Communication for Development: Achieving the Millennium Development Goals
The 10th interagency round table on communication for development
UNESCO’s proposal
Background
Since 1988, when it first started, the interagency round table on communication for development
was conceived as an informal gathering of UN agencies later expanding its outreach to NGOs,
international organizations, academia, donors, and communication practitioners.
The importance of communication in the development process has been acknowledged for many
years by the development community. In the past decade alone, communication for development
has been widely discussed in relation to specific development challenges such as HIV and AIDS
but also in the broad sense often revisiting the difficulties of communicating sustainable
development.
The use of the terminology “communication for development” is often a subject of debate and for
this reason the working definition shall be guided by Article 6, UN General Assembly Resolution
51/172, which “stresses the need to support two-way communication systems that enable
dialogue and that allow communities to speak out, express their aspirations and concerns and
participate in the decisions that relate to their development.”
The main objective of the round table, within the framework of A/RES/51/172, is to ensure
understanding among the UN agencies regarding the implementation of programmes and projects
that contribute to communication for development or use that specific approach to resolve
development related issues. Under this overall objective, each round table develops its agenda
and specific objectives with due consideration to current trends and practices including the
influence of the rapidly evolving new information and communication technologies on
communication for development. The objectives of the 10th round table are listed under the
appropriate heading below.
Held on a biannual basis, the round table is led by one of the United Nations agencies on a
rotating basis. The hosting agency proposes an overall theme and the participating agencies
contribute to the discussion and organization of the meeting. Traditionally, the meeting was held
alternately between a developed country and a developing country every other biennium. The
10th round table is proposed to be held in a developing country.
The 9th round table was hosted by FAO in Rome. UNESCO agreed to host the 10 th round table
and presents its proposal outlining the meeting objectives, possible date and venue in this
preliminary draft.
The theme “Communication for Development: Achieving the Millennium Development Goals”
was recommended for the 10th round table through written correspondence from the participating
agencies. This was later confirmed verbally by the agencies in a conference call.
Nearly all bilateral funding agencies, most multilateral agencies and many NGOs have explicitly
aligned their medium- and long-term priorities to meeting the MDGs. Communication for
development, as a people-centred approach, may accelerate the achievement of the time-bound
and measurable MDGs that stress the responsibilities of developing countries for getting their
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house in order, and of developed countries for supporting those efforts. The MDGs are based on
global partnership, have unprecedented political support, are embraced at the highest levels by
developed and developing countries, civil society and major development institutions.
Recommendations of the 9th round table and existing challenges
Key trends and events were examined during the 9th round table outlining development
challenges related to sustainable development; the changing communication environment; the
advent of global terrorism; funding and resource availability; and the need to identify and tackle
main obstacles in communication for development. The discussions were deep and provided the
international “communication for development” community the platform it so desired for
knowledge and experience sharing.
The three working groups of the 9th round table drew up a long list of recommendations that
reflect a range of needs required to strengthen communication for development, mainly, increased
human resource capacity, multimedia and interactive tools, training, research, discussion
platforms, and a pluralistic environment.
The 9th round table emphasized that communication strategies receive insufficient thought by
development planners and are not sufficiently integrated at the start of any strategic planning
process. In addition, very few resources are accorded to communication strategies and often their
implementation is insufficiently met by untrained personnel. The level of ownership,
participation and public discourse required for success is a fundamental reassessment and
reprioritization of the role of communication in meeting the MDGs.
Additional existing challenges also include lack of political will in the absence of which scaling
up is almost impossible. Advocacy and mobilisation to ensure is required to mobilize political
will at all levels including through mechanisms such as the common country assessments under
the UN Development Assistance Framework. This mechanism may influence and ensure that
“participation” and “voice” become part of any national development strategy.
Even the most current of development initiatives, the NEPAD framework, make no mention of
effective communication strategies to engage populations in a genuine regional dialogue on
development. This difficulty is increasingly recognized by international partners including the
development banks that are beginning to argue that skilled human resource is the greatest
challenge particularly in Africa. “The role of communication and mass media in development
has never been fully exploited by national political authorities or international development
agencies. An outcome of this is that mass media – the most powerful instruments of social change
known to humanity – are used in ways that do not add value to the imperative of development in
developing countries. Media in Africa, for example, are rarely strategically involved in efforts to
reinforce peace, promote regional integration, and disseminate growth-generating ideas and
concepts. Is it that they don’t want to or they are not able to? Is the question really about
dictatorial authority over the media or weak human capacity?” This may be one of many
questions the interagency round table may have to face.
Today more than ever, underprivileged and marginalized communities are provided opportunities
for hands-on knowledge in the installation and utilization of new and traditional information and
communication technologies but it is important to question whether sufficient investments have
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been made for a better understanding on how these technologies can be adapted and applied as
development solutions.
Communication oriented research is limited and local communities are yet to become active
participants in documenting, recording, and creating local information and knowledge. Is there
sufficient space and opportunity to build upon the analytical skills of communities and report the
process oriented steps that manifest efficient use of communication technologies for development
and social change?
The linkages between communication for development and new and traditional communication
technologies cannot be ignored. An informed and credible journalist can help make the success
of a grassroots project known to the public and it is partly due to this factor that most UN
agencies actively engage in somewhat haphazardly supporting the local media by providing
training, equipment or transport and logistics support. In the absence of a common strategy
among the UN agencies, the positive linkages are difficult to recognize and provide little
relevance to the achievement of the MDGs. The improvements marked by the impact of
haphazard media training are difficult to judge without a mechanism that improves our own
understanding of how these contributions facilitate or accelerate communication for development
objectives.
These and many other open ended issues and questions merit discussion. They are essential to
promote communication for development as a concept and a strategic approach for the
empowerment of underprivileged communities, to support the advancement of community
development, and to ensure public participation in democratic governance.
In conclusion and as a very brief reminder, no particular mention is made about communication
for development in the MDG Report 2005 or in the UN Secretary General’s follow up report to
the Millennium Summit (A/60/430*). Instead, the latter focuses on reforming mandates that have
passed their fifth year to strategically position the UN Organization within the current
international context and to introduce more efficient mechanisms that may accelerate the response
of UN agencies. The Communication for Development mandate has already exceeded its 10 th
anniversary and it is of common interest to maximize the benefits of this platform.
Objectives of the 10th round table
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increase interagency joint collaboration:
o introduce and promote possibilities at national and international
levels (eg. through UNDAF/CCAs: establish advocacy agenda for
discussion at the round table; create and showcase pilot projects)
o share and show case good practices (eg. interagency publication on
communication for development best practices; establish an
interagency mechanism for the distribution of audio-visual content
produced with support from UN agencies)
increase awareness within and among UN agencies about communication for
development (discuss challenges, achievements, obstacles, required
solutions)
introduce mechanisms to harmonize communication for development
programming approaches internationally (engage active focal points at
international and country levels, reinforce commitment of respective agency
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HQs, promote the round table and invite wide participation of other UN
agencies)
Proposed meeting date and venue
Duration:
Venue:
4 – 5 November 2006 (two days)
(1) Addis Ababa, Ethiopia or
(2) San Jose, Costa Rica
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Annex: Pointers from the MDG Report 2005
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Hunger was reduced by at least 25 per cent in more than 30 countries during the last decade. However, malnutrition
in children contributes to over half of child deaths and is caused not only by food deprivation, but also by the debilitating
effects of infectious diseases and lack of care. Child mortality is closely linked to poverty: advances in infant and child
survival have come more slowly to people in poor countries and to the poorest people in wealthier countries.

Efforts to eradicate poverty and hunger are frequently set back by conflict and natual disasters. Out of 13 million
deaths in large-scale conflicts from 1994 to 2003, over 12 million were in sub-Saharan Africa, Western Asia and Southern
Asia. Not surprisingly, these regions are also home to three quarters of the world’s 37 million refugees and displaced
persons and the areas where the number of hungry people is growing. In two of these regions — sub-Saharan Africa and
Western Asia — poverty is also on the rise.

The benefits of education are key to breaking the cycle of poverty. Education gives people choices regarding the
kind of lives they wish to lead. It enables them to express themselves with confidence in their personal relationships, in
the community and at work. But for more than 115 million children of primary school age who are out of school, this
human right is being denied. These are mostly children from poor households, whose mothers often have no formal
education either. The loss of potential does not affect children alone. Education, especially for girls, has social and
economic benefits for society as a whole. Educated women have more economic opportunities and engage more fully in
public life. As mothers, they tend to have fewer and healthier children who are more likely to attend school. The education
crisis in sub-Saharan Africa is made worse by the impact of AIDS. In 1999 alone, nearly 1 million children in that region
lost their teachers to AIDS.

Women are less likely than men to hold paid and regular jobs and more often work in the informal economy, which
provides little financial security and no social benefits. Fewer women than men own businesses and employ others. And
worldwide, over 60 per cent of people working in family enterprises without pay are women. In the home, women perform
most of the chores. This work is also unpaid; often little valued and not reflected in national production statistics. Having
an equal voice in the decisions that affect their lives — from within the family to the loftiest realms of government — is a
key element of women’s empowerment. Although women’s representation in national parliaments has been steadily
increasing since 1990, women still occupy only 16 per cent of seats worldwide.

Giving birth should be a time of joy. But for more than half a million women each year, pregnancy and childbirth end
in death. Twenty times as many women suffer serious injuries or disabilities, which, if untreated, can cause lifelong pain
and humiliation. A mother’s death can be particularly devastating to the children left behind, who are more apt to fall into
poverty and to become the objects of exploitation.
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In the 25 years since it was first reported, AIDS has become the leading cause of premature death in sub-Saharan
Africa and the fourth largest killer worldwide. More than 20 million people have died around the world since the epidemic
began. And by the end of 2004, an estimated 39 million people were living with HIV. Though they are not making
headlines, other diseases are quietly stealing the vitality and hope of people in the developing world. Malaria claims the
lives of a million people a year, mostly young children, and is estimated to have slowed economic growth in African
countries by 1.3 per cent a year. Tuberculosis, once thought defeated, is making a comeback, helped by the emergence
of drug-resistant strains and the vulnerabilities created by HIV and AIDS. Not surprisingly, all three of these diseases are
concentrated in the poorest countries. And they can be largely controlled through education, prevention and, when illness
strikes, treatment and care.

Environmental sustainability means using natural resources wisely and protecting the complex ecosystems on which
our survival depends. But sustainability will not be achieved with current patterns of resource consumption and use. Land
is becoming degraded at an alarming rate. Plant and animal species are being lost in record numbers. The climate is
changing, bringing with it threats of rising sea levels and worsening droughts and floods. Fisheries and other marine
resources are being overexploited.

At the heart of the MDGs is the understanding that fighting poverty is a collective undertaking and that all countries
have a stake in the results. Primary responsibility to achieve the Goals rests with developing countries, but international
support is critical, especially for the poorest countries and for countries handicapped by geographical isolation. Moreover,
in an interdependent world economy, open avenues for trade, international financial stability and the spread of technology
are needed to enable developing countries to seize opportunities for accelerated and sustained development.
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