Aznare

ROLE OF COMMUNICATION FOR INTEGRATED SUSTAINABLE PARTICIPATION
Alonso Aznar, UNESCO Nairobi Office

	FOREWORD
DEVELOPMENT SYNERGY	The intention of this presentation is to propose a communication system that allows the state and the public with its different components (grassroots communities, the private sector, the media, as well as international organizations), to setup a synergy in decision-making, information and evaluation. Also to establish the principles from the communication point of view, for the creation of an environment conducive to a stakeholders’ partnership concerned with Integrated Sustainable Coastal Management (ISCM).
WHY A COMMUNICATION COMPONENT IN ISCM?	This presentation will also attempt to introduce a platform for information, action and participation for the public and an opening for it to express its needs and confront – even object to – proposed solutions without having to go through the vertical scheme of decision-making that is prevalent today. This is important especially for those directly affected by degradation of their living conditions.
COMMUNICATION MODEL	Finally, this paper will put forward a paradigm of communication, development and participation (participatory social communication, see diagram) that can serve to establish a two-way communication system with the national communities which are the recipients of social and economic development activities. In addition, it will propose a system for project management in which communication – seen here as a tool for social participation – constitutes an element for action and for coordination, in addition to its original role of a multiplier of inputs and resources.
	WORKING HYPOTHESIS
STATE-PUBLIC DEVELOPMENT SYNERGY	A system which uses both aspects of communication – social and participatory, as ingredients in a development strategy is a necessary element – or a platform – to bring into being a synergy between the state and the general public. Such a system would represent an opportunity for both to undertake joint action designed to concentrate, rationalize and multiply the efforts made within a development process and in particular in ISCM.
	BACKGROUND
CONTINUOUS ADJUSTMENT OF OBJECTIVES	The rapid changes taking place in developing societies – in this case the degradation of coastal areas – require communication instruments to enable them to adjust their objectives, activities and programmes in an on-going way. In other words, a platform is needed to allow stakeholders to regularly adjust their actions and strategies to increase the impact of their programmes. Also, this is a condition sine qua non to ensure the participation of the public in the search for improvement in everybody’s environment.
TOP-DOWN STATE POLICIES	So far, the state forwards information about policies through the institutions responsible for the administration of the public wealth, or through intermediaries responsible for the distributions of commodities and services. Likewise it uses the media to explain and justify its actions. This one-way communication has limited results mainly because it is done in what we can call a ‘vertical-pedagogical’ method through the (mostly public service) media. This ‘communication’ is limited to a one-way, top-down flow, which evidences the lack of dialogue between the macro-economic structures and the recipient population.
	MEDIA
IMPORTANCE OF THE MEDIA AND ITS LIMITATIONS	This unidirectional, vertical-pedagogical process is the result of a technocratic or bureaucratic approach characterized by the fact that messages are sent by the state to the public to motivate it, through ‘education’, into active civic participation. These messages are limited in time and space (one or two media for a short period of time) because of their high cost and the state’s limited resources for communication and information. This, nevertheless, does not mean that using the media for information campaigns is not a good strategy. Bad strategy would be to consider their use as the only and overall solution. Indeed, it is undeniable that the media, and radio broadcasting in particular, have an unparalleled capacity to penetrate society, therefore they are instrumental in increasing the impact of programmes and activities. It should therefore be understood that the media is an important element of any communication strategy, but by no means the only one.
	INTERACTION
THE NEED FOR A COMMUNICATION COMPONENT	Many states have opted to develop a vertical-pedagogical communication method to explain their social and economic policies in an attempt to obtain public participation. However, it has yet to be proven that this type of (media) policy transforms society into an audience and therefore obtains the expected results. In the present case, it is illustrated by the population’s apparent lack of knowledge of ISCM policies, even with the support of costly information campaigns. Interaction between the state and the public can only be established through a ‘democratic-dialog’ communication process in which it is ensured that the national stakeholders jointly design, implement and monitor conservation policies with the active participation of the public in decision-making and resource allocation.
	It is therefore necessary to design communication systems that allow the public to actively participate in the production and transmission of messages which can be understood and translated into action by the state and its agents in both country-wide development policy and sectoral projects. Such a system would benefit both society – by allowing it to express its needs and aspirations, and the state – by enabling it to make coherent policy, evaluate the results of its actions and change policy when and where needed.
	CULTURAL FACTOR
SUSTAINABILITY	Individual grassroots communities are often marginalized by mainstream national campaigns that do not take into consideration their individual character. So the state’s action is reduced to the provision of goods and services without any guarantee of sustainability or appropriateness. As a consequence, social and economic development projects collapse as soon as state or external support comes to an end. Lack of reference to cultural background is usually a cause for disaffection to ‘national campaigns’, consequently it is in the interest of all stakeholders to place communication and information processes in a cultural context.
	If we accept that communication is not simply a one-way process through the media, but is a complex web of modes covering inter-personal communication to information super-highways, its core is the cultural factor. It is this that will ensure effective public participation and continuity of any development strategy.
RETRIEVAL OF CULTURAL VALUES AND PRACTICES	The cultural factor, defined in this context as an engine to foster participation, is a major element in the success of development strategies. Development strategies should be designed with an emphasis on the cultural dimension as well as economic theory.
	CULTURAL DIVERSITY
STANDARDIZATION OF DEVELOPMENT SOLUTIONS	States generally function on the principle of national unity, thus failing to take into account cultural diversity within a nation. This makes the role of the state, as the body responsible for nation-wide development strategies, difficult, particularly as multiculturalism is often not acknowledged in their development strategies.
	Thus, any initiative to consolidate the development process should take into account that ‘lowest threshold’ policies, which propose only one vision of society and therefore one solution, are condemned to failure or to very limited success. That moreover, if cultural diversity is not recognized and each society’s codes are not understood, any development will reach ‘stalemate’. Likewise, integrated sustainable coastal management policies and strategies will fail if they do not decode the expression of the aspirations of the concerned communities and private stakeholders.
	SUGGESTIONS FOR ACTION
NEED FOR COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION CO-ORDINATION	The process of decision-action-information refers to the course of action followed by the state and other development agents (ministries, co-operation agencies, international organizations) in the selection of means of action for the activities to be carried out, in which, development strategies are defined, planned, executed and above all explained. Indeed, information campaigns undertaken by the state and with international co-operation are quite often, overlapping, redundant or even conflicting (i.e. environment vs. tourism, budget management vs. regional investment plans, health vs. industrial development, etc.).
	To counter these inconsistencies, development policies need a way to co-ordinate information from stakeholders and must develop human resources in the field of communication and information.
DEVELOPMENT OF PARTICIPATORY COMMUNICATION SKILLS	An integrated coastal management system should therefore include a multi-media strategy to design, produce and disseminate materials, programmes and messages. It should also develop human resources and set-up a framework for the participation and mobilization of the general public. At the moment state information systems are virtually non-existent. Public relations officers and offices are usually not conversant with communication and information management. As such, they cannot deliver the information expected by the stakeholders who in turn do not feel involved in state policies.
	To establish a communication system to enhance, execute and evaluate inter-sectoral and multi-disciplinary projects a few pre-requisites must be complied with:
	the creation of two-way communication channels between co-operating entities; state, private sector and grassroots communities; the cre ation of multimedia communication networks to transmit promotional messages and encourage educational activities; the development, at state level, of structures that provide contact points between the state and grassroots communities; the establishment of a participatory monitoring and evaluation system.
	EVALUATION SYSTEM
ESTABLISHMENT OF A PERMANENT INFORMATION FLOW	In order to respond to society’s demands and establish priorities for action and allocation of resources, the state needs a constant incoming flow of ‘manageable’ information. Consequently, it needs constant diagnosis of the development strategies at the macro level. To this end most of them depend on institutional information or opinion surveys and polls. Unfortunately, none of these sources of information provide manageable information. These measuring instruments only provide results in the long-term and so cannot be used to correct errors as they are committed in the implementation phase of a project. Nor do they serve to systematize or establish models of ‘wise practice’. Opinion surveys and polls only provide a ‘snap shot’ with wide margins for error. Gathering information is not generally considered as an essential element in the relationship between the state and the general public. Thus the link between decision, action and participation is not established.
	A participatory evaluation and monitoring system complemented with a permanent two-way flow of information, represents the only viable solution, for it covers two essential aspects: 1. analysis of participation (quantitative information) 2. analysis of social initiative and satisfaction (qualitative information)
	A participatory monitoring and evaluation system has to be designed as a holistic solution to information and communication needs appraisal, which can only be beneficial to all: the official sector, society, the private sector and associations involved in development work (see Figure).
NEED FOR A HOLISTIC VIEW	The structure and modus operandi of an evaluation system is adapted to the volume of activities that it covers (from integrated sustainable coastal management to national projects). It is important, however, to suggest a few general guidelines:
PROPOSED METHODOLOGY	In the first place, the system’s configuration. It will have to include representatives of the state as well as of the grassroots communities, private sector and international co-operation institutions. Each will have a specific role in the design of the system’s modus operandi, as well as in the collection and processing of information. Furthermore their interests have to be reflected in the presentation of the results.
	The impact criteria (or success criteria) have to be validated by all the stakeholders. Empirical elaboration of indicators of success has proved inadequate to analyze real situations, considering that the communities’ immediate environment is ignored. Nor does it take into consideration the multiple and complex relationships among the different stakeholders.
	The collection of information should be a continuous process whose ownership should be placed with the grassroots communities on the basis of the above-mentioned validated impact criteria. Representative community networks for gathering survey information could be a solution.
	The systematization of information. Wise practices are essential to create models for further application in other circumstances and other contexts. The process of evaluation-systematization-decision establishes quality norms that can be used in other projects. Systematization is necessary to allow standards of excellence to be compared across projects.
QUALITY STANDARDS	There are also three processes that can be derived from the proposed participatory evaluation and monitoring system (see Figure):
	Evaluation-decision-action is a key communication process to account for the repercussions of policies at the level of the state or other institutions. It refers to actions that directly affect the social, economic and political environment or have macro-economic repercussions which require more than administrative decisions. Evaluation-action-information is a shortcut to introduce corrective action in the short term to avoid loss of or poor use of human and material resources. This circuit offers a permanent feedback loop to the state and concerned institutions (national and international), enabling them to take immediate corrective measures when needed and in some cases to carry out emergency information exercises. Evaluation-participation-proposal. This process refers to constant feedback to the community to provide it with elements for reflection and action. It is necessary to establish parameters for the appraisal of the communities within the national context. In this case the evaluation system will provide manageable information to the communities to enable them to formulate their proposals in a wider context that takes into consideration the needs and aspirations of other communities.
COMMUNITIES’ IDENTITY	In conclusion, the participatory monitoring and evaluation system’s objective is not only to passively measure the impact of development strategies and projects, but to serve as a constant monitoring system that will provide early indications of any problems. It will moreover feed a chain of analysis for decision-making and action.
	PARTICIPATORY ORGANIZATION
PROJECTS’ OWNERSHIP	Although proposals relative to structural questions for the establishment of the system will be discussed case by case and project by project, what is important is to establish the ownership of the initiatives within a participatory context. To improve popular participation in the achievement of the wide range of objectives defined in integrated sustainable coastal management strategies and projects the educational processes mentioned previously need to be rooted in the intrinsic quality of communicational skills. It is therefore necessary to link participatory communication with education and all those actions which contribute to valorize endogenous cultures and integrate them into the overall decision-making processes and into the design of development strategies.
	With regard to the opportunity for dynamic participation, we need to know what is the capacity of society to participate in macro activities and what other institutional alternatives to communication and popular participation exist within a participatory process.
CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL HERITAGE	Society’s decoding of messages (actions and information) from the official sector are made through its own measuring instruments which are conditioned by the struggles of the various communities in terms of cultural, economic and social power. The state must therefore be conscious of the need to interact directly with the communities and their representatives in a spirit of equality.
	The first task in the preparation of communities for the elaboration of their own vehicles of expression and communication, must include the recovery and awareness of its cultural-historical heritage in order to be able to place the community in a context of real participation. Moreover, this task must include the identification and prioritization of the community’s needs in its cultural context. This is a condition if one wants to be able to evaluate and answer the state proposal to share its same codes in order to avoid the misunderstandings that has been the norm of the state-society relationship.
	The information and communication strategic framework should therefore be placed to make use of the mass media, institutional information structures, the private sector as well as the concerned communities. It would be structured as a bottom-up process with the participation of the agents of the state in the field as well as the communities.

ANNEX 1. INTEGRATED SUSTAINABLE COASTAL MANAGEMENT (ISCM) COMMUNICATION COMPONENT

Objective 1 To improve human and technical resources of national institutions through education and rationalization. Result 1.1. Capacity building in participation techniques.
	Activity 1.1.1. Workshops and training courses in participatory communication, mobilization of people to participate in social and economic development project activities. Activity 1.1.2. Technical assistance to communities to establish first contacts between state agents, leaders of popular organizations and community leaders as well as to establish fora for discussions and meetings.
Result 1.2. Organization of a national information system that concentrates talents and financial resources to substantially increase the quality and quantity of development information.
	Activity 1.2.1. Technical assistance to design a common plan for the co-ordination of projects. Activity 1.2.2. Technical assistance to draft flow diagrams of the system. Activity 1.2.3. Training of project personnel on working and co-ordination methods with entities responsible for the project’s management of information sources; looking at mechanisms for gathering and processing information and the criteria for editing and distributing information. Activity 1.2.4. Elaboration of a multimedia support plan (radio, press, television) to maximize the impact of, and propagate, development information campaigns.
Objective 2 Improvement of mechanisms for analysing the social impact of strategies, plans and development projects to ensure that the social and economic development needs of the countries of the region are met in the most efficient manner. Result 2.1. Creation of a participatory evaluation model specific to ISCM.
	Activity 2.1.1. Elaboration of indicators and criteria of success for development strategies, activities and projects in co-operation with representatives of the state, public and private organizations and representatives and members of the popular organizations involved. Activity 2.1.2. Elaboration of materials designed for permanent surveys and for making use of information received from popular initiatives. Activity 2.1.3. Computerization of the organization(s) responsible for analyzing survey data and applying success criteria to the projects, with a view to optimizing resources and making project evaluation more complete. Activity 2.1.4. Elaboration and adaptation of software for information processing. Activity 2.1.5. Adaptation of information processing interfaces for use by organizations responsible for carrying out corrective strategies and actions. Activity 2.1.6. Elaboration of manuals and procedures for processing and exchanging information.
Result 2.2. Systematization of information on selected actions and projects to facilitate its application, extension or generalization and to establish standards of excellence.
	Activity 2.2.1. Establishment of a relational data base enabling the exploitation of information and experience acquired in projects. Activity 2.2.2. Publication of the results of successful experiences to inform leaders, professionals and project officers of the possibilities of applying appropriate methodologies. Activity 2.2.3. Development of data bases on projects. Elaboration of a data base designed to provide a detailed follow-up to each project. Activity 2.2.4. Constitution of an automatic interactive network for the information of interested organizations on the adaptation and application of experiences. Activity 2.2.5. Elaboration of proposals for the compatibility of equipment (optional), harmonization of work methods and forms of co-operation in the access and processing of information among the various integral units of the computer network.
Objective 3 Develop community organizations and the private sector to maximize their participation in ISCM. Result 3.1. Development of a social dynamic for participation.
	Activity 3.1.1. Workshops for community leaders to encourage cultural-historic recovery of the communities by the communities. Activity 3.1.2. Organization of participatory community workshops to train community leaders and the private sector in participatory communication. Activity 3.1.3. Creation of information offices and community organizations made up of members of the communities, state agents and the private sector to enable all partners to conduct external and internal communication activities.
Objective 4 Development of new forms of expression for the communities involved in economic and social development. Result 4.1. Participation of interested communities in development activities and projects.
	Activity 4.1.1. Establishment of mechanisms of participatory evaluation and systematization and of transmission channels towards the communities’ own concerns and towards the state. Activity 4.1.2. Consultation with local organizations directly linked with development activities, the state and external co-operation agencies. Activity 4.1.3. Set up a mechanism of local participatory communication (printed matter, community radio and audiovisuals) with the support of national, regional and local media for promotion and development activities.
Objective 5 Recovery of the historic-cultural heritage of the communities. Result 5.1. Revalorization of community identity and its role in the national community
	Activity 5.1.1. Organization of socially productive workshops. Activity 5.1.2. Organization of leadership and communication drama workshops.

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