Media, NGOs vow to make collective efforts for a strong civil society

Karachi, December 27: A representative group of some of the leading NGOs and media organizations of the country has resolved to eliminate hatred and conflict and promote peace, love and understanding so that this world can be made a better place for generations to come.

This resolution and others were declared at the close of a two day workshop on “Developing Communications for Strengthening Civil Society” held in Karachi. Organized by the NGO Resource Centre, this workshop included participants from many NGOs from across the country as well as newsmen from print and electronic media from Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, and Quetta. The workshop was conducted by Abbas Husain, a leading trainer and consultant.

The participants resolved to render their personal and professional responsibilities to strengthen civil society with honesty and devotion, place ourselves above racism, sectarian, provincial, religious, ethnic, and other communal prejudice, continuously endeavour to employ their personal and professional expertise in delivering benefit to all members of society, and that in all phases of the journey towards a strengthened civil society they would progress collectively with mutual understanding and harmony.

This workshop was a conclusion of the long initiative of the NGORC of nurturing close relations between the media and the NGOs so that they may collectively make efforts in the common goal of strengthening civil society. Earlier workshops with media persons and NGOs were held individually in Lahore and Islamabad during the past month. This Karachi workshop was the first opportunity for the two key players of civil society to come face to face and work out a strategy of collaboration and understanding.

The workshop included exclusive group sessions and one to one exercises between the two players for forming effective strategies for expanding the scope of development communications in the Pakistani media and supporting each other in the common goal.

While discussing various aspects of the topic, participants reinforced the view that the Media – in its numerous forms – plays an important role in any modern-day society. Its potential role in information dissemination, in removing prejudices and stereotypes, as an active stakeholder in civil society and as a tool for raising awareness, has not been fully utilized in Pakistan.

Participants analyzed the current state of Media-NGO Relationships and highlighted the challenges faced by the media from NGOs and also recommended ways on how to overcome such challenges. Similarly, participants analyzed the current practices of the media and more specifically regarding NGOs and social development issues. They highlighted their constraints and challenges being faced by them.

Working in groups on various aspects of the development communications, participants developed thematic and programmatic strategies at various levels for improving and enhancing the reporting on development issues in Pakistan. These strategies would be analyzed by the NGORC and later accommodated in its initiatives.

The workshop also came up with specific recommendations on how the NGOs and media in general and the NGORC in particular can play a definite role in increasing awareness of social initiatives in Pakistan and support the NGOs on one hand and the media on the other.

The workshop conductor Mr. Abbas Husain gave a highly informative and stimulating talk on how the two forces can unite to serve the society on the whole. The Deputy Director NGORC Mr. Qadeer Baig closed the workshop by encouraging the participants to sign a pledge for playing their role for strengthening Pakistani civil society.