Mobile World Congress Addresses Social Topics

The 2009 GSMA Mobile World Congress “combines the world’s largest exhibition for the mobile industry with a stimulating and insightful congress that brings together prominent leaders and personalities from mobile operators and equipment vendors, as well as Internet and entertainment professionals.” The Congress is expected to attract approximately 50,000 attendees from around the world for this 4-day event in Barcelona, Spain.

The Congress will also unveil the hottest trends in mobile communications and help define the industry’s path to continued growth. According to the conference agenda, there are three sessions that will address the social and developmental aspect of mobile technology, notably:

From E-Government to M-Government – the Public Sector Opportunity

The positive impact of mobile can be seen across all aspects of our modern society. This is never more evident than within the public sector. Government is an established and recognised practice and has revolutionalised the way that local and central government organisations work. This session will bring together academics, analysts, government professionals together with representatives of the mobile value chain to:

• Demonstrate how mobile technology is improving public sector activities
• Highlight the business opportunities and challenges for the mobile industry
• Showcase the latest developments, ideas and applications with the field of Government

Developing to Developed – Innovation in Mobile Healthcare

The positive impact of mobile healthcare has attracted the attention of government and economic forums from across the globe. Mobilising key services and services and applications has led to cost reduction and increased efficiency within the healthcare sector. In the developing markets mobility has increased access to healthcare services and increased life expectancy and quality. During this session high-level speakers from global mobile operators, vendors, international foundations and economic forums will join together to discuss the latest developments, growth areas and technological advancements within the sector. The session will start with the exclusive announcement of a global m-health initiative.

Green – Driving a Sustainable Industry

The mobile industry is leading the way in the creation and use of green power initiatives. In the current economic climate this is about more than altruism and can realise significant cost savings. This session will feature high-level operator & vendor speakers who are leading in the green space. Panel debates and presentations will provide valuable learnings and case study examples of the ways in which companies from across our industry are reducing their impact on the environment whilst dramatically cutting costs.
For more information about the conference and registration, please follow this link.

The Next Web Conference April 15-17 2009

The Next Web 2009 is the fourth edition of the conference that began in 2006 where 900+ Internet professionals will gather for 3 days to enjoy Amsterdam, the conference and to do business. The conference is focused on the vision for the future of the web where speakers share their views and expertise. Moreover, the 24 most promising and innovative startups will reveal their new concepts to the world. The Next Web Conference will take place on April 15, 16 and 17 in Amsterdam.

Project: Cheetah Appraisal Company

Today the Global Advances team officially launched the Cheetah Appraisal Company website, a Los Angeles-based full service automotive appraisal firm. Our team assisted in developing Cheetah Appraisal’s brand by designing a professional logo and color-palette for its online and offline presence. As with all of our web projects, we strive to use the most up-to-date development techniques and best coding/markup practices: Cheetah Appraisal’s website was designed with CSS and pure XHTML 1.0 Strict. The back-end is powered by a content management system (CMS) for easy updating by non-technical personnel and includes a database for storing submitted form information. Here’s a preview:

Latin American – Caribbean Microcredit Summit is coming to Colombia

Join Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus and Microfinance Leaders from the Region at the Latin American – Caribbean Regional Microcredit Summit June 8-10, 2009 in Cartagena, Colombia! Sponsors Microcredit Summit Campaign and Banca de las Oportunidades are pleased to announce that registration for the summit is now open.

An expected 1,000 delegates from some 35 countries will be in attendance addressing a long-term strategy to use microfinance as a powerful means to end global poverty. At the Summit, delegates will have the choice of participating in a wide variety of plenary sessions, workshops, day-long courses, and various council meetings featuring microfinance experts from Latin America and the Caribbean.

For more information about registration please visit: www.regionalmicrocreditsummit2009.org

Musicians and the Web: A Platform for Social Change

Musicians have long been aware of the phenomenal power of music; its melodic vibes resonate with an incredible ability to communicate with people’s hearts, minds, and emotions. Good music is capable of transforming thought into action and reaching far and deep into the souls of its listeners. Musicians from around the globe are leveraging the web to spread their influence and awareness of important social topics, each with the hope of melodiously transmitting a conscious message to their fans and leaving a lasting impression that will invoke social change.

This week Global Advances takes a look at a few amazing charity projects founded, funded, and supported by superstar musicians and underground artists striving to make the world a better place:

Alicia Keys is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter. Her incredible talent and success has helped her sell over 30 million albums worldwide and win numerous awards. She is the co-founder and Global Ambassador of Keep a Child Alive, a non-profit organization that provides medicine to families with HIV and AIDS in Africa. Through her project she has visited countries such as Uganda, Kenya and South Africa to provide care and support for children affected by AIDS. Her work in Africa was documented in the short film Alicia in Africa: Journey to the Motherland.

Another famous contributor to social causes, Wyclef Jean, is a multi-platinum Haitian-American musician, actor, producer and former-member of the hip-hop trio The Fugees. Wyclef has led a successful music career selling more than 31 million albums and has influenced many to give, help and understand important social issues. His foundation, Yéle Haiti, provides humanitarian aid and assistance to Haiti. Yéle Haiti is a non-political organization with the mission to empower the people of Haiti and the Haitian diaspora to rebuild their nation.

“Music is powerful. It is the only thing that can speak into your mind, your heart and your soul without your permission.”
– Emmauel Jal

Emmanuel Jal is a Sudanese musician and a former child soldier. He is the founder of Gua Africa, a charity working with individuals, families and communities to help them overcome the effects of war and poverty. After escaping from a tumultuous Sudan to Kenya, he fell in love with hip-hop music because its ability to effectively communicate his story and lobby for political change in Sudan. His songs include: Gua, War Child, Help: A Day In The Life, Ceasefire, and many more. A documentary about Emmanuel Jal’s story entitled War Child was produced in 2008 to raise awareness of children as war victims.
Some other projects founded and backed by renowned musicians include: the Konfidence Foundation by Akon, the One Campaign by Bono, Pies Descalzos by Shakira, the BELIEVE Foundation by Rihanna, Raising Malawi by Madonna, and IntraHealth Open by Youssou N’Dour.

Through web and social networking applications, even local and grassroots musicians have been able to spread their messages of peace across the globe with greater efficacy and speed. A project that has helped bring these musicians together, the Playing for Change initiative, is dedicated to uniting the world via the strong bonding glue of music.

Here are some other interesting and inspiring music video links that speak for a cause:

• Don’t give up- Alicia Keys + Bono
• Wake Up Everybody 2008- Collaboration of Hit Artists
• African Underground: Hip Hop Democracy in Senegal
• Human Rights – Amnesty International
• En Noir et Blanc – Sefyu, re-educating ourselves to fight racism (France)
• Stop the War – Genda, calling an end to war (Sierra Leone)
• ChocQuibTown – Somos Pacificos, showing Colombia’s beauty and Afro-Colombian culture (Colombia)

The internet continues to be the most accessible and widespread medium for diffusing the message of love, peace, and hope through music. Do you know of any interesting music videos or projects that are inspiring social change? We would love for you to share with us in the comments below!