Interview with Douglas Coffman, Public Information Officer, Peace and Security Section, Department of Global Communications at the UN

John Masuku: Hello and welcome to the World Radio Day 2023 series where we are talking about the role and impact of the UN peacekeeping radio stations, where you see how they are helping in building and developing peace in different parts of the world. And to discuss that, we have Douglas Coffman, who is the public information officer with the Peace and Security section of the Department of Global Communications at the UN headquarters in New York. Doug provides strategic communication support for UN efforts to keep and build peace. Doug, Welcome to this series.

Doug: Thank you very much. And I'd like to welcome or say Happy World Radio Day to all of our listeners. It's a great day on the annual UN schedule.

John Masuku: Yes. Your experience in the Balkans, in Liberia, and you worked and continue to work very closely with these U.N. peacekeeping radio stations since you provide strategic communication. If you could just tell us why in the first place these radio stations were established.

Doug: Well, as you know, countries, you know, coming out of conflict are still very, very fragile. And the United Nations since 1948 has sent in 71 peacekeeping operations. And when we're there, we have to explain why we're there, build and support the U.N. efforts.

We have to explain our mandate. We have to get people to buy into the peace process. And communication is essential to that. Now, starting in the late 1980s, perhaps the best tool in our toolbox has been U.N. peacekeeping radio stations. The first or a radio capacity. First, in 1989, the U.N. had its first radio capacity in Namibia when the country was going through its independence process, and through was to be a big election. And the U.N. there, the UNTAG mission, had a radio capacity where it created content to explain to the public what that process meant and what they needed to do.

It provided information on voter registration and how the electoral process was going. So we created content. We gave it to local broadcasters to use. The elections were a grand success. Great voter turnout and communications played a very big part in that role. And that was the first time the radio was used by U.N. peacekeeping. But it was the beginning of a very long 30-year experience in this field.

And then the next one and the most first significant radio station was the U.N. mission in Cambodia. And again, it was a mission that had a several-year-long mandate and culminated with elections to end the peace process again, building public support for elections, building support for the political process was very much conveyed through the airwaves across Cambodia and done in the local language Khmer.

And once that radio station finished this job, it packed up its equipment and sent it to a U.N. facility in Italy where it was then used. The equipment was put on a plane or a boat and somewhere else and sent to another mission. And then the next mission, the next peacekeeping radio station started in the Balkans in the late 1990s, where I was very familiar with their work.

And radio is important because the U.N. can speak to the local population without having to go through the filter of biased media. I mean, again, these are media that have been part of the problem in the conflict. They don't necessarily want to help us get our messages out.

So having the ability to speak directly and in real-time to the communities we're working for is essential. And that proved to be a great success there. And their media, the radio station had a great listenership, with probably 75% of the people listening to the radio every week. And it really helped us do our job well.

And after the Balkans, it moved on to West Africa. We had very successful missions in Liberia and in Sierra Leone, which again had 24/7 standalone radio stations, which discussed not only the peace process but other things of importance to the local population reconciliation efforts, humanitarian concerns, health concerns, programing dedicated to women's or children's issue, getting huge listenership.

And you know, where peacekeeping usually operates is in countries that don't have great communications infrastructure. There are no national TV broadcasters, there are no national radio stations. There are low levels of literacy. And radio allows us to reach throughout the country and again, in multiple languages.

None of our radio stations really only use one language. We use the language of the people in the country. And by having a sizable all staff with national people working for us, they knew those languages. They could communicate in ways to the population, that they understood us very clearly.

John Masuku: Yes. You have the experience yourself of working in Africa, in Liberia, and you also went to Europe and the Balkans. Do you see radio being used exactly in the same way you've talked about the languages, which are very important to any nation, but in terms of radio, how it reaches people? How programs particularly we said the background to our theme Radio and Peace we were looking at conflict resolution and also looking at good editorial policies and independent radio. Do you see a similarity?

Doug: There was I mean, the difference was in Croatia, where we had our radio station, there were tons of radio stations. Very few of them were very helpful to the peace process. So again, it was very important for the U.N. to have its own voice go out and talk about the need for reconciliation, to explain what needed to be done during the two-year period that we were there, including disarming local militias and private civilians.

And we need to get our messages out, clearly with no misunderstanding. And allowed us to do that again, in a very busy media environment. But we needed our separate voices.

When you moved on to, like Liberia in West Africa, we did not compete against any other radio stations. There were very few radio stations. They had a small reach. But the U.N. needed to reach the entire country, and we were able to do that 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

And in Liberia, it was the first mission that ever had radio capacity starting day one. So it was on the ground, day one to explain why we're there. And it covered all of the big events in the Liberian peace process for nearly almost 15 years, including major elections, campaigns, and disarmament efforts. When the president of Liberia needed to speak to her people, she went on our radio station.

When we finally concluded the mission 15 years later or so, you know, it was a live ceremony broadcast to the country. And at that ceremony, you had the president of Liberia, the new president, George Weah, thank very loudly the U.N. for the work that it did. And all of this, all of our successes there, you could really say was due in part to the communications work and the radio stations.

Now, we do work with other, you know, private or public radio stations. We never want to be the only voice in town. We don't want to drown them out. We do work with community radio stations. In some cases, we provide training or equipment, and we do like to think that we set a good example for other stations to follow.

You know, we are fact-based radio stations. We have high journalistic integrity and practices, and we do want to demonstrate for a radio station to be successful. You don't have to be bombastic. You don't have to be divisive. You can talk about issues of great concern to the people in a professional way and make a real difference in the lives of people.

John Masuku: Let's talk about being understood. I'm sure in this job of peacekeeping, where you're using radio for peacekeeping, at times you are understood all misunderstood naturally by certain sections of the community. And as the U.N., you have to be you have to deal with that because you want to be balanced, as you say. You want good editorial policies, you want good independent radio. How do you do that?

Doug: Well, I mean, we do have many, you know, good professionals that work for our stations are recruiting is high, you know, high-quality recruiting. And we do, you know, look at the work of all of our people. You know, in the doctor's profession, the Hippocratic Oath is, first, do no harm. And I think that is the same, you know, a law that regulates our work in peacekeeping radio stations never do a program which in any way undermines the peace process or upsets any community or harms reconciliation.

You know, policies and practices are ongoing. And again, we do have, you know, staff to work in all the languages of the countries. So we're not speaking to one group and we're making sure that we speak clearly in their language so they understand what the messages they were trying to get across. And again, we also it's not just us speaking on our radio stations.

We have so many guests from across the system. We have, you know, programs dedicated to women's issues, minority issues, health issues, all kinds of subjects. And we have many voices doing this, I think because we have so many voices on our radio stations and we do them in so many languages that we are popular with, you know, a huge amount of the population. We are a threat to no.

John Masuku: Yes. Douglas, you spoke at length about some of the radio stations that have been established in different parts of the world, including Africa, but the ones which are operational right now with a very in-depth discussion with Ben Malor within South Sudan. He told us a lot about Radio Miraya. So we are not delving deeper into that one.

Tell us more about how you are succeeding with Radio Okapi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as Guria FM in the Central African Republic and Radio Mikado. A just how happy and how successful you are as the U.N. peacekeeping radio. Particularly at this time when we're talking about radio and peace.

Doug: Sure. I would just say the first radio stations that we had were meant to be temporary in nature. I mean, the missions were going to last, you know, 1 to 3 years. At the end of the day, the radio stations would fold up and be packed up. Our radio stations in Africa have a tremendous legacy, and Radio Okapi has been on the air for 20 years now.

It is one of the most listen to radio stations in the country and it is a radio station that is truly dedicated to peace and inclusion of all communities. It has a very wide listenership and it is again put out in multiple languages. It has not solved all the problems in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as we're all too aware, you know, violence continues to be rampant in some areas of the country.

And our radio station is certainly trying to ensure that the peace process can go forward and that the people who are living in areas of conflict get the information that they need to protect themselves and protect their families and very much try to foster reconciliation among the parties and the people in eastern DRC.

Likewise in the Central African Republic of Mali. You know, these countries are still not completely out of the woods when it comes to peace and security. But there again, you know, we do we are able to broadcast throughout most of the country in both places. And we do have a good listenership and we do have programs meant to bring about peace and reconciliation.

Hasn't solved all the problems there either. But it is again, you know, we not only talk about peace. We talk about other processes in the country which the average, you know, a citizen there needs to know about. And again, it's they're invaluable, but they cannot, you know, substitute for effective peace processes. They can certainly support the peace process. But a radio station alone cannot end trouble, a country's troubles.

John Masuku: When you arrive in the country, how do you suggest programs? You mentioned as an example of some of the programs, and even Ben did mention some of the programs actually come from the locals.

Doug: It's a combination of the two. Again, when we have a peacekeeping radio station, you know, usually it has international staff who are serving as the supervisor as the head of the communications unit, the head of the radio station, or most likely, you know, international staff. The vast majority of the staff in radio stations, probably 80 or 90%, are citizens of that country.

They understand the politics of that country. They understand the people of that country. They understand what is important for people to listen to and talk about. So I think the program, wherever we go, is the right programming to have.

But certainly, we do learn, you know, from one peacekeeping radio station, one part of the world can have a tremendous program every day. And you can take elements of what we did there. If it worked well and try to do it somewhere else, and then adjust it as it goes. But, you know, radio is a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week operation.

It gives you so much flexibility with what you do with your time and whether it's just news updates or radio call-in shows or hosting panel discussions, or running public service announcements on key issues. There are just so many things you can do and really impact the discussion in a country.

John Masuku: How about partners? When you do this as the United Nations, do you have any other partners that you work with in these different countries in order to develop radio that is balanced, that is good editorial policy, that is also able to solve some of the conflicts in those areas and bring in this or nurture the idea of independent radio.

Doug: Sure. We've had several partners over time, and I think the partner that we're the most influential or most important times was the Hirondelle Foundation out of Switzerland. They helped us set up Radio Okapi back in the very beginning and they were able to supply us with, you know, trainers, editors help us, you know, brought in staff and equipment, and they got that radio station working with the U.N. up in a much faster way than we ever would have done without them. And they did have, you know, great lessons on running our radio station and following professional ethics.

And they really did a great job. We also partnered with them in South Sudan as well. Not all of these partnerships lasted the entire radio station, but certainly, in setting up radio stations, they played an invaluable role. And they're also very much involved in discussions of if a peacekeeping radio, when a peacekeeping mission ends, you know, should that peacekeeping radio station be transitioned to something else?

You know, should you pack up its equipment and send it away or should you help another radio station be born out of what is left of the radio station? And we've had some success doing that in some countries. In some places, it hasn't gone so well. In Liberia, we transition to radio stations in ECOWAS, in Ivory Coast, we hand it over to a foundation in Cote d'Ivoire I'm sorry, in Sierra Leone, it was transitioning to a new national public service broadcaster. And again, our radio experts and our partners played a role in managing all of those.

John Masuku: As you do that, how do you then live them to be sustainable? If you always had success stories that are even up to now when you look back, those radio stations that you helped to transition? Are they still in existence? Or as soon as the coffers of the United Nations dried up, that's the end of the story.

Doug: In some places, they've dried up and they have and they have failed in other places. They're still on the air. But again, when a peacekeeping mission comes, it comes, it brings security. You know, they can have secure premises to hold broadcasting facilities, and recording facilities. They have transportation.

They can our staff can get on helicopters, get in cars, and go anywhere. And we have a budget to pay a large number of people. And we also have a mandate or were allowed by the government of the country to broadcast. We are given a frequency. When that peacekeeping mission ends, a lot of those things are pared down.

Nobody that follows us will probably have the budgetary capacity or the security capacity, nor necessarily the government blessing to go on and act as an independent broadcaster. So it is a challenge. We've tried different things and we'll continue to review ways in which some of our radio stations can last beyond the date of the peacekeeping mission.

John Masuku: Douglas, as you wind up your points and this discussion, let’s look at the impact. You did mention at various places that you didn't appear and did. But let's look at the impact in the context of the theme of this year’s World Radio Day which is Radio and Peace. Just bring those together, it seems we have to work together on World Radio Day and that's why even on our website, we have, you know, a page that is dedicated to the U.N. peacekeeping radio stations. So impact as well as how it moves into this theme of radio and peace.

Doug: Radio can be an invaluable tool in keeping and building peace. Of course, the UN can run the radio stations that do that and private enterprises can run those and other organizations. But you have to have the commitment to make that happen. And not all road stations do. So we would like to set an example by the kind of stations that we have that other people who follow us or operating the same time do follow what you would call free media standards or respect for ethics and provide content that moves a country forward in peace and prosperity with human rights for all.

And we would like to achieve that. Our radio stations have made some progress, but we'd like all radio stations to adopt that same approach because they do have so much influence. So many people listen to the radio, I think, in the United States, radio is no longer the rage. In most of the world. Radio remains the most important media. And when it operates properly, it can make a world of positive difference.

John Masuku: So what will these radio stations be doing on the 13th of February on World Radio?

Doug: Our radio stations always celebrate World Radio Day with the contents that they have and focusing on radio and explaining, you know, what our radio stations do and how proud we are of our work and how we like to be working with other radio stations to bring peace. But I can say like, you know, what can a radio station do and how are peace processes challenging, and where do you need communications?

You know, in a war zone, you can have you know, the war is over. The peace agreement has been signed and you have very tough processes like demobilization and disarmament and reconciliation. You know, we have to try to convince over-the-airwaves a 20-year-old man or woman who has carried a gun for eight years. You know, it's time to give up your gun.

The war is over, you know. Your unit is no longer around. Please join the reintegration process. Please give up your weapons. That is a hard sell. In many cases, when somebody has been carrying a gun for their entire adult life and even part of their childhood, giving up a weapon is a big deal. We got to make that case. We got to make it every day until the process succeeds.

And likewise, you know, this disarmed soldier now is going to go back into a community which was on the other side of the war, and to lay the groundwork to make that community receptive to receiving back people that they fought against is also a great challenge. And I think these are one of the things that radio, which can communicate every day, which can command in different formats and communicate in different languages, makes those processes go forward.

I cannot imagine some of the processes that the U.N. does without the support of radio and likewise running a major election, you need to build public support. You need to explain why elections are important. You need to explain why people must vote. And you must allow all the political parties some airtime so they can say what their party is about and what platform they have. Elections, disarmament. Nobody does it better than peacekeeping radio stations.

John Masuku: Well, what it means is for me to thank you very much. That was Douglas Coffman, who is the public information officer with the Peace and Security Section of the Department of Global Communications at the UN headquarters in New York. He's been telling us about the role and impact of peacekeeping radio stations that are run by the United Nations and that Douglas was coming from his vast experience in the Balkans, Liberia, and other parts of the world.

Thank you very much Douglas for joining us on this series about World Radio Day 2023.

Doug: Thank you. And please edit that however, you see fit. I probably went off too long sometimes, but I hope I gave you some information that you and your listeners will find useful. Thank you.

John Masuku: Once again, thank you so much, Douglas. And to all listeners, happy World Radio Day from me John Masuku.

Doug: Cheers.

John Masuku: Cheers.