advocacy strategy5 In many cases specializationimplies casting aside grassroots actions
bull There are participation and influence opportunities that neither respond to astructure nor a system that permits them but rather to local circumstancesthat are very difficult to anticipate6
bull NGOs have a representation problem that often prevents them from beingaccepted by the State and others as valid spokesmen7 Take the case of theanti-globalisation movement for example
bull Funds are received to implement projects not to promote processes Thisgreatly restricts the actual capacity of NGOs to lead long-term advocacyprocesses8
bull The development of the advocacy capacity of NGOs has been limited totopics proposed by NGOs from the northern hemisphere which are veryorchestrated and fail to develop the ability to exercise influence in otherspheres9
bull There is no common advocacy agenda among the different agents of the civilsociety as far as matters related to the ldquoinformation societyrdquo are concerned10
26
3 Advocacy inintiatives planning manual Save the Children London Save the Children 20004 Influence on Public Policies and Citizenship Ineacutes Gonzales Bombal httpwwwicdorguymercosurinformesencuentrogonzalez7html 5 Gonzales Bombal op cit 6 By ldquoAunt Opheliardquo we refer to the likeness with the character of the IDRC publication Raiacuteces Maacutegicas and ITDG as a result of the Latin
American Meeting on ldquoAppropriation of Information and Communication Technologies in Latin Americahttpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsofeliahtm
7 Edwards Michael 2002 op cit8 El rol de interfase de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Ramoacuten Vargas Conference papers presented in Seminario Regional sobre
las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil y el desarrollo de una cultura democraacutetica 9 Ramoacuten Vargas op cit10 Save the Children 2001 op cit
The last conclusion sheds light on the characteristics of this research workOur main concern is to find a way to influence public policies for the informationsociety and not public policies in general The technical terms that define theinformation society are still unclear therefore opportunities are lost and variouscivilian organisations are afraid of making concrete proposals and applyingpressure to obtain what they want
Progress has been made with creating a social impression of the Internet butthat vision is yet to materialise in concrete regional and national advocacyproposals11
Undoubtedly the need to transform this collective social impression intoconcrete advocacy actions has been proved in the light of the participation ofcivilian organisations in the preparatory events of the World Summit of theInformation Society12 in which our participation was disjointed and without acommon regional standpoint The construction of this common advocacyagenda is a process that is just beginning and as already mentioned inrelevant electronic forums the process will not end with the World Summit
Miguel Saravia
27
11 Vision based on the work of the Comunidad Virtual Mistica For further information see httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 L ook i ng f or t he m o s tappr opr i at e f ramewor k hellip
It was found that the framework used by different government circles in theregion to design strategies related to the Information Society are very biasedtowards the ICT sector Emphasis is placed on setting up access facilitiesprogrammes to support the information and communication technologiessector the development of electronic government applications etc
A thorough review of different existing models and the proposals shared indifferent international forums such as the preparatory meeting in Bavaro forthe Information Society Summit the high level meeting between the EuropeanUnion-Latin America and the Andean ICT workshop reveals that as a commondenominator the existing framework is insufficient for understanding howinformation and communication technologies can make a significant change inthe struggle against poverty in our countries
The CEPAL Model
The Economic Commission for LatinA m e r i c a1 3 has designed a three-dimensional model with horizontallevels vertical sectors and transversalareas The horizontal dimension showsthe ldquosegmentsrdquo that representinfrastructure and generic services (TVradio Internet) The vertical dimensionshows the sectors that become thelsquoinformation societyrsquo
It is interesting to note that the cube adds a third dimension which makes thescheme more complicated but allows the introduction of transversal issuessuch as regulatory frameworks financing and human capital
The information society scheme proposed by CEPAL gives the impression thatthe society is limited to electronics and that the way to become an informationsociety is only viewed from the e-included in the sectors A legitimate questionwould be how does the model envisage the participation of civilians in theprocess Or how to face the evident qualms about starting the informationsociety development process
29
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
The horizontal segments are conceived as very functional for the sectorswhereas capacity-building is considered to be the technical capacity requiredto deal with the technologies involved in the construction of information ratherthan the social skills required to understand the processes and adapt them tonational contexts
The Gino Germani Research Institute Model
This scheme shows a series ofconcentric rings with the targetpoint in the middle referred toas the lsquoinformation societyrsquo
It was designed in the GinoGermani Research Institute ofthe University of Buenos Aires14
and proposes working inwardsfrom the outside starting withpolicies access developmentuse appropriation and finallyproduction Reading it that wayit is easy to understand thelogic of the processcomplemented by the transversal pivotal points that cut through the circleswhich refer to social inclusion gender and minorities
This way of depicting the information society structuring process considers theimportance of a gradual progress creating the conditions for the society toachieve another level of development in a joint collective manner
This model takes it for granted that there is a consensus that the informationsociety structuring process should be wide-ranging with the participation of allsectors including the civil society However our research shows that thedominating view is that in which priority is placed on the e-strategies
Another aspect the model fails to include concerns the forces that could eitherboost or stunt the processes that is where we should see the civil society andcivilian organisations In other words there is an evident lack of elements toshow the driving force behind the information society which should be thesociety itself with its needs and priorities
It may not be a specific responsibility of the theoretical frameworks but of thecapacity of the civil society itself to claim its role as the driving force behind thesociety
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
30
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
The Valenti Model15
D r Valenti of theOrganisation of Spanish-American States forEducation Science andCulture designed a modelsubsequent to existingmodels having beencriticised because of theirclassic way ofunderstanding thelsquoinformation societyrsquo As faras Dr Valenti is concernedtwo main componentsneeded to be added to the classic standpoint citizen participation andtechnological innovation Not that this was not acknowledged in the cube orthe circles since the explanation did in fact mention the importance ofconsidering all agents However Dr Valentirsquos text places social participationat the centre of the action as a fundamental component of the process
In the cube people are non-existent or invisible In the circles model socialparticipation is tacit but not explicit In Valentirsquos model the collective aspect isthe driving force ldquoWithout participation there is no interaction and withoutinteraction there is no innovation If there is no participation or a capacity forinnovation it would be impossible to structure an Information Societyrdquo16 DrValenti places emphasis on the need to promote institution-building upheld bylocal development systems and the promotion of local innovation mechanisms
In Latin America new local institutions are being consolidated such as thelocal development committees in various Latin American communities the anti-poverty boards the concerted action boards and the public-private discussionpanels17 It is interesting to note how these panels can make up the newinstitutions that Dr Valenti refers to
Nevertheless none of the models described above have includedtechnological innovation
A Transforming Innovation Model
In a book entitled ldquoRural Development and ICT A Rural Development Approachwith the Integration of Information and Communication Technologiesrdquo theconcept referred to as a transforming innovation is explained This conceptintroduces innovation as an element that will set in motion the socialtransformation process18
Miguel Saravia
31
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organised by the Department for International
Development of the United Kingdom the World Bank and other organisations (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (at the printerrsquos)
The lsquoinformation societyrsquo is something that needs to be attained and in orderto do so our society needs to change existing social relations must be fairerwith equal opportunities for everyone This model recovers the revolutionarydimension of the application of ICT to development processes
In order to understand how Latin America is progressing towards theInformation Society it is necessary to look for consistency in all theseapproaches rather than choosing just one Whereas the Valenti model providesa good definition of the different agents the circles scheme provides a clearunderstanding of the collective process and the CEPAL cube details theinteraction of the various sectors once we have move forward within theinformation society This last approach emphasizes the need to introduceinnovation processes to help transform the society
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
32
4 Pub l i c- pr i vate part ner sh i ps f o rstr uct uri ng t h e i n f ormat i on soc i et y
Structuring the information society is a taskthat involves all sectors of society ie citizensin their different facets - studentsentrepreneurs researchers social activists -and governors Anything not related to thegovernment should be considered privateencompassing the so-called third sector andthe business sector
We shall use the term ldquopublic-privatepartnershipsrdquo to refer to alliances betweengovernments the business sector and civilianorganisations These alliances can be definedas ldquothe arrangements whereby the public andprivate sectors sign agreements to implementjoint research and development projects joining their resources and skillsrdquo19
Another more accurate definition of what should be understood by the termpartnerships ldquojoint initiatives of the public and private sectors the profit-makingsector and the not-for-profit sector which are also understood to begovernmental business and civilian sectors Within these partnerships eachpartner contributes with resources (financial human technical and intangiblesuch as information or political support) and participates in the decision-makingprocessrdquo20
It was already been proved that public-private partnerships provide newresources to poverty-reduction initiatives It is safe to say that thesepartnerships increase the productivity of available resources Furthermorepartnerships imply a number of ways of generating assets in terms of humandevelopment and social capital creating the right conditions for achievingmultiplying effects
As Fiszbein and Lowden said ldquoPartnerships have the potential to createchanging patterns that strengthen themselves the great advantage being thatthe whole can be so much better than the sum of its partsrdquo
The main question is how to institutionalise the participation of the privatesector and the civil society in national programmes for the information society21
and how to create this mutually gainful environment
33
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz amp Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
This matter has not been clearly defined from the point of view of civilianorganizations much less from the viewpoint of the public sector In the earlynineties the main NGOs from the northern hemisphere realized that the impactof their work was temporary and of a very small scale Hence the developmentof a number of strategies to increase both the impact and the scope of their work
The following were among the actions promoted
bull Cooperation with the Governmentbull Expansion of their operationsbull Promotion of a direct contact between grassroots organisationsbull Local national and international advocacy and lobbying
In the ICT sector an analysis of advocacy agents reveals an unfair relationshipbetween the civil societyrsquos and the business sectorrsquos capacity to influence theGovernment and the State The following table prepared by Juliana Martinez22provides a better understanding of this statement
The graph also shows the lack of a relationship between civilian organisationsand the business sector Companies and their leaders are not usuallyconsidered influence subjects although it seems evident that if we influencethem and take advantage of their capacity to influence then indirectly we areinfluencing the Government as well
The idea is not to abandon the possibility of exercising a direct influence onpublic policies but to broaden the spectrum and learn from the experience ofother agents Again Juliana Martinez summarises the ideal model in a graph
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
34
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
2 I ntr oduct i on
Information and communication technologies (ICT) are dramaticallytransforming our environment Today at least one if not several informationtechnologies are having an impact on our daily activities The abundance ofbusiness management information and technology is greatly influencing thedaily lives of Latin American men women boys and girls
Although the predominant perception of the ldquoinformation societyrdquo mainlyinvolves mobile telephones computers and the Internet ie infrastructure ourresearch work revealed some encouraging evidence of an ever-increasingconcern for the application of ICT in education health production workingmethods and how we communicate with and relate to each other
Consequently it is essential for society as a whole to become involved in theprocess of setting public policies and understanding how such a process canbe improved During the last 10 years NGOs have been concentrating onincreasing their lobbying and advocacy actions in an attempt to influencedifferent groups of agents ie individuals States corporations internationalorganisations etc so that they change their policies and attitudes regardingdevelopment issues1 During that time NGOs have helped change the terms ofdiscussions on matters concerning the reduction of the foreign debt promotedthe monitoring of global agreements such as the certification of forests or childlabour contributed to the adoption of agreements like the Ottawa treaty for theeradication of land mines and so on2
The most developed sectors as far as these actions are concerned are theenvironment childrenrsquos rights and the fight for womenrsquos rights It was preciselybecause of these two issues that the lobbying and advocacy work reachedLatin America and was included in the agendas of NGOs
These were also the sectors in which ICT began to be used to influence publicpolicies being the best means of obtaining timely and transparent publicpolicies of a good quality The use of ICT helps to that numerous peoplecontribute in the advocacy and in the elaboration of the policy proposalsallowing massive debates including sectors traditionally excluded from thespaces of public participation It is important also to affect ICT policies thatenable them to be real instruments of development
It is a common mistake to define very general objective for an advocacystrategy like promote an ICT for development policies Advocacy is a long-termprocess that begins with a concrete definition of the changes to be made andin many cases it is the reason for success or failure of the process
25
1 BOND Guidance Notes Series 3 The What and the Why of Advocacy London 1999 2 Edwards Michael NGO legitimacy- voice or vote In Global Future Fourth Quarter 2002 p 3
Or gan izaciones d e la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes mat chmaking
Then the situation must be analysed in order to identify the best mechanismsand opportunities to promote such changes Coupled with the above is theidentification of key agents so as to determine who needs to be influenced andwho potential partners should be Subsequently messages for each targetpopulation must be prepared and the most adequate advocacy strategies foreach particular case selected This leads to the need for detailed planning ofeach step and then during the implementation the progress must bemonitored so that new actions can be planned when necessary With acontinuous monitoring and evaluation process the advocacy strategy can beadjusted to ensure that the desired objectives are achieved3
This is the process that numerous NGOs in the region have been followinghowever they have also faced numerous restrictions Below is a summary ofsome of the problems encountered by NGOs in their efforts to exerciseinfluence in Latin America which were identified during our research work
bull Institution-building is at a low level access to the political system is limitedand few practices are acknowledged either by the State or by the civilsociety for influence processes to prosper4
bull Advocacy is a special field and although several NGOs include influenceactions in their political system these do not always respond to a deliberateaction and a planned advocacy strategy5 In many cases specializationimplies casting aside grassroots actions
bull There are participation and influence opportunities that neither respond to astructure nor a system that permits them but rather to local circumstancesthat are very difficult to anticipate6
bull NGOs have a representation problem that often prevents them from beingaccepted by the State and others as valid spokesmen7 Take the case of theanti-globalisation movement for example
bull Funds are received to implement projects not to promote processes Thisgreatly restricts the actual capacity of NGOs to lead long-term advocacyprocesses8
bull The development of the advocacy capacity of NGOs has been limited totopics proposed by NGOs from the northern hemisphere which are veryorchestrated and fail to develop the ability to exercise influence in otherspheres9
bull There is no common advocacy agenda among the different agents of the civilsociety as far as matters related to the ldquoinformation societyrdquo are concerned10
26
3 Advocacy inintiatives planning manual Save the Children London Save the Children 20004 Influence on Public Policies and Citizenship Ineacutes Gonzales Bombal httpwwwicdorguymercosurinformesencuentrogonzalez7html 5 Gonzales Bombal op cit 6 By ldquoAunt Opheliardquo we refer to the likeness with the character of the IDRC publication Raiacuteces Maacutegicas and ITDG as a result of the Latin
American Meeting on ldquoAppropriation of Information and Communication Technologies in Latin Americahttpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsofeliahtm
7 Edwards Michael 2002 op cit8 El rol de interfase de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Ramoacuten Vargas Conference papers presented in Seminario Regional sobre
las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil y el desarrollo de una cultura democraacutetica 9 Ramoacuten Vargas op cit10 Save the Children 2001 op cit
The last conclusion sheds light on the characteristics of this research workOur main concern is to find a way to influence public policies for the informationsociety and not public policies in general The technical terms that define theinformation society are still unclear therefore opportunities are lost and variouscivilian organisations are afraid of making concrete proposals and applyingpressure to obtain what they want
Progress has been made with creating a social impression of the Internet butthat vision is yet to materialise in concrete regional and national advocacyproposals11
Undoubtedly the need to transform this collective social impression intoconcrete advocacy actions has been proved in the light of the participation ofcivilian organisations in the preparatory events of the World Summit of theInformation Society12 in which our participation was disjointed and without acommon regional standpoint The construction of this common advocacyagenda is a process that is just beginning and as already mentioned inrelevant electronic forums the process will not end with the World Summit
Miguel Saravia
27
11 Vision based on the work of the Comunidad Virtual Mistica For further information see httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 L ook i ng f or t he m o s tappr opr i at e f ramewor k hellip
It was found that the framework used by different government circles in theregion to design strategies related to the Information Society are very biasedtowards the ICT sector Emphasis is placed on setting up access facilitiesprogrammes to support the information and communication technologiessector the development of electronic government applications etc
A thorough review of different existing models and the proposals shared indifferent international forums such as the preparatory meeting in Bavaro forthe Information Society Summit the high level meeting between the EuropeanUnion-Latin America and the Andean ICT workshop reveals that as a commondenominator the existing framework is insufficient for understanding howinformation and communication technologies can make a significant change inthe struggle against poverty in our countries
The CEPAL Model
The Economic Commission for LatinA m e r i c a1 3 has designed a three-dimensional model with horizontallevels vertical sectors and transversalareas The horizontal dimension showsthe ldquosegmentsrdquo that representinfrastructure and generic services (TVradio Internet) The vertical dimensionshows the sectors that become thelsquoinformation societyrsquo
It is interesting to note that the cube adds a third dimension which makes thescheme more complicated but allows the introduction of transversal issuessuch as regulatory frameworks financing and human capital
The information society scheme proposed by CEPAL gives the impression thatthe society is limited to electronics and that the way to become an informationsociety is only viewed from the e-included in the sectors A legitimate questionwould be how does the model envisage the participation of civilians in theprocess Or how to face the evident qualms about starting the informationsociety development process
29
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
The horizontal segments are conceived as very functional for the sectorswhereas capacity-building is considered to be the technical capacity requiredto deal with the technologies involved in the construction of information ratherthan the social skills required to understand the processes and adapt them tonational contexts
The Gino Germani Research Institute Model
This scheme shows a series ofconcentric rings with the targetpoint in the middle referred toas the lsquoinformation societyrsquo
It was designed in the GinoGermani Research Institute ofthe University of Buenos Aires14
and proposes working inwardsfrom the outside starting withpolicies access developmentuse appropriation and finallyproduction Reading it that wayit is easy to understand thelogic of the processcomplemented by the transversal pivotal points that cut through the circleswhich refer to social inclusion gender and minorities
This way of depicting the information society structuring process considers theimportance of a gradual progress creating the conditions for the society toachieve another level of development in a joint collective manner
This model takes it for granted that there is a consensus that the informationsociety structuring process should be wide-ranging with the participation of allsectors including the civil society However our research shows that thedominating view is that in which priority is placed on the e-strategies
Another aspect the model fails to include concerns the forces that could eitherboost or stunt the processes that is where we should see the civil society andcivilian organisations In other words there is an evident lack of elements toshow the driving force behind the information society which should be thesociety itself with its needs and priorities
It may not be a specific responsibility of the theoretical frameworks but of thecapacity of the civil society itself to claim its role as the driving force behind thesociety
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
30
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
The Valenti Model15
D r Valenti of theOrganisation of Spanish-American States forEducation Science andCulture designed a modelsubsequent to existingmodels having beencriticised because of theirclassic way ofunderstanding thelsquoinformation societyrsquo As faras Dr Valenti is concernedtwo main componentsneeded to be added to the classic standpoint citizen participation andtechnological innovation Not that this was not acknowledged in the cube orthe circles since the explanation did in fact mention the importance ofconsidering all agents However Dr Valentirsquos text places social participationat the centre of the action as a fundamental component of the process
In the cube people are non-existent or invisible In the circles model socialparticipation is tacit but not explicit In Valentirsquos model the collective aspect isthe driving force ldquoWithout participation there is no interaction and withoutinteraction there is no innovation If there is no participation or a capacity forinnovation it would be impossible to structure an Information Societyrdquo16 DrValenti places emphasis on the need to promote institution-building upheld bylocal development systems and the promotion of local innovation mechanisms
In Latin America new local institutions are being consolidated such as thelocal development committees in various Latin American communities the anti-poverty boards the concerted action boards and the public-private discussionpanels17 It is interesting to note how these panels can make up the newinstitutions that Dr Valenti refers to
Nevertheless none of the models described above have includedtechnological innovation
A Transforming Innovation Model
In a book entitled ldquoRural Development and ICT A Rural Development Approachwith the Integration of Information and Communication Technologiesrdquo theconcept referred to as a transforming innovation is explained This conceptintroduces innovation as an element that will set in motion the socialtransformation process18
Miguel Saravia
31
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organised by the Department for International
Development of the United Kingdom the World Bank and other organisations (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (at the printerrsquos)
The lsquoinformation societyrsquo is something that needs to be attained and in orderto do so our society needs to change existing social relations must be fairerwith equal opportunities for everyone This model recovers the revolutionarydimension of the application of ICT to development processes
In order to understand how Latin America is progressing towards theInformation Society it is necessary to look for consistency in all theseapproaches rather than choosing just one Whereas the Valenti model providesa good definition of the different agents the circles scheme provides a clearunderstanding of the collective process and the CEPAL cube details theinteraction of the various sectors once we have move forward within theinformation society This last approach emphasizes the need to introduceinnovation processes to help transform the society
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
32
4 Pub l i c- pr i vate part ner sh i ps f o rstr uct uri ng t h e i n f ormat i on soc i et y
Structuring the information society is a taskthat involves all sectors of society ie citizensin their different facets - studentsentrepreneurs researchers social activists -and governors Anything not related to thegovernment should be considered privateencompassing the so-called third sector andthe business sector
We shall use the term ldquopublic-privatepartnershipsrdquo to refer to alliances betweengovernments the business sector and civilianorganisations These alliances can be definedas ldquothe arrangements whereby the public andprivate sectors sign agreements to implementjoint research and development projects joining their resources and skillsrdquo19
Another more accurate definition of what should be understood by the termpartnerships ldquojoint initiatives of the public and private sectors the profit-makingsector and the not-for-profit sector which are also understood to begovernmental business and civilian sectors Within these partnerships eachpartner contributes with resources (financial human technical and intangiblesuch as information or political support) and participates in the decision-makingprocessrdquo20
It was already been proved that public-private partnerships provide newresources to poverty-reduction initiatives It is safe to say that thesepartnerships increase the productivity of available resources Furthermorepartnerships imply a number of ways of generating assets in terms of humandevelopment and social capital creating the right conditions for achievingmultiplying effects
As Fiszbein and Lowden said ldquoPartnerships have the potential to createchanging patterns that strengthen themselves the great advantage being thatthe whole can be so much better than the sum of its partsrdquo
The main question is how to institutionalise the participation of the privatesector and the civil society in national programmes for the information society21
and how to create this mutually gainful environment
33
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz amp Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
This matter has not been clearly defined from the point of view of civilianorganizations much less from the viewpoint of the public sector In the earlynineties the main NGOs from the northern hemisphere realized that the impactof their work was temporary and of a very small scale Hence the developmentof a number of strategies to increase both the impact and the scope of their work
The following were among the actions promoted
bull Cooperation with the Governmentbull Expansion of their operationsbull Promotion of a direct contact between grassroots organisationsbull Local national and international advocacy and lobbying
In the ICT sector an analysis of advocacy agents reveals an unfair relationshipbetween the civil societyrsquos and the business sectorrsquos capacity to influence theGovernment and the State The following table prepared by Juliana Martinez22provides a better understanding of this statement
The graph also shows the lack of a relationship between civilian organisationsand the business sector Companies and their leaders are not usuallyconsidered influence subjects although it seems evident that if we influencethem and take advantage of their capacity to influence then indirectly we areinfluencing the Government as well
The idea is not to abandon the possibility of exercising a direct influence onpublic policies but to broaden the spectrum and learn from the experience ofother agents Again Juliana Martinez summarises the ideal model in a graph
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
34
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
Or gan izaciones d e la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes mat chmaking
Then the situation must be analysed in order to identify the best mechanismsand opportunities to promote such changes Coupled with the above is theidentification of key agents so as to determine who needs to be influenced andwho potential partners should be Subsequently messages for each targetpopulation must be prepared and the most adequate advocacy strategies foreach particular case selected This leads to the need for detailed planning ofeach step and then during the implementation the progress must bemonitored so that new actions can be planned when necessary With acontinuous monitoring and evaluation process the advocacy strategy can beadjusted to ensure that the desired objectives are achieved3
This is the process that numerous NGOs in the region have been followinghowever they have also faced numerous restrictions Below is a summary ofsome of the problems encountered by NGOs in their efforts to exerciseinfluence in Latin America which were identified during our research work
bull Institution-building is at a low level access to the political system is limitedand few practices are acknowledged either by the State or by the civilsociety for influence processes to prosper4
bull Advocacy is a special field and although several NGOs include influenceactions in their political system these do not always respond to a deliberateaction and a planned advocacy strategy5 In many cases specializationimplies casting aside grassroots actions
bull There are participation and influence opportunities that neither respond to astructure nor a system that permits them but rather to local circumstancesthat are very difficult to anticipate6
bull NGOs have a representation problem that often prevents them from beingaccepted by the State and others as valid spokesmen7 Take the case of theanti-globalisation movement for example
bull Funds are received to implement projects not to promote processes Thisgreatly restricts the actual capacity of NGOs to lead long-term advocacyprocesses8
bull The development of the advocacy capacity of NGOs has been limited totopics proposed by NGOs from the northern hemisphere which are veryorchestrated and fail to develop the ability to exercise influence in otherspheres9
bull There is no common advocacy agenda among the different agents of the civilsociety as far as matters related to the ldquoinformation societyrdquo are concerned10
26
3 Advocacy inintiatives planning manual Save the Children London Save the Children 20004 Influence on Public Policies and Citizenship Ineacutes Gonzales Bombal httpwwwicdorguymercosurinformesencuentrogonzalez7html 5 Gonzales Bombal op cit 6 By ldquoAunt Opheliardquo we refer to the likeness with the character of the IDRC publication Raiacuteces Maacutegicas and ITDG as a result of the Latin
American Meeting on ldquoAppropriation of Information and Communication Technologies in Latin Americahttpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsofeliahtm
7 Edwards Michael 2002 op cit8 El rol de interfase de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Ramoacuten Vargas Conference papers presented in Seminario Regional sobre
las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil y el desarrollo de una cultura democraacutetica 9 Ramoacuten Vargas op cit10 Save the Children 2001 op cit
The last conclusion sheds light on the characteristics of this research workOur main concern is to find a way to influence public policies for the informationsociety and not public policies in general The technical terms that define theinformation society are still unclear therefore opportunities are lost and variouscivilian organisations are afraid of making concrete proposals and applyingpressure to obtain what they want
Progress has been made with creating a social impression of the Internet butthat vision is yet to materialise in concrete regional and national advocacyproposals11
Undoubtedly the need to transform this collective social impression intoconcrete advocacy actions has been proved in the light of the participation ofcivilian organisations in the preparatory events of the World Summit of theInformation Society12 in which our participation was disjointed and without acommon regional standpoint The construction of this common advocacyagenda is a process that is just beginning and as already mentioned inrelevant electronic forums the process will not end with the World Summit
Miguel Saravia
27
11 Vision based on the work of the Comunidad Virtual Mistica For further information see httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 L ook i ng f or t he m o s tappr opr i at e f ramewor k hellip
It was found that the framework used by different government circles in theregion to design strategies related to the Information Society are very biasedtowards the ICT sector Emphasis is placed on setting up access facilitiesprogrammes to support the information and communication technologiessector the development of electronic government applications etc
A thorough review of different existing models and the proposals shared indifferent international forums such as the preparatory meeting in Bavaro forthe Information Society Summit the high level meeting between the EuropeanUnion-Latin America and the Andean ICT workshop reveals that as a commondenominator the existing framework is insufficient for understanding howinformation and communication technologies can make a significant change inthe struggle against poverty in our countries
The CEPAL Model
The Economic Commission for LatinA m e r i c a1 3 has designed a three-dimensional model with horizontallevels vertical sectors and transversalareas The horizontal dimension showsthe ldquosegmentsrdquo that representinfrastructure and generic services (TVradio Internet) The vertical dimensionshows the sectors that become thelsquoinformation societyrsquo
It is interesting to note that the cube adds a third dimension which makes thescheme more complicated but allows the introduction of transversal issuessuch as regulatory frameworks financing and human capital
The information society scheme proposed by CEPAL gives the impression thatthe society is limited to electronics and that the way to become an informationsociety is only viewed from the e-included in the sectors A legitimate questionwould be how does the model envisage the participation of civilians in theprocess Or how to face the evident qualms about starting the informationsociety development process
29
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
The horizontal segments are conceived as very functional for the sectorswhereas capacity-building is considered to be the technical capacity requiredto deal with the technologies involved in the construction of information ratherthan the social skills required to understand the processes and adapt them tonational contexts
The Gino Germani Research Institute Model
This scheme shows a series ofconcentric rings with the targetpoint in the middle referred toas the lsquoinformation societyrsquo
It was designed in the GinoGermani Research Institute ofthe University of Buenos Aires14
and proposes working inwardsfrom the outside starting withpolicies access developmentuse appropriation and finallyproduction Reading it that wayit is easy to understand thelogic of the processcomplemented by the transversal pivotal points that cut through the circleswhich refer to social inclusion gender and minorities
This way of depicting the information society structuring process considers theimportance of a gradual progress creating the conditions for the society toachieve another level of development in a joint collective manner
This model takes it for granted that there is a consensus that the informationsociety structuring process should be wide-ranging with the participation of allsectors including the civil society However our research shows that thedominating view is that in which priority is placed on the e-strategies
Another aspect the model fails to include concerns the forces that could eitherboost or stunt the processes that is where we should see the civil society andcivilian organisations In other words there is an evident lack of elements toshow the driving force behind the information society which should be thesociety itself with its needs and priorities
It may not be a specific responsibility of the theoretical frameworks but of thecapacity of the civil society itself to claim its role as the driving force behind thesociety
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
30
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
The Valenti Model15
D r Valenti of theOrganisation of Spanish-American States forEducation Science andCulture designed a modelsubsequent to existingmodels having beencriticised because of theirclassic way ofunderstanding thelsquoinformation societyrsquo As faras Dr Valenti is concernedtwo main componentsneeded to be added to the classic standpoint citizen participation andtechnological innovation Not that this was not acknowledged in the cube orthe circles since the explanation did in fact mention the importance ofconsidering all agents However Dr Valentirsquos text places social participationat the centre of the action as a fundamental component of the process
In the cube people are non-existent or invisible In the circles model socialparticipation is tacit but not explicit In Valentirsquos model the collective aspect isthe driving force ldquoWithout participation there is no interaction and withoutinteraction there is no innovation If there is no participation or a capacity forinnovation it would be impossible to structure an Information Societyrdquo16 DrValenti places emphasis on the need to promote institution-building upheld bylocal development systems and the promotion of local innovation mechanisms
In Latin America new local institutions are being consolidated such as thelocal development committees in various Latin American communities the anti-poverty boards the concerted action boards and the public-private discussionpanels17 It is interesting to note how these panels can make up the newinstitutions that Dr Valenti refers to
Nevertheless none of the models described above have includedtechnological innovation
A Transforming Innovation Model
In a book entitled ldquoRural Development and ICT A Rural Development Approachwith the Integration of Information and Communication Technologiesrdquo theconcept referred to as a transforming innovation is explained This conceptintroduces innovation as an element that will set in motion the socialtransformation process18
Miguel Saravia
31
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organised by the Department for International
Development of the United Kingdom the World Bank and other organisations (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (at the printerrsquos)
The lsquoinformation societyrsquo is something that needs to be attained and in orderto do so our society needs to change existing social relations must be fairerwith equal opportunities for everyone This model recovers the revolutionarydimension of the application of ICT to development processes
In order to understand how Latin America is progressing towards theInformation Society it is necessary to look for consistency in all theseapproaches rather than choosing just one Whereas the Valenti model providesa good definition of the different agents the circles scheme provides a clearunderstanding of the collective process and the CEPAL cube details theinteraction of the various sectors once we have move forward within theinformation society This last approach emphasizes the need to introduceinnovation processes to help transform the society
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
32
4 Pub l i c- pr i vate part ner sh i ps f o rstr uct uri ng t h e i n f ormat i on soc i et y
Structuring the information society is a taskthat involves all sectors of society ie citizensin their different facets - studentsentrepreneurs researchers social activists -and governors Anything not related to thegovernment should be considered privateencompassing the so-called third sector andthe business sector
We shall use the term ldquopublic-privatepartnershipsrdquo to refer to alliances betweengovernments the business sector and civilianorganisations These alliances can be definedas ldquothe arrangements whereby the public andprivate sectors sign agreements to implementjoint research and development projects joining their resources and skillsrdquo19
Another more accurate definition of what should be understood by the termpartnerships ldquojoint initiatives of the public and private sectors the profit-makingsector and the not-for-profit sector which are also understood to begovernmental business and civilian sectors Within these partnerships eachpartner contributes with resources (financial human technical and intangiblesuch as information or political support) and participates in the decision-makingprocessrdquo20
It was already been proved that public-private partnerships provide newresources to poverty-reduction initiatives It is safe to say that thesepartnerships increase the productivity of available resources Furthermorepartnerships imply a number of ways of generating assets in terms of humandevelopment and social capital creating the right conditions for achievingmultiplying effects
As Fiszbein and Lowden said ldquoPartnerships have the potential to createchanging patterns that strengthen themselves the great advantage being thatthe whole can be so much better than the sum of its partsrdquo
The main question is how to institutionalise the participation of the privatesector and the civil society in national programmes for the information society21
and how to create this mutually gainful environment
33
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz amp Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
This matter has not been clearly defined from the point of view of civilianorganizations much less from the viewpoint of the public sector In the earlynineties the main NGOs from the northern hemisphere realized that the impactof their work was temporary and of a very small scale Hence the developmentof a number of strategies to increase both the impact and the scope of their work
The following were among the actions promoted
bull Cooperation with the Governmentbull Expansion of their operationsbull Promotion of a direct contact between grassroots organisationsbull Local national and international advocacy and lobbying
In the ICT sector an analysis of advocacy agents reveals an unfair relationshipbetween the civil societyrsquos and the business sectorrsquos capacity to influence theGovernment and the State The following table prepared by Juliana Martinez22provides a better understanding of this statement
The graph also shows the lack of a relationship between civilian organisationsand the business sector Companies and their leaders are not usuallyconsidered influence subjects although it seems evident that if we influencethem and take advantage of their capacity to influence then indirectly we areinfluencing the Government as well
The idea is not to abandon the possibility of exercising a direct influence onpublic policies but to broaden the spectrum and learn from the experience ofother agents Again Juliana Martinez summarises the ideal model in a graph
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
34
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
The last conclusion sheds light on the characteristics of this research workOur main concern is to find a way to influence public policies for the informationsociety and not public policies in general The technical terms that define theinformation society are still unclear therefore opportunities are lost and variouscivilian organisations are afraid of making concrete proposals and applyingpressure to obtain what they want
Progress has been made with creating a social impression of the Internet butthat vision is yet to materialise in concrete regional and national advocacyproposals11
Undoubtedly the need to transform this collective social impression intoconcrete advocacy actions has been proved in the light of the participation ofcivilian organisations in the preparatory events of the World Summit of theInformation Society12 in which our participation was disjointed and without acommon regional standpoint The construction of this common advocacyagenda is a process that is just beginning and as already mentioned inrelevant electronic forums the process will not end with the World Summit
Miguel Saravia
27
11 Vision based on the work of the Comunidad Virtual Mistica For further information see httpfunredesorgmisticacastellanociberotecatematicaesp_doc_olist2html
12 httpwwwwsisorg
3 L ook i ng f or t he m o s tappr opr i at e f ramewor k hellip
It was found that the framework used by different government circles in theregion to design strategies related to the Information Society are very biasedtowards the ICT sector Emphasis is placed on setting up access facilitiesprogrammes to support the information and communication technologiessector the development of electronic government applications etc
A thorough review of different existing models and the proposals shared indifferent international forums such as the preparatory meeting in Bavaro forthe Information Society Summit the high level meeting between the EuropeanUnion-Latin America and the Andean ICT workshop reveals that as a commondenominator the existing framework is insufficient for understanding howinformation and communication technologies can make a significant change inthe struggle against poverty in our countries
The CEPAL Model
The Economic Commission for LatinA m e r i c a1 3 has designed a three-dimensional model with horizontallevels vertical sectors and transversalareas The horizontal dimension showsthe ldquosegmentsrdquo that representinfrastructure and generic services (TVradio Internet) The vertical dimensionshows the sectors that become thelsquoinformation societyrsquo
It is interesting to note that the cube adds a third dimension which makes thescheme more complicated but allows the introduction of transversal issuessuch as regulatory frameworks financing and human capital
The information society scheme proposed by CEPAL gives the impression thatthe society is limited to electronics and that the way to become an informationsociety is only viewed from the e-included in the sectors A legitimate questionwould be how does the model envisage the participation of civilians in theprocess Or how to face the evident qualms about starting the informationsociety development process
29
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
The horizontal segments are conceived as very functional for the sectorswhereas capacity-building is considered to be the technical capacity requiredto deal with the technologies involved in the construction of information ratherthan the social skills required to understand the processes and adapt them tonational contexts
The Gino Germani Research Institute Model
This scheme shows a series ofconcentric rings with the targetpoint in the middle referred toas the lsquoinformation societyrsquo
It was designed in the GinoGermani Research Institute ofthe University of Buenos Aires14
and proposes working inwardsfrom the outside starting withpolicies access developmentuse appropriation and finallyproduction Reading it that wayit is easy to understand thelogic of the processcomplemented by the transversal pivotal points that cut through the circleswhich refer to social inclusion gender and minorities
This way of depicting the information society structuring process considers theimportance of a gradual progress creating the conditions for the society toachieve another level of development in a joint collective manner
This model takes it for granted that there is a consensus that the informationsociety structuring process should be wide-ranging with the participation of allsectors including the civil society However our research shows that thedominating view is that in which priority is placed on the e-strategies
Another aspect the model fails to include concerns the forces that could eitherboost or stunt the processes that is where we should see the civil society andcivilian organisations In other words there is an evident lack of elements toshow the driving force behind the information society which should be thesociety itself with its needs and priorities
It may not be a specific responsibility of the theoretical frameworks but of thecapacity of the civil society itself to claim its role as the driving force behind thesociety
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
30
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
The Valenti Model15
D r Valenti of theOrganisation of Spanish-American States forEducation Science andCulture designed a modelsubsequent to existingmodels having beencriticised because of theirclassic way ofunderstanding thelsquoinformation societyrsquo As faras Dr Valenti is concernedtwo main componentsneeded to be added to the classic standpoint citizen participation andtechnological innovation Not that this was not acknowledged in the cube orthe circles since the explanation did in fact mention the importance ofconsidering all agents However Dr Valentirsquos text places social participationat the centre of the action as a fundamental component of the process
In the cube people are non-existent or invisible In the circles model socialparticipation is tacit but not explicit In Valentirsquos model the collective aspect isthe driving force ldquoWithout participation there is no interaction and withoutinteraction there is no innovation If there is no participation or a capacity forinnovation it would be impossible to structure an Information Societyrdquo16 DrValenti places emphasis on the need to promote institution-building upheld bylocal development systems and the promotion of local innovation mechanisms
In Latin America new local institutions are being consolidated such as thelocal development committees in various Latin American communities the anti-poverty boards the concerted action boards and the public-private discussionpanels17 It is interesting to note how these panels can make up the newinstitutions that Dr Valenti refers to
Nevertheless none of the models described above have includedtechnological innovation
A Transforming Innovation Model
In a book entitled ldquoRural Development and ICT A Rural Development Approachwith the Integration of Information and Communication Technologiesrdquo theconcept referred to as a transforming innovation is explained This conceptintroduces innovation as an element that will set in motion the socialtransformation process18
Miguel Saravia
31
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organised by the Department for International
Development of the United Kingdom the World Bank and other organisations (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (at the printerrsquos)
The lsquoinformation societyrsquo is something that needs to be attained and in orderto do so our society needs to change existing social relations must be fairerwith equal opportunities for everyone This model recovers the revolutionarydimension of the application of ICT to development processes
In order to understand how Latin America is progressing towards theInformation Society it is necessary to look for consistency in all theseapproaches rather than choosing just one Whereas the Valenti model providesa good definition of the different agents the circles scheme provides a clearunderstanding of the collective process and the CEPAL cube details theinteraction of the various sectors once we have move forward within theinformation society This last approach emphasizes the need to introduceinnovation processes to help transform the society
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
32
4 Pub l i c- pr i vate part ner sh i ps f o rstr uct uri ng t h e i n f ormat i on soc i et y
Structuring the information society is a taskthat involves all sectors of society ie citizensin their different facets - studentsentrepreneurs researchers social activists -and governors Anything not related to thegovernment should be considered privateencompassing the so-called third sector andthe business sector
We shall use the term ldquopublic-privatepartnershipsrdquo to refer to alliances betweengovernments the business sector and civilianorganisations These alliances can be definedas ldquothe arrangements whereby the public andprivate sectors sign agreements to implementjoint research and development projects joining their resources and skillsrdquo19
Another more accurate definition of what should be understood by the termpartnerships ldquojoint initiatives of the public and private sectors the profit-makingsector and the not-for-profit sector which are also understood to begovernmental business and civilian sectors Within these partnerships eachpartner contributes with resources (financial human technical and intangiblesuch as information or political support) and participates in the decision-makingprocessrdquo20
It was already been proved that public-private partnerships provide newresources to poverty-reduction initiatives It is safe to say that thesepartnerships increase the productivity of available resources Furthermorepartnerships imply a number of ways of generating assets in terms of humandevelopment and social capital creating the right conditions for achievingmultiplying effects
As Fiszbein and Lowden said ldquoPartnerships have the potential to createchanging patterns that strengthen themselves the great advantage being thatthe whole can be so much better than the sum of its partsrdquo
The main question is how to institutionalise the participation of the privatesector and the civil society in national programmes for the information society21
and how to create this mutually gainful environment
33
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz amp Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
This matter has not been clearly defined from the point of view of civilianorganizations much less from the viewpoint of the public sector In the earlynineties the main NGOs from the northern hemisphere realized that the impactof their work was temporary and of a very small scale Hence the developmentof a number of strategies to increase both the impact and the scope of their work
The following were among the actions promoted
bull Cooperation with the Governmentbull Expansion of their operationsbull Promotion of a direct contact between grassroots organisationsbull Local national and international advocacy and lobbying
In the ICT sector an analysis of advocacy agents reveals an unfair relationshipbetween the civil societyrsquos and the business sectorrsquos capacity to influence theGovernment and the State The following table prepared by Juliana Martinez22provides a better understanding of this statement
The graph also shows the lack of a relationship between civilian organisationsand the business sector Companies and their leaders are not usuallyconsidered influence subjects although it seems evident that if we influencethem and take advantage of their capacity to influence then indirectly we areinfluencing the Government as well
The idea is not to abandon the possibility of exercising a direct influence onpublic policies but to broaden the spectrum and learn from the experience ofother agents Again Juliana Martinez summarises the ideal model in a graph
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
34
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
3 L ook i ng f or t he m o s tappr opr i at e f ramewor k hellip
It was found that the framework used by different government circles in theregion to design strategies related to the Information Society are very biasedtowards the ICT sector Emphasis is placed on setting up access facilitiesprogrammes to support the information and communication technologiessector the development of electronic government applications etc
A thorough review of different existing models and the proposals shared indifferent international forums such as the preparatory meeting in Bavaro forthe Information Society Summit the high level meeting between the EuropeanUnion-Latin America and the Andean ICT workshop reveals that as a commondenominator the existing framework is insufficient for understanding howinformation and communication technologies can make a significant change inthe struggle against poverty in our countries
The CEPAL Model
The Economic Commission for LatinA m e r i c a1 3 has designed a three-dimensional model with horizontallevels vertical sectors and transversalareas The horizontal dimension showsthe ldquosegmentsrdquo that representinfrastructure and generic services (TVradio Internet) The vertical dimensionshows the sectors that become thelsquoinformation societyrsquo
It is interesting to note that the cube adds a third dimension which makes thescheme more complicated but allows the introduction of transversal issuessuch as regulatory frameworks financing and human capital
The information society scheme proposed by CEPAL gives the impression thatthe society is limited to electronics and that the way to become an informationsociety is only viewed from the e-included in the sectors A legitimate questionwould be how does the model envisage the participation of civilians in theprocess Or how to face the evident qualms about starting the informationsociety development process
29
13 httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1Plcg2195e2pdf
The horizontal segments are conceived as very functional for the sectorswhereas capacity-building is considered to be the technical capacity requiredto deal with the technologies involved in the construction of information ratherthan the social skills required to understand the processes and adapt them tonational contexts
The Gino Germani Research Institute Model
This scheme shows a series ofconcentric rings with the targetpoint in the middle referred toas the lsquoinformation societyrsquo
It was designed in the GinoGermani Research Institute ofthe University of Buenos Aires14
and proposes working inwardsfrom the outside starting withpolicies access developmentuse appropriation and finallyproduction Reading it that wayit is easy to understand thelogic of the processcomplemented by the transversal pivotal points that cut through the circleswhich refer to social inclusion gender and minorities
This way of depicting the information society structuring process considers theimportance of a gradual progress creating the conditions for the society toachieve another level of development in a joint collective manner
This model takes it for granted that there is a consensus that the informationsociety structuring process should be wide-ranging with the participation of allsectors including the civil society However our research shows that thedominating view is that in which priority is placed on the e-strategies
Another aspect the model fails to include concerns the forces that could eitherboost or stunt the processes that is where we should see the civil society andcivilian organisations In other words there is an evident lack of elements toshow the driving force behind the information society which should be thesociety itself with its needs and priorities
It may not be a specific responsibility of the theoretical frameworks but of thecapacity of the civil society itself to claim its role as the driving force behind thesociety
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
30
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
The Valenti Model15
D r Valenti of theOrganisation of Spanish-American States forEducation Science andCulture designed a modelsubsequent to existingmodels having beencriticised because of theirclassic way ofunderstanding thelsquoinformation societyrsquo As faras Dr Valenti is concernedtwo main componentsneeded to be added to the classic standpoint citizen participation andtechnological innovation Not that this was not acknowledged in the cube orthe circles since the explanation did in fact mention the importance ofconsidering all agents However Dr Valentirsquos text places social participationat the centre of the action as a fundamental component of the process
In the cube people are non-existent or invisible In the circles model socialparticipation is tacit but not explicit In Valentirsquos model the collective aspect isthe driving force ldquoWithout participation there is no interaction and withoutinteraction there is no innovation If there is no participation or a capacity forinnovation it would be impossible to structure an Information Societyrdquo16 DrValenti places emphasis on the need to promote institution-building upheld bylocal development systems and the promotion of local innovation mechanisms
In Latin America new local institutions are being consolidated such as thelocal development committees in various Latin American communities the anti-poverty boards the concerted action boards and the public-private discussionpanels17 It is interesting to note how these panels can make up the newinstitutions that Dr Valenti refers to
Nevertheless none of the models described above have includedtechnological innovation
A Transforming Innovation Model
In a book entitled ldquoRural Development and ICT A Rural Development Approachwith the Integration of Information and Communication Technologiesrdquo theconcept referred to as a transforming innovation is explained This conceptintroduces innovation as an element that will set in motion the socialtransformation process18
Miguel Saravia
31
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organised by the Department for International
Development of the United Kingdom the World Bank and other organisations (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (at the printerrsquos)
The lsquoinformation societyrsquo is something that needs to be attained and in orderto do so our society needs to change existing social relations must be fairerwith equal opportunities for everyone This model recovers the revolutionarydimension of the application of ICT to development processes
In order to understand how Latin America is progressing towards theInformation Society it is necessary to look for consistency in all theseapproaches rather than choosing just one Whereas the Valenti model providesa good definition of the different agents the circles scheme provides a clearunderstanding of the collective process and the CEPAL cube details theinteraction of the various sectors once we have move forward within theinformation society This last approach emphasizes the need to introduceinnovation processes to help transform the society
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
32
4 Pub l i c- pr i vate part ner sh i ps f o rstr uct uri ng t h e i n f ormat i on soc i et y
Structuring the information society is a taskthat involves all sectors of society ie citizensin their different facets - studentsentrepreneurs researchers social activists -and governors Anything not related to thegovernment should be considered privateencompassing the so-called third sector andthe business sector
We shall use the term ldquopublic-privatepartnershipsrdquo to refer to alliances betweengovernments the business sector and civilianorganisations These alliances can be definedas ldquothe arrangements whereby the public andprivate sectors sign agreements to implementjoint research and development projects joining their resources and skillsrdquo19
Another more accurate definition of what should be understood by the termpartnerships ldquojoint initiatives of the public and private sectors the profit-makingsector and the not-for-profit sector which are also understood to begovernmental business and civilian sectors Within these partnerships eachpartner contributes with resources (financial human technical and intangiblesuch as information or political support) and participates in the decision-makingprocessrdquo20
It was already been proved that public-private partnerships provide newresources to poverty-reduction initiatives It is safe to say that thesepartnerships increase the productivity of available resources Furthermorepartnerships imply a number of ways of generating assets in terms of humandevelopment and social capital creating the right conditions for achievingmultiplying effects
As Fiszbein and Lowden said ldquoPartnerships have the potential to createchanging patterns that strengthen themselves the great advantage being thatthe whole can be so much better than the sum of its partsrdquo
The main question is how to institutionalise the participation of the privatesector and the civil society in national programmes for the information society21
and how to create this mutually gainful environment
33
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz amp Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
This matter has not been clearly defined from the point of view of civilianorganizations much less from the viewpoint of the public sector In the earlynineties the main NGOs from the northern hemisphere realized that the impactof their work was temporary and of a very small scale Hence the developmentof a number of strategies to increase both the impact and the scope of their work
The following were among the actions promoted
bull Cooperation with the Governmentbull Expansion of their operationsbull Promotion of a direct contact between grassroots organisationsbull Local national and international advocacy and lobbying
In the ICT sector an analysis of advocacy agents reveals an unfair relationshipbetween the civil societyrsquos and the business sectorrsquos capacity to influence theGovernment and the State The following table prepared by Juliana Martinez22provides a better understanding of this statement
The graph also shows the lack of a relationship between civilian organisationsand the business sector Companies and their leaders are not usuallyconsidered influence subjects although it seems evident that if we influencethem and take advantage of their capacity to influence then indirectly we areinfluencing the Government as well
The idea is not to abandon the possibility of exercising a direct influence onpublic policies but to broaden the spectrum and learn from the experience ofother agents Again Juliana Martinez summarises the ideal model in a graph
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
34
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
The horizontal segments are conceived as very functional for the sectorswhereas capacity-building is considered to be the technical capacity requiredto deal with the technologies involved in the construction of information ratherthan the social skills required to understand the processes and adapt them tonational contexts
The Gino Germani Research Institute Model
This scheme shows a series ofconcentric rings with the targetpoint in the middle referred toas the lsquoinformation societyrsquo
It was designed in the GinoGermani Research Institute ofthe University of Buenos Aires14
and proposes working inwardsfrom the outside starting withpolicies access developmentuse appropriation and finallyproduction Reading it that wayit is easy to understand thelogic of the processcomplemented by the transversal pivotal points that cut through the circleswhich refer to social inclusion gender and minorities
This way of depicting the information society structuring process considers theimportance of a gradual progress creating the conditions for the society toachieve another level of development in a joint collective manner
This model takes it for granted that there is a consensus that the informationsociety structuring process should be wide-ranging with the participation of allsectors including the civil society However our research shows that thedominating view is that in which priority is placed on the e-strategies
Another aspect the model fails to include concerns the forces that could eitherboost or stunt the processes that is where we should see the civil society andcivilian organisations In other words there is an evident lack of elements toshow the driving force behind the information society which should be thesociety itself with its needs and priorities
It may not be a specific responsibility of the theoretical frameworks but of thecapacity of the civil society itself to claim its role as the driving force behind thesociety
Organizaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionales TI C bu scando el encuentro
Civil So ciety and Nation al ICT Progra mmes matchmaking
30
14 httpwwwiiggfsocubaardocsdtdt37pdf
The Valenti Model15
D r Valenti of theOrganisation of Spanish-American States forEducation Science andCulture designed a modelsubsequent to existingmodels having beencriticised because of theirclassic way ofunderstanding thelsquoinformation societyrsquo As faras Dr Valenti is concernedtwo main componentsneeded to be added to the classic standpoint citizen participation andtechnological innovation Not that this was not acknowledged in the cube orthe circles since the explanation did in fact mention the importance ofconsidering all agents However Dr Valentirsquos text places social participationat the centre of the action as a fundamental component of the process
In the cube people are non-existent or invisible In the circles model socialparticipation is tacit but not explicit In Valentirsquos model the collective aspect isthe driving force ldquoWithout participation there is no interaction and withoutinteraction there is no innovation If there is no participation or a capacity forinnovation it would be impossible to structure an Information Societyrdquo16 DrValenti places emphasis on the need to promote institution-building upheld bylocal development systems and the promotion of local innovation mechanisms
In Latin America new local institutions are being consolidated such as thelocal development committees in various Latin American communities the anti-poverty boards the concerted action boards and the public-private discussionpanels17 It is interesting to note how these panels can make up the newinstitutions that Dr Valenti refers to
Nevertheless none of the models described above have includedtechnological innovation
A Transforming Innovation Model
In a book entitled ldquoRural Development and ICT A Rural Development Approachwith the Integration of Information and Communication Technologiesrdquo theconcept referred to as a transforming innovation is explained This conceptintroduces innovation as an element that will set in motion the socialtransformation process18
Miguel Saravia
31
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organised by the Department for International
Development of the United Kingdom the World Bank and other organisations (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (at the printerrsquos)
The lsquoinformation societyrsquo is something that needs to be attained and in orderto do so our society needs to change existing social relations must be fairerwith equal opportunities for everyone This model recovers the revolutionarydimension of the application of ICT to development processes
In order to understand how Latin America is progressing towards theInformation Society it is necessary to look for consistency in all theseapproaches rather than choosing just one Whereas the Valenti model providesa good definition of the different agents the circles scheme provides a clearunderstanding of the collective process and the CEPAL cube details theinteraction of the various sectors once we have move forward within theinformation society This last approach emphasizes the need to introduceinnovation processes to help transform the society
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
32
4 Pub l i c- pr i vate part ner sh i ps f o rstr uct uri ng t h e i n f ormat i on soc i et y
Structuring the information society is a taskthat involves all sectors of society ie citizensin their different facets - studentsentrepreneurs researchers social activists -and governors Anything not related to thegovernment should be considered privateencompassing the so-called third sector andthe business sector
We shall use the term ldquopublic-privatepartnershipsrdquo to refer to alliances betweengovernments the business sector and civilianorganisations These alliances can be definedas ldquothe arrangements whereby the public andprivate sectors sign agreements to implementjoint research and development projects joining their resources and skillsrdquo19
Another more accurate definition of what should be understood by the termpartnerships ldquojoint initiatives of the public and private sectors the profit-makingsector and the not-for-profit sector which are also understood to begovernmental business and civilian sectors Within these partnerships eachpartner contributes with resources (financial human technical and intangiblesuch as information or political support) and participates in the decision-makingprocessrdquo20
It was already been proved that public-private partnerships provide newresources to poverty-reduction initiatives It is safe to say that thesepartnerships increase the productivity of available resources Furthermorepartnerships imply a number of ways of generating assets in terms of humandevelopment and social capital creating the right conditions for achievingmultiplying effects
As Fiszbein and Lowden said ldquoPartnerships have the potential to createchanging patterns that strengthen themselves the great advantage being thatthe whole can be so much better than the sum of its partsrdquo
The main question is how to institutionalise the participation of the privatesector and the civil society in national programmes for the information society21
and how to create this mutually gainful environment
33
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz amp Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
This matter has not been clearly defined from the point of view of civilianorganizations much less from the viewpoint of the public sector In the earlynineties the main NGOs from the northern hemisphere realized that the impactof their work was temporary and of a very small scale Hence the developmentof a number of strategies to increase both the impact and the scope of their work
The following were among the actions promoted
bull Cooperation with the Governmentbull Expansion of their operationsbull Promotion of a direct contact between grassroots organisationsbull Local national and international advocacy and lobbying
In the ICT sector an analysis of advocacy agents reveals an unfair relationshipbetween the civil societyrsquos and the business sectorrsquos capacity to influence theGovernment and the State The following table prepared by Juliana Martinez22provides a better understanding of this statement
The graph also shows the lack of a relationship between civilian organisationsand the business sector Companies and their leaders are not usuallyconsidered influence subjects although it seems evident that if we influencethem and take advantage of their capacity to influence then indirectly we areinfluencing the Government as well
The idea is not to abandon the possibility of exercising a direct influence onpublic policies but to broaden the spectrum and learn from the experience ofother agents Again Juliana Martinez summarises the ideal model in a graph
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
34
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
The Valenti Model15
D r Valenti of theOrganisation of Spanish-American States forEducation Science andCulture designed a modelsubsequent to existingmodels having beencriticised because of theirclassic way ofunderstanding thelsquoinformation societyrsquo As faras Dr Valenti is concernedtwo main componentsneeded to be added to the classic standpoint citizen participation andtechnological innovation Not that this was not acknowledged in the cube orthe circles since the explanation did in fact mention the importance ofconsidering all agents However Dr Valentirsquos text places social participationat the centre of the action as a fundamental component of the process
In the cube people are non-existent or invisible In the circles model socialparticipation is tacit but not explicit In Valentirsquos model the collective aspect isthe driving force ldquoWithout participation there is no interaction and withoutinteraction there is no innovation If there is no participation or a capacity forinnovation it would be impossible to structure an Information Societyrdquo16 DrValenti places emphasis on the need to promote institution-building upheld bylocal development systems and the promotion of local innovation mechanisms
In Latin America new local institutions are being consolidated such as thelocal development committees in various Latin American communities the anti-poverty boards the concerted action boards and the public-private discussionpanels17 It is interesting to note how these panels can make up the newinstitutions that Dr Valenti refers to
Nevertheless none of the models described above have includedtechnological innovation
A Transforming Innovation Model
In a book entitled ldquoRural Development and ICT A Rural Development Approachwith the Integration of Information and Communication Technologiesrdquo theconcept referred to as a transforming innovation is explained This conceptintroduces innovation as an element that will set in motion the socialtransformation process18
Miguel Saravia
31
15 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 16 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 17 ldquoTaller Internacional sobre participacioacuten y empoderamiento para un desarrollo inclusivordquo organised by the Department for International
Development of the United Kingdom the World Bank and other organisations (httpwwwbancomundialorgforos)18 Desarrollo Rural y Tecnologiacuteas de Informacioacuten y Comunicacioacuten Juan Fernando Bossio Javier Loacutepez Velarde Miguel Saravia Peter Wolf
Lima GTZ ITDG MINAG-DGIA 2004 (at the printerrsquos)
The lsquoinformation societyrsquo is something that needs to be attained and in orderto do so our society needs to change existing social relations must be fairerwith equal opportunities for everyone This model recovers the revolutionarydimension of the application of ICT to development processes
In order to understand how Latin America is progressing towards theInformation Society it is necessary to look for consistency in all theseapproaches rather than choosing just one Whereas the Valenti model providesa good definition of the different agents the circles scheme provides a clearunderstanding of the collective process and the CEPAL cube details theinteraction of the various sectors once we have move forward within theinformation society This last approach emphasizes the need to introduceinnovation processes to help transform the society
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
32
4 Pub l i c- pr i vate part ner sh i ps f o rstr uct uri ng t h e i n f ormat i on soc i et y
Structuring the information society is a taskthat involves all sectors of society ie citizensin their different facets - studentsentrepreneurs researchers social activists -and governors Anything not related to thegovernment should be considered privateencompassing the so-called third sector andthe business sector
We shall use the term ldquopublic-privatepartnershipsrdquo to refer to alliances betweengovernments the business sector and civilianorganisations These alliances can be definedas ldquothe arrangements whereby the public andprivate sectors sign agreements to implementjoint research and development projects joining their resources and skillsrdquo19
Another more accurate definition of what should be understood by the termpartnerships ldquojoint initiatives of the public and private sectors the profit-makingsector and the not-for-profit sector which are also understood to begovernmental business and civilian sectors Within these partnerships eachpartner contributes with resources (financial human technical and intangiblesuch as information or political support) and participates in the decision-makingprocessrdquo20
It was already been proved that public-private partnerships provide newresources to poverty-reduction initiatives It is safe to say that thesepartnerships increase the productivity of available resources Furthermorepartnerships imply a number of ways of generating assets in terms of humandevelopment and social capital creating the right conditions for achievingmultiplying effects
As Fiszbein and Lowden said ldquoPartnerships have the potential to createchanging patterns that strengthen themselves the great advantage being thatthe whole can be so much better than the sum of its partsrdquo
The main question is how to institutionalise the participation of the privatesector and the civil society in national programmes for the information society21
and how to create this mutually gainful environment
33
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz amp Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
This matter has not been clearly defined from the point of view of civilianorganizations much less from the viewpoint of the public sector In the earlynineties the main NGOs from the northern hemisphere realized that the impactof their work was temporary and of a very small scale Hence the developmentof a number of strategies to increase both the impact and the scope of their work
The following were among the actions promoted
bull Cooperation with the Governmentbull Expansion of their operationsbull Promotion of a direct contact between grassroots organisationsbull Local national and international advocacy and lobbying
In the ICT sector an analysis of advocacy agents reveals an unfair relationshipbetween the civil societyrsquos and the business sectorrsquos capacity to influence theGovernment and the State The following table prepared by Juliana Martinez22provides a better understanding of this statement
The graph also shows the lack of a relationship between civilian organisationsand the business sector Companies and their leaders are not usuallyconsidered influence subjects although it seems evident that if we influencethem and take advantage of their capacity to influence then indirectly we areinfluencing the Government as well
The idea is not to abandon the possibility of exercising a direct influence onpublic policies but to broaden the spectrum and learn from the experience ofother agents Again Juliana Martinez summarises the ideal model in a graph
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
34
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
The lsquoinformation societyrsquo is something that needs to be attained and in orderto do so our society needs to change existing social relations must be fairerwith equal opportunities for everyone This model recovers the revolutionarydimension of the application of ICT to development processes
In order to understand how Latin America is progressing towards theInformation Society it is necessary to look for consistency in all theseapproaches rather than choosing just one Whereas the Valenti model providesa good definition of the different agents the circles scheme provides a clearunderstanding of the collective process and the CEPAL cube details theinteraction of the various sectors once we have move forward within theinformation society This last approach emphasizes the need to introduceinnovation processes to help transform the society
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
32
4 Pub l i c- pr i vate part ner sh i ps f o rstr uct uri ng t h e i n f ormat i on soc i et y
Structuring the information society is a taskthat involves all sectors of society ie citizensin their different facets - studentsentrepreneurs researchers social activists -and governors Anything not related to thegovernment should be considered privateencompassing the so-called third sector andthe business sector
We shall use the term ldquopublic-privatepartnershipsrdquo to refer to alliances betweengovernments the business sector and civilianorganisations These alliances can be definedas ldquothe arrangements whereby the public andprivate sectors sign agreements to implementjoint research and development projects joining their resources and skillsrdquo19
Another more accurate definition of what should be understood by the termpartnerships ldquojoint initiatives of the public and private sectors the profit-makingsector and the not-for-profit sector which are also understood to begovernmental business and civilian sectors Within these partnerships eachpartner contributes with resources (financial human technical and intangiblesuch as information or political support) and participates in the decision-makingprocessrdquo20
It was already been proved that public-private partnerships provide newresources to poverty-reduction initiatives It is safe to say that thesepartnerships increase the productivity of available resources Furthermorepartnerships imply a number of ways of generating assets in terms of humandevelopment and social capital creating the right conditions for achievingmultiplying effects
As Fiszbein and Lowden said ldquoPartnerships have the potential to createchanging patterns that strengthen themselves the great advantage being thatthe whole can be so much better than the sum of its partsrdquo
The main question is how to institutionalise the participation of the privatesector and the civil society in national programmes for the information society21
and how to create this mutually gainful environment
33
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz amp Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
This matter has not been clearly defined from the point of view of civilianorganizations much less from the viewpoint of the public sector In the earlynineties the main NGOs from the northern hemisphere realized that the impactof their work was temporary and of a very small scale Hence the developmentof a number of strategies to increase both the impact and the scope of their work
The following were among the actions promoted
bull Cooperation with the Governmentbull Expansion of their operationsbull Promotion of a direct contact between grassroots organisationsbull Local national and international advocacy and lobbying
In the ICT sector an analysis of advocacy agents reveals an unfair relationshipbetween the civil societyrsquos and the business sectorrsquos capacity to influence theGovernment and the State The following table prepared by Juliana Martinez22provides a better understanding of this statement
The graph also shows the lack of a relationship between civilian organisationsand the business sector Companies and their leaders are not usuallyconsidered influence subjects although it seems evident that if we influencethem and take advantage of their capacity to influence then indirectly we areinfluencing the Government as well
The idea is not to abandon the possibility of exercising a direct influence onpublic policies but to broaden the spectrum and learn from the experience ofother agents Again Juliana Martinez summarises the ideal model in a graph
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
34
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
4 Pub l i c- pr i vate part ner sh i ps f o rstr uct uri ng t h e i n f ormat i on soc i et y
Structuring the information society is a taskthat involves all sectors of society ie citizensin their different facets - studentsentrepreneurs researchers social activists -and governors Anything not related to thegovernment should be considered privateencompassing the so-called third sector andthe business sector
We shall use the term ldquopublic-privatepartnershipsrdquo to refer to alliances betweengovernments the business sector and civilianorganisations These alliances can be definedas ldquothe arrangements whereby the public andprivate sectors sign agreements to implementjoint research and development projects joining their resources and skillsrdquo19
Another more accurate definition of what should be understood by the termpartnerships ldquojoint initiatives of the public and private sectors the profit-makingsector and the not-for-profit sector which are also understood to begovernmental business and civilian sectors Within these partnerships eachpartner contributes with resources (financial human technical and intangiblesuch as information or political support) and participates in the decision-makingprocessrdquo20
It was already been proved that public-private partnerships provide newresources to poverty-reduction initiatives It is safe to say that thesepartnerships increase the productivity of available resources Furthermorepartnerships imply a number of ways of generating assets in terms of humandevelopment and social capital creating the right conditions for achievingmultiplying effects
As Fiszbein and Lowden said ldquoPartnerships have the potential to createchanging patterns that strengthen themselves the great advantage being thatthe whole can be so much better than the sum of its partsrdquo
The main question is how to institutionalise the participation of the privatesector and the civil society in national programmes for the information society21
and how to create this mutually gainful environment
33
19 Partnerships for Innovation Development Modeling reason and behavior in public-private partnerships Hartwich Janssen and Tola 2003httpwwwisnarcgiarorgpppespdfSao_Paulo_Paperpdf
20 Trabajando Unidos para un Cambio Alianzas Puacuteblico-Privadas para la Reduccioacuten de la Pobreza en Ameacuterica Latina y el Caribe ArielFiszbein y Pamela Lowden
21 Road Maps towards an information society in Latin America and the Caribbean Jorge Katz amp Martin Hilbert Santiago CEPAL 2003 pag27httpwwweclacclpublicacionesDesarrolloProductivo1LCG2195Rev1PIlcg2195ipdf
This matter has not been clearly defined from the point of view of civilianorganizations much less from the viewpoint of the public sector In the earlynineties the main NGOs from the northern hemisphere realized that the impactof their work was temporary and of a very small scale Hence the developmentof a number of strategies to increase both the impact and the scope of their work
The following were among the actions promoted
bull Cooperation with the Governmentbull Expansion of their operationsbull Promotion of a direct contact between grassroots organisationsbull Local national and international advocacy and lobbying
In the ICT sector an analysis of advocacy agents reveals an unfair relationshipbetween the civil societyrsquos and the business sectorrsquos capacity to influence theGovernment and the State The following table prepared by Juliana Martinez22provides a better understanding of this statement
The graph also shows the lack of a relationship between civilian organisationsand the business sector Companies and their leaders are not usuallyconsidered influence subjects although it seems evident that if we influencethem and take advantage of their capacity to influence then indirectly we areinfluencing the Government as well
The idea is not to abandon the possibility of exercising a direct influence onpublic policies but to broaden the spectrum and learn from the experience ofother agents Again Juliana Martinez summarises the ideal model in a graph
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
34
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
This matter has not been clearly defined from the point of view of civilianorganizations much less from the viewpoint of the public sector In the earlynineties the main NGOs from the northern hemisphere realized that the impactof their work was temporary and of a very small scale Hence the developmentof a number of strategies to increase both the impact and the scope of their work
The following were among the actions promoted
bull Cooperation with the Governmentbull Expansion of their operationsbull Promotion of a direct contact between grassroots organisationsbull Local national and international advocacy and lobbying
In the ICT sector an analysis of advocacy agents reveals an unfair relationshipbetween the civil societyrsquos and the business sectorrsquos capacity to influence theGovernment and the State The following table prepared by Juliana Martinez22provides a better understanding of this statement
The graph also shows the lack of a relationship between civilian organisationsand the business sector Companies and their leaders are not usuallyconsidered influence subjects although it seems evident that if we influencethem and take advantage of their capacity to influence then indirectly we areinfluencing the Government as well
The idea is not to abandon the possibility of exercising a direct influence onpublic policies but to broaden the spectrum and learn from the experience ofother agents Again Juliana Martinez summarises the ideal model in a graph
Organ izaciones de la sociedad civil y programas na cionale s TI C buscando el encuentro
Civil Society and Nat ional ICT Programmes matchmaking
34
22 Juliana Martinez 2001 op cit
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
5 Proposal s f o r strengtheni ng t h eci v i l soci ety-government rel at i onshi p
As shown throughout this document it is not easy to draw up a synthesiscombining all the models Progress in building the lsquoinformation societyrsquo will onlybe achieved with the joint work of all agents
There are opportunities for the active participation of all agents in setting publicpolicies and therefore exercising a direct influence on decision-makers23 Inthe Foreword we mentioned that the main concern of the research work was toidentify mechanisms whereby the civil society could understand the process ofmaking ICT a public policy and combining technically financially and politicallyviable proposals
Based on interviews field trips and the review of documents throughout theresearch study 4 proposals were drawn up to help strengthen the relationshipbetween civilian organisations and governments
bull Permanent Learning Circles opportunities for discussionbull ICT Projects Monitor transparency and accountabilitybull Innovation for development recovering our enterprising skills bull SI regional training programme Regional ldquoThink tankrdquo
Permanent Learning Circles
The learning circles were used by the ldquoConnecting with the Futurerdquo Project inEl Salvador as a mechanism for promoting the participation of different agentsin designing the public agenda related to ICT and development24
In the learning circles surveys were carried out and projects proposed on siximportant issues for the development of El Salvador education migration localdevelopment rural development micro-small-medium companies and largepublic and private organisations
As far as Peru is concerned there is the experience of the Multi-sectorCommission for the Development of the Information Society - CODESI the mainpurpose of which was to draw up a plan for the development of the InformationSociety in Peru CODESI organized Working Committees to deal with 6 subjectsinfrastructure human skil ls social applications production and serviceselectronic government and the World Summit of the Information Society2 5
Once they completed their tasks these committees split up when in fact theyshould have remained as standing committees to analyse and reflect upon theissues they were dealing with Clearly this work will not be associative nor willit have the original advisory status but it will be a source of empowerment anda lobbying opportunity for future political actions
Miguel Saravia
35
23 Review El Salvador Venezuela Uruguay y Peruacute 4 experiencias de la relacioacuten sociedad civil y gobierno en la construccioacuten de la Sociedad dela Informacioacuten Informe de Investigacioacuten ITDG 2004
24 Review the case of El Salvador in the above-mentioned report 25 httpwwwcodesigobpe
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
The promotion of committees for the collective deliberation of the entirestrategy arose as a natural proposal that could be readily accepted by theagents involved These would have to be plural with the guaranteed presenceof all sectors It would be important for these groups to socialize theirdiscussions and share them with the society as a whole either at public forumsor electronically
ICT Projects Monitor
The case studies revealed that many public and private organisations arerepeating the same work in different countries in the region and even within thecountries themselves
The Institute for Connecting the Americas has launched an initiative to have aregional data base of ICT projects for the mapping of different past and presentinitiatives26 Global Knowledge Partnership is also working on a map oforganisations involved in ICTs for Development throughout the region27
The proposal complements the above initiatives but it requires a pact betweenthe different agents involved in ICTs for Development in Latin America ICTactivists donors multilateral organizations Governments
The Observatory could be fed with the above-mentioned directories and alsoaccumulate project documents evaluations lessons obtained and moreimportantly comments on the project written by observers or the beneficiariesthemselves
The Project does not contemplate accepting a common evaluation frameworkwhich in our opinion would render the Monitor unviable We suggest a moreconcrete proposal aimed at supporting the transparency of ICT f o rDevelopment actions and the rendering of accounts by all sectors
The document entitled Letter to Aunt Ophelia 7 proposals for a sustainablehuman development with the use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies stated the following
ldquoMany people feel threatened when mention is made of an evaluation as though it wasalways an audit aimed at finding out who can be blamed for the problems Although auditsare important for accountability purposes and for verifying processes the evaluation ofresults is a completely different matter Monitoring is useful for learning from mistakes andsuccesses improving operations and sharing lessons learnt along the way The purpose ofan evaluation is to learn about the results of activities and programmes and understand whatwas done to make a situation better or worse hopefully from different perspectives Toexpect to learn from an audit is a grave mistakerdquo 28
This Project intends to bridge the gap between Monitoring and Auditing withthe participation of numerous agents and a direct impact on the accountabilityand transparency of development promotion actions
Or gan izaciones de la so ciedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el e ncuentro
Civil Society and Nation al ICT Programmes matchmaking
36
26 httpwwwicamericasneticaonceproy_bsqphplang=spa 27 httpwwwgkplacorgindexhtmlan=esamppg=m3 28 httpwwwidrccapanricardopublicationsOfeliahtm
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
Innovation for Development
Dr Valenti commented on the need to recreate local institutions so that theycould become the protagonists of their own development He talked about localdevelopment systems as the basis of this new institutionalism29
There are several concerted local development initiatives in Latin Americancountries in which different levels of the State and the civil society alreadyc o n c u r including entrepreneurs3 0 There are also complex technologicalinnovation systems31 that are usually not involved in discussions with theselocal development planning agents
The purpose of this Project is to link these concerted development actions withthe recovery of the enterprising capacity of Latin American citizens so thatemphasis can be placed on processes that will lead the region towards theinformation society
We discovered that the best way to do so was by creating local mechanisms topromote technological innovation which had not been widely disseminated inthe region The most direct previous record identified was the project entitledldquoStrengthening Citizen Participation for Local Economic Developmentrdquo whichwas precisely aimed at recovering the innovating capacity of the ruralpopulation of Peru
ITDG LA implemented the above mentioned project in six Peruvianmunicipalities (in the Picota San Martin and Moyabamba provinces in thedepartment of San Martin and in the Bambamarca and San Ignacio provincesand the Asuncion district in the department of Cajamarca) The Project wasfinanced by DFID and the European Community32
Applying this concept to the lsquoinformation societyrsquo may achieve some surprisingresults and improve the involvement of the State and the development projectsthemselves However the key is the local nature of the process and itsconnection with local concerted development agents We have identifiedprevious national innovation experiences the participation structure andmechanisms of which were not geared towards recovering local initiativeswhich are much more easily appropriated or adapted by other communities
SI Regional training programme
Based on the case studies and initial mapping carried out within the frameworkof this research study we discovered that one of the main weaknesses of thecivil society and some State sectors was their limited capacity to design andpromote effective public policies for encouraging the use of ICT from adevelopment perspective
Miguel Saravia
37
29 httpwwwcampus-oeiorgrevistatsinumero2valentihtm 30 httpwwwdesarrollolocalorg31 Mirando los Sistemas Nacionales de Innovacioacuten desde el Sur Rodrigo Arocena y Judith Sutz
httpwwwcampus-oeiorgsalactsisutzarcenahtm32 httpwwwitdgorgpearchivosticInventando tecnologias productivaspdf
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38
It is necessary to design a regional training programme that will regularlyprepare leaders of different sectors who are capable of participating actively inthe process of designing and monitoring strategies to structure the lsquoinformationsocietyrsquo
However this training programme must be based on regional circumstancesand be an academic area in which models best practices and the impacts weare creating can be reflected upon
The training programme must also allow greater discussions between agentsif the active participation of public officials and leaders of civilian organisationsis guaranteed
It is worth pointing out that a classic training programme has not beenconsidered in this project but rather a number of courses workshopsseminars and research work which can take place in a decentralised mannerand with the adequate academic rigour to encourage the formation of aregional think tank capable of contributing to the development of local andregional strategies
The medium and long-term purpose of this project is to train public officials andleaders of the civil society so that they will have the capacity required to makeconstructive contributions to new policies The intention is to involve differentuniversities academic institutes and research institutions in the trainingprogramme so as to cover a larger geographical area and reach out to a largernumber of local leaders and officials
Or gan izaciones d e la sociedad civil y pr ogramas nacionales TI C buscando el encuen tro
Civil Society and National ICT Programmes matchmaking
38