If the first casualty of war is the truth, the next victims are those who are unable to draw attention to their need for protection. They are all too often rendered speechless and faceless by war, reduced to crude statistics in the news. Giving these victims a voice can be vital for mobilizing the support necessary to protect human life. Informed public opinion can act as a brake on human rights abuses, by countering the culture of impunity and urging respect for international law. Yet, in the Great Lakes region of Africa, "hate" radio continues to spur violence and atrocities against civilians on a large scale. The international community has an obligation to counteract such misuse of information and media collectively and creatively. While the prosecution by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda of the principals involved in the promotion of genocide by Radio-Television Mille Collines is a significant step, preventing such incitement in the future remains an urgent task.

	Informed public opinion can act as a brake on human rights abuses, by countering the culture of impunity and urging respect for international law.

The best antidote to hate speech and incitement to violence is the development of free and independent media serving the needs of all parts of society. A range of activities should be undertaken by the international community to support such development: countering misinformation; providing essential information; bolstering support for accurate local news coverage; assisting in creating programmes aimed at promoting inter-ethnic understanding and tolerance; providing technical assistance to improve local broadcast capacity; training local journalists in accurate reporting; establishing media-monitoring mechanisms. In addition, the distribution of radio-receivers and broadcasting equipment is often a vital and practical necessity.

Combating hostile propaganda, however, may also require a more immediate and intense effort by the international community, based on a coordinated approach among a number of actors. The number of actors, both non-governmental and intergovernmental, operating programmes aimed at preventing violence and preparing for national reconciliation has grown in recent years - initiatives in Angola, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, Liberia, Sierra Leone and South Africa are examples. These initiatives, however, often remain inconsistent and essentially ad hoc. Consequently, costly operations such as those in Bosnia and Herzegovina have yielded only mixed results. A more coordinated response could be fostered by establishing media monitoring mechanisms within peace operations and, as appropriate, other agency operations. These mechanisms could ensure regular monitoring, reporting and documenting of information misuse and strengthen independent local media capacities. They also could serve informed decision-making, contribute to legal accountability and, as appropriate, recommend specific action to be taken by relevant actors, including by the Security Council. They should reach out to relevant actors on the ground, including international experts, donors, and local media professionals.

In the global information age, giving victims a voice is essential in mobilizing the necessary support to preserve and improve the quality of human life. While recognizing that at times massive media campaigns can distort policy priorities, reliable media accounts and adequate information management are an essential basis for decisions by Governments, donors, international organizations and non-governmental organizations.

The awareness of even distant events allows informed assessment and helps humanitarian agencies to shape an appropriate response before going into a conflict area. In this respect, concrete and verified information about massive displacement of people, security conditions, and violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, can be vital for distressed populations and international aid workers alike. Where communications are disrupted, using media to inform  populations about the activities of relief agencies, including on the location of shelter, food, water and medical services, can be critical for alleviating human suffering.

As emphasized in the Report of the United Nations Panel on Peace Operations, the rapid emergence of new information technologies -- the Internet, in particular -- plays an increasingly important role in reaching and supporting local counterparts. We must continue to invest in this area and explore partnerships. In this context, the United Nations-operated Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN), in conjunction with ReliefWeb, has brought great benefits to the United Nations and other operations by providing accurate information from and to crisis areas.