28 Apr 2016 WACC joins disaster communications network

In 2013 many areas in the Philippines were affected by Typhoon Haiyan. When it hit, the storm surge washed through the city of San Fernando. Photo: ACT/FCA/Ville Asikainen.

The London-based Communicating with Disaster Affected Communities Network (CDAC), which facilitates response to the challenges facing humanitarian action, has accepted WACC as a full member.

Noting that emergencies are increasing in magnitude and complexity, the  CDAC Network says on its website that its purpose is “to position communicating with communities at the heart of preparedness, response and recovery. This enhances the effectiveness of aid; fosters greater accountability, transparency and trust; and improves the outcomes experienced by affected people. Importantly, it enables stronger communication within affected communities and between affected people and other stakeholders.”

WACC, which is based in Toronto, promotes communication as a basic human right, essential to people’s dignity and community. WACC is open to working with all denied the right to communicate because of status, identity, or gender. WACC has corporate and personal members in 120 countries.

WACC also is a member of ACT Alliance, a coalition of 140 churches and faith-based organizations working together in over 100 countries in the areas of humanitarian aid, development and advocacy.

“We believe that WACC and CDAC’s aims are aligned, and through the CDAC Network, WACC will be able to strengthen its communication rights approach in crisis environments. I also very much hope that WACC through this new partnership will be able to make a unique contribution to the ACT Alliance and the wider humanitarian sphere by promoting communication, participation and leadership at local and grassroots levels,” said WACC General Secretary the Rev. Dr Karin Achtelstetter in a statement.

“In this respect, we always seek to strengthen our corporate and personal members to be advocates and implementers of community communication rights. We hope that our global network and our expertise, such as in media monitoring and participatory communication, will contribute to the wider CDAC network,” she added.

WACC noted that there are potential areas for joint collaboration with the CDAC Network:

• Women, peace and security,
• Media monitoring and research methodologies,
• Communication rights,
• Community media.

In terms of disaster response, WACC said it is also particularly interested in linking its members and ACT Alliance partners in practical communication initiatives in humanitarian situations in order to develop practical and effective integration of community-led communication in disaster responses.