The new South-South scenario and the role of communication

Whilst the world changes, creating new maps of political and economic relations, the flow of information has not developed along the same lines. The economic, political and diplomatic presence of countries such as Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) in the international arena is increasingly higher, while the G-20, of which Argentina is a member, is one of the main actors in the new global governance. In this context, Southern and emerging countries need to coordinate efforts in order to strengthen their capacities in international communication, as well as build and strengthen networks among them. In this way, these countries can promote a more balanced global communication scenario, while also reaffirming the principles of freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Representatives of 24 Southern and emerging countries met in several occasions in 2009 and 2010, under the leadership of Brazil and with the support of the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank, to create partnerships and a new media platform, which form the basis of the South Initiative on Communication. As a natural consequence of its history, vision and mission, IPS news agency has been co-coordinating and following this initiative and the movement for South-South cooperation from the beginning, as a fundamental reference and opportunity framework. The IPS 2013 meetings represent a good opportunity to resume the negotiations on the South-South communication strategy to start to implement this process from Argentina, with some of the leading actors in this process...