World Radio Day, observed annually on February 13, celebrates the power of the medium. This year’s theme is ‘Radio and Peace’highlight its role in conflict prevention and peace-building.
“Since its development about a century ago, radio has proven to be an exceptional means of communication, debate and exchange – indeed, it is one of the most widespread and accessible forms of communication,” said Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)UNESCO).
In her message for This Day, she urges people to “not only celebrate the potential of radio but and especially use radio more as a unique instrument of peace.”
Radio and UN peacekeeping
For Francesca Mold, Director of Strategic Communications at the United Nations Department of Peace Operations (DPO), this year’s theme couldn’t be more relevant.
The DPO recently kicked off a year-long campaign to celebrate the 75th anniversary of United Nations Peacekeeping Day.
“Operating as part of the UN peacekeeping mission, we operate radio networks important for reaching large and diverse communities, especially in places where internet access is poor and populations are very mobile due to conflict and displacement,” said Ms. Mold.
The United Nations Peacekeeping Force was established in 1948 and since then, 71 missions have been deployed to post-conflict countries around the world. Since these activities have to explain their duties to local people, communication is essential.
‘Best tool’ for communication
The station officially became part of a peacekeeping force in 1989 under the management of the United Nations Transitional Support Group (UNTAG) in Namibia, a political delegation was established to ensure free and fair elections were held there.
UNTAG created content on issues such as voter registration, which was made available to local broadcasters for dissemination. The first major peacekeeping radio station came a few years later, with the United Nations Mission in Cambodia.
“Maybe The best tool in our toolbox served as a radio station for the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces,” said Douglas Coffman from the United Nations Department of Global Communications’ Peace and Security Division (DGC), is also the hometown of UN News.
Tell everyone
Mr. Coffman served in the Balkans in the late 1990s, following a series of wars that erupted following the breakup of Yugoslavia.
“Radio is important because the UN can talk to local people without going through the filter of biased media,” he said. “These are the media that have been part of the problem in the conflict. They don’t necessarily want to help us get our message across. So there is a possibility talk live and in real timee for the communities we are working for, is essential.”
Radio has played a vital role in the world’s youngest country, South Sudan, which has experienced periods of brutal fighting and displacement since gaining independence in 2011.
Partners for Peace
Radio Miraya at the United Nations Mission in the country, MISS, providing a platform for both establishing and consolidating peace. In fact, it is “partner for peace of the Government and people of South Sudan,” according to Ben Malor, MISS Head of Communications and Public Information.
Some of the station’s programming includes the Weekday Breakfast Program, which includes news bulletins and interviews with Government ministers, civil society representatives and other key figures.
Another program called ‘Roundtable’, broadcast on Saturdays, brings together ministers, senior officials and influencers to discuss politics on sometimes thorny issues. , such as inter-communal violence and livestock looting.
Other programs are aimed at young people and also have a dedicated phone line for women who want to call the station – a way for women to speak out in a society where they need to be heard.
Strengthening national unity
“Our purpose, whatever the radio is doing, whether we’re online and we’re broadcasting, and people are calling, is to strengthen people’s unity Mr. Malor said:
Radio remains the primary means of conveying information to the 11 million people of South Sudan and Radio Miraya is in a state of adjustment and self-assessment to better assist UNMISS in carrying out its mission.
Recently, the Government has asked the UN to support the election process, which culminated in the vote in December 2024.
“Radio Miraya will do the best we can in our role, as long as we get the cooperation of the Government of South Sudan, so we will do everything we can to support leadership for the success of this process. ,” he said. Malor. “So there is constant testing, constant restructuring, continuous improvement.”
Adaptability and accessibility
Radio’s accessibility and wide reach have made it an important tool for UNESCO, especially in the process of COVID-19 pandemic, when reaching out to students who are absent from school.
The United Nations agency has established a system of teaching children via radio waves, benefiting a wide range of learners in many countries, including in sub-Saharan Africa where less than a quarter of the people live. have internet access.
“Radio so very often means of last resort. We are seeing this again in Afghanistan, where girls and women have been abruptly and unfairly denied the right to study, research and teach,” said Ms. Azoulay.
UNESCO has strongly condemned the bans and has launched a program with the European Union to support media outlets in Afghanistan. The goal is to help circulate health and safety education and information to reach at least six million people directly.
