paigning in the SADC region. More specifically, OMAC members were interested to learn about MISA’s governance
processes, organisational structure and programme development. MISA is committed to rendering future support to
OMAC, which is currently revisiting its operations and structures in order to improve on its mandate delivery.

Media Alliance of Zimbabwe
MISA, at regional and national level, continues its support to and direct participation in the activities of the Media
Alliance of Zimbabwe (MAZ), an alliance of Zimbabwean media organisations including the Zimbabwe Union of
Journalists (ZUJ), Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe (MMPZ), MISA Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe National Editors’ Forum.
Alliance members and stakeholders were involved in a strategic planning workshop for MAZ in November 2006,
which again reaffirmed its function as a cohesive and united front in the media support sector in Zimbabwe. A
programme of activities was also identified.

Media Programme Strategy for Zimbabwe
The Media Programme Strategy for Zimbabwe is the result of a process that was initiated by Zimbabwean media organisations in 2003 during the ‘Let the People Speak’ workshop in Harare, organised by key media actors in
Zimbabwe jointly with the Netherlands Institute for Southern Africa (NiZA). The workshop was attended by major
national, regional and international media organisations, which collectively identified the need to launch a collaborative partnership approach to add weight and effectively address challenges facing the media sector in Zimbabwe.
MAZ was born out these considerations in 2004.
As part of this process, in 2005 MISA facilitated an international conference on media support strategies to Zimbabwe. The conference played an integral role in identifying priorities for media assistance to Zimbabwe, which have
in turn fed directly into defining the objectives and activities described in an overall strategy document. In addition,
the conference highlighted the need for continued collaboration and co-ordination among national, African and
international actors and donors to avoid duplication and ensure the effective and efficient use of the resources
available.
As such, a strategy document developed by International Media Support (IMS) outlines two distinct tracks. The
first provides for a broad consultative process establishing a continual feedback and refinement process, thereby
ensuring that the strategy is up to date and responsive to change. The second will be to prepare specific project
documents and activities for interested donors (initially, Norwegian authorities), thus facilitating the development
of immediate and long-term support packages that fall within the broader strategic priorities. In this regard, any
interested actor will be able to step in and out of both the consultative process and project implementation tracks,
thereby providing for flexible combined engagements based on individual institutional priorities and capacities.

Botswana Civil Society Solidarity Coalition for Zimbabwe
MISA Botswana continued in 2006 to advocate for the resolution of the Zimbabwean crisis to go beyond the ‘silent diplomacy’ position employed by SADC governments. MISA and other stakeholders, under the umbrella body
named the Botswana Civil Society Solidarity Coalition for Zimbabwe (BOCISCOZ), began by commemorating the
first year of Operation Murambatsvina through staging various activities in June and July 2006.

Annual Report 2007

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