Abstract
Communication, both intra-sector and among sectors, can generate dialogues and reciprocity and render development a public matter, i.e. a matter that pertains to all, including the media sector. However, it is still the case that we are faced with scattered social forces, unclear about their role in promoting inclusive, equitable and plural development. Those forces sometimes lack in democratic convictions or in significant social bonds among similarly minded groups. This article condenses years of reflection on our work at the Association of Social Communicators “Calandria”, a Peruvian civil society institution created in 1983 as the point of departure to argue that citizens should be the protagonists of development in a relationship with other key players, from government, the business community and organized civil society.