.
It made the choice to send this topic of discussion to other places that
are going to start. The question of the financing of the Internet led to
testy exchanges among participants and a questioning of the financial
backers of the Forum (European Commission and FPH) or perceived as such
(the Forum Coordination). Could this episode be attributable to effects of
a certain personalization or at least to the proximity of the Forum
Coordination? The Forum Coordination was found challenged as being "the
lessor", probably taken "de facto" in the "donor-receiver" relations that
had been analyzed at the time of discussions of the month of July 1999.
Begun in December 1999, Phase II of the forum takes its base on the results
of ideas that have been launched and discussed the previous months among
the participants. Thus, for example, proposals that had been discussed
concerning the use of "information as the key to democratic control" or
"the central role of actors" in renewing cooperation.
Participants expect concrete results of these months of discussion spent
together <http://www.ue-acp.org/en/forum/archives/1999-12/msg00031.html>.
The discussions resulting from the seminar and the electronic forum must
not only remain at the level of this forum. Our common objectives are very
ambitious: to test how, with the tool that we have, we can contribute, with
the participants gathered in this Forum, to make our proposals known, to be
ourselves even better informed in orer to act on the way in which
cooperation is carried out. Internet is not an end in itself but the
element that gathers us (other means of communication are considered such
as the written press).
2. Elements of methods and tools
During this Phase II, the team proposes to define as guidelines the
following strategies as following
<http://www.ue-acp.org/en/forum/archives/2000-01/msg00004.html>:
- Strategies of information: "to know and to understand".
- Strategies of local watch and mobilization: "to identify to act".
- Strategies to reorient actions progressively: "to act to modify".
We can for this (see message
<http://www.ue-acp.org/en/forum/archives/2000-01/msg00005.html>):
- use and cross our own experiences, those that have been related in
experience reports and documents put on-line.
- produce, format, sort out, and use information entering and coming out
of the forum,
- decide jointly the topics that we will discuss (to the difference of the
first phase of the forum).
The methods of contribution have been made more flexible with regard to
Phase I.
So that contributions are as concrete as possible, a guide has been
proposed to those who wish it (real experiences, teachings that one can
draw from them and actions to be conducted).
3. Proof through experience: What role can the media play? Information and
mediation.
Aliou Sall proposed that the press serves as relay to the forum as much in
Europe as in the ACP countries
<http://www.ue-acp.org/en/forum/archives/1999-12/msg00031.html>. "One of
the efficient means allowing the general public to participate in this
process can lead to a
change "in the way to cooperate" is to inform them to start with of the
forum and then to allow them to have a say on the issues. To get there, the
press under its different forms should have a double role: on the one hand
to produce and to circulate information and on the other hand to play a
role of 'opinion transmission' between "'the general population ignoring
nearly everything about cooperation' and the technocratic decision-makers."
He explains what role was played by the Senegalese media (especially radio
and written press) so that the fishing agreements between the EU and
Senegal, unknown for a very long time, became a popular topic being the
object of a public debate, then of a discussion within the institutions of
fishing representative democracy (in fact the Senegalese Parliament).
Placed before their responsibilities by the citizens, decision-makers were
forced to take into account the interests of traditional finshing. The
nature and measures of support in the fishing agreements were thus improved
to the profit of traditional fishing. He analyzes the role that was also
played by organizations in this evolution (federation of fishers, NGOs of
support) <http://www.ue-acp.org/en/forum/archives/2000-01/msg00000.html>.
Rene Segbenou showed how, in the framework of the Project of traditional
fishing in West Africa (PPAO), it was necessary to set up a network of
newspaper corespondents so that they serve as relays for the sensitization
of the public to this question, in order to raise the veil that obscured
the problems of traditional fishing in the region.
<http://www.ue-acp.org/en/forum/archives/2000-01/msg00002.html>
But the comparison with the Senegalese experience brings him to think that
it is necessary to think as much of the "official press" as of the private
and independent press and that it is necessary to also create bridges
between decision-makers and populations (for example parliamentarians).
The RIAH (Inter-African network of populations) and the RAEP (African
people's educators network) sent a contribution to the forum, which was the
result of their discussions of January 15, 2000
<http://www.ue-acp.org/en/forum/archives/2000-01/msg00012.html>. According
to their diagnosis, they are fairly optimistic on the role that could play
the printed press, in particular the specialized newsletters. On the other
hand, the independence of the radio and the television is not necessarily
ensured. "Uncensored" Internet, but reserved to a small number, is
especially a powerful means if one considers setting up relay systems.
4. What actions can be conducted?
Aliou Sall proposed a planning of actions to be conducted to mobilize the
press so that it plays this double role of information and mediation on the
EU-ACP cooperation.
<http://www.ue-acp.org/en/forum/archives/2000-01/msg00001.html>. He gave a
list of contacts in particular with the Senegalese press and criteria to
select contacts.
Rene M. Segbenou
<http://www.ue-acp.org/en/forum/archives/2000-01/msg00003.html>, following
the previous message, proposed to extend this action in six countries of
West Africa on the basis of the network of journalists already mobilized
by the PPAO. A collective was organized in view of:
- sensitization and mobilization of the media (radio and written press) and
one or two organizations of the civil society on the subject of EU-ACP
cooperation;
- training and methodological support to these organizations;
- sensitization of parliamentarians
The RIAH and the RAEP also decided to mobilize the press in their country,
specifying that it is necessary to negotiate press space to transmit
information on cooperation as well as to create links with already existing
newsletters.
The different contributions launched a call to the people subscribed to
this forum to comment on, to react to their proposals, to bring them their
aid or to act.
The Forum Coordination recalls that at the seminar of April 1999, which
launched the process of which this forum is a part, a journalist of the
African press agency, Syfia <http://www.francophonie.org/syfia/>, which is
specialized in agriculture, environment, rural development, and the
economy, was present.
5. How to articulate the different means of communication, the role of
mediators: citizens, journalists, members or heads of networks.
The implementation of these initiatives is founded on the progressive
constitution of a "pool of mediators". These mediators, who can be
individuals, groups / organizations (NGOs, communities, networks) all
people likely to:
- transmit the findings and the headway made by the forum, information to
which they have access,
- facilitate discussions at a local level and to report these discussions
to the forum.
Gilles Mersadier
<http://www.ue-acp.org/en/forum/archives/2000-01/msg00015.html> agrees with
the members of the RIAH and the RAEP, explaining the particular role that
can played by Internet with regard to the other media, in taking
information to the public authorities, the lessors, and the classic media.
He recalls the federating role that can be played by these networks to
federate the contributions and to amplify their circulation.
6. Another working line: What information on cooperation is it necessary
to transmit?
The RIAH and the RAEP began discussions on the challenges of information
and its role in the success of development cooperation programs. They
started with a diagnosis of modern and traditional means of communication.
In their proposals they suggest using in a complementary way these
different means of communication. The traditional means of communication
that are always used (services of griots and singers, theater, informal
talks..) are known badly and can be used where television, radio and the
printed press do not reach.
As for the nature of information, discussion is open. How far is it
necessary "to popularize" information on cooperation? For Pierre Calame, "
it would be dangerous to wish 'to teach' to a broad public the
pre-established concepts and references that are used by
cooperation for understanding: it is, from my point of view, cooperation
that must stick to real society; it is not the real society that must start
thinking of itself with the mental categories of cooperation."
<http://www.ue-acp.org/en/forum/archives/2000-01/msg00011.html>.
Is it necessary on the contrary -- and in this case, how far -- to process
this information for the public? Who should process it? Gilles Mersadier
thinks that development agents and journalists are in the best position to
do this.
On what subject should information be developed? Should information
describe the financial flows, in order to ensure a bigger financial
transparency? Should information describe successful experiences, to
understand those that were difficult to carry out? Should information
describe the policies of financial backers and the possibilities of
financing that they offer?
