blogged by Timi:

Loe Schot (HIVOS, NL)

World citizenship and global civil society were two key concepts in Loe’s presentation that generated a lot of reaction. Not exactly a surprise since these terms are pregnant with meanings, and therefore charged terrains of discussions. Some participants questioned the notion of world citizens, considering it a romantic idea and perhaps one that doesn’t even exist. The global in civil society was also a point of critic for the audience. Does a global civil society really exist, and if so, who represents it?

Loe, however, stated that he doesn’t have an absolute answer that would clarify these concepts. But he does believe in world citizenship as that which results from engagement, involvement and solidarity with world issues. He posed the analysis that technological developments in media actually have played a major role in promoting issues and championing causes of various relief and human rights organizations. It has played a definitive role in development aid and in coordinating support activities, like the recent international response to the tsunami victims in December last year.

However, as much as people have united internationally for such causes, other equally important and urgent issues elsewhere in the world have not caught the public eye. This is true especially in places where there tourism doesn’t play a significant role.

He casts also a critical eye on (global) civil society posing questions related to representation, inclusion/exclusion and participation. He is, however, inclined to say that global civil society does exist or, at the very least, is being shaped at the moment by the rising wave of media and technological developments.

At the end he asks if, amidst these developments, communication really occurs or if the Internet, for example, contains more noise than real dialogues. Does this sort of communication promote dialogue among peoples across borders? Does it give birth to real networking and weaves cultures worldwide? These are Loe’s questions and, what I think, also his goals.