IPS is committed to strengthening
its growing range of social partnerships
in the communications field. Such partnerships
contribute enormously to improving both
the quality and quantity of IPS material
and its outreach. The complexities of
the global communication markets, in which
major media companies absorb others or
merge, is another reason for IPS to build
its alliances and partnerships with like-minded
communication actors to strengthen IPS
content and distribution.
IPS has long benefited from
strong relationships with civil society,
fostered through reporting their news
and views, and engaging them in using
communications as a way of promoting and
attaining a better world. IPS has encouraged
constructive working relationships with
the UN and many of its constituent agencies
and bodies. The European Union is another
important interlocutor, along with other
regional and international organisations
and institutions. Core donors of IPS are
increasingly working with IPS in a partnership
framework, seeking communication links
beyond a funding relationship.
Some Current Partners
and Alliances
IPS plays a key role in
the World Social Forum in the areas of
media, information and communications.
IPS, along with Le
Monde Diplomatique, is the convenor
of the high-level debates on communication
at the World
Social Forum, maintains a website
and has jointly launched a new organisation,
Media Watch Global, to contribute to critical
analysis by citizens — at the local,
national and international level —
of the media in the struggle for fair
and ethical journalism.
Examples of distribution
partnerships include radio services in
Africa and Latin America; the Portuguese
language service produced in Brazil in
cooperation with Envolverde;
translation and distribution agreements
in Asian languages; the Francophone news
exchange with Infosud;
and the Tierramérica
newspaper supplement produced by a number
of leading Latin American newspapers,
in cooperation with UNDP
and UNEP.
Content partnerships help
to strengthen in-depth treatment of the
various themes of IPS coverage. A current
example is the partnership with Society
for International Development on gender
and reproductive health.
IPS's initial on-line communication
partnerships have proved encouraging.
IPS is reviewing its existing agreement
with OneWorld to strengthen its presence
in the Yahoo
Internet portal. IPS is also working
on an agreement with Panos
for a new photographic service and to
strengthen cooperation on HIV/AIDS reporting
in Africa.
Working towards the World
Summit on the Information Society IPS
is a member of the CRIS
platform and is renewing or establishing
partnerships with key players in the debate
about the information society including
APC
and AMARC.
