June 2006

Background paper on Communication for Sustainable Development

World Congress on Communication for Development (WCCD)

This document contributes to the preparation of the theme on Communication and Sustainable Development that has been identified as one of the key issues to be discussed at the World Congress on Communication for Development (WCCD) in October 2006. It provides an overview of the rationale used to address the numerous themes related to the use of communication for sustainable development and identifies sub-themes on which to focus specific discussion sessions, in line with the main criteria adopted for the WCCD:

Discuss the theoretical foundations and methodological approaches applied in practice.
Provide data and evidence of the impact of communication in development projects and programs.
Demonstrate the value-added of Communication for Development.
Reflect on how to incorporate communication into development policy and practice.

The paper is not an exhaustive survey of the topics presented but focuses on the applications of Communication for Development approaches and strategies to issues central to Sustainable Development. The issues related to the “applications” of Communication for Development have been grouped under three sub-themes conceived as broad clusters of topics related to Sustainable Development. Furthermore, an ad-hoc session will be devoted to present an overview of regional perspectives, priorities and proposals for mainstreaming communication into policies related to Sustainable Development, based on the result of a series of regional studies, consultations and workshops presently being implemented in the field leading up to the WCCD.

The present document provides a preliminary framework to guide institutions and individuals interested in the topics related to Communication in Sustainable Development.

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