(WAN/IFEX) – The following is a 13 June 1999 WAN press release: **Updates IFEX alert of 26 May 1999** Zürich, Switzerland, 13 June 1999 For immediate release World Bank President Urges Cooperation at WAN Congress World Bank President James Wolfensohn laid out a framework for development strategy Sunday and said the press could play “an […]
(WAN/IFEX) – The following is a 13 June 1999 WAN press release:
**Updates IFEX alert of 26 May 1999**
Zürich, Switzerland, 13 June 1999
For immediate release
World Bank President Urges Cooperation at WAN Congress
World Bank President James Wolfensohn laid out a framework for development
strategy Sunday and said the press could play “an absolutely pivotal role”
if it focused more attention on the non-financial aspects of development.
“Most of the debate is focused on the questions of economics and finance,”
said Mr Wolfensohn, who was addressing some of the 1,100 publishers and
editors from 88 countries who are in Zürich for the World Association of
Newspapers’ 52nd World Newspaper Congress and 6th World Editors Forum, the
global meetings of the newspaper industry, 13-16 June.
“You have a responsibility to bring the attention of your governments and
people to the fact that this is only part of the story. Countries don’t move
forward solely on the basis of money,” said Mr Wolfensohn, speaking via a
two-way video link-up from New York to the joint WAN/World Bank conference
on Sunday.
The issue was “a question not just of development, but of freedom. Freedom
of expression and freedom of the press are clearly essential to the
development process,” he said, adding, “the press can play an absolutely
pivotal role in keeping the eyes of the country on long-term strategy.”
But some of the journalists accused the Bank itself of being too “dollar
oriented” and called for additional economic support to help the development
of a free and independent press.
Mr Wolfensohn identified the non-financial aspects of development as:
– Governance and corruption. “If you give money to countries which are well
governed, you have a better chance that the money will be used effectively,”
he said.
– Existence of a legal system. “In too many countries where we operate,
there is not a legal system,” he said, adding, “rights have to be defined.
And there must be a justice system to carry it out.”
– Supervision and control of the financial system. “Clarity of presentation.
Appropriate supervision. Independence,” he said.
– A supportive social system – “a framework that will allow you to deal with
poverty, unemployment. What do you do when you bring in economic change?”
“This is not complicated – you don’t need to be an economic journalist with
a Ph.D. to understand. It is common sense,” he said, urging the journalists
to focus more on these issues, as well as the financial issues which
dominate the development debate.
The joint WAN/World Bank conference, entitled “A New Approach to
Development: The Role of the Press,” included editors from more than 20
developing countries and territories where the World Bank operates. Many of
them criticised the Bank itself for being too “dollar oriented.”
“By all means be critical of us,” said Mr Wolfensohn. “But I do urge you
that we should all think of a higher purpose. We have to set our sights, not
on individual criticism today, but on a course that will make our globe a
better place and a safer place in the future.”
The conference also included two panel discussions on the theme of the role
of the press in development strategy. One panel included T.N. Ninan, Editor
and Publisher of Business Standard, India, Robert J. Samuelson, Syndicated
Columnist, Newsweek and The Washington Post, USA, and Beat Kappeler,
Columnist for Weltwoche, Switzerland.
The second panel of editors and publishers from developing countries were
William Pike, Managing Director of The New Vision, Uganda, Nahil El-Sharif,
Chief Editor, Ad-Dustour, Jordan, Chungsoo Kim, Senior Analyst for Economic
Affairs, The Joongang Ilbo, South Korea, Diegou Bailly, Publisher of Le
Jour, Ivory Coast, Cornel Nistorescu, General Manager of Evenimentual Zilei,
Romania, and Harold Hoyte, President and Editor in Chief of Nation
Publishing Co., Barbados.
(Editors: Additional quotes from the conference and summaries of
presentations will be posted on the WAN web site at www.wan-press.org/wnc. A
soon-to-be published report on the conference can be obtained from WAN at
contact_us@wan.asso.fr).
The Paris-based WAN, the global organisation for the newspaper industry,
defends and promotes press freedom world-wide. It represents 15,000
newspapers; its membership includes 62 national newspaper associations,
individual newspaper executives in 93 countries, 17 news agencies and seven
regional press groups.
