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Central American Workshop on Communication for Development to be held RUTA and FAO sign Letter of Agreement to develop communications activities A Central American Workshop on Communications in Development will be the first activity that RUTA and FAO, together with the NGO Voces Nuestras (Our Voices), will carry out as part of the Letter of Agreement recently signed to promote communications activities in the development sector. The workshop will be held from May 29-June 1 in San Jose, Costa Rica. RUTA and FAO acknowledge that communication is a key element for strengthening Sustainable Livelihoods in indigenous and rural communities in Central America, empowering their organizations, facilitating access to information and relevant knowledge, strengthening their participation and providing them with tools to undertake the processes of change they are facing. At the same time, it contributes to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of development programs, supporting participation of vulnerable groups, improving economic activities and distribution of services in rural areas. For this reason, they signed the Letter of Agreement, with the objective of carrying out joint activities to strengthen communications capacities of the institutions, producer associations, and research, education and excellence centers, NGOs, and indigenous and rural organizations in Central America. Collaboration between RUTA and FAO in Communications for Development will be articulated based on two lines of actions: technical assistance in strategies, policies, programs and projects; and capacity building, exchange of information and knowledge, and cooperation through joint initiatives. In addition to supporting the organization of the workshop, RUTA will carry out a study of communications policies in Central America and Mexico, which will serve as the input for the preparation process for the Central American workshop. It will also serve as basis to design a strategy and communications action plan to support Sustainable Livelihoods in Central America, and to promote strategic alliances and present proposals to the World Congress for Communication for Development to be held in Rome, Italy, in October, 2006. In Central America there is a growing demand on part of institutions, projects, and grass roots organizations to incorporate communications in development activities. At the same time, there are experiences in the use of communications in the context of indigenous and rural projects and programs that have generated important results in different areas, including natural resources management, income diversification, fair trade, governance and others
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