Latin American Information Agency

ALAI, the Agencia Latinoamericana de Información (Latin American Information Agency), is a non-profit communication organization headquartered in Quito, Ecuador. Founded in 1977 in Montreal, Canada, by a group of Latin American journalists, it was created to break the information blockade on the region during the era of military dictatorships. Over time, ALAI redefined its role toward accompanying popular communication processes and social organizations, and in 1983 it opened an office in Ecuador, where its headquarters were later established. ALAI produces and distributes information through its website and the alai-amlatina email distribution list. It publishes the monthly magazine América Latina en Movimiento in print, as well as monographic books. Its content highlights the perspective of social movements and citizens, and analyzes political and social processes. The agency declares its commitment to human rights, gender equality, and citizen participation in the development and public affairs of Latin America. ALAI has special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), is a member of the International Council of the World Social Forum, and sits on the board of the International Center for Higher Studies in Communication for Latin America (CIESPAL). Its Executive Director is Sally Burch, and its Information Director and Coordinator is Osvaldo León. ALAI was a pioneer in the early 1990s in using new technologies for information distribution and for facilitating communication among organizations, as well as in the strategic use of the internet to advance the citizen right to communication and the democratization of information and communication. In 1991 it co-founded Ecuanex, Ecuador's first email service node, linked to the international Association for Progressive Communications (APC), and created the alai-amlatina email distribution list. In 1995 ALAI participated in the communication initiative organized by APC for the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing through Sally Burch, then coordinator of the APC Women's Programme. In 2001 it was involved in the Forum of the Americas for Diversity and Plurality, a civil society preparatory event for the World Conference against Racism in South Africa. In the last decade it has conducted numerous research and training activities in this field, published as books or articles. ALAI is part of the civil society movement asserting that the Information Society must place human beings and human rights at its center, a position already raised at the 2002 World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, where the campaign for the Right to Communication in the Information Society (CRIS) was launched to mobilize civil society around the World Summit on the Information Society held in two phases: Switzerland (2003) and Tunisia (2005). In 2015 ALAI was part of the driving group of the Internet Social Forum, an initiative launched in January 2015 by various civil society organizations. In 2017 it participated in organizing the Dialogues for a Citizen Internet, the American regional preparatory phase of the Internet Social Forum.

ALAI was created in 1977 in Montreal, Canada, on the initiative of Latin American journalists to break the information blockade on the region during the era of military dictatorships. Later, in contact with various communication projects in Latin America, ALAI redefined its role toward accompanying popular communication processes and social organizations. In 1983 it opened an office in Ecuador, where its headquarters were subsequently established. ALAI was a pioneer in the early 1990s in the use of new technologies for information distribution and for facilitating communication among organizations. It also pioneered the strategic use of the internet to advance the citizen right to communication and the democratization of information and communication. In 1991 the agency co-founded Ecuanex, the first node that provided email service in Ecuador, linked to the international Association for Progressive Communications (APC), and created the alai-amlatina email distribution list. In 1995 ALAI took part in the communication initiative organized by APC for the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing through Sally Burch, then coordinator of the APC Women's Programme. In the conclusions of this conference, for the first time a UN document mentioned the importance of new technologies for the empowerment of citizens and especially women. ALAI's trajectory on issues of diversity and plurality, especially in indigenous movements, led the agency to become especially involved in the Forum of the Americas for Diversity and Plurality held in 2001, a civil society preparatory event for the World Conference against Racism held in South Africa. In the last decade, ALAI has carried out numerous research and training activities in this field, published as books or articles. On the right to communication, ALAI is part of the movement that from civil society demands that the Information Society must have human beings and human rights at its center, a position already raised at the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre in 2002, where the campaign for the Right to Communication in the Information Society (CRIS) was launched to mobilize civil society around the World Summit on the Information Society, held in two phases: Switzerland (2003) and Tunisia (2005). In 2015 ALAI was part of the driving group of the Internet Social Forum, an initiative launched in January 2015 by various civil society organizations that, among other issues, raised the need for internet development in the public interest based on the values of democracy, human rights and social justice, with a decentralized architecture and based on people's rights to access, data, information, knowledge and other commons that the internet has allowed the global community to generate and share. In 2017 it participated in the organization of Dialogues for a Citizen Internet, the American regional preparatory phase of the Internet Social Forum.

• 2017

  ALAI participates in organizing the Dialogues for a Citizen Internet, the American regional preparatory phase of the Internet Social Forum.

• 2015

  ALAI is part of the driving group of the Internet Social Forum.

• 2002

  At the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, the CRIS campaign for the Right to Communication in the Information Society is launched.

• 2001

  ALAI is involved in the Forum of the Americas for Diversity and Plurality, a preparatory event for the World Conference against Racism.

• 1995

  ALAI participates in the APC communication initiative for the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing through Sally Burch.

• 1991

  ALAI co-founds Ecuanex, Ecuador's first email service node, and creates the alai-amlatina email distribution list.

• 1983

  ALAI opens an office in Ecuador, where its headquarters are later established.

• 1977

  ALAI is created in Montreal, Canada, by Latin American journalists.

A communication agency reporting from the perspective of social movements and defending the right to communication.

• América Latina en Movimiento

• alai-amlatina

• alainet.org

• Monographic books

• 2002Right to Communication in the Information Society (CRIS)

1. 1Agencia Latinoamericana de Información - Wikipediaes.wikipedia.org
2. 2ALAI - Wikidatawikidata.org