Preparatory Meeting
Palais du Luxembourg, Paris
Friday 20th and Saturday 21st April 2001

Director's Summary
(Media and Peace Institute Director, Keith Spicer):

1. BASIC MPI IDEA AND NICHE

A United Nations-related, but autonomous, educational and research effort within the framework of the University for Peace (Upeace), specializing in the interactions of media, conflict, peace and security has considerable potential. The meeting recognized that MPI could best fulfil this role by:

• emphasizing, in all its teaching and research activities, its special interest in how media interact with peace-keeping and peace-building;
• building bridges between thinkers, teachers and researchers on one hand, and peace-keeping actors (especially but not exclusively UN-related) on the other;
• focusing clearly on the still relatively new area of media-and-peace studies without dispersing its efforts into other peace-related arenas;
• working primarily through partnerships with experienced training, academic and research organizations;
• making disciplined budget choices to favour a few realistic priorities;
• liaising with the United Nations, UNESCO and other UN-related bodies engaged in peace-keeping and/or peace-building activities;
• consulting and cooperating with a wide variety of non-governmental organizations working on media issues;
• maintaining close links to the working press at all levels to ensure not only realistic and timely policies but a clear identification with the cause of free, varied and independent media.

2. PROGRAM: Three complementary operational areas

a) CORE

Training: Likely about 75% of total effort (mainly in the field, co-developed with local experts and reputable international training organizations, and with input from peace-keeping clients, media NGOs and media organizations). Special effort to attract senior editors and media owners.

University-level education (short-courses and eventually up to full M.A.): For-credit courses and an eventual jointly offered M.A.will be developed in conjunction with the main Upeace campus and with major international universities or high-level professional training centres (UCLA, Stanford, Prague's Charles University, Natal, Sorbonne-Paris III and CFPJ in Paris, etc.). Although valuable for deepening theoretical understanding of media in the peace-and-conflict arena, and for 'educating educators' needed in developing and transition countries, such courses will require considerable work on curriculum development, diploma equivalencies, staffing, funding and teaching methods.

Research: This vitally important area will be developed on a priority basis both to serve teaching needs and to tie MPI's concerns closely to frontline peace-keeping and peace-building realities. MPI will aim to make, and to foster, original contributions to understanding of media issues in relation to conflict, peace and security, thus providing sound support for decisions in these areas.

Note: Education and research will focus not only on strictly journalistic matters, but on media management and the total environment in which free, independent media can flourish (e.g. ownership, regulation, ethics, culture, economy, politics).

b) ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES

• MPI website (www.mediapeace.org):
  • teaching, administrative and promotional tool, already well-established;
  • embryo of media and peace research portal (new resources now added every month);
  • possible nucleus of common website with affiliated training, university and research organizations;
  • access to main website of University of Peace.
• Public debate and education: Once established, MPI will participate in conferences and media opportunities to help raise the level of public understanding of media-peace-conflict interactions.

3. HOW WILL MPI WORK?

By:

• building partnerships: with the best training organizations, universities, journalism schools and research institutes;
• emphasizing the needs and capacities of developing countries and areas at risk of conflict;
• favoring the building of indigenous capacity to develop peace-and-conflict curricula (“bottom-up” curriculum co-development with local clients and teachers);
• establishing links to clients, sponsors and internship organizations;
• confirming close links to NGOs: IPI, WAN, Freedom Forum, WPFC, Art. 19, RSF, etc.
• identifying potential collaborative projects with other organizations: e.g. distant early warning (DEW) liaison.

4. FUNDING (Upeace pump-priming will continue, but we must produce by end of 2001)

• categories: 'kickstart' money; contributions to sustaining budget; project sponsorships (either off our target list or proposed by donors); commitments of space; fellowships; scholarships; seconded staff and teachers; jobs, etc.
• our final report will become our key fund-raising document: we want it to reflect a broad and authoritative consensus of the Paris meeting;
• sources: governments, intergovernmental organizations, foundations (media, peace, regional), participant fees, commissions (research), fellowships, internships (UN and other peace-keeping or peace-building organizations, as well as media organizations).

5. LOCATION

• We are in discussion with French authorities to explore the possibility of establishing France as our main base, in the belief that further political, legal and tangible support may soon crystallize there, as indicated already by the Minister of National Education's diplomatic adviser. If this is confirmed, we will no doubt conduct a significant part of at least our African training in France, and possibly more, depending on funding commitments. Our business plan lays out other alternatives for our central group; these other possible venues may in any event develop important affiliates or associates of MPI.
• Overall, we anticipate a functionally-sized headquarters working with a number of strong national and regional players. We may begin by sharing a common website with associated groups, then develop our modus operandi in the light of 'client' needs, our experience, associates' preferences, and funding realities.
• We see the central staff acting as a small, dynamic coordinating team, to expand as funding and operations develop. Some staff (e.g. training, academic and research coordinators) may reside on other continents. Most operations will be run via linked websites and e-mail; courses will be given anywhere, as needs, talent, funding and local initiative allow.

6. TIMETABLE

• seek urgent 'kickstart' money ($250,000 - $500,000);
• raise additional sustaining funds to support activities for three years ahead (by December 31, 2001);
• prepare full-scale, detailed approach to governments, intergovernmental organizations, foundations and news organizations;
• start first training courses in early 2002;
• commission first research projects in first quarter of 2002;
• start academic, for-credit short courses in September 2002.

7. NEXT PRACTICAL STEPS

• complete and polish our final report with your help;
• ask you how you might be willing to stay involved and help us make MPI work – including further ideas or advice, employment offers, or suggestions and contacts for fund-raising;
• complete our negotiations with a major French foundation as our initial legal headquarters;
• meet French Minister of National Education in May to discuss support;
• decide a few major priorities (avoiding dispersal of effort and scarce resources) that we can do well, within our specific niche, without duplicating others' efforts, and within realistic timeframes;
• further develop our fund-raising plan and Profile, with updated spreadsheets and additional projects on offer to donors in the Profile;
• develop our network of university, training and research partners and advisers;
• develop a worldwide roster of potential teachers, researchers and mentors;
• plan a full-scale marketing program geared precisely to our goals and realistic opportunities, and in line with our agreed priorities;
• expand our links to all pertinent NGOs and international organizations;
• anchor and strengthen the coordinating headquarters to speed all of the above in a timely, professional manner;
• form a “training group” drawn initially from this meeting to refine our training plans in broad terms before we commission a formal curriculum design;
• form an “academic group” drawn initially from this meeting to identify and begin to work out the main challenges in building an international, inter-university curriculum, credit system, teaching bank, and approach to teaching methods, both face-to-face and online;
• form a “research group” drawn initially from this meeting to review and propose major directions for research, priority start-up projects, and likely sources of funding and/or co-sponsorship;
• begin to approach media owners and senior editors to elicit their long-term support and cooperation, and especially their personal involvement.

NOTE: The above three informal advisory groups on training, academic issues and research will no doubt wish to take into account the ideas expressed at the April 20-21meeting.

DETAILS OF MPI's REVISED PLANS AVAILABLE BY LATE MAY 2001 IN THE FULL REPORT ON OUR PARIS MEETING.