ABSTRACT Exaggerated claims and charges are obscuring the facts about the North American Free Tra... more ABSTRACT Exaggerated claims and charges are obscuring the facts about the North American Free Trade Agreement. Over time, in almost every instance, what's good for Mexico would also be good for the United States.
Few outsiders are aware of the relationship between the ostensibly independent news media in Mexi... more Few outsiders are aware of the relationship between the ostensibly independent news media in Mexico and the governing Institutional Revolutionary Party. This text features accounts of pay-offs and presidential assassinations.
What will happen now that congress has approved the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)? ... more What will happen now that congress has approved the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)? In this book, William Orme Junior aims to set the record straight, puncturing various myths about NAFTA, created by both supporters and opponents of the agreement, and looks to the future of North America. Orme explains that the process of consolidating the North American trade area only begins with ratification of NAFTA, and he recommends that the countries of Central America and the Caribbean renegotiate their special relationships with the expanded North American bloc. He discusses such issues as the effects of NAFTA on South America, on Japanese investment in Mexico, and on questions of national sovereignty. Orme also shows why NAFTA is just the first step in the movement towards a North American common market (rather than one encompassing the Western hemisphere).
In August 2014, the General Assembly's Open Working Group on the post-2015 agenda recommended... more In August 2014, the General Assembly's Open Working Group on the post-2015 agenda recommended the adoption of 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The group's proposed Goal 16 calls on all UN member states to: "Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels." That draft goal incorporates 10 separate SDG16 targets; Target 10 states that all countries should "ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements." This paper examines existing or readily available UN factual indicators, reports and institutional mechanisms that could be used to monitor progress in this important yet controversial SDGs target area. The paper can be accessed at: http://gfmd.info/en/site/news/720/GFMD-Policy-paper-released--Monitoring-Access-to-Information-in-the-SDGs-...
A study of national radio stations created and managed in post-conflict countries by the United N... more A study of national radio stations created and managed in post-conflict countries by the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations between 1990 and 2010, commissioned by the National Endowment for Democracy's Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA)
'The Trust Factor' - a book-length study of media ethics and differing national regulator... more 'The Trust Factor' - a book-length study of media ethics and differing national regulatory experineces, published by the UK-based Ethical Journalism Network in February 2015. Chapter on the UNITED STATES contributed by Bill Orme - "Media self-regulation: A questionable case of American exceptionalism?"
ABSTRACT Exaggerated claims and charges are obscuring the facts about the North American Free Tra... more ABSTRACT Exaggerated claims and charges are obscuring the facts about the North American Free Trade Agreement. Over time, in almost every instance, what's good for Mexico would also be good for the United States.
... But in the con-tinent's industrial heartland, from the rust belt to the sun-belt, the pu... more ... But in the con-tinent's industrial heartland, from the rust belt to the sun-belt, the public debate has barely begun -- and it ... Ecology groups, energized by the well-documented water pollution from (mainly Mexican) border-zone factories and sewage plants, want NAFTA to codify ...
Depuis que la gouvernance compte, l"Indice de perception de la corruption construit par Transpare... more Depuis que la gouvernance compte, l"Indice de perception de la corruption construit par Transparency International (TI) est devenu l"indicateur le plus influent dans son domaine. Chaque année, un classement est ainsi établi, pointant du doigt les pays perçus comme les plus corrompus par les experts de TI. Cet indice est un outil puissant de lutte contre le fléau de la corruption, permettant effectivement de mettre une réelle pression politique sur des régimes « mal gouvernés ». L"influence de ce classement sur l"économie des pays concernés peut être importante, rendant parfois plus difficile l"accès aux financements, qu"il s"agisse de l"aide internationale ou des investissements directs étrangers. Bien souvent, il s"agit d"une double peine pour des populations déjà victimes au quotidien de services publics gangrenés par la corruption et le clientélisme. La mesure de la corruption, à l"image des différents outils mis en place pour évaluer la gouvernance, est une mesure qualitative, issue de perceptions. Comme toute perception, elle est sujette à la disponibilité de l"information et subit l"influence des médias. Nos analyses ont montré que le niveau de liberté de la presse pouvait avoir une influence importante sur ces perceptions, pénalisant les jeunes démocraties et l"ouverture progressive des médias.
... The new North American institutions created by NAFTAthe dispute resolution boards, the tripa... more ... The new North American institutions created by NAFTAthe dispute resolution boards, the tripartite labor and environmental com-missions, the border agencies and development bankhave only barely begun to function. ...
Strengthening the UN' Role in Media Development, 2019
The United Nations made a promise in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to p... more The United Nations made a promise in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to promote free and independent media around the world. Citizens cannot “seek, receive and impart information and ideas, through any medium, regardless of frontiers” without access to a vibrant media sphere, including a free and open internet.
But how does the UN interpret and act upon this obligation? How is that changing? And how can the UN help create a more effective response to the profound challenges confronting independent media?
This report examines the myriad ways that the agencies and bodies of the United Nations support the development of healthy media systems. Author Bill Orme highlights the role of four UN organizations in particular—UNESCO, UNDP, UNICEF, and DPO—and makes recommendations targeted to these agencies, as well as to UN member states and donors.
In 2015 the United Nations General Assembly will adopt a new set of global development objectives... more In 2015 the United Nations General Assembly will adopt a new set of global development objectives to succeed the Millennium Development Goals, which expire at the end of the year. A General Assembly working group has proposed 17 " Sustainable Development Goals " with 169 associated " targets, " including one committing all UN member states to " ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements. " The UN Secretary-General and his many prominent " post-2015 " advisors also advocate guarantees for freedom of information in the new global goals. The inclusion of a clear commitment to access to information in the " SDGs " – including factual " indicators " to monitor compliance – could have a profound impact on freedom of expression and media globally, advocates contend. Yet it remains uncertain whether any provision on access to information...
ABSTRACT Exaggerated claims and charges are obscuring the facts about the North American Free Tra... more ABSTRACT Exaggerated claims and charges are obscuring the facts about the North American Free Trade Agreement. Over time, in almost every instance, what's good for Mexico would also be good for the United States.
Few outsiders are aware of the relationship between the ostensibly independent news media in Mexi... more Few outsiders are aware of the relationship between the ostensibly independent news media in Mexico and the governing Institutional Revolutionary Party. This text features accounts of pay-offs and presidential assassinations.
What will happen now that congress has approved the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)? ... more What will happen now that congress has approved the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)? In this book, William Orme Junior aims to set the record straight, puncturing various myths about NAFTA, created by both supporters and opponents of the agreement, and looks to the future of North America. Orme explains that the process of consolidating the North American trade area only begins with ratification of NAFTA, and he recommends that the countries of Central America and the Caribbean renegotiate their special relationships with the expanded North American bloc. He discusses such issues as the effects of NAFTA on South America, on Japanese investment in Mexico, and on questions of national sovereignty. Orme also shows why NAFTA is just the first step in the movement towards a North American common market (rather than one encompassing the Western hemisphere).
In August 2014, the General Assembly's Open Working Group on the post-2015 agenda recommended... more In August 2014, the General Assembly's Open Working Group on the post-2015 agenda recommended the adoption of 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The group's proposed Goal 16 calls on all UN member states to: "Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels." That draft goal incorporates 10 separate SDG16 targets; Target 10 states that all countries should "ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements." This paper examines existing or readily available UN factual indicators, reports and institutional mechanisms that could be used to monitor progress in this important yet controversial SDGs target area. The paper can be accessed at: http://gfmd.info/en/site/news/720/GFMD-Policy-paper-released--Monitoring-Access-to-Information-in-the-SDGs-...
A study of national radio stations created and managed in post-conflict countries by the United N... more A study of national radio stations created and managed in post-conflict countries by the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations between 1990 and 2010, commissioned by the National Endowment for Democracy's Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA)
'The Trust Factor' - a book-length study of media ethics and differing national regulator... more 'The Trust Factor' - a book-length study of media ethics and differing national regulatory experineces, published by the UK-based Ethical Journalism Network in February 2015. Chapter on the UNITED STATES contributed by Bill Orme - "Media self-regulation: A questionable case of American exceptionalism?"
ABSTRACT Exaggerated claims and charges are obscuring the facts about the North American Free Tra... more ABSTRACT Exaggerated claims and charges are obscuring the facts about the North American Free Trade Agreement. Over time, in almost every instance, what's good for Mexico would also be good for the United States.
... But in the con-tinent's industrial heartland, from the rust belt to the sun-belt, the pu... more ... But in the con-tinent's industrial heartland, from the rust belt to the sun-belt, the public debate has barely begun -- and it ... Ecology groups, energized by the well-documented water pollution from (mainly Mexican) border-zone factories and sewage plants, want NAFTA to codify ...
Depuis que la gouvernance compte, l"Indice de perception de la corruption construit par Transpare... more Depuis que la gouvernance compte, l"Indice de perception de la corruption construit par Transparency International (TI) est devenu l"indicateur le plus influent dans son domaine. Chaque année, un classement est ainsi établi, pointant du doigt les pays perçus comme les plus corrompus par les experts de TI. Cet indice est un outil puissant de lutte contre le fléau de la corruption, permettant effectivement de mettre une réelle pression politique sur des régimes « mal gouvernés ». L"influence de ce classement sur l"économie des pays concernés peut être importante, rendant parfois plus difficile l"accès aux financements, qu"il s"agisse de l"aide internationale ou des investissements directs étrangers. Bien souvent, il s"agit d"une double peine pour des populations déjà victimes au quotidien de services publics gangrenés par la corruption et le clientélisme. La mesure de la corruption, à l"image des différents outils mis en place pour évaluer la gouvernance, est une mesure qualitative, issue de perceptions. Comme toute perception, elle est sujette à la disponibilité de l"information et subit l"influence des médias. Nos analyses ont montré que le niveau de liberté de la presse pouvait avoir une influence importante sur ces perceptions, pénalisant les jeunes démocraties et l"ouverture progressive des médias.
... The new North American institutions created by NAFTAthe dispute resolution boards, the tripa... more ... The new North American institutions created by NAFTAthe dispute resolution boards, the tripartite labor and environmental com-missions, the border agencies and development bankhave only barely begun to function. ...
Strengthening the UN' Role in Media Development, 2019
The United Nations made a promise in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to p... more The United Nations made a promise in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to promote free and independent media around the world. Citizens cannot “seek, receive and impart information and ideas, through any medium, regardless of frontiers” without access to a vibrant media sphere, including a free and open internet.
But how does the UN interpret and act upon this obligation? How is that changing? And how can the UN help create a more effective response to the profound challenges confronting independent media?
This report examines the myriad ways that the agencies and bodies of the United Nations support the development of healthy media systems. Author Bill Orme highlights the role of four UN organizations in particular—UNESCO, UNDP, UNICEF, and DPO—and makes recommendations targeted to these agencies, as well as to UN member states and donors.
In 2015 the United Nations General Assembly will adopt a new set of global development objectives... more In 2015 the United Nations General Assembly will adopt a new set of global development objectives to succeed the Millennium Development Goals, which expire at the end of the year. A General Assembly working group has proposed 17 " Sustainable Development Goals " with 169 associated " targets, " including one committing all UN member states to " ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements. " The UN Secretary-General and his many prominent " post-2015 " advisors also advocate guarantees for freedom of information in the new global goals. The inclusion of a clear commitment to access to information in the " SDGs " – including factual " indicators " to monitor compliance – could have a profound impact on freedom of expression and media globally, advocates contend. Yet it remains uncertain whether any provision on access to information...
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But how does the UN interpret and act upon this obligation? How is that changing? And how can the UN help create a more effective response to the profound challenges confronting independent media?
This report examines the myriad ways that the agencies and bodies of the United Nations support the development of healthy media systems. Author Bill Orme highlights the role of four UN organizations in particular—UNESCO, UNDP, UNICEF, and DPO—and makes recommendations targeted to these agencies, as well as to UN member states and donors.
But how does the UN interpret and act upon this obligation? How is that changing? And how can the UN help create a more effective response to the profound challenges confronting independent media?
This report examines the myriad ways that the agencies and bodies of the United Nations support the development of healthy media systems. Author Bill Orme highlights the role of four UN organizations in particular—UNESCO, UNDP, UNICEF, and DPO—and makes recommendations targeted to these agencies, as well as to UN member states and donors.