[Telecentres] Evaluation Report on UNESCO's Community Multimedia Centre Initiative

[Mikhail Doroshevich]

UNESCO's Community Multimedia Centre initiative is contributing "to
improving quality of life through access to information" according to an
independent evaluation report carried out by the International Institute for
Sustainable Development (IISD).

UNESCO's CMC initiative promotes sustainable local development through
community-based facilities that combine traditional media like radio,
television and print with new information communication technologies (ICTs)
such as computers, the Internet, and mobile devices.

Since 2001, UNESCO has established more than 87 CMCs in over 22 developing
countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean with major
funding provided by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

The evaluation describes the initiative's main achievement: "The CMCs are
accepted by and fully integrated into the communities and can in many cases
be sustained beyond the pilot phase without core operating grants. The
effort and funding that UNESCO has channeled into this transformative
initiative have been exceeded by the hard work and commitment of the CMC
staff and the communities where they are based."

Among other key findings, the evaluators clearly acknowledge the
contribution of CMCs to local development, noting that "Longer term benefits
are already being realized within individual communities, such as the
gradual removal of barriers to social inclusion, the stimulation of poverty
alleviation through access to knowledge of better health, resource
management, agriculture practices and the creation of new livelihoods
opportunities."

CMCs are also recognized as critical tools for local communities to mediate
changes brought on by globalization and the advent of new technologies: "The
CMC role in fostering cultural resilience - the capacity of a community to
retain critical knowledge and at the same time adapt to external influences
and pressures - is particularly remarkable."

In addition to an extensive review of documentation, the evaluation used
field research, interviews, questionnaires, an online survey, and case
studies to review the CMC initiative, a flagship activity of UNESCO's
Communication and Information Sector.

Equitable and expanded access to ICTs is promoted in many ways, such as
subsidized training for those with special requirements and/or marginalized
groups; close work with schools, small businesses and the independent
sector; or the provision of information to more remote communities through
radio, says the evaluation report.

The evaluation also points out challenges faced by the CMC initiative,
including the strategic use of CMC networks as delivery mechanisms for
development services, from projects and programmes of UN agencies and
national governments to those of local civil society groups. Many challenges
relate to sustainability of local facilities in low-income and
least-developed localities. As CMCs depend on volunteers for the delivery of
training, radio programming and other services, they face difficulties in
finding appropriate incentives for volunteers and struggle with managing
volunteer turnover.

Another challenge consists of opportunities for networking and staff
development, which to date have been limited. Evaluators point out the need
for CMCs to learn from and access expertise more easily and systematically
from each other in order to be sustainable.

Enabling national policy environments are very important for the development
and sustainability of CMCs. Sudden changes in national policies on
connectivity charges can destabilize CMCs and broadcast licensing
restrictions or restrictions on press freedom can prevent CMCs from being
able to broadcast freely and to a broader constituency, says the report.

The evaluation has recognized the extent of success achieved over the years
and the uniqueness of UNESCO's CMC concept as a potential solution to
mitigate the digital divide in marginalized communities. UNESCO is beginning
a process of broad consultation with its partners and other stakeholders to
formulate strategies for the future of the CMC initiatives.

http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/files/22129/11477736959CMC_Evaluation_Final.p
df/CMC%2BEvaluation_Final.pdf

Source:
http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=22129&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTI
ON=201.html