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Vikas Nath Head - Media and Communication and Coordinator – South Intellectual Platform South Centre Geneva, Switzerland All statements are personal to the presentor and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the South Centre or its Member States.
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Vikas Nath Head - Media and Communication and Coordinator – South Intellectual Platform South Centre Geneva, Switzerland All statements are personal to the presentor and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the South Centre or its Member States. Breaking Northern dominance of knowledge and the need for a Southern Intellectual PlatformInformation and Knowledge Management @ EADI 2008 25 June 2008
What is South Centre? • Inter-Governmental Organization and Think-Tank for Developing Countries. • Created in 1995. Has grown out of the work and experience of the South Commission. • Eminent Personalities (Heads of State or UN): Manmohan Singh (Prime Minister of India, South Commission), Julius Nyerere (Former President of Tanzania, South Centre),Boutros Boutros-Ghali (Former U.N. Secretary General, South Centre), Benjamin Mkapa (Current Chairperson, South Centre and Former President of Tanzania) • Currently it has 50 Member States from Asia, Africa and Latin America: Updated: 30/8/07
Focusing on what issues? South Centre Programmes relate to: • Trade • Intellectual property, innovation and access to knowledge • Development Cooperation • Climate Change • Financing for development • Reform of the UN and international financial institutions • Others…..
What are the key activities? • Research: Trade, Intellectual Property, Climate Change, Finance for Development, U.N. Reforms, Migration • Negotiation Support on: WTO, WIPO, WHO, ITU, Bretton Woods Institutions, EPAs • Policy Advice:Member Countries of South Centre and G-77 • Training and Capacity Building: Missions to the UN in Geneva, Brussels and New York and Officials from the Capitals, • Events and Meetings: Missions, NGOs, Delegations • Networking: Regional Institutions, Media, NGOs, Researchers, Academics, Students
Working for whom? Working for whom? • Regional and thematic groupings of developing countries in various international forums: G-77, LDCs, G-33, ACP, African Union, SADC,COMESA, MERCOSUR, SIDS and others. • Key Audience: • Policymakers in the Capitals (Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Foreign Affairs…..) • Diplomatic representations in Geneva, New York and Brussels • UN and other multilateral development agencies • Academic and research institutions • NGOs and civil society • Private sector
Key Outputs • Over 100 publications : • Conferences, workshops and informal Meetings on South relevant issues • Training and Capacity Building events for Southern negotiators • Knowledge Networks: Thematic, South – South and South – North Networks
Multilingual Approach • Our publications are produced in 3 languages: English, French and Spanish • The website is available in all 3 languages
Innovative and Low-Cost Media and Outreach strategy • South Centre Website, Blog & Digital TV • Syndicated Columns with Inter Press Service (South Media) • South Bulletin and South FACE (immediate media coverage)
Breaking Knowledge Hegemony • Prescriptive Solutions • Pushing Out Alternatives
Human Resources in the South • Policymakers • Intellectuals
Who Speaks for the South? • Voice of South that North wants to hear • Voice of the South Creating a South Intellectual Platform
Questions? Vikas Nath Nath@southcentre.org www.southcentre.org Tel: +41 22 791 80 50Fax: +41 22 798 85 31 17-19 Chemin du Champ d'Anier1209 Petit Saconnex, Geneva