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Communication is central to every facet of an individual’s life and a society’s development, but the hunger to be heard is still unsatisfied
Mark Wilson

All of us want to have our voices heard. Whether we are rich or poor, the need to communicate with and participate in the life around us, to speak and therefore affect and influence other people is at the core of what makes us human.

Indeed, the World Bank’s ‘Voices of the Poor’ study in 2000 found that – when asked - the desire to be heard was the top priority of poor people, ranked above any of their physical needs.

This hunger to be heard is so great because it is so unsatisfied. Disenchantment with political processes is increasingly common across the developed world, as voters feel a ‘disconnect’ between their interests and concerns and those of politicians.

This sense of disempowerment is even greater in the developing world. Improving the quality of political, governmental and bureaucratic systems is taking a more central place in development strategies. But the need to increase information flows and extend opportunities for participation and debate by ordinary people goes far beyond the relationship between a citizen and the government.

Twenty years after being founded, Panos London can look back with enormous pride at the contribution we have made in supporting the communication needs of some of the poorest and most marginalised peoples in the world.

From reporting the views and experiences of isolated mountain or desert tribes in Ethiopia and Pakistan to analysing the failures in listening to and communicating with those suffering from HIV/AIDS, Panos London has built a reputation for integrity, impartiality, intelligence and knowledge in promoting ‘voices for the voiceless’ and grappling fearlessly with the communication issues that affect development.

This reputation is built on doing as well as thinking: our hands-on programmes all over the world as well as independent analyses and reports; our work directly with communities as well as with national, regional and international academics and policymakers.

But it is also our specific focus on working with the media in order to promote debate and the inclusion of voices seldom heard that makes our work so important. Panos London has concentrated on supporting journalists and the media in developing countries because no other sector of society has such a profound effect on the quantity and quality, diversity and freedom of information and communication.

In many ways the media is the same the world over, seduced by the lure of the powerful, preoccupied with the immediate rather than the important, and fascinated by urban and elite concerns rather than those of rural and poor people. But the media in developing countries is also economically fragile, under-resourced, and often under threat because journalists investigate and critique the decisions and behaviour of those in power.

Over the last two decades we have nurtured, supported and encouraged thousands of journalists across the developing world to analyse and report more knowledgeably, professionally and inclusively on the key issues that affect the development of their countries. Our print and radio stories – commissioned from Southern journalists – have highlighted issues, reflected diverse experiences and offered fresh perspectives that have been read and listened to by millions of people.

We have only been able to achieve this by helping to develop a worldwide network of Panos Institutes in Africa, South Asia and the Caribbean to join the original offices established in 1986 in London, Paris and Washington. All eight Institutes are now fully independent and autonomous.
 
We have therefore done something rare and truly noteworthy: transforming a ‘Northern’-based NGO into a truly international organisation of equals which is rooted in the experience of developing countries.

I am proud and privileged to lead Panos London’s exceptionally talented international team. Building on the work of my predecessors – as well as all those governance and staff members who have helped to make Panos London so successful – we are looking ahead with confidence and excitement to the next 20 years.

Mark Wilson has been executive director of Panos London since 2004. A former journalist and communications director, he was previously at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, where he managed operations in the Balkans, Kosovo and Mozambique.

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