United Nations Development Programme

Media and CSO Dialogue: Communicating a Culture of Peace

Speech by Garry Wiseman, Manager Pacific Centre on September 21, International Day of Peace

Introduction

On behalf of the UNDP Pacific Centre I am pleased to be here with you on this Monday morning to celebrate International Day of Peace. I would like to thank Sharon Bhagwan Rolls for inviting me and recognize that we are not only celebrating the day of peace but for us in the UN we actually get a day off to join others in the celebration of Eid.

Background to the International Day of Peace

The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by the United Nations as an annual observance of global non-violence and ceasefire, both personal and political. It is a commemoration and an opportunity during the day to promote the peaceful resolution of conflicts and to honour a cessation of hostilities. It is an opportunity to recognize the efforts of those who have worked hard to end conflict and promote peace.

It was only in 2001 however, that, following a campaign by filmmaker Jeremy Gilley, that the date of the 21^st of September was officially adopted by the United Nations as the International Day of Peace. Up until then it was celebrated on the third Tuesday of September and therefore was a different date every year. It is now celebrated across the world by millions of people, with events, concerts and forums taking place in most countries, organised by civil society organisations, private companies, individuals and governments.

Symbolism and UN Ambassadors

The most common symbol for the International Day of Peace is a white dove flying with an olive branch in its beak. In Judaism, Christianity and Islam a white dove is generally a sign for peace. The dove can also represent “hope for peace” or a peace offering from one person to another, hence the phrase “to extend an olive branch”. As the dove is in flight it is said that it is often said that it reminds people of its role as messenger. And while it might be a bit of stretch it could be said that because of this it also reflects the important role of the media who after all are the modern day messengers.

Also, on the symbolic side or maybe the role of very attractive messengers and one thing I had forgotten until reading about this year’s celebration was that there are in fact a few big Hollywood types who are UN Ambassadors of Peace. Can anyone suggest who these might be?

Three I know are: Michael Douglas, George Clooney and Charize Theron, who I understand among those who have been asked to join the UN Secretary General in a one hour television special highlighting the official ceremony at UN Headquarters in New York.

Role of UN

Since its establishment, the United Nations has been involved in seeking resolution to the world’s most intractable conflicts and in supporting the achievement of peace through peacemaking, peacekeeping and peacebuilding. This was best summed by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon who said at the 2007 Celebrations of International Peace Day: “Peace is one of humanity’s most precious needs. It is also the United Nations’ highest calling. It defines our mission. It drives our discourse. And it draws together all of our worldwide work, from peacekeeping and preventive diplomacy to promoting human rights and development.”

In essence the United Nations embodies the aspirations of all the people of the world for peace and the solidarity between nations and people.

Solidarity through networks including the role of the media

I would now like to focus briefly on what it means to be in solidarity through networks, to be promoting dialogue and the role of the media and why it is crucially important to build and sustain these avenues when working towards peace. Much of this you already know well, FemLinkPacific playing a key role in connecting people and promoting discussions and opinion sharing.

Peacebuilding involves a range of approaches, processes, and stages needed for transformation towards a sustainable and just peace. It is also clear from the experience of the Solomon Islands and Bougainville that it is not only about economic development, with peace requiring a multi-pronged approach to be achieved and sustained.

A key aspect of peacebuilding is that it cannot be achieved by one single actor alone. It requires patience, space, and most importantly, a willingness to work with others.

Networks are an important part of this. They ensure a more effective transfer of knowledge, expertise, lessons learned; stronger beneficial collaboration; and a greater impact for all advocacy and campaigning efforts. Networks are key to ensuring that the voices of the grass roots are heard, that their concerns and priorities are channeled, where needed to the highest levels. Finally, networks embody unity through diversity.

In the field of peace, where issues can sometimes be sensitive, it is the coalitions of organizations which have managed to raise the profile of and advocate on key issues. Often with support from the media which plays a critical role through its interaction with the public and with governments. And at all levels, the role of the media as a means to positively affect people and create change in the world is now well recognized. There have been many examples of this – such as the Control Arms Campaign; the Say No to Violence Against Women campaign and the Nuclear Free Pacific Campaign.

Networks also play a vital support role in such campaigns. In some countries where the situation is difficult and actors working towards peace are perhaps isolated, networks, in particular regional and international, can provide the moral and financial support to ensure that civil society organisations maintain their efforts to achieve peace.

I also noticed from the programme for today that you will be venturing into the role of peace journalism. Peace journalism is a form of journalism that frames stories to encourage conflict analysis and non-violent responses. Peace journalism is when editors and reporters make choices – about what to report, and how to report it and create opportunities for society at large to consider and to value non-violent responses to conflict.

Peace journalism aims to shed light on structural and cultural causes of violence, as they bear upon the lives of people in a conflict arena, as part of the explanation for violence. It aims to frame conflicts as consisting of many parties, pursuing many goals, rather than a simple dichotomy. An explicit aim of peace journalism is to promote peace initiatives from whatever quarter, and to allow the reader to distinguish between stated positions and real goals.

Peace journalism is seen as a response to traditional war journalism and reporting which have tended to emphasize the current conflict while ignoring the causes or outcomes. It was interesting to read some of the background on peace journalism and in the context of what we have seen here in Fiji and other parts of the Pacific to note that for effective peace journalism among the things you should do are:

Avoid letting parties define themselves by simply quoting the demands or positions of their leaders but instead inquire more deeply into goals by asking such questions as:
- How people’s everyday life on the ground affected by the conflict?
- What do they want changed?
- Is the position stated by their leaders the only way or the best way to achieve the changes they want?

Secondly,

Avoid concentrating always on what divides the parties, the differences between what they say they want. Instead, try asking questions that may reveal areas of common ground and leading your report with answers which suggest some goals maybe shared or at least compatible, after all.

Conclusion

For the UNDP Pacific Centre we recognize the importance of building relationships and networks and the important role the media can play in ensuring issues of common interest are understood, debated and ensure as possible to peaceful resolution to potential conflict. At a time where coherence of efforts and effectiveness of development work is crucial, collaboration and partnerships are the way forward.

Thank you once again for allowing me to share some time with you on this International Day of Peace. Best of luck for the rest of the day!