Public Relations and Communication for Development
Sej Motau, Chair Global Alliance

The World Congress on Communication for Development (WCCD) in Rome, Italy, October 25 – 27, 2006 has come and gone and I would like to take a few moments of your time to reflect on and share with you some aspects of the congress as they touched our organization and on how the Global Alliance (GA) made its contribution to the international effort to advance development through effective communication.

In a significant development since the 3r World PR Festival in Brasilia, Brazil, earlier in the year, where we had a representative of the World Bank as a presenter, the chairman of the GA was invited by the organizers of the WCCD - the World Bank, The Communication Initiative and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to serve on the Advisory Council of the WCCD. The GA also had a slot on the highly competitive programme on October 27 to address, The Challenging Role of PR in the Scenario of International Development.

It is my pleasure to report to you that the GA’s flag fluttered high during the congress and the session dedicated to public relations was a success. Our former chairman, the tireless Toni Muzi Falconi, and ambassador at large, John Paluszek, presented during the session moderated by John White, Honorary Professor at the University of Birmingham’s School of Business. Sharing the podium with Falconi and Paluszek, were Peter Walker, former President of CIPR (UK) and one of the initiators of the Alliance, and Adebisi Olowoyo of Brass LNG Limited in Nigeria.

The interactive part at the end of the formal presentations was quite instructive. There was clear appreciation of the important role of public relations in communication. However, it seems there are many in the developmental sector who still hold the cynical view that public relations is all white-wash and spin. Yes, we have our work cut out to expunge this so-yesterday image of public relations. We know that our profession has moved miles away from that profile but some of our publics still seem to cling to this distorted picture. We must continue to be as ethical, as professional and as value-adding as we can be in the practice of our profession. This is the best way, I know how, to right this lopsided image of Public Relations.

There were more than 700 delegates at the congress from around the globe representing diverse organizations and the GA’s involvement with organs of the UN, the World Bank and the various NGO’s must help to raise the profile of the GA. Our efforts to have the voice of Public Relations heard at the highest and most influential levels must surely benefit from such association. This should in turn give a boost to our drive to achieve our vision, One Profession One Voice.

For the record, Paluszek presented a case study on the role of communication in the development of thousands of small entrepreneurships in India through a micro finance programme for underprivileged women and Falconi presented Mo.Ve, an international non-governmental organisation for sustainable mobility in metroplolitan areas, supported by four European automobile clubs (Italy, Austria, Spain and Catalogna). I think we will be hearing more about Mo.Ve as the streets and roads of the world’s metropoles continue to choke from the ever-increasing vehicles they have to carry.

Walker and Olowoyo presented a Nigerian case study on the role of public relations in stakeholder engagement in the volatile environment of the Nigerian oil industry. This presentation evoked the greatest interaction from the delegates. The role of public relations and effective communication could not have received better attention, even from the skeptics.

Challenges remain in our efforts to position Public Relations properly in the minds of our publics and stakeholders but we seem to be making steady progress. Let’s keep at the task.

Our thanks to Falconi, Paluszek, Walker and Olowoyo.

Sejamothopo Motau, FPRISA
Chair Global Alliance.