1. AFTER THE MDGS:
ACCESS TO MEDIA AND
INFORMATION IN THE
POST-2015 AGENDA
A BENEVOLENT FOG?
Dr Martin Scott, University of East Anglia
2. What role for the media?
10. Ensure Good Governance and
Effective Institutions
b) Ensure that people enjoy freedom of
speech, association, peaceful protest and
access to independent media and information
c) Increase public participation in political
processes and civic engagement at all levels
d) Guarantee the public’s right to information
and access to government data
A new Global Partnership: The Report of the High-Level
Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015
Development Agenda
3. What role for the media?
1. Freedom of speech: An individual right
2. Independent media: Press freedom
3. Access to independent media: Physical access,
digital divides and media literacy
4. Access to information: Information literacy
5. A right to information: Legal
6. Open government: ‘A data revolution… to improve
the quality of statistics and information available to
citizens’.
7. Political participation: ‘People… need the freedom
to voice their views and participate in the decisions
that affect their lives’
4. What aspects of development?
1. Human right
2. Effective institutions: Openness and accountability
helps institutions work properly
3. Economic growth: ‘A prosperous society’
4. ‘A peaceful society’
5. Participation in democracy
6. Participation in development
7. Good governance: Accountability
8. Intrinsic value: ‘They are both means to an end and
an end in themselves’.
5. Other…
Behaviour change communication (GFMD)
More effective aid spending
Environmental sustainability
Sustainability and resilience
6. A ‘benevolent fog’ (Edmonds
2002)?
Sliding between issues
No consistency
Impossible to pin down causality
Impossible to measure
8. ICT and corporate interests
We should actively take advantage of new
technology, crowd sourcing, and improved
connectivity to empower people with information
on the progress towards the targets (A New
Global Partnership).
Human development in the coming decades will
depend on people’s access to information.
Ground-breaking new media and technology are
enabling major expansion of economic, social and
political progress (Article 19 and GFMD joint
statement – signed by 197 organizations)
10. Who is funding the debate?
Media Mapping Project (World Bank and
Internews)
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded
11. Who is funding the debate?
ODI ‘Development Progress’ including ‘political
voice’
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded
$9m to ‘generate compelling and well
substantiated development success stories’
