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The paper examines how digitising financial services can expand access to formal finance for underserved populations. It highlights South Africa's success in achieving high account ownership rates but argues that the focus must shift from simple access to 'quality financial inclusion'—emphasising productive usage, financial literacy, and the reduction of cash dependency in the informal economy. The author recommends a coordinated national strategy and enhanced public-private partnerships to address structural barriers and digital divides.

The report describes a complex media environment in the Pacific Small Island Developing States, where traditional radio remains vital for reaching remote areas, but mobile phone and ICT penetration is rapidly increasing. It identifies significant barriers to communication, including geographic isolation, infrastructure instability, and gender disparities. To address these, the report proposes that WACC focus on network development through the Pacific Conference of Churches, support youth-led 'artivism', and follow up on Global Media Monitoring Project findings, specifically linking communications to regional priorities like climate change.

The document advocates for the integration of communication rights into global development frameworks, specifically proposing a new UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 18) titled 'Communication for All'. It explores the philosophical basis of communication as an essential human need, examines how 'communication and information poverty' undermines existing SDGs—particularly regarding gender equality, ICT infrastructure, and peace and justice—and provides case studies on media restrictions and digital divides in Palestine, Gaza, and Ethiopia. Additionally, it discusses the role of community media for Indigenous Peoples and the use of communication to support memory and justice processes in Argentina.

The document examines how digitalization is restructuring global value chains and the risks it poses to developing nations, such as increased technological divides and value capture by advanced economies. It contrasts the digital industrial policies of the EU (market-friendly) and China (interventionist) to propose a dual-track policy framework for developing countries: 'enabling markets' (focusing on infrastructure, ecosystems, and mitigating disbenefits) and 'digital catch-up' (focusing on technology linkage, learning, and economic leverage). The authors highlight specific instruments like payment interoperability, data localization, and fiscal incentives, while warning of implementation hurdles such as ministerial silos and international trade agreement constraints.

The document explores the intersection of digital technology and human rights, arguing that current governance and educational models often prioritize corporate interests over civic empowerment. It advocates for a 'critical media literacy' that teaches youth to navigate digital ethics and the political economy of information. Case studies highlight the work of 'Coding Rights' in Latin America to translate human rights into digital code and analyze the restrictive media landscape in Albania, where corporate and political ownership limits press freedom. Additionally, it revisits the MacBride Report's vision of a New World Information and Communication Order to argue for communication as a fundamental human right and a tool for social development.

The document is a collection of articles and interviews exploring how communication technologies influence social justice and governance. Key discussions include the failure of social media platforms to foster rational public debate due to their design, the ethical tensions in INGO public communications that often perpetuate colonial stereotypes, and the struggle for a transparent, democratic communication model in Cuba. It also analyzes the 'democratization of information' through Google Books, the impact of new media on political participation in Jamaica, and the personal history of advocacy journalism regarding Palestinian rights.

The document explores how digital technologies impact family structures and children's rights globally, emphasizing the need for digital literacy to combat poverty and the importance of parental mediation for online safety. It provides a critical analysis of children's digital experiences in the global North versus the global South, discusses the use of radio for peace-building and reconciliation in the Great Lakes Region, and traces the evolution of media education policies in Chile from the 1970s to 2013.

The report investigates the gap between the supply of online climate knowledge brokering (CKB) platforms and the actual needs of users. Through a survey of 163 users and case studies of four platforms—AfricaAdapt, Climate Finance Options, Climate Change Policy & Practice, and the Eldis Climate Change Resource Guide—the authors find that platforms are often supply-driven and fail to reach key stakeholders like policy-makers and frontline actors. Users primarily rely on search engines rather than portals and continue to prefer traditional written documents over interactive Web 2.0 tools. The report argues for a shift toward needs-led design and the integration of offline engagement to foster genuine knowledge co-production.

The report examines how ICTs and the Internet impact the core pillars of sustainable development: economic prosperity, social equity, and environmental protection. It distinguishes between direct (first-order) negative environmental impacts, such as e-waste and greenhouse gas emissions, and indirect (second-order) positive potentials like 'smart systems' for energy efficiency. The authors argue that the most significant impacts are third-order societal changes—including the virtualization of goods and shifts in governance—which are often ignored by international policy frameworks. The report critiques the Rio+20 summit for failing to substantively address these technological shifts, suggesting that a paradigm gap exists between the ICT sector and the sustainable development community. It concludes by calling for a move away from large-scale UN summits toward more adaptive, multistakeholder dialogues and the integration of environmental sustainability into ICT design and standards.

The report examines how ICTs impact sustainability across first, second, and third-order effects. It criticizes the Rio+20 summit for failing to systematically address the information society and calls for a new, multistakeholder approach to bridge the paradigm gap between the ICT and sustainable development communities.

The report documents IISD's contributions to the UN Internet Governance Forum (IGF) from 2008 to 2011. It details workshops that explored the co-evolution of Internet governance and global challenges, the development of indicators to measure the impact of ICTs on sustainable development, and the use of scenarios planning to anticipate future technological and social shifts. The document emphasizes the need for a broader multistakeholder approach that includes non-technical sectors—such as health, education, and environment—and highlights the importance of regional and national dialogue over purely global processes. It concludes with a toolkit of evidence- and consent-based tools for practitioners to facilitate public policy dialogue.

The document argues that Internet policy must move beyond technical management to include broad societal impacts on rights, security, and sustainable development. It advocates for a multistakeholder model involving government, the private sector, civil society, and academia to ensure legitimacy and effectiveness. The toolkit details eight specific tools—ranging from expert roundtables and policy mapping to online surveys and public forums—designed to generate evidence and foster public consent. It emphasizes 'adaptive policy making' and the principle of subsidiarity, suggesting that policy action should occur at the lowest jurisdictional level consistent with effectiveness.

The report argues that social media can drive political engagement in Africa, citing examples from the Arab Spring and elections in Nigeria and Zambia. However, it highlights significant obstacles, including low internet penetration, high costs, and active government censorship or surveillance in countries like Uganda, Zimbabwe, Angola, and Cameroon.

The report examines the state of ICT and Internet policy in West Africa, highlighting the transition from state-led telecommunications to private-sector-driven growth. It details a survey conducted across seven West African countries and Kenya, which reveals overwhelming support for national multi-stakeholder Internet governance forums (IGFs). The findings emphasize that while mobile penetration has grown rapidly, significant gaps remain in broadband access, digital literacy, and regional interconnectivity. The document argues for a holistic policy approach that integrates Internet governance with sustainable development goals, including environmental stewardship and e-governance, while advocating for a shift from top-down government control to inclusive, multi-stakeholder dialogue.

The WACC Strategic Plan 2012-2016 establishes the organization's identity as an ecumenical body rooted in Christian principles and dedicated to the 'communication rights' of the poor and dispossessed. The plan identifies four global trends—increased support for communication rights, the rise of social media, evolving media literacy needs, and the decline of traditional ecumenical funding—that shape its direction. Key strategic priorities include strengthening the voices of marginalized communities through tools like the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP), increasing the advocacy capacity of its members and partners, and improving organizational governance and network connectivity. WACC aims to position itself as a primary expert on communication rights while maintaining an inclusive approach that serves all people regardless of religious identity.

The document evaluates the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) as a pioneering multi-stakeholder mechanism for global Internet governance. It argues that the IGF should be maintained because it defuses tensions over the U.S. oversight of ICANN and provides an open space for developing countries to address issues like access, security, and open standards. The report suggests that the 'Internet model'—characterized by shared ownership and bottom-up collaboration—could provide valuable lessons for the governance of other critical technologies, including those related to climate change and geo-engineering. It concludes by recommending that a second mandate for the IGF should focus on better integrating developing country concerns and mainstreaming sustainable development goals.

The report details a March 2009 workshop in Vancouver where 32 diverse Canadian stakeholders discussed the future of the Internet through the lens of sustainability. Participants analyzed four scenarios—government-regulated, unregulated market, VIPnet (elite-only), and Internet commons—to identify critical uncertainties and policy needs. Key recommendations include pursuing universal broadband access, integrating ICT into national greenhouse gas reduction strategies, and establishing a Canadian Internet Governance Forum. The report argues that Canada needs a more unified, holistic ICT policy function within the government to ensure the Internet serves human and environmental needs rather than just economic growth.

The document explores how critical uncertainties in Internet governance, infrastructure, and security intersect with four global scenarios developed by the Global Scenario Group (GSG). It argues that the evolution of the Internet is not neutral but can either hinder or advance global sustainability. Through a series of workshops, the authors developed four 'storylines'—Policy Reform, Unregulated Market, VIPnet, and Internet Commons—to illustrate how different trajectories of Internet development align with different global futures. The report emphasizes the need for a multistakeholder governance model to ensure the Internet serves as a global commons that supports environmental repair and social equity.

The report examines the 'Global Connectivity System' and the policy tensions surrounding the Internet's evolution. It highlights risks to sustainable development stemming from the potential loss of net neutrality, restrictive intellectual property rights, and the shift toward 'tethered' closed devices. It also analyzes infrastructure challenges, such as the transition from IPv4 to IPv6 and the lack of universal broadband in Africa. Governance concerns focus on the internationalization of ICANN and the sustainability of the IETF's volunteer-led model. Finally, it addresses the Internet's ecological footprint, specifically the high energy demands of data centers and the environmental costs of e-waste and mineral extraction in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The report argues that while ICT innovation is a primary driver of global economic growth and productivity, it creates significant sustainability challenges through rapid hardware obsolescence, increasing energy demands of data centres, and a global e-waste crisis. It proposes viewing the sector as a 'Global Connectivity System' that includes not only manufacturers but also standards bodies, civil society, and end-users. The document highlights the tension between the Internet's origins as an open, participatory tool for social organization and emerging trends toward corporate control, government surveillance, and restrictive intellectual property rights.