Urban Unrest

24 December 2007 | Business | Ernesto Aguilar

Sorry about missing this one.

Montreal, December 18, 2007. The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters AMARC saluted today as an important specific contribution to the recognition of community media the Joint Declaration on Diversity of Broadcasting signed by the four special mandates on freedom of expression — the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, Ambeyi Ligabo; Miklos Haraszti, the Representative on Freedom of the Media of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe OSCE, Miklos Haraszti; Ignacio Alvarez, The OAS Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Faith Pansy Tlakula, the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression African Commission for Human and People’s Rights, ACHPR. Read the Declaration here.

The Joint Declaration stresses the fundamental importance of diversity in the media to the free flow of information and ideas in society, in terms of both giving voice to and satisfying the information needs and other interests of all, as protected by international guarantees of the right to freedom of expression. The Declaration recognises “the varied contributions that different types of broadcasters — commercial, public service and community — as well as broadcasters of different reach — local, national, regional and international - make to diversity.

This last annual meeting of the special mandates on freedom of expression with NGOs, academics and other experts was held in Amsterdam on 7-8 December under the auspices of ARTICLE 19, Global Campaign for Free Expression, assisted by the Institute for Information Law, University of Amsterdam.

AMARC shares the concern of the Joint Declaration on Diversity of Broadcasting on the failure of many countries to recognise community broadcasting as a distinct type of broadcasting and salutes its call promoting that “Community broadcasting should be explicitly recognised in law as a distinct form of broadcasting, should benefit from fair and simple licensing procedures, should not meet stringent technological or other licensing criteria, should benefit from concessionary licence fees and should have access to advertising.

The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters is an international non-governmental organisation serving the community radio movement. AMARC links in a worldwide network more than 3000 community radios in over 110 countries through direct membership and national federations. As a network for exchange and solidarity, AMARC advocates, defends and promotes the recognition of the community radio sector worldwide.

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