Green Liberty: Fourth Six Months of M4D

Opinion Pool

Latvian society is very poorly informed about sustainable global development. Space of people’s thoughts and activities is limited to national scale, and the world in their perception is fragmented.  Latvian inhabitants consider that Latvia in comparison with other countries is much poor than it is in reality. About poor conditions people blame country and international structures, and do not take responsibility on them. Majority of society is not ready for any practical action to support global development, and their active civil position is weak: responsibility and involvement are not priorities. Lack of awareness about development processes in the world encourages formation of false assumptions about global development that creates formation of different misconceptions and social myths.

These are some of the general conclusions based on the opinion pool “Sustainable global development: Awareness and action of Latvian society” (Līdzsvarota globālā attīstība: Latvijas sabiedrības informētība un rīcība) that we implemented in collaboration with the marketing and public opinion research centre SKDS.

Data have been obtained from Latvian residents in the survey through direct interviews. Fieldwork was on April 9, 2016 to April 20 and from May 21 to June 1. With stratified random sampling method in whole country 1,005 respondents aged 18 to 74 years have been surveyed. Respondents’ sample represents a larger population. Study statistical error does not exceed the total responses distributions + / - 3% limit.

Detailed description of the results of this survey is published in the information bulletin Development Cooperation News 4^th issue “Global Development Myths”. 

International conference Bratislava Roundtable 

Bratislava Roundtable conference “Sustainable Development Goals - Opportunities and Challenges” was organised by the Slovak NGDO Platform under the auspice of the Slovak Presidency in the Council of the European Union and took place in Bratislava on September 5th 2016. 

Among around 60 participants, including policy makers, media representatives, civil society representatives, private sector representatives and academics from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Slovakia,  United Kingdome and other countries were seven participants who represented Green Liberty: Inese Vaivare, Director of Latvian Platform for Development cooperation (LAPAS), Madara Siliņa, Third Secretary of Development Cooperation Policy Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia, Māra Sīmane, Adviser of Cross-Sectoral Coordination Centre, Sanita Kalnača, Adviser of Cross-Sectoral Coordination Centre, Āris Ādlers, Board Member of Latvian Green Movement / CEE Bankwatch, Līva Stade, Green Liberty and Inga Belousa, Green Liberty.

This was the second international conference as one of the activities of the project Media for Development. The first conference - Riga Roundtable “Financing for Development: Role of EU Member States” was organized by Green Liberty, Latvian Green Movement and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia in Riga on June 11-12, 2015. 

Joint Study Trip to Nepal

Two journalists, Santa Logina from regional newspaper Zemgales Ziņas and Iveta Sondore from the magazine Vides Vēstis represented Green Liberty in the joint study trip to Nepal on the September 4-11, 2016. 

This study trip was organized by project’s Finnish partner organization VIKES. During the trip Santa Logina and Iveta Sondore together with her colleagues from other M4D partner organizations – Estonia, Lithuania, Czech Republic and Slovakia met with CIJ staff, Nepali editors, NGO actors, journalists, editors, European actors (including Nordic Embassy representatives) in the country, local community and local authorities in their visits to Kathmandu, Sindhupalchowk and Dolakha districts.

Reflections on situations and experience have been published in several proceeding articles and are available here: 

• Sondore, Iveta (2016). Nepāla. Dzīve pēc zemestrīces [Nepal. Life after the earthquake]. Magazine Vides Vēstis, 6 (163), pp.38-41. 
• Logina, Santa and Sondore, Iveta (October 24, 2016). Kontrastu zeme Nepāla [Land of contrasts – Nepal].
• Logina, Santa, (September 29, 2016). Skaistums un posts – Nepāla. [Beauty and misery - Nepal]. Zemgales Ziņas [regional newspaper Zemgale News].
• Logina, Santa, (October 20, 2016). Skaistums un posts – Nepāla. [Beauty and misery - Nepal]. Zemgales Ziņas [regional newspaper Zemgale News].
• Logina, Santa, (November 17, 2016). Skaistums un posts – Nepāla. [Beauty and misery - Nepal]. Zemgales Ziņas [regional newspaper Zemgale News].
• Logina, Santa. (November 20, 2016). Nepāla– valsts, kurā pārdomāt vērtības. [Nepal – the country where to reflect on your values]. Zemgales Ziņas [regional newspaper Zemgale News].

Focusgroup discussion about global education 

In November 4 we organized a focusgroup discussion about global education and global citizenship. To share their experience we invited 10 different stakeholders of global education:

1. Liene Baltmane, teacher of English at Mārupe Secondary school – represents teachers who implement global education at school;
2. Edgars Bērziņš, teacher of history and development projects at Andreja Upīša Skrīveri Secondary school  – represents teachers who implement global education at school;
3. Ilze Dalbiņa, coordinator of UNESCO Associated School project and Education department – represents UNESCO LNK;
4. Ligita Grigule, head of the Practice and global partnership centre of Faculty of Education, Psychology and Art at Latvia University – represents higher education and academic sector that provides teacher education;  
5. Valters Kinna, Green Liberty – represents non-governmental sector that implements projects and teacher education courses and seminars;
6. Zane Oliņa, National Centre for Education – represents project “Competence based approach in education curriculum” at the National Centre for Education;
7. Elita Opincāne, expert of education and life-long learning of Education department at Rēzekne municipality – represents municipalities that implement global education projects;
8. Sintija Šmite, head of international cooperation programs department at State Education Development Agency – represents State Education Development Agency;
9. Līva Šteinberga, senior referent of Development cooperation policy department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia – represents Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia;
10. Iveta Vērse, head of the Education development centre – represents non-governmental sector that implements projects and teacher education courses and seminars. 

Global education week in Latvia this year was organized in November 1 – 12. It was coordinated by the Latvian Platform of Development Cooperation (LAPAS) in collaboration with Green Liberty, UNESCO Latvian National Commission, Faculty of Education, Psychology and Art at Latvia University, Latvian Association for Cooperation in Education (LACE), and other civil society organizations. This year’s GEW motto in Latvia – what you sow, that you reap – highlights that active participation is the way how we all together can shape our community, country and development of the planet.

The focusgroup discussion about global education was organized during the Global Education Week (GEW) that is a Europe-wide awareness-raising event that takes place annually in formal and non-formal educational settings across the continent. The GEW’s aim is to encourage educators and learners to explore educational activities for global citizenship. The GEW addresses issues related to diversity and inequality at the local and global levels, and tries to foster: awareness of the wider world and of our own role as world citizens, attitudes of respect for diversity and intercultural communication skills, responsibility for our own actions, and the ability to take action to make the world a more equitable and sustainable place.

TV/Movie Producers’ Meeting in Finland

Five producers: Elizabete Palasiosa from Juris Podnieks Studio, Zane Kalnina and Laura Cīrule from film studio "Woodpecker Pictures", Ieva Goba from Elm Media, and Danuta Juste from TVNET represented Green Liberty and took part in the TV and movie producers’ meeting in Helsinki and Tampere on November 10-11, 2016.

The producers’ meeting was organized by project’s Finnish partner organization VIKES. Its focus was several meetings (with representatives of the Finnish Film Foundation, Yle Red Nose Day Show Producers, Tampere International Film Festival Executive Director Juhani Alanen, journalist and director Laura Satimus from the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE, Yle producer and development reporter Pasi Toivonen), networking and participating in the Yle Red Nose Day Show.

For representatives of Green Liberty this meeting was a great success, especially discussions and experience exchange with producers from Gimmeyawallet Production, Docventures, Madventures and Soundtracker about changing the way of watching documentary films. The GL representatives shared that it was inspiring to observe five hours long the Yle Red Nose Day Show online that had been prepared during the whole year. They expressed their initiative to cooperate with Green Liberty in order to organize similar campaigns in Latvia. Also, the GL representatives were challenged to think about the role of public TV, its competitiveness with commercial channels, and possibilities to attract youth as target audience. Their reflections were directed to communicating meaningful content in an attractive way not losing its value. 

Fair Trade day: What is the real price of sports equipment?

Sports equipment – clothes and accessories – is essential element of sport. The quality of sports equipment significantly influences our wellbeing when we take a part in sports activities and achieve results. But what do we mean by the quality of sports equipment? Those who have been interested to find answers on questions – how fair is sports equipment and what is its real price and impact – participated in the Fair Trade day organized in the Latvia Academy of Sport Education (LASE) on November 10, 2016.

This event invited different stakeholders connected to reflect on how the local and the global contexts are integrated in sport, to clarify the real price of t-shirt, to participate in focusgroup discussion about fairness of sports equipment, to watch two short documentaries about industry of Nike goods and production of football balls in Pakistan, and to discuss about sport and sustainable development.

More info about the event here.

E-bulletin “Development Cooperation News”

To enrich awareness of society and policymakers in Latvia about global interconnection, challenges and initiatives to solve them both globally and locally we publish electronic information bulletin Development Cooperation News (DCN).

The 4^th issue is Global Development Myths is looking for answers on the following questions: Is it truth or not that “we should not help other countries, because we ourselves are poor”, “poverty results from too high birth rate”, “help makes a receiver to become lazy”, “financial assistance is the most needed help for poor countries”, “climate change is not connected to increase of poverty”? Stories that provide different answers on these questions are published in five sections – POSITIONS, EVENTS, EXPERIENCE, OPINIONS, and RESOURCES that shape the structure of DCN.

DCN is published electronically twice a year and features current development cooperation topics from the perspective of practitioners, opinion leaders and policy-makers.

Read and download the bulletin Development Cooperation News here.