A further challenge for communicators

Last March 24 at the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) a huge number of people welcomed the book titled 'Comunicación y desarrollo: Pasos hacia la coherencia' (Communication and Development: Steps Towards Coherence). The event was conducted by Carlos Alberdi -Director of the AECID Cultural and Scientific Relations-, Mario Lubetkin -Director of Inter Press Service (IPS)- and Raquel Martínez-Gómez -coordinator of the book.

The organizators of the event were amazed by the interest that the book took in the audience. In fact, Raquel Martínez-Gómez stated that "people demand more and more information about issues concerning development each day". "An example of this is the great amount of people that are here to welcome this book", she continued.

Thirteen analysts of international prestige have worked in the book, such as Ignacio Ramonet, Marcial Murciano, Rosa María Alfaro, Steffen Beitz or Germán Rojas. They reflect on communication as a key tool for promoting development and educating citizens in values. These authors made a presentation back in July 2009 with the same title as the book at the Menéndez Pelayo International University (UIMP).

In the book, they ensure that communication is globally controlled by a dozen of editor nowadays. Therefore, Lubetkin highlighted "the journalists' need to raise awareness on issues of cooperation and solidarity in civil society". For both the AECID and the IPS, it is strictly necessary to make development issues a priority on the media agenda. Only this way "we could generate widespread awareness about these issues", he asserted.

Within this context of reflection, the AECID and the IPS have arranged a new meeting in Santander (Spain) the 5 to 7 July titled "Communication and Development: Policies, Networks and Technologies". It will be a communication forum in which different experts in the field of development will exchange their own experiences. The objective is to create channels of coordination to improve public communication policies.