UNSIA Newsletter Issue 1, December 1997
UNESCO and ECA co-host a Regional Consultation Meeting on Communication for Peace Building
The Regional Consultation Meeting on Communication for Peace-Building in Africa, co-hosted by UNESCO and ECA under the UNSIA, was held in Addis Ababa Ethiopia, on June 23-25 1997. The meeting discussed a UNESCO prepared draft project document on the use of communication media to promote peace, tolerance, democracy, good governance, and respect for human rights. The immediate objectives of the proposed project are to: prepare a Regional Plan of Action for building peace in Africa through communication, and prepare national plans of action for twelve countries in the region. Participating in the meeting were representatives from UNESCO, ECA, FAO, UNDP, UNFPA, WFP, World Bank, UNICEF, OAU, and representatives from regional professional associations and institutions in Africa.
During the discussions, participants suggested revision of the document to place greater emphasis on the importance and special role of women in any peace-building process and provision of greater background material on causes and types of conflict. It was suggested that the communication strategy adopted use radio in conjunction with other media to create greater awareness about the havoc caused by conflict and the necessity of peace for any meaningful development. As a prerequisite, however, there had to be greater media freedom in Africa. On project strategy, the meeting suggested refinement of activities outlined in the draft and involvement of non-media experts engaged in peace-building activities in implementation.
It was suggested that identification and capacity assessment of regional and national partner organizations be undertaken to determine their potential participatory effectiveness, and, where necessary, determine assistance to such organisations.
UNESCO, the lead agency for implementation of the initiative, suggested five broad categories of criteria for selecting countries to participate in the pilot projects: countries in pre-conflict, conflict or post-conflict situations; the relative freedom and independence of the media; existence of on-going or planned projects in the area of peace building; political will and request from national authorities; and the urgency of the need for action.
Clear guidelines on how cross-border disputes were to be handled by peace mission coordinated by UNESCO and composed of at least three members—an expert on peace issues, a communications expert and a representative of a UN agency were sought. The meeting further suggested that the International Red Cross be consulted given its involvement in a number of trouble spots in Africa.
UNESCO was tasked with securing explicit support from African governments, through the Organization of African Unity, for the initiative. The meeting recommended the UN system establishes sub-regional press centres to facilitate the delivery of information on the on-going activities related to the initiative.