Under the theme "Conflict Prevention in the Multimedia Age", Germany's international broadcaster Deutsche Welle Radio & TV hosted the second Global Media Forum from 3 - 5 June in Bonn/Germany.
The UN Regional Information Centre (UNRIC) was one of the official partners of the conference which attracted over 1,000 participants and brought together radio and TV producers, peace-building and conflict prevention specialists, representatives from the fields of media technology and security, public relations, the military, the arms industry as well as members of government and political parties to network and discuss the advantages, but also challenges and solutions for the future. Soon-Hong Choi, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Chief Technology Officer delivered the keynote speech on multimedia transition and emphasized that "it is increasingly obvious that transition will have a major influence on the future of content creation, delivery and management." According to Choi, providing accurate and impartial information at the right time is also crucial in conflict situations - particularly for the United Nations. "Whether it is during a natural disaster, like the tsunami in Thailand, the current urgent need to help internally displaced people in Sri Lanka, or the evacuation of people in the southern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo due to a potentially catastrophic volcanic eruption - having access to timely, reliable information will save lives in these situations", he said. Furthermore, Choi pointed out that the UN had made good progress in recognizing and institutionalizing information technology as a medium for positive change. Using the example of Kenya, the Assistant Secretary-General emphasized that information technology networks are one of the most efficient methods to bring about peace. According to Choi, nations involved in political and human conflicts are increasingly turning to IT networks in order to raise awareness on positive steps to be taken for peace. Choi urged the international media to inform the public objectively and impartially. In addition, journalists should focus on promoting peace in conflict-affected countries. "A major challenge the UN is facing is finding ways to harness and protect IT use in times of crisis", Choi said.
Howard Rheingold, author and professor at Stanford and Berkeley pointed out that the promotion of democracy, freedom of speech or human rights is spreading worldwide, especially through new media channels and online social networks. He described this process as almost unstoppable, due to the constant flow of information. Hence, the number of activists and demonstrations would increase in the future. Political changes could take place more easily. But also negative political developments could be fostered by the fast spread of information, mobilizing violent or even militant groups. This raised the question of media responsibility throughout the whole conference.
Ulrik Haagerup, head of news for Danish Radio, called for quality journalism to be maintained and increased. This becomes more important in the multimedia age with the growing number of blogs and online-publications. According to Deutsche Welle Director-General, Erik Bettermann, despite all the changes, journalists do have a social responsibility to provide reliable and balanced stories. Participants urged journalists to research stories more thoroughly and to organize more forums to discuss the journalist profession. Besides symposiums and panel discussions, various workshops were held on "The role of the media in peace building processes in Pakistan", "Mediators under sustained fire from television images" or "Cracking closed doors: The case of Iran, Sudan & Burma".
UNRIC had an information booth at the conference and provided participants with background information on peacekeeping, human rights and the work of the Department of Public Information. UNRIC staff are already looking forward to supporting Deutsche Welle in June 2010 at the third Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum. The theme will be "Climate Change and the Media - the heat is on".
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