[cr-india] AMARC Asia Pacific Conference (Bangalore, 20-23 Feb 2010)

[sajan venniyoor]

Community Radio Broadcasters of Asia Pacific call for placing
people’s communications rights at the centre of development

Bangalore, India, February 24, 2010. Community radio broadcasters from 20
countries of the Asia Pacific region have demanded to place people’s
communications rights at the centre of development.  The Bangalore
declaration issued at the conclusion of the regional assembly of community
radio broadcasters held in Bangalore, India from 20-23 February 2010 has
also called for supporting initiatives that aid access to digital and
other technological opportunities to enable community broadcasting in an
ever-widening scale, while calling for creating spaces on the airwaves for
diverse and marginalized voices, irrespective of caste, creed, race,
colour, gender, sexuality, faith, and differently-abled or other
differences.

Over 300 Community broadcasters, activists, NGO representatives,
academics, as well as  governmental and multilateral institutions
participated in the regional conference organised by the World Association
of Community Radio Broadcasters AMARC in collaboration with VOICE, India.
While analysing the situation and challenges to community radio, the
conference reaffirmed the need for the oppressed and marginalized
communities to take control over their own means of communication.
Conference participants attended several knowledge sharing and capacity
building workshops while engaging in networking with like-minded
individuals and institutions from across the region.

The 2nd AMARC Asia Pacific Conference has committed to build alliances
with grassroots and human rights movements for strengthening communities
and the community radio movement and has put forward the rights of women,
migrants, indigenous peoples and the poor. It has called for further
recognition of Community Radio in the region as a tool for disaster
preparedness, poverty reduction, inclusion, human rights, and climate
change adaptation and mitigation.

A number of resolutions ranging from human rights violations in the
Philippines, to removing the ban on news in the recently adopted India
Community radio legislation and simplifying license application procedures
to calling on the Government of Bangladesh to forward the process of
granting licenses for community broadcasting, were endorsed by the
conference participants.

A regional assembly of community radio broadcasters held on the 23rd of
February 2010 elected the Asia Pacific Regional Board. The newly elected
board of directors comprises of Ashish Sen, India as President, Maica
Lagman, Philippines as deputy president, Shane Elson, Australia as
Treasurer, Bianca Miglioretto, Philippines as Women International Network
representative, Raghu Mainali, Nepal as vice-president for South Asia, and
Imam Prakoso, Indonesia as vice-president for South East Asia. The
assembly also ratified the strategic working plan of AMARC Asia Pacific
for 2010-2013.

Representatives Afghanistan, Australia, The People’s Republic of
Bangladesh, Cambodia, Fiji, The Republic of India, Indonesia, Japan,
Jordan, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos PDR, Malaysia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea,
Republic of the Philippines, Senegal, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka,
Thailand, Timor Leste, and observers from Africa, Europe and Latin and
North America participated in the conference. The previous AMARC Asia
Pacific regional conference was held in Jakarta, Indonesia in November
2005.

Further information is available at:
http://asiapacific.amarc.org/index.php?p=2_Conference_Asia_Pacific_2010

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For further information please contact
Suman Basnet AMARC Asia pacific Coordinator
Suman_basnet at asia.pacific.amarc.org

About AMARC:
The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) is a global
non-governmental organization serving the community radio movement
worldwide. Its goal is to support and advocate for the development of
community and participatory radio on the principles of solidarity and
international cooperation. Created in 1983, AMARC now has nearly 4000
members in 115 countries. Its international office is located in Montreal,
Canada, and has regional offices in Africa, Europe, Latin America and
Asia.
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