Very interesting future-focused video applications and things.

Which aims "to conduct and facilitate research into, among other related things: i) the causes of the wrongful conviction of the innocent; ii) the barriers to attempts to overturn these convictions in the Court of Appeal or by application to the CCRC; and iii) the associated harmful consequences of wrongful conviction on victims, their families, friends and society as a whole. Communicate: to inform public debates about the wrongful conviction and imprisonment of innocent people, the INUK will communicate findings from the activities of member innocence projects and research, with the objective of improving the criminal justice system and preventing future wrongful convictions."

As there has been renewed interest in impact evaluation and measuring results in recent years amongst development agencies and donors, this paper contributes by highlighting experience on combining qualitative and quantitative methods for impact evaluation. This is to ensure that: 1. the different impact of donor interventions on different groups of people is measured; 2. the different dimensions of poverty are measured. The paper concludes that the case for qualitative and combined methods is strong.

"This publication translates legal human rights into business language for use in the business context. It aims to clarify the relationship between human rights and business by explaining universally recognised human rights in a way that makes sense to business. The publication also aims to illustrate, through the use of case studies and actions, how human rights are relevant in a corporate context and how human rights issues can be managed."

And it's "powered by" these guys…

"Global Minds members have the exciting opportunity to share their views directly with the BBC by participating in a broad range of activities: Interested in news and debate? Want to share your views on current and upcoming BBC content? Looking for the opportunity to chat directly with a BBC editor?" I bet after Peter Horrocks tweeted this they'll have several hundred new users…

"Often, people think that just showing the video is enough, but what is important … is that actions can be taken toward an objective," said panelist Yvette Alberdingk Thijm, executive director of Witness, an international human rights organization.

"New York's banh mi shops have come into their second generation—opened by restaurateurs other than first-generation immigrants—in neighborhoods that were previously banh mi–deficient." Banh mi makes life worth living. OK, not on their own

"The satellite is the ultimate symbol of omniscience. It’s how we wage wars, and why wars are won. That’s why Google Earth is so compelling. This is what the map taps into."

Tour the world in NYC

I'm inadvertently part of this year's Catalan Days Festival! And Agusti Fernandez and Mal Pelo, whom I interviewed ten years ago, are here…

The poly-hyped Wolfram Alpha answer-prancer.

And here are the dates of the consultations.

"The European Union is the world's biggest donor, giving 60% of global ODA. This new annual report will promote lesson learning among European donors and between all in the global development community." Have your say – input into their strategy…

"Santosh, Sameer and Salman – three real-life 'slumdogs' – live in Dharavi, Mumbai’s biggest slum. They are among thousands of child ragpickers in the city, making a vital contribution to Mumbai’s recycling industry, based largely in Dharavi. The boys comb through mountains of rubbish on the outskirts of the Indian metropolis that generates 8,000 metric tonnes of waste every day. They have no protection against the dangerous toxins that surround them. But for them, they say, waste is gold. Who recognises the value of their contribution to waste management in the city? What will happen to them and to the waste recycling industry of Dharavi when the slum redevelopment plan ousts them from here? Parasher Baruah won the Infochange Media Fellowship 2008 to make this film."

"Third World Majority (TWM) is a new media training and production resource center run by a collective of young women of color and our allies dedicated to developing new media practices that affect global justice and social change through grassroots political organizing. Through our collaborations with other organizations, we support organizing for social change and global justice in real, representational and virtual worlds where communities of color are centered in the production, distribution and educational processes."

Immigrant women and digital storytelling in Toronto.

"Third World Majority (TWM) is a new media training and production resource center run by a collective of young women of color and our allies dedicated to developing new media practices that affect global justice and social change through grassroots political organizing. Through our collaborations with other organizations, we support organizing for social change and global justice in real, representational and virtual worlds where communities of color are centered in the production, distribution and educational processes."

Immigrant women and digital storytelling in Toronto.

Belgian digital storytelling centre.

D.U.S.T.Y. is an afterschool program for middle and high school students in Oakland. There are three sites currently: Cole Middle School, Castlemont Community of Small Schools, and Hoover Elementary School. DUSTY students work on computers to create their own Digital Stories, as well at to generate rap and hip hop "beats and rhymes."

"Kids' Informal Learning with Digital Media: An Ethnographic Investigation of Innovative Knowledge Cultures" is a three-year collaborative project funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Carried out by researchers at the University of Southern California and University of California, Berkeley, the digital youth project explores how kids use digital media in their everyday lives."

Some good resources for making digital stories – technical and editorial tools etc.

Native American history in the USA

"Ten participants from Jordan and Israel created a series of personal narratives, learned about each other, and gained insight into the conflict in the Middle East. Their digital stories were produced with the guidance of Storytelling Producer Natasha Freidus and CCTV Production Coordinator Sean Effel. Sadly, the Palestinian group was not able to attend due to the curfews but did participate by telephone and internet, but in August 2004 one Palestine delegate visited separately and produced a story as well. The following eleven videos are their stories."

"The first report, Corruption and Human Rights: Making the Connection, develops a conceptual framework enabling users to describe, in specific terms, how violations of human rights may be linked to particular acts of corruption. It sets out why those working on corruption and those working on human rights have reasons to cooperate, and delineates the main features of the two traditions of practice. It also builds links between specific acts of corruption and specific violations of rights – recognising that the links are sometimes indirect and that in some cases corruption may not violate human rights, strictly understood."

"Why are many individuals, particularly those who are vulnerable because of exclusion, poverty and discrimination, unable to obtain benefits and rights to which they are entitled in law? This report examines the impediments that obstruct large numbers of people from accessing the full range of human rights. It analyses the performance and responsibilities of governments and other institutions, and identifies new forms of action that official and human rights organisations might need to undertake if access is to be improved."

"How do journalists select and cover human rights stories? How can one avoid bias or distortion of human rights information? Addressing these questions, this report examines the news and reporting process and its relations with human rights organisations. It assesses the difficulties of communicating complex human rights issues accurately and suggests ways in which coverage of human rights could be improved."

This project of the ICHRP will "assess the cluster of human rights-relevant issues associated with privacy (discrimination, anonymity, reputation, freedom of expression, and so on) at a time when these concepts appear to be coming under strain due to technological advance. The project will seek to clear away some of the confusion that surrounds discussion of privacy and autonomy, threatening to bury these important values beneath unrealistic and unrealisable notions of freedom from state and society. By clarifying the complex relationship of privacy with both rights and technological change, it can help to identify realistic approaches to the issues that technology and privacy raise."

"The Tel Aviv refugee camp is clustered between the old central bus station and the spectacularly hideous new one, which was constructed in 1993. Both are located in the southern neighbourhood of Neve Sha’anan, connected by a pedestrian walkway called Neve Sha’anan Street. Once the area was known for its citrus groves and the elegant well house belonging to Alfred Roch, a wealthy Christian merchant from Jaffa (the Roch family is now based in Beirut)." Lisa Goldman and friend take a wander round the neighbourhood and take some striking shots.

I met Aaron at ETech in San Jose in March 2009. His work didn't just _blow_ my mind, it (to steal liberally from Russell Peters) _blasted_ my mind…

Women in Palestine…

More gender related resources.

Documentary looking at elections, governance and participation in Latin America.

"An international research partnership exploring the relationships between several major world religions, development in low-income countries and poverty reduction."

One of the most interesting donor organisations out there at the moment – especially strong on its commitment to funding evaluation and learning.

"An intergovernmental organization established in 1951, IOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society."

"Based in Johannesburg, the Forced Migration Studies Programme (FMSP) is an internationally engaged; Africa-oriented; and Africa-based centre of excellence for research and teaching that helps shape global discourse on migration aid and social transformation."

Every 90 days there's a new one, and it's always full of interesting insights…

Very organised resources on migration.

"The Child Migration Research network (CMRN) has been established to help assess the impact of migration on children and youth. The aim of the CMRN is to bring together researchers who look at how migration affects children and to highlight research work, especially that in grey literature or other hard to reach sources, that focuses on this area."

Development Research Centre on Migration… Many useful papers, both from northern and southern researchers.

"The public will be also able to blog, share their experiences, and download wallpapers, reports and other resources of the ONE Movement through social networking groups including Facebook and YouTube, and through a dedicated blog and website: http://www.1movement.co.za"

OK, I am binge-linking, but this one's great too – many many excellent resources.

Packs of resources on the gender dimension of a range of development and human rights topics.

"Climate change policies ignore likely impacts on human rights according to a new report published by the International Council on Human Rights Policy (ICHRP). The report, Climate Change and Human Rights: A Rough Guide argues that human rights principles can influence climate change policy by focusing on the suffering and risk faced by all people, and especially the global poor."

"The report makes a number of recommendations which may help to counter xenophobic tendencies and reduce the risk of future violence…" Click through to read them…

"Young Lives is a long-term international research project investigating the changing nature of childhood poverty in order to: * improve understanding of the causes and consequences of childhood poverty and to examine how policies affect children’s well-being * inform the development and implementation of policies and practices that will reduce childhood poverty." (They were Photovoice's partner in the Ethiopian project I just bookmarked.)

"The children’s photographs and captions and the accompanying documentary in this exhibition tell us what it is really like to be in their shoes – the work they do, the environment they live in, what their experience of school is like, how life is different for boys and for girls. Importantly, the exhibition demonstrates that, given the opportunity, children themselves can provide valuable insights into their own lives, which can help policy makers make plans and decisions that are more child-sensitive because they are more grounded in an understanding of children’s reality. In this way, children can become not just targets of development, but active citizens participating in the development process. This is crucial because child participation is a key area of the children’s rights that are enshrined in Ethiopian law and in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child."

"Social Watch is an NGO watchdog system that monitors the performance of governments in meeting the targets of social progress to which they subscribed at United Nations summits. The Web site includes information found in the Social Watch Reports that have been published to date."

Great set of a/v resources on women and development/human rights – some online, some offline…

Interesting set of links from the UNRISD covering inequality, gender, and research.

"A key question posed in this paper is whether social movements (mass resistance) can absorb and reorient NGOs, or whether we are witnessing the “NGO-izaton” of movements and politics."

"This paper explores the complexities and potential for change inherent in a new wave of global movements concerned with contemporary patterns of development and globalization. One such example is the World Social Forum (WSF)—also known as the Porto Alegre Forum—which vigorously criticizes the negative consequences of neoliberal economic policies and claims to promote “alternative” globalization that defends wider social justice. But several global movements, at times loosely associated with the WSF, have also attained international significance, attracting considerable attention from the public, the media and policy-making circles."

"The project assesses five contemporary civil society movements: 1. Campaigns for debt relief. 2. Movement to change international trade rules and barriers. 3. Global taxation initiative. 4. International anti-corruption movement. 5. Movement on fair trade."

Of particular interest are the strands on indigenous peoples, and also the interaction between international campaigns and local implementation.

"The project includes present day human impact case studies provided by DFID. These include stories from research projects of the Climate Change Adaptation in Africa (CCAA) research and capacity development program, and specifically, studies produced through the "Adaptation Stories" initiative of the CCAA. These examples of the diverse work being done by DFID-funded researchers in the CCAA span the African continent: recording lessons learned by farmers in Niger adapting to drought; providing improved climate information and options to help South African fruit farmers prepare for a water-scarce future; and combining climate observation with medical research in Kenya to improve models of malarial prediction."

Here's more on SL – "Centre for Research on Inequality, Human Security and Ethnicity has published a paper titled: The making of Sri Lanka’s post-conflict economic package and the future of the 2001-2004 peace process. It points out the impact of market reforms in destabilising the peace-building process in the country."

"The Development Research Centre on Citizenship, Participation and Accountability (Citizenship DRC) is an international network of researchers and activists exploring new forms of citizenship that will help make rights real."

"An international project to share learning amongst Champions of Participation in local government across 15 countries has culminated in a release of a final report, and a policy dialogue around its findings with key UK policy makers. The report confirms the critical role of these people inside government to ensure participation works, and also provides many key lessons for those playing this role. Participants from Nigeria, South Africa, China, USA, Bulgaria and Spain joined the meeting via video and telephone links."

Putting social science research into the hands of policy-makers…

Had an interesting conversation with a friend who is a researcher on SL. He mentioned this report as being pivotal in the failure of the subsequent peace process…

"From Venezuela's Communal Councils, to Brazil's Participatory Budgeting, from Constitutional Assemblies to grassroots movements, recuperated factories to cooperatives across the hemisphere. Beyond Elections: Redefining Democracy in the Americas is a new documentary which takes us across the Americas, to attempt to answer the question: What is Democracy? The feature length documentary by Michael Fox and Sílvia Leindecker, features John Gaventa, Director of the DFID-funded Citizenship DRC. The documentary can be viewed online in English, Spanish or Portuguese in its entirety (104 min in duration), or by chapter: Chapter 1: Participatory Budgeting Chapter 2: Venezuela's Communal Councils Chapter 3: Cooperatives Chapter 4: Social Movements Chapter 5: Constitutional Assemblies Chapter 6: In the Name of Democracy Chapter 7: International Organizations Chapter 8: Democratizing Democracy"

"Navigating Europe's international cooperation and development policies and practices"

DfID's using Blip.tv – interesting…

"Stories of Change, a 55-minute documentary by young filmmakers Kamar Ahmad Simon and Sara Afreen that portrays the challenging lives of five successful women, was premiered on March 14 at the Russian Cultural centre. A panel discussion followed the screening where human rights activist Hameeda Hossain, media personality Samia Zaman and filmmaker Tareque Masud discussed several aspects of the documentary. Professor Firdous Azim, of BRAC University was the moderator of the event, which included a brief open discussion for the audience."

IPS and R4D collaborate on a RELAY-like project to put a human face and story to development research. Looking forward to delving into some of the examples here, including Ethiopian kids using cameras (they have a nationwide project called Mini-Media, and I wonder whether this is part of it.)

"A report from the Humanitarian Policy Group, in the UK, which assesses the prospects of reintegration for displaced people in the Sudanese states of Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Southern Kordofan, following the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement which ended Sudan’s civil war and set up a framework for the return of millions of refugees. The report, The Long Road Home: Opportunities and Obstacles to the Reintegration of IDPs and Refugees Returning to Southern Sudan and the Three Areas. Report of Phase I by Sara Pantuliano, Margie Buchanan-Smith and Paul Murphy, was commissioned by the UK Department for International Development. It shows that inadequacies in planning and coordination, and unsystematic support for returnees and host populations, risk aggravating discontent and undermining stability, putting pressure on an already troubled peace process."

"Pathways of Women’s Empowerment is an international research and communications programme established in 2006 which links academics with activists and practitioners to find out what works to enhance women’s empowerment." The South Asia research hub has been working on using video interviews with women.

Gateway to a plethora of development research.

"BRIDGE supports gender advocacy and mainstreaming efforts by bridging the gaps between theory, policy and practice with accessible and diverse gender information in print and online."

"MK4D is a co-ordinated package of work from IDS's most prominent knowledge sharing activities, funded by DFID to reduce global poverty and injustice by supporting more informed decision making by those in a position to influence change."

"In a series of articles published today, SciDev.Net draws attention to the right to "share in scientific advancement and its benefits", which is included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the UN General Assembly 60 years ago." Includes contributions from the AAAS and others.

"The Initiative for Vulnerable Populations was established in 2006 to conduct research in countries experiencing serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. Founded as a collaboration between UC Berkeley’s Human Rights Center and the Payson Center for International Development at Tulane University, the Initiative uses empirical research methods to give voice to survivors of mass violence."