Communication for DevelopmentUN Inter-Agency Round Table in Addis AbabaCommunication holds a tremendous potential for helping to deliver on the MDGs because it is predicated on participation and ownership
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The 10th round table focused on
harnessing C4D to achieve the MDGs,
in the context of UN reform.
The objectives defined were to:
First: Increase inter-agency joint collaboration - through UNDAF/CCAs; showcasing of pilot projects; sharing of good practices; etc. Second: Strengthen awareness within and among UN agencies on ways in which the impact and effectiveness of communication for development can be measured. Third: Introduce mechanisms to harmonize communication for development programming approaches internationally within the UN system. Future work More information on the Addis meeting is available on the OGC website and on the UNESCO website. The OGC intends to participate actively in taking the recommendations from Addis Ababa forward, and we will keep you informed. 
 Bjørn Førde Director of OGC |
  Delegation from Afghanistan OGC, OSLO, 12-13 NOVEMBER 2006 UNDP in Afghanistan supports the Afghan Government in parliamentary outreach and design of an effective public information and awareness strategy. A study tour was organized to Norway and Denmark, and the OGC hosted a seminar for 5 Senators and 14 staff members from the Departments of Information and Public Relations. The workshop included such topics as how UNDP uses the right to information as a key development tool, the role of media in information management and the role of parliament and civil society in creating awareness of right to information and how to apply and monitor use of right to information legislation.  Workshop on Land Governance OGC, OSLO, 17-19 JANUARY 2007 The OGC hosted this workshop with the objective of ‘exploring opportunities for concerted action’. It was organized with the Drylands Development Centre, as a contribution to the UNDP Cross Practice Initiative on Land Governance. Participants from FAO, IFAD, the International Land Coalition, the Gender Unit in New York, NORAD, HABITAT, SIDA, Civil Socity organizations and academia discussed common understandings of pro-poor land governance from a human rights and gender perspective. A report will shortly be available on the OGC website.
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  MDGs and Governance OGC is designing an initiative to unpack the governance deficit which hinders progress on the MDGs. This initiative aims to foster nationally owned definitions of governance institutions and processes and nationally developed indicators to monitor progress in order to ensure that democratic governance reform delivers on the MDGs. Expected outcomes would be: 1. Linking democratic governance reform to diagnostics, policy options, implementation and accountability of the MDGs; 2. Identification of policy options for governance reform; 3. Costing of needed governance reform and capacity building measures. We will keep you informed as we take this activity forward in the coming months. Indicators Users' Guide - 2nd edition The increasing demand from developing country governments, civil society organizations and donor agencies to measure different aspects of democracy, human rights and governance has resulted in a tremendous growth of indicator sources. Our hope is that this publication will equip users to make sensible use of sources of governance indicators. This users' guide is the first publication that brings together ‘where to find’ and ‘how to use’ material on these sources.
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  Learning and Exchange Visits In February 2007, the OGC launched this new initiative for the Governance and Conflict Community of Practice [CoP]. This is comprised of UNDP Country Office programme staff working on the intersection between governance and conflict prevention. The new initiative is based on a request to the OGC to facilitate the creation of a global platform for sharing technical and programme capacity across regions.  The programme has been designed to provide learning and capacity development opportunities for selected staff in various forms, including study tours, visiting and participating in activities related to the programme, planning, development, implementation or evaluation of governance and conflict programmes in relevant Country Offices or attending conferences, lectures or seminars determined to be relevant and valuable in strengthening UNDP capacities. The OGC is committed to facilitate visits by providing information on learning opportunities and facilitating financial and logistical support. The participating programme staff will share their relevant experiences upon completion of the mission with the other members of the CoP. The programme aims to be a participatory capacity development opportunity for the entire CoP by feeding information to members facing particular issues in governance and conflict prevention activities on the ground.
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  Communication for Empowerment In March 2006 the OGC published a practical guidance note on Communication for Empowerment: developing media strategies in support of vulnerable groups. A number of country offices have expressed interest in the approach but lacked the funds to pilot the methodology. A proposal to pilot the approach in six LDCs [3 in Africa and 3 in Asia] over a two year period was developed jointly with the NGO called The Communication for Social Change Consortium and submitted to the UNDEF in April. The proposal has now been approved, and implementation has started – focusing on Africa in 2007 and Asia in 2008. The three pilot countries in Africa are likely to be Malawi, Madagascar and Mozambique. The Communication Initiative [CI] The OGC is a member of this initiative, together with several other UN agencies like UNESCO and UNICEF. One result of this cooperation is that the CI website has a window devoted exclusively to ‘Democracy & Governance’ initiatives in the area of communication for development. http://www.comminit.com/ Measuring the Impact of Right to Information Programmes This Practical Guidance Note is now available on the OGC website http:// www.undp.org/oslocentre/ in English, Spanish and French. The aim of the Guide is to help UNDP Country Offices to select country specific and appropriate indicators in order to assess Right to Information focused interventions. This guide complements the Right to Information Practical Guidance Note by focusing on the monitoring and evaluation side of right to information programming.
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  2006 DG Fellowships The OGC Democratic Governance Fellowship Programme provides UNDP staff with an opportunity for reflection, codification and discussion on specific governance issues. In 2006 four fellows braved the long winter nights in Oslo. The following papers are now on the OGC website: UNDP and Indigenous Peoples Towards effective partnerships for human rights and development. By Max Ooft, UNDP Suriname  Doing Justice How informal justice systems can contribute. By Ewa Wojkoska, UNDP Indonesia APRM Participation Effective stakeholder participation in the APRM process for the promotion of democratic governance: A case study of Ghana. By Eric Albert Opoku, UNDP Ghana  2007 DG Fellowships The OGC has reviewed the experiences so far. This has resulted in some changes, in the thematic focus as well as in the application and selection process. Please follow the OGC website for further information.
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  MDG-HR Project At the end of last year, a dynamic e- discussion was held on the network in collaboration with the MDG Network, on linking Human Rights and the Millennium Development Goals. One of the main findings of the discussion was that more practical guidance was needed for development practitioners on how to better make the link between human rights and MDGs in their work. As a result, the OGC convened a working group meeting in September with UN practitioners from across the globe to help develop a Primer on the subject. This Primer and complementary Portal, which provides in-depth case studies of UNDP Country Offices explicitly working to make the link, are now being finalized. Moreover, an initiative has begun with the UNDP Poverty Group to help make MDG support tools and products human rights informed.
  United Nations Development Programme Oslo Governance Centre Borggata 2B, Postboks 2881 Tøyen, 0608 Oslo, Norway Phone +47 23 06 08 20, Fax +47 23 06 08 21 oslogovcentre@undp.org www.undp.org/oslocentre |
