Excellency Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission,
Excellencies,
Distinguished friends from the media,
Ladies and Gentlemen
I am pleased to welcome you all to our Media Webinar entitled “the role of Media in silencing the guns in Africa”.
At the onset, let us pay tribute to the memories of all journalists who paid the ultimate price in line of duty.
You all remember that in July 2019 in Niamey, Niger, our Heads of States and Governments declared 2020 as “The Year of Silencing the Guns: creating conducive conditions for Africa’s development’, a development that placed the Silencing the Guns agenda as a major flagship project of Agenda 2063.
The Africa We Want, ladies and gentlemen, sets out a clear vision for our continent to promote and foster “an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the international arena”. We need therefore to integrate all cross-cutting issues in our efforts to advance this worthy objective of Africa free of violent conflicts. It is in this context that I wish to underline the important role of the media in fostering an environment of peace and dialogue, in short, promoting a culture of peace. Needless to repeat that media are not only key actors and stakeholders in conversations related to silencing the guns but our partner and ally in making it happen.
Make no mistake, it will be a mirage without the active involvement of the media, given their immense roles in propagating audio, written or visual messages to fully realise this strategic goal. The AU’s recognition of the media’s role in promoting peace and continental integration is not a new discovery but is rather with us ever since the inception of the OAU in May 1963 where it was aptly recognized as instrumental in disseminating information to citizens of the continent. As you may remember, our founding fathers proposed the establishment of an African News Agency. Further, the PSC in December 2019, addressing the issue of “National Reconciliation, Restoration of Peace, Security and Rebuilding of Cohesion in Africa”, underscored the important role of the media in educating the public on the importance of national reconciliation, mutual respect and tolerance of all forms of diversity; and urged the media to continue using their positions in the society to promote the culture of peace, especially in complementing education curriculum on peace as part if efforts to silence the guns.
Excellencies,
Friends from the Media,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
During the just concluded Amnesty Month in September, as well as the International Peace Day on September 21, 2020, I seized the opportunity to emphasize the involvement of other actors, including civil society, especially youth, women, traditional and religious authorities, the media, and the private sector as essential contributors to community mobilization and action. The objective was to encourage and provide an opportunity to African citizens in illegal possession and use of weapons, to voluntarily surrender them to designated State institutions, with guarantees for non-prosecution. These efforts need to be commended and encouraged. In the same line, I wish to recall that the Commission continues to support Member States to fight the illicit trade in conventional weapons by encouraging the universalization of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) in Africa.
The role of media in fragile and conflict-affected countries has changed enormously in recent years, as media landscapes and technologies related to communication have also transformed. It is also important to underline that there are different natures and typologies of armed conflicts today ranging from civil wars, intercommunal violence as well as the upsurge of violent extremism and terrorism etc. It is not in doubt that media constitutes an arena that can be used as a conduit to influence political dynamics particularly those related to credibility and legitimacy. The media are particularly important when, setting the political agenda, accelerating and magnifying political success and failure, example in peace and electioneering processes. For instance, in the coming days and months, several Member States of the AU will be organizing presidential and parliamentary elections, which are crucial to promote democratic consolidation especially amid COVID-19 related challenges. Key messages and jingles by media at such moments are essential in dousing tensions especially through the promulgation and monitoring of compliance to ethical code of conduct to regulate and checkmate issues such as hate speeches and fake news which could incite violence before, during and after the polls.
The media and especially journalists can serve as independent advocates for victims gender and sexual based violence and other forms of oppression, they can mobilise third parties of a conflict to dialogue, and they are central agents in the construction of social frames about politics. Indeed, while the media is an active and a change agent, there is significant interaction between the media and the population, diplomats, military, and civil society. The media itself is comprised of multiple actors in a sector that increasingly has hybrid actors, thanks to the growth and importance of social media. Ultimately, the media can play a crucial role in allowing a peace process to develop by enabling the underlying conflicts to be expressed and argued in a nonviolent manner. At the same time, media’s implications for peace present numerous challenges for development practitioners.
Your Excellencies,
Friends from the Media,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are all aware of the danger related to the media’s enhanced role in internal conflicts in some areas of the continent but the consequences of democratisation could lead to new opportunities and greater potential for the role that media can play in societies undergoing transitions. It is undoubtedly not a coincidence that as democratisation spreads, we notice that the potential of the media increases. This also means that there is a greater possibility that independent media are viewed as a security risk. When one considers the increased importance of credibility and legitimacy and that the media is a primary public arena where actor credibility is put to the test, it is not surprising that independent media is perceived as a serious threat. Benin, South Africa, Mali, and some other countries in Africa are examples that prove that freedom of expression should not, per se, be perceived as a threat to political stability.
Further, as the world continually navigates the increasing threats and impacts of COVID-19 especially on socio-economic and livelihood opportunities, as well as on governance, peace and security, the media’s role is increasingly vital. Already, socio-economic pressures from COVID-19 has instigated xenophobic expressions in several countries, which could incite violence if strategic measures including sensitization are not rapidly deployed. As such, robust sensitization by the media especially in conflict hotspots with limited medical services is imperative. Also, state responses to COVID-19 have created a new working method with millions of workers telecommuting. Consequently, the e-working world has reinforced the need for enhanced cybersecurity measures to counter the misuse of cyberspaces in the spread of propaganda, misinformation, hacking and in some cases, exploitation by extremist groups as a recruitment platform.
I therefore call on the media to give maximum support to the silencing the guns initiative and help us combat hate speeches and fake news.
I want to count on the media to promote a robust sensitization campaign on silencing the guns agenda aimed at mobilizing Africans to partake both implementers and beneficiaries of the process of creating conducive conditions for conflict-free local communities.
I look forward to fruitful deliberations,
I thank you for your interest and for the continuous support.
