From Africa Recovery, Vol.11#4 (March 1998), page 17 (part of Special Feature on the 2-year review of UNSIA)

Peace-building through communications

Greater access to information and improved communication among different sectors of the population are vital for building a culture of peace in Africa, argues the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Within the framework of the UN System-wide Special Initiative on Africa, UNESCO is playing the lead role in a "Communications for Peace-building" project which aims to use various communications media to disseminate relevant information and education. The five-year, $8 mn project, which is expected to be launched this year, will focus initially on a dozen African countries that are in the midst of conflict, are trying to recover from the legacy of recent conflict, or are experiencing serious tensions that may lead to conflict.

For peace to prevail, strategies must be developed to address the causes of conflict, said Ms. Josephine Ouédraogo, Director of the UN Economic Commission for Africa's African Centre for Women, at a 23-25 June 1997 regional consultative meeting in Addis Ababa on the project. Any programme for peace, she added, must include three components: shared economic development, confidence building in the political system, and education for mutual understanding.

Mr. Mamadi Condé, Director of the UNESCO office in Addis Ababa, noted that while his agency was already promoting the role of communications in peace-building, the Special Initiative's innovation was to pursue an integrated approach, drawing on the experiences of a wide range of organizations. Participating in the meeting, for example, were not only UN agencies and the World Bank, but also the Union of National Radio and Television Organizations of Africa, the West African Journalists' Association, and several African media institutes and non-governmental organizations.

UNESCO has observed that while the causes of conflict are numerous -- including economic and social disparities, differences over governance or problems of identity or religion -- these often are exacerbated by insufficient information, education, knowledge of others' cultures, or awareness of basic rights and responsibilities. The Communications for Peace-building project aims to help lessen such shortcomings by strengthening the skills and technical capacities of independent and public-service media institutions, especially in rural communities, to better provide their audiences with news and information related to peace, tolerance, gender equality, good governance and respect for human rights.

Because newspapers and magazines generally have a small and largely urban-based readership, radio is currently the most widespread and useful modern medium for social and political development in Africa. While the project will also target other media, it will place a special emphasis on supporting radio broadcasting. Using participatory approaches, messages and programmes will be produced locally, addressing issues mainly selected and elaborated by media professionals in the project countries.

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