6 December 2006
AMARC CONFERENCE EMBOLDENS COMMUNITY RADIO MOVEMENT
The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) has launched a new initiative to develop the community radio sector in the Middle East and North Africa, following its recently concluded conference, AMARC 9, in Amman, Jordan.
Community broadcasters in the region have established their own independent chapter within AMARC, which will be temporarily hosted by AmmanNet. More than 60 media and civil society activists from 10 countries in the MENA region took part in the AMARC conference. For many of them, it was their first-ever opportunity to learn about how community radio is used to promote poverty reduction and to empower citizens.
"AMARC 9 was a real shot in the arm for our community radio activists," said Daoud Kuttab, conference chairman and head of AmmanNet. "It provided those of us in this community based media efforts a unique opportunity to meet people from all over the world who are dedicated community radio practitioners."
AMARC 9, held on 11-17 November 2006, brought together 300 community broadcasters and advocates from 94 countries. Conference delegates approved 25 resolutions, one of them calling for the establishment of a task force of skilled technicians who could travel to assist partner radio stations that experienced serious technical problems.
Others called for international solidarity with colleagues working under extremely difficult situations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad and the Philippines.
Regional meetings of AMARC members proved particularly fruitful at the conference.
The African regional meetings endorsed a strategy for restructuring AMARC's network in Africa
and establishing a new office in Nairobi. Plans were also discussed for an African regional assembly to be held in the near future.
European members elected a new regional board and confirmed the establishment of a secretariat in Rome.
AMARC's Latin American members also held meetings and discussed ongoing advocacy and campaigning work to legalise community radio in several countries in the region.
The Asia-Pacific regional chapter agreed on the need for a for a fact-finding mission to investigate restrictions on community radio and examine the role of the military in repressing free expression and community radio in the Philippines and Thailand.
The conference also focused attention on advancing women's visibility and skills in community broadcasting.
A survey carried out among several community radio stations in the Asia-Pacific region revealed that, while women represented about one-half of the people taking part in all aspects of community radio, only about 30 per cent of women were in leadership positions.
"AMARC 9 was a reality check for media activists," said Mavic Cabrera-Balleza, head of WIN, AMARC's women's network. "It made us realise that some of the discrimination and stereotyping which women are subjected to in the mainstream and corporate media also happen in community radio."
Overall, said AMARC President Steve Buckley, "the conference has provided a very rich forum for knowledge sharing."
For more information, visit: http://www.amarc.org
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