The BONN NETWORK can be contacted on this e-mail address:
contact@bonnnetwork.net
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Sunday, October 7, 2007
BONN NETWORK: WHY AND HOW
BONN NETWORK: Strategy and Activities
The Bonn Network - Background and Strategy
The Bonn Network started in order to make a real difference for media's role in creation of peace in regions ravaged by war and violence.
The Bonn Network organises all international organisations working with media as an integral part of conflict prevention and peace building strategies. Members are intergovernmental organisations, international non-governmental, media and research organisations, as well as donors and individual experts in the field.
The Bonn Network pools the collective resources of its members and promotes efficient cooperation at policy, strategy and project level to help contributing significantly to successful results for international conflict preventing and peace building efforts.
The Bonn Network offers independent analyses, advice and recommendations, based on the members' practical and academic expertise from violent conflict situations.
The Bonn Network enhances the collective financial, technical and human capacity to act rapidly and coherent before and after conflicts.
1. Background
The Bonn conference on Media in Conflict Prevention and Peace Building - Rapid Actions and Coordinated Strategies invited and gathered virtually all significant intergovernmental, non-governmental and international media organisations working with media in peace building and conflict prevention. Also a number of donors and academic institutions researching in this field took part.
In the conclusions from the conference discussions it was stressed that more cooperation between the organisations was necessary at all levels to ensure coherent and comprehensive strategies for media assistance in prevention of conflicts and building of peace.
The Bonn conference further pointed to a number of crucial areas, in which positive steps should be taken to make a constructive difference to the work, which already today is carried out in conflict prevention and peace building.
Following the enthusiasm and support for better cooperation a dozen of international organisations later met to form a network - The Bonn Network - based on intergovernmental, non-governmental, research, donor and media organisations working with media in peace building and conflict prevention.
2. Aims:
The Network aims to
· Increase the collective capacity and cooperation to develop and implement coherent strategies for media assistance as a tool to prevent violent conflicts and build sustainable peace.
· Become a platform for information sharing, independent analyses, and development of tools, as well as sharing of technical, financial and human capacity to act rapidly in conflict situations.
3. Objectives:
The objectives of the network are to:
A. Build coherent and comprehensive strategies from short to mid and long term media assistance as part of conflict prevention and peace building
B. Enhance the collective capacity to act rapidly and comprehensively before and after conflicts
C. Enhance knowledge, improve quality and impact of the work with media in conflict prevention and peace building
4. Activities:
The activities of the network will develop according to changing needs, funding possibilities and initiatives from the members. However, the following activities reflecting the results from the Bonn conference are certainly some of the key priorities:
A. Build coherent and comprehensive strategies from short to mid and long term media assistance as part of conflict prevention and peace building
· Stimulating development of common standards and generic blueprints for media structures and legislation to be agreed between the larger donors.
· Work to secure that donors commit to long term funding including also regional activities
· Prepare Tool kit on how to manage and sustain media, publications and online media
· Prepare Tool kit on the choices and possibilities for donors policies
· Prepare Tool kit on the technical options in immediate post conflict situations or other extraordinary circumstances
· Build consciously on the combination of different international actors with different mandates and authorities
· Facilitate coordination and strategic partnerships in the field - between local and international actors, and between the international member organisations
B. Enhance the collective capacity to act rapidly and comprehensively before and after conflicts
· Establish database with continuously updated media and conflict landscapes, and monitoring of the media as early warning.
· Develop systems for quick access to funding
· Quick access to emergency production and transmission equipment
· Maintain roster of International organisations and experts available for rapid engagement
· Build a communication system for easy and quick dialogue and coordination among local and international media organisations, international broadcasters, intergovernmental, non-governmental and donor organisations as well as local governments.
· Joint field missions
C. Enhance knowledge, improve quality and impact of the work with media in conflict prevention and peace building
· Initiate studies among the Network's research organisations on experience and methodology from past media support projects in conflict prevention and peace building.
· Initiate research on understanding of conflicts, methodology and models across the conflict prevention and peace building sector.
· Provide independent analyses and advice for donors to develop strategies for communication and media development as part of conflict prevention.
· Enhance capacity of local and regional partners through establishment of master educations in media and communication for conflict prevention and peace building across regions like Africa and Asia.
· Develop standardised evaluation methods, audience impact studies and analyses of media landscapes.
· Develop easy system for internal monitoring, evaluations and exchange of lessons learned.
5. Members:
Members of the Bonn Network are within the following categories:
1. Intergovernmental organisations like UN, UNDP, UNESCO, WB, OSCE, COE, Council of EU, EIB, AU etc.
2. Professional organisations like IFJ, EBU, WAN, GFMD etc.
3. Media development NGOs
4. Media branches like BBCWST, DWA, etc.
5. International broadcasters like VOA, BBC, DW, TFI/RFI
6. Media training and education institutions
7. Media/conflict research institutions and think tanks
8. Individual experts
Partners:
National donors
Current members are among others:
UNDP, OSCE, EU, EBU, GFMD, BBC World Service Trust, CAMECO, CICR-Columbia University, DW Academy, DW Media Services, FOJO, Free Voice, IFIAS, IMS, Internews Europe, IREX, IREX Europe, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Nordic Research Centre on Communication, Development and Social Change, Outward Bound Center for Peacebuilding, Panos Paris, Press Now, Search for Common Ground, The Thompson Foundation, and several others.
6. Prioritised Activities and Projects:
Based on the above identified needs the priorities for the network will initially focus on the projects below, which aim to make a real difference in strengthening the collective capacity to act rapidly, build coherent and comprehensive strategies for short-, mid- and long term media assistance, and enhance the quality and impact of the work with media in conflict prevention.
In a later phase funding will be sought to develop further sustainable and comprehensive mechanisms for cooperation between the members of the network.
To increase the capacity to act rapidly before, during and after violent conflicts it will improve the possibilities for all members if the following tools are available:
· A web-based data base with an up-to-date overview of countries with potential conflicts, their media landscape, the conflict relevant media content and the potential partners for conflict preventing projects.
· A web-based data base with an up-to-date overview of donors, their ongoing and planned programmes and projects in potential conflict countries.
· A web-based data base with an up-to-date overview of the member organisations, their mandates, capacity and experience as well as of individual experts inside and outside the member organisations.
· Agreed procedures with EU and other donors for available funding and technical capacity in emergency situations, where rapid actions are needed.
To build coherent and comprehensive strategies for short-, mid- and long term interventions it will improve the possibilities for all members if the following tools are available:
· A light and efficient communication system between all participants in the network should be established to allow discussions and development of joint strategies.
· A number of joint assessment missions to conflict countries led by member organisations should have available financing in order to be able to move rapidly and ensure optimal coherence across international strategies.
· A number of strategic partnership missions led by member organisations to agree strategies and partnerships between local and international actors taking part.
· Information about ongoing requests and funding possibilities for joint applications and cooperation in concrete projects with one or more members as the leading partner(s).
To enhance the quality and impact of the work with media in conflict prevention and peace building the network will:
· Continue developing and publishing relevant tool boxes and existing or new guidelines for work with media in conflict areas.
· Initiate research studies and projects led by the member research organisations on experiences and methodologies for media as a tool in conflict prevention.
· Stimulate and/or organise training of people in relevant countries and regions to become involved in media projects preventing conflicts or building peace.
· Offer with its member research and think tank organisations to carry out independent monitoring or evaluation studies.
To increase the awareness of media as an integrated tool in conflict prevention and peace building the network should:
· Ensure a permanent and efficient surveillance of needs, demands and possibilities in the area of The Role of Media in Peace Building and Conflict Prevention.
· Organise an extensive external public communication about needs in on-going conflicts and important work carried out by the Network's members to ensure visibility and support for more actions where necessary.
Establish a Ring of Friends in donor and recipients countries to help with advice and contacts when necessary.
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