Communication for empowerment: developing media strategies in support of vulnerable groups

The authors take account of the UN Millennium Summit outcome, the Paris Declaration and other recent global meetings on development. It sets out how the character of current development challenges make the strategies recommended in this paper particularly relevant and increasingly urgent in supporting efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The paper identifies trends in the media, and highlights key opportunities and challenges, including the impact of liberalisation and the ongoing struggle many in the media face in terms of holding onto hard fought media freedoms. It underscores the particular importance of radio in Communication for Empowerment strategies because of its reach, accessibility to the poor and increasingly interactive character. It also outlines a range of ways that UNDP and other development practitioners can best support Communication for Empowerment based on conducting information and communication audits, and choosing the appropriate context-specific intervention strategy.