Document details

Media and Peacebuilding: Workshop Report. Berne, 25th June 2002

Bern: Swisspeace;KOFF (2002), 39 pp.

ISBN 3-908230-49-7

"In order to get a sound base for its future decisions on the role of media for peacebuilding, the Political Department IV of the Swiss Foreign Ministry has asked the swisspeace Center for Peacebuilding (KOFF) to initiate a process for compiling the current knowledge, existing experiences, and future challenges in this field. This should support the decision process in the Ministry on how media assistance could play a major role in their endeavor to contribute to peacebuilding efforts. The first step in this process was to commission a study on the state of the art in the field of media and peacebuilding. The second step was to convene a workshop, in which the first draft of the study was presented and discussed by experts and representatives of Swissbased media NGOs. In this workshop the media NGOs were also given the opportunity to present their view of the role and strategic position of media in peacebuilding and formulate the challenges they see for media projects in peacebuilding. The workshop participants also formulated common recommendations and open questions. This report compiles all the workshop’s input and presentations, and it summarizes its recommendations. In combination with the study “Media and peacebuilding: Concepts, actors, challenges” it hopefully contributes to the international debate on the role of the media and supports the ongoing process of reviewing their contribution to peacebuilding efforts." (Introduction, page 1)
1 INTRODUCTION, 1
2 INPUT BY EXPERTS
Media and Peacebuilding: Concepts, Actors and Challenges - Summary of report / Christoph Spurk, 2
Media as an instrument for managing conflicts and building peace - When is it most effective? / Michael Lund, 7
Media in Peacebuilding and Good Governance - Do immediate media peacebuilding activities ensure the prerequisites for the long-term objectives of free and independent media? / Mark Thompson, 13
3 INPUT BY NGOS
The challenges to work in media development field / André Loersch, 20
Information as both: a crucial need and a right of populations affected by conflict / Edward Girardet, 24
Strategic approach to the contribution of the media in peacebuilding / Roland Brunner, 28
The media in crisis zones: intervention or backup? / Jean-Marie Etter, 33
4 RECOMMENDATIONS, 36
5 LIST OF PARTICIPANTS, 38