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 4th
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:
- Liene Baltmane, teacher of English at Mārupe Secondary school – represents
teachers who implement global education at school;
- Edgars Bērziņš, teacher of history and development projects at Andreja
Upīša Skrīveri Secondary school – represents
teachers who implement global education at school;
- Ilze Dalbiņa, coordinator of UNESCO Associated School project and
Education department – represents UNESCO LNK;
- 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;
- Valters Kinna, Green Liberty – represents non-governmental sector that
implements projects and teacher education courses and seminars;
- Zane Oliņa, National Centre for Education – represents project “Competence
based approach in education curriculum” at the National Centre for Education;
- Elita Opincāne, expert of
education and life-long learning of Education department at Rēzekne
municipality – represents municipalities that implement global education projects;
- Sintija Šmite, head of international cooperation programs department at State
Education Development Agency – represents
State Education Development Agency;
- 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;
- 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 4th
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.
