Civil Society Communication
The civil society communication area under the Information Program of the OSI focuses upon the vitality of information for NGOs and civil society organizations. Information is very critical for such groups to manage their operations. However, as these organizations are sometimes ill-equipped and under-resourced to manage and analyze information for effective purposes, support is rendered by OSI under this program. “This component of the Information Program aims both to provide support to these organizations in their use of information, and to build global expertise that can address the information and communications needs of NGOs in innovative ways.”
Under this area, there are three sub-components: The Technology and Advocacy for Open Societies which has been focusing upon building expertise at an international level “in the use, development and dissemination of new tools and the advocacy tactics they engender.” The Human Rights and Information managed in collaboration with the Human Rights and Governance Grants Program is for helping human rights advocacy organizations for them to use the information they collect through monitoring activities most effectively. The Transparency and New Technologies “supports projects that use emerging technologies to broaden civil society and citizen access to government information and decision-making.”
