[WSIS CS-Plenary] World Press Freedom Day: AMARC Calls for Communication Rights for All!

[AHM Bazlur Rahman]

World Press Freedom Day: AMARC Calls for Communication Rights for All!


The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters AMARC, highlights  that civil society broadcasters are the new frontier of communications. These women and men broadcasters play a fundamental role in situations of conflict and natural or climate change related disasters; in protecting and giving information to populations and in reconstruction processes. AMARC calls upon States and governments, and press and   audiovisual regulatory authorities to respect their engagements for press and audiovisual freedom of expression.


Community Radios all over the world should be able to develop and work  in safe economic and legal environments. Their broadcast rights should  be further recognized and reinforced. Community radios are the ones that  allow the excluded and marginalized - particularly women and the poor - to express themselves publicly and these should be further recognized by  the international community. Civil society mobilisations and  constitutional reforms in Arab States create unique conditions to go  from a situation where authoritarianism and corruption as well as large  Telecom interests to a fair and equitable allocation of frequencies in  favour of civil society media, including community radios.


AMARC salutes the 20th anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration that  stresses the importance of press freedom in the reinforcement and  preservation of democracy as well as for economic development and calls for an extension of independence and pluralism of the press to radio and  television. AMARC calls for the establishment and reinforcement of  audio-visual regulatory authorities that are independent from  governments, private consortiums and Big Telecoms as well as their inclusion in the constitution. These are essential conditions for  broadcast that respects pluralism and freedom of expression.

Through service to members, networking and project implementation, the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters AMARC, brings together  a network of more than 4,000 community radios, Federations and community  media stakeholders in more than 115 countries. The main global impact of  AMARC since its creation in 1983 has been to accompany and support the  establishment of a worldwide community radio sector that has democratized the media sector. AMARC advocates for the right to communicate at the international, national, local and neighbourhood  levels and defends and promotes the interests of the community radio  movement through solidarity, networking and Cooperation. For further  information, go to http://www.amarc.org

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Bazlu
______________________
AHM. Bazlur Rahman-S21BR
Chief Executive Officer
Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC)
[NGO in Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social Council]
& 
Head, Community Radio Academy 
 
House: 13/1, Road: 2, Shaymoli, Dhaka-1207 
Post Box: 5095, Dhaka 1205 Bangladesh
 
Phone: 88-02-9130750, 88-02-9138501
Cell: 01711881647 Fax: 88-02-9138501-105
E-mail: ceo at bnnrc.net www.bnnrc.net

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