Political and crisis communication capacities for civil society and public administrators

Hosted by DW Akademie
Tuesday, June 23 / Pumpenhaus

Political instability, crisis and armed conflict polarize societies and political decision-makers. The media often find themselves playing a delicate role and often simply split into opposing camps. However, it takes two to communicate: a listener as well as a speaker. The way governmental and public institutions address the media and shape communications is key. Effective communications is an important factor of success for political and economic transformation. Subsequently, the principle of transparency should be a requirement for political communication. But who speaks for the voiceless groups of society, who are often the victims of conflict and are threatened by instability and violence?

Making affected individuals and groups heard via the media is an appropriate way to make civil society more resilient. DW Akademie focuses on civil society and public institutions alike to consider their impact on transparency, respect for human rights, freedom of expression and access to information. Hence, DW Akademie helps to improve the communications skills and capabilities of private organizations and public institutions. This workshop seeks to discuss the role of such stakeholders in political communications. The session will take place as a fishbowl conversation and is open to all participants.