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<DIV><FONT face=Verdana><FONT color=#0000ff><FONT size=4><B><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Community Radio Broadcasters of
</SPAN></B><ST1:PLACE><B><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Asia</SPAN></B></ST1:PLACE><B><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> Pacific call for </SPAN></B><B><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">placing people’s communications rights at the centre
of development <O:P></O:P></SPAN></B></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><FONT
face=Verdana><FONT size=2><ST1:PLACE><ST1:CITY><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Bangalore</SPAN></ST1:CITY><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, </SPAN><ST1:COUNTRY-REGION><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">India</SPAN></ST1:COUNTRY-REGION></ST1:PLACE><SPAN
lang=EN-GB style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, </SPAN><ST1:DATE year="2010" day="24"
month="2"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">February 24,
2010</SPAN></ST1:DATE><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">. </SPAN><SPAN
lang=EN-GB style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Community radio broadcasters from 20
countries of the Asia Pacific region have demanded to place people’s
communications rights at the centre of development. <SPAN> </SPAN>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.
<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoHeader><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=2><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Over 300 Community broadcasters, activists, NGO
representatives, academics, as well as<SPAN> </SPAN>governmental and
multilateral institutions participated in the regional conference organised by
the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters AMARC in collaboration
with VOICE, </SPAN><ST1:COUNTRY-REGION><ST1:PLACE><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">India</SPAN></ST1:PLACE></ST1:COUNTRY-REGION><SPAN
lang=EN-GB style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">. 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.
<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=2>The
2<SUP>nd</SUP> 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 <SPAN>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.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><FONT
face=Verdana><FONT size=2><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">A number of
resolutions ranging from human rights violations in the
</SPAN><ST1:COUNTRY-REGION><ST1:PLACE><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Philippines</SPAN></ST1:PLACE></ST1:COUNTRY-REGION><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, 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. </SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT face=Verdana><FONT size=2><SPAN
lang=EN-GB style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">A regional assembly of community radio
broadcasters held on </SPAN><ST1:DATE year="2010" day="23" month="2"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">the 23<SUP>rd</SUP> of February
2010</SPAN></ST1:DATE><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> elected the
Asia Pacific Regional Board. The newly elected board of directors comprises of
</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Ashish Sen,
</SPAN><ST1:COUNTRY-REGION><ST1:PLACE><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">India</SPAN></ST1:PLACE></ST1:COUNTRY-REGION><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> as President, </SPAN><ST1:PLACE><ST1:CITY><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Maica Lagman</SPAN></ST1:CITY><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, </SPAN><ST1:COUNTRY-REGION><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Philippines</SPAN></ST1:COUNTRY-REGION></ST1:PLACE><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> as deputy president, Shane Elson,
</SPAN><ST1:COUNTRY-REGION><ST1:PLACE><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Australia</SPAN></ST1:PLACE></ST1:COUNTRY-REGION><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> as Treasurer, Bianca Miglioretto,
</SPAN><ST1:COUNTRY-REGION><ST1:PLACE><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Philippines</SPAN></ST1:PLACE></ST1:COUNTRY-REGION><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> as Women International Network representative,
</SPAN><ST1:PLACE><ST1:CITY><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Raghu
Mainali</SPAN></ST1:CITY><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">,
</SPAN><ST1:COUNTRY-REGION><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Nepal</SPAN></ST1:COUNTRY-REGION></ST1:PLACE><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> as vice-president for </SPAN><ST1:PLACE><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">South Asia</SPAN></ST1:PLACE><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, and Imam Prakoso,
</SPAN><ST1:COUNTRY-REGION><ST1:PLACE><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Indonesia</SPAN></ST1:PLACE></ST1:COUNTRY-REGION><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> as vice-president for </SPAN><ST1:PLACE><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">South East Asia</SPAN></ST1:PLACE><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">. </SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The assembly also ratified the strategic working plan
of AMARC Asia Pacific for 2010-2013.</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><FONT
face=Verdana><FONT size=2><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">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
</SPAN><ST1:PLACE><ST1:CITY><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Jakarta</SPAN></ST1:CITY><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, </SPAN><ST1:COUNTRY-REGION><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Indonesia</SPAN></ST1:COUNTRY-REGION></ST1:PLACE><SPAN
lang=EN-GB style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> in November
2005. </SPAN></FONT></FONT><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><O:P><FONT
face=Verdana size=2> </FONT></O:P></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN
lang=EN-GB style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT face=Verdana size=2>Further
information is available at: </FONT><A
href="http://asiapacific.amarc.org/index.php?p=2_Conference_Asia_Pacific_2010"><FONT
face=Verdana color=#0000ff
size=2>http://asiapacific.amarc.org/index.php?p=2_Conference_Asia_Pacific_2010</FONT></A><O:P></O:P></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Verdana size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><BR>Bazlu<BR>_______________________<BR>AHM. Bazlur
Rahman-S21BR<BR>Chief Executive Officer<BR>Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and
Communication(BNNRC)<BR>&<BR>Member, Strategy Council<BR>UN-Global Alliance
for ICT and Development (UN GAID)<BR> <BR>House: 13/1, Road:2, Shaymoli,
Dhaka-1207 <BR>Post Box: 5095, Dhaka 1205 Bangladesh<BR> <BR>Phone:
88-02-9130750, 88-02-9138501<BR>01711881647 Fax:
88-02-9138501-105<BR> <BR>E-mail: <A
href="mailto:ceo@bnnrc.net">ceo@bnnrc.net</A>, <A
href="mailto:bnnrc@bd.drik.net">bnnrc@bd.drik.net</A><BR><A
href="http://www.bnnrc.net">www.bnnrc.net</A><BR></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>