Bangladesh
NGOs Network for
Radio and Communication
Promoting
Communication Technology for a Fairer World
www.bnnrc.net
The Spirit of Bali –using new and traditional
communication technologies to build peace
More than 200
participants - representatives of UNESCO Member States, government
ministers, intergovernmental organizations, civil society, the private
sector and media - adopted “The Spirit of Bali” declaration at the end of
an international conference in Bali, Indonesia, on 23 January.
We the participants of the Global Forum, Power of Peace – Building Peace
through Communication and Information, Bali, Indonesia January 21 – 23,
2007 declare our commitment to contribute to build mechanisms through
which media and information technology can contribute to enhance
mutual understanding, further dialogue among peoples and cultures
and build peace.
Today’s world holds many challenges to peace: In several quarters of
the globe in the last decade, there have been wars, civil wars and
increasing domestic ethnic and religious tensions. More than ever
we are aware that conflict, whether internal or between nations, is
linked directly to poverty, despair, and disenfranchisement and that
peace cannot be build without addressing these issues. Ignorance,
prejudices and stereotypes are obstacles to mutual understanding and
peaceful dialogue.
We recall the text from UNESCO’s Executive Board in April 2006, which
formally resolved respect for freedom of expression, sacred beliefs
and values, and religious symbols, saying “Dialogue, founded on
mutual respect and understanding…constitutes the best way to overcome
ignorance and promote peace, tolerance, and the dialogue among
civilizations, cultures, peoples and religions”.
Mutual understanding can only be achieved through a continuous
exchange of information and knowledge – through the “free flow of
ideas by word and image,” as UNESCO’s Constitution puts it. Indeed,
this free flow of information is the basis of mutual understanding,
which in turn is a sine qua non for eradicating misconceptions
about the “other” – one of the root causes of conflict and
wars.
If the defenses of peace are to be constructed in the minds of men
and women, we do well to recognize that our minds and hearts are
increasingly influenced by mass media and new and emerging
information tools.
And so, in an age of information and communication technologies, we have
new opportunity to find the practical ways of using these tools of
expression for sharing our diverse lives with an eye to building
peace. We have known for a long time the importance of dialogue and
the exploitation of communications tools for these purposes, and
now we find ourselves in the fortunate position of being able to
carry on that dialogue on a global basis more efficiently than ever
before. We have the means, motive and opportunity to be everywhere at
once.
The Power of Peace Network will contribute to enhance cultural self
expression and interaction, inter-faith dialogue, and to bridge the
information gap between people in line with the UNESCO convention
on Promotion of the
Ref:
News : UNESCO
Communication and Information Sector's daily
news service
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AHM Bazlur Rahman-S21BR
Chief Executive Officer
Bangladesh NGOs Network for
Radio and Communication(BNNRC)
&
Member, Strategy Council
UN-Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID)
House: 13/1, Road:2, Shaymoli,
Dhaka-1207
Post Box: 5095, Dhaka 1205 Bangladesh
Phone: 88-02-9130750,
88-02-9138501
01711881647 Fax: 88-02-9138501-105
E-mail: [log in to unmask],
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www.bnnrc.net