The leader of a Netherlands-based non governmental association at the very end of the World Congress on Communication for Development, here in Rome, probably best summarised how development practitioners (communicators, donors and those benefiting from the development at the end of the line) need to move on.
The leader of a Netherlands-based non governmental association at the very end of the World Congress on Communication for Development, here in Rome, probably best summarised how development practitioners (communicators, donors and those benefiting from the development at the end of the line) need to move on.
Mr. Jac Stienen, managing director of the IICD said that what comes out of the congress, is that communication for development needs to be inscribed in a larger poverty reduction strategy, among other things in making using of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Only this way he stressed, will the efforts not be vain and actually strengthen the voices of those not served by the “communication market”. Participation he concluded, should always be the objective.
Also, Jac Stienen, said he believes in the upscaling the communication for development by using the media. In particular, community media is to be put fron and centre and ICT for D need to be come an integral part of communication for development.
Words matter. Definitions matter. This is why all along the WCCD, people argued about what communication for development is, where the concept comes from, how it blends in with ICT for development and other development language.
Beyond semantics, that are definitely charged with sense and political intentions, it might be wise to walk away the WCCD at this point with the last ditch pitch that Mr. Steinen left us with.