Panos London
Encyclopedia
Panos London is a London based, non-governmental organisation working in the communication for development
field. It is part of the Panos Institute
.
, and the programme he ran there entitled Earthscan. The organisation's first major project was for Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA)
producing fourteen 10,000 word studies on the sustainability of Nordic aid programmes, written by journalists based in the recipient countries. Panos London has subsequently followed that method aiming to have reports written by people from the developing world. Jon Tinker described this as, "Providing authentic Southern voices on Southern issues"
Since its inception Panos London has created a number of programmes relating to issues affecting developing countries. These include an environment programme, a media development programme, an AIDS/HIV programme and a oral testimony programme. It was one of the first non-governmental organisations to highlight HIV/AIDS
as a development issue, producing a dossier in 1986 entitled AIDS and the Third World.
The most well known oral testimony projects that Panos London has undertaken have been IDP Voices, which was undertaken in conjunction with the Norwegian Refugee Council
and Mountain Voices, which was undertaken with the support of Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
. IDP Voices gathered testimonies from internally displaced people in both Colombia
and Georgia
, after conflicts there. The Mountain Voices project collected interviews from 300 people living in highland areas around the world, including Pakistan
, Mexico
, Ethiopia
, Peru
, India
and Nepal
.
More recently Panos London has become involved with participatory video alongside Living Lens. Together they facilitated local people in southern Madagascar
to produce videos about aspects of their lives, which were affected by climate change or changing traditions
, Haiti
, Nepal
, Ethiopia
and India
. In 2000 the Panos West African office became the first to transition to become an autonomous Panos institute, with the rest of the offices making the same transition over the course of the next six years. As such Panos London is now part of the worldwide Panos network of independent offices, the Panos Institute
, working to ensure that information is used more effectively to foster debate, pluralism and democracy.
During this transition Panos London began to focus more heavily on communication for development
; a term used to refer to all the different types of communication that need to take place in societies if sustainable democratic development is to occur. Within this Panos London continuted to promote the participation of poor and marginalised people in national and international development debates through media and communication projects. The focus on communication for development has led to strategic partnerships being established in 2005 with DFID and since 2009 with SIDA
.
. This has most often taken the form of journalism fellowships. In 2005 Panos London supported a series of fellows to report on the G8
summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. One of the journalists, John Kamau, wrote about his experiences for the BBC, whilst others wrote for the Panos London blog. Since then Panos London has often supported journalists at international summits including in 2007 when Panos London again took nine journalists to the G8, this time in Rostock, Germany, or at the 2009 UNFCCC in Copenhagen, when Panos London, alongside the Panos Network
, IIED and Internews took 40 journalists to the global summit as part of the Climate Change Media Partnership.
Communication for Development
Communication for Development is a broad term used to refer to all the different types of communication that need to take place in societies if sustainable democratic development is to occur....
field. It is part of the Panos Institute
Panos Institute
The Panos Institutes are a network of independent non-governmental organisations working to ensure that information is effectively used to foster public debate, pluralism and democracy...
.
History
'Panos London' was established in 1986 by journalist Jon Tinker, after leaving IIEDInternational Institute for Environment and Development
The International Institute for Environment and Development is a London-based policy research centre and think tank.- History :IIED was established by the economist Barbara Ward in 1971...
, and the programme he ran there entitled Earthscan. The organisation's first major project was for Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA)
Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency
The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency is a government agency of the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Sida is responsible for organization of the bulk of Sweden's official development assistance to developing countries....
producing fourteen 10,000 word studies on the sustainability of Nordic aid programmes, written by journalists based in the recipient countries. Panos London has subsequently followed that method aiming to have reports written by people from the developing world. Jon Tinker described this as, "Providing authentic Southern voices on Southern issues"
Since its inception Panos London has created a number of programmes relating to issues affecting developing countries. These include an environment programme, a media development programme, an AIDS/HIV programme and a oral testimony programme. It was one of the first non-governmental organisations to highlight HIV/AIDS
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
as a development issue, producing a dossier in 1986 entitled AIDS and the Third World.
Oral Testimony
The publication of Listening for a Change in 1991 marked the start of Panos London's involvement with oral testimony. Panos London defined oral testimony as collecting personal histories from individuals who are directly affected by development issues. In a video produced by Panos London, in 2009, the organisation explained that interviews were undertaken by people who shared aspects of each other's backgrounds to record the most comprehensive history. The video explained that "oral testimony addresses a key aspect of poverty, the lack of voice."The most well known oral testimony projects that Panos London has undertaken have been IDP Voices, which was undertaken in conjunction with the Norwegian Refugee Council
Norwegian Refugee Council
The Norwegian Refugee Council is an independent, humanitarian non-governmental organisation which provides assistance, protection and durable solutions to refugees, internally displaced persons, and returnees worldwide. NRC promotes and protects the rights of people who have been forced to flee...
and Mountain Voices, which was undertaken with the support of Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation is an office-level agency in the federal administration of Switzerland, and a part of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs...
. IDP Voices gathered testimonies from internally displaced people in both Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, after conflicts there. The Mountain Voices project collected interviews from 300 people living in highland areas around the world, including Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
.
More recently Panos London has become involved with participatory video alongside Living Lens. Together they facilitated local people in southern Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
to produce videos about aspects of their lives, which were affected by climate change or changing traditions
Communication for development
During the 1990s independent offices were opened around the world including ZambiaZambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. In 2000 the Panos West African office became the first to transition to become an autonomous Panos institute, with the rest of the offices making the same transition over the course of the next six years. As such Panos London is now part of the worldwide Panos network of independent offices, the Panos Institute
Panos Institute
The Panos Institutes are a network of independent non-governmental organisations working to ensure that information is effectively used to foster public debate, pluralism and democracy...
, working to ensure that information is used more effectively to foster debate, pluralism and democracy.
During this transition Panos London began to focus more heavily on communication for development
Communication for Development
Communication for Development is a broad term used to refer to all the different types of communication that need to take place in societies if sustainable democratic development is to occur....
; a term used to refer to all the different types of communication that need to take place in societies if sustainable democratic development is to occur. Within this Panos London continuted to promote the participation of poor and marginalised people in national and international development debates through media and communication projects. The focus on communication for development has led to strategic partnerships being established in 2005 with DFID and since 2009 with SIDA
Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency
The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency is a government agency of the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Sida is responsible for organization of the bulk of Sweden's official development assistance to developing countries....
.
Journalism
Panos London produces regular features by southern journalists, and creates a daily news bulletin about development issues. One of the areas that it is involved with is media developmentMedia development
Many organizations engage in efforts to help the development of free and independent media in countries around the world. These efforts can take many forms, from funding the establishment of an entirely new media outlet to assisting an existing outlet in improving its professional capacity.Common...
. This has most often taken the form of journalism fellowships. In 2005 Panos London supported a series of fellows to report on the G8
G8
The Group of Eight is a forum, created by France in 1975, for the governments of seven major economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 1997, the group added Russia, thus becoming the G8...
summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. One of the journalists, John Kamau, wrote about his experiences for the BBC, whilst others wrote for the Panos London blog. Since then Panos London has often supported journalists at international summits including in 2007 when Panos London again took nine journalists to the G8, this time in Rostock, Germany, or at the 2009 UNFCCC in Copenhagen, when Panos London, alongside the Panos Network
Panos Institute
The Panos Institutes are a network of independent non-governmental organisations working to ensure that information is effectively used to foster public debate, pluralism and democracy...
, IIED and Internews took 40 journalists to the global summit as part of the Climate Change Media Partnership.