46998 Brief for Policymakers Towards a New Policy model for media and Communication in Post-Conflict and fragile states The media and communication sector plays a complex role within post-conflict and fragile states. In times of peace, communication processes can enable citizens to engage in dialogue, serve as platforms for debate, anchor governance reforms, and facilitate poverty reduction and development through provision of needed information. In conflict-affected states, the communication sector becomes even more crucial in helping to accomplish the vital tasks of managing expectations, building both trust in and oversight of state institutions, aiding the formation of an inclusive national identity, and fostering a participatory and engaged citizenry. Yet, in many if not most post-conflict environments, This publication seeks to draw lessons from a media and communication interventions remain variety of donor experiences, focusing primarily on just that--interventions inserted awkwardly into the Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) at the US the stabilization, reconstruction and development Agency for International Development (USAID). process with little thought given to deep impact. The OTI "case study" was selected because of its Often, purely tactical and/or expedient choices relatively long history, unique mission, flexible take precedence over strategic decision making, operational parameters and integrative approach. and the immediacy of the environment presents These lessons point to a new model for media and few opportunities for institutional learning. Most communication in conflict-affected environments. importantly, communication and media sector activities tend to get funneled primarily toward a Different model: The oTi approach public affairs or public information divisions, In their focus on short-term messaging to achieve rather than treated as fundamental components immediate goals, donors largely fail to view the of peacebuilding and governance within the communication sector holistically. In particular, there broader context of post-conflict and fragile state is an absence of emphasis on the connective tissue assistance. This mischaracterization of the role between the interrelated components of media and of communication can, potentially, lead to lost communication activities, which are important to opportunities and even negative outcomes. Brief for Policymakers | 1 long-term reconstruction and good governance. development program, which frequently involves Failure to fully comprehend connections between more money, planning and time to obligate funds. Its government strategic communication, message small size and flexibility allows OTI to exploit windows campaigns and behavior change communication, of opportunity when and as they arise, sometimes and independent media development can lead to combining several of the activities detailed in the duplicative, low-impact or counter-productive media following section to ensure a holistic emphasis on and communication programs. reconstruction, governance and peacebuilding. OTI has attempted to learn from its past Failure to fully comprehend connections experiences, as well as those of other donors. It has thus elevated the media and communication sector between strategic communication, to form an integral, technical component of its behavior change campaigns, and work. OTI has also implemented a strategic vision of the communication sector that emphasizes three independent media development can interconnected categories: lead to low-impact or counter-productive · Using communication to assist humanitarian relief, programs. peacebuilding and good governance The connective Tissue between categories · supporting state responsiveness through strategic communication of media and communication activities · fostering the growth of an independent media In practice, many donors think about the many sector communication activities listed above separately Many types of activities fall within these three ­ for instance, building an independent media categories of emphasis. They may include such sector or communicating peacebuilding messages. components as: supporting post-crisis emergency Operationally and conceptually, these are treated as broadcasting that can also deepen public dialogue distinct programs; meanwhile, in the field, different and foster a more democratic public sphere implementing NGOs may be responsible for the in the affected region; targeted media civic separate pieces of work. Because of this partition, education campaigns to ensure ex-combatants the connective fiber among these programs remains are aware of transitional assistance and training, unrealized in practice, potentially leading to lost skill development programs and their changed synergies and diminished impact. role in their communities; training journalists on procedural aspects of war crimes trials or This is not to imply that the process of developing an truth-and-reconciliation commissions, as well as independent media and strengthening government sensitivity in covering these issues; or assisting communication capacity should be fused. In fact, local governments (in conflict-afflicted areas in it is preferable in practice for these activities to be particular) with outreach to diverse community kept separate, with a firewall between government groups; and ensuring equal access of all groups to communication and independent media development. government services. Likewise, it is generally considered good practice for independent media sector development to In its willingness to take risks and endure failures, be divided conceptually from behavior change OTI applies something of a "venture capital" communication or intended-outcome programming. approach in identifying promising local partners and What should be stressed, however, is the projects. This approach is atypical of a long-term strategic nature of planning for communication- sector activities to ensure that the three primary Brief for Policymakers 2 categories mentioned earlier ­ communication for communication approach would convey needed humanitarian relief/peacebuilding/good governance, information while simultaneously seeding the strategic communication, and independent media development of an independent media sector. For development ­ mutually reinforce each other. Ideally, instance, emergency radio or television stations, a holistic media and communication program would quickly established to fill immediate information result in balanced interdependence among these needs, may transition into professional media outlets three categories, contributing to overarching goals of that enhance the development of a democratic reconstruction, peacebuilding, and good governance. public sphere. Moreover, if these stations are being The following examples illustrate some of the established in a restrictive information environment, connective links between these three categories of they may be difficult for restrictive states to censor media and communication sector activities. when the immediate crisis has passed. Link: Government Strategic Communication There are also certain synergies between and Independent Media Development communication for good governance programs and Donor initiatives designed to strengthen the independent media development programs, although independent media sector usually focus on, for these must be carefully handled in order to avoid instance, training journalists to operate in conflict or compromising professional norms in the media sector. post-conflict zones. This training typically includes For instance, if the goal is to encourage awareness modules on interacting with government officials who of an upcoming constitutional referendum, programs are expected to answer questions professionally, as might include strategic communication to inform well as on understanding the role of an independent citizens of their role in the process and to encourage media within society. Yet at the same time, there public dialogue. In addition to simply communicating may not be corresponding programs designed to messages about the referendum, though, journalists support the government's ability to both understand could be trained (by a non-government affiliated and deal with media professionals who are being institution) to cover these types of referenda, as trained to ask tough but fair questions. The process well as the constitution-drafting process. This would of deepening accountability is thus arrested, as then build capacity in the sector as a whole. Radio journalists find themselves stymied by officials who and other interactive media could encourage call- do not recognize their role, grow discouraged, and ins to discuss the constitutional process; this would possibly quit the sector. Untrained officials may never also develop professional skills among local staff grow accustomed to the process of information- while at the same time accomplishing a strategic sharing and lively debate with civil society, and may communication objective. continue to hoard information and resist attempts at transparency. This leads to further deterioration of Link: Communication for Humanitarian Relief/ the public sphere. Peacebuilding/Good Governance and Government Strategic Communication Link: Independent Media Development and The ability of a government to enunciate the Communication for Humanitarian Relief/ status of a peace negotiation, inform the public Peacebuilding/Good Governance of a new electoral system or demonstrate its Frequently post-conflict or post-disaster delivery of dividends to populations affected by environments present a regulatory or infrastructural conflict or humanitarian crisis can enhance the vacuum, which can be filled in numerous ways legitimacy and effectiveness of that government by various actors. Rather than simply focusing significantly, improving its chances of success in on disseminating messages, a holistic media and a post-conflict or fragile environment. Yet these Brief for Policymakers 3 strategic communication objectives can sometimes For too long, donors have viewed the get lost amidst the individual agendas of bilateral and multilateral donors, who engage in their own media and communication sector solely communication for development activities. A holistic as an instrument toward another end, understanding of the complexities of the information rather than a target that is itself worthy of space would enable donors to ensure that their own agendas, at the very least, do not interfere with host support. governments' strategic communication objectives, and preferably work in support of them. The field of post-conflict reconstruction, however, has been slow to adopt this more structural view of Towards a New Policy model the role of communication. Thus, this paper calls For too long, donors have viewed the media and for a new policy model for communication in post- communication sector solely as an instrument toward conflict countries. This policy model would make another end, rather than a target that is itself worthy media and communication a technical priority in of support. In post-conflict and fragile environments, post-conflict and fragile states, on par with other this practice manifests itself on the ground in the fundamental building blocks of governance, with its tangle of banners, signs, radio advertisements and own dedicated financial, bureaucratic and human other one-off events designed to broadcast messages resources. More specifically, this paper argues rather than engage in dialogue, build institutions and that donors must divide their approach toward strengthen the public sphere. communication in these environments into two distinct categories: communication as a technical Thankfully, this trend is slowly changing throughout component of peacebuilding and governance, as the various disciplines that intersect within the stated above, and communication as a tool of communication sector. Specialists in communication donor outreach and public affairs. At present, many for development are beginning to make the case conflate the two, while in fact they are and should for treating communication as a public good in be separate. itself, not merely as a means to an end. Strategic communication specialists are going beyond There is no doubt that the challenges of post-conflict simple government messaging to incorporate and fragile states will continue to form a significant notions of state-citizen dialogue and government part of the global development, governance and responsiveness. Independent media development security agenda for the foreseeable future. It is in specialists are also starting to think holistically the interests of all concerned to continually re- about the link between the media sector and related examine what we know, allowing practices and programs, like media literacy and citizen dialogue. policies to evolve. In this vein, this paper ultimately All three developments speak to the advance of a seeks to secure a place for open, participatory and structural view of communication--one that sees independent media and communication processes in a distinct role for the media and communication the evolution of mainstream thinking on governance sector in the key challenges of peacebuilding and and peacebuilding, in the hopes of devising more governance reform. effective solutions to the challenges of post-conflict and fragile states. Brief for Policymakers 4 commGaP The communication for Governance and accountability Program (commGaP), a global program at the World Bank, seeks to confront the challenges inherent in the political economy of development. By applying innovative communication approaches that improve the quality of the public sphere ­ by amplifying citizen voice; promoting free, independent, and plural media systems; and helping government institutions communicate better with their citizens ­ the program aims to demonstrate the power of communication principles, processes and structures in promoting good and accountable governance, and hence better development results. CommGAP is funded through a multi-donor trust fund. The founding donor of this trust fund is the UK's Department for International Development (DFID). CommGAP has launched a blog entitled People, Spaces, Deliberation to share ideas about the role of the democratic public sphere in governance among a growing global community of practice with members who are united in their commitment to improve governance and accountability in developing countries. The blog is addressing issues such as accountability, governance, media development, anti-corruption, post-conflict environments, and public opinion. Join the conversation at http://publicsphere.worldbank.org communication for Governance & accountability Program (commGaP) Development communication Division external affairs Vice Presidency The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW, MSN U11-1102 Washington DC, 20433 P 202.458.7955 f 202.522.2654 e commgap@worldbank.org WeB: www.worldbank.org/commgap BloG:publicsphere.worldbank.org orDer form ProDUcT Price QTy* Towards a New Model: Media and Communication in Post-Conflict and Fragile States free *5 copies maximum per organization This publication will also be available to download on CommGAP's website, www.worldbank.org/commgap complete this form and mail it to Johanna martinson The World Bank, commGaP Development communication Division, external affairs 1818 H street NW, msN U11-1102 Washington Dc 20433, U.s.a. you may also send this form by fax to 202-522-2654, or e-mail to commgap@worldbank.org for more information, please send us an e-mail or call 202-458-7955. mailiNG aDDress Name _____________________________________________ Organization ________________________________________ Address ____________________________________________ City _______________________________________________ State __________ Zip_________________________________ Country ____________________________________________ Phone______________________________________________ Fax ________________________________________________ Email ______________________________________________