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This paper highlights the importance of communication as a tool and a methodology that can make development strategies more effective, sustainable, and  pro-poor and gender-sensitive. Communication has the power to change societies, and communication channels are key determinants of inclusive participation. One of the challenges facing developing countries is the lack of inclusion and participation of poor and vulnerable groups in decisions that impact on their lives.

The aim of this report is to:

• provide an overview of poor people’s information and communication needs in the five pilot countries
• situate Communication for Empowerment (C4E) within democratic governance of poor and marginalised groups through communication channels
• synthesise lessons from application of the C4E tool in the pilot countries
• recommend ways of strengthening the mechanism to improve C4E initiatives in-country.
  

it is important to create the preconditions for strengthening the voices of poor people in public life. In addition to civic education and building civic skills, strengthening of poor people’s voices also requires creation and strengthening of communication mechanisms that enable poor people to participate in and influence national and local government policy and practice. Access to relevant information and communication mechanisms is also an essential step in enabling poor people to hold their governments to account.

The paper reports on on the initial outcome of a pilot of the C4E approach in five countries: Ghana, Madagascar, and Mozambique in Africa plus Lao PDR and Nepal in Asia. The implementation of the C4E approach consisted of: information and communication assessments to identify the information and communication needs and identify gaps in meeting those needs; review of the media context based on the existing research at the national level; and programme interventions informed by the findings of the assessment to ensure poor and marginalised groups’ participation in decisionmaking
processes.

The pilot studies indicate that the C4E tool is a flexible instrument which can be adjusted to reflect particular national circumstances. In addition to placing poor people at the centre of the process the C4E mechanism has enabled involvement by a range of development actors including government, media, research organisations and civil society organisations.

The research findings from all the case studies particularly highlight the importance of designing appropriate programme interventions to fill information and communication gaps. They emphasise:

• the dominant role of radio, particularly community radio, as an information medium and potentially a strong communication channel for poor people
• the limited confidence and capacity of many poor people to use media to communicate
• the importance of mixing traditional and new information technologies in strategies designed to improve democratic governance and reduce poverty
• the importance of a safe public space in providing support and expanding opportunities for communication and participation in decision-making process
• the growing importance of mobile telephony
• the importance of a supportive legal and regulatory environment for the media
• differential access to the media by men and women.

The report makes the following recommendations, based on five country case studies:

• The pilot project should be used to produce a revised framework for the C4E to strike a balance between support to the media and creating the preconditions for voice through citizen empowerment.
• Development actors should collaborate to address identified gaps by promoting and coordinating effective linkages with other organisations.
• Use the UNDP regional governance teams to promote the use and better understanding of C4E.

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