FOLLOW US
G. Yael Feliz: Address to Peace Summit 2023, Session VII-A
Written by Mr. German Yael Feliz, Journalist, TV & Radio producer, Dominican Republic
Thursday, May 4, 2023
Address to Peace Summit 2023
May 2-5, 2023
It is a great honor to be with such distinguished world leaders and to participate in the Peace Summit 2023 hosted by the esteemed Universal Peace Federation.
I thank God and this honorable summit for allowing me to share my perspective as a citizen from the heart of the Caribbean, Dominican Republic, on the topic: "Contemporary Challenges to Global Order: Toward a World Culture of Peace.”
It is important to acknowledge the growing economic inequalities, social upheavals, and the increase in the digital divide when discussing the media and its role in contributing to a world culture of peace, which is an important goal of the UPF and the Peace Summit 2023.
Questions to guide our discussions
- What is the role of the media in the creation of social roles to solve the problems of societies?
- How do we benefit from the media for equality and the economic empowerment of societies?
- How can the visibility of the needs of the most vulnerable be improved?
- What is the effect on the decision-making process in the media sector?
- How does the media influence the promotion of the search for social peace?
The answers to these questions and others, leads us to identify the media’s challenges and achieve the integral health of societies in the context of world of peace.
Challenges to the Media Industry
- To make the media spaces for building peace as a tool to achieve the integral health of societies.
- To develop the necessary skills to train journalists, producers, advertisers who are creative and empathetic when addressing the communication of social problems.
- To advocate from our scenarios for the elaboration, implementation and promotion of civic and government policies that promote peace in societies.
- To establish alliances to face political and economic pressures that threaten local, regional, and global peace.
- To develop ways and means of work to avoid the media’s financial dependence on the government and thus avoid failing to assume the role that corresponds to us.
- To demand the quality and impartiality of the media regarding the social struggles of the most vulnerable populations and individuals.
I want to specifically point out the immense challenges that concern us in terms of the information and misinformation war from the social networks. I want to point out that the intention of being the first, having followers, and generating fame and earnings, cannot take us away from the immense responsibility that falls on those who manage the media.
From this scenario, we must highlight the importance that the media plays in the search for peace. That includes the informative content, and its dissemination in a responsible and objective manner.
On the other hand, we have the great task of incorporating into the media an agenda that deals with the renewal and recovery of family values, considering that from there, the world is informed and for better or worse, accepts it as the standard culture-bearer.
I stress the importance of the Universal Peace Federation to continue including the role of the media as a critical component of building a culture of peace. Representatives of the media can serve in the lofty position as ambassadors of peace, who carry the message, guide the peoples of the world, and write or comment in favor of the culture of peace that we must build.
I would like to convey to all those involved in the media industry -- owners, directors, collaborators, journalists, etc. -- the greatest legacy that a citizen can leave, is not the influence or fame that their name generates, but rather, their selfless contribution to world peace, and the overcoming of the social inequalities throughout the world.
Once again, I congratulate the Peace Summit 2023. Only when we can sit at the same table and listen to each other, can we come to an agreement and face the challenges that the future holds for us.
May God give us the wisdom so we can influence the aspects discussed in this plenary session. This mission to achieve a culture of peace depends on continuous work, permanent empowerment and, above all, the goodwill of those of us who choose to pursue this course.
Thank you.
To go to the Peace Summit 2023 Schedule page, click here.