World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters
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The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (french: link=no, Association Mondiale Des Radiodiffuseurs Communautaires, AMARC) is the international umbrella organization of
community radio Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial and public broadcasting. Community stations serve geographic communities and communities of interest. They broadcast content that is popular ...
broadcasters Broadcaster may refer to: * A presenter of any syndicated media program * A broadcasting organization, one responsible for audio and video content and/or their transmission * A sports commentator on television or radio * Broadcaster, currently ...
founded in 1983, with nearly 3,000 members in 110 countries. Its mission is to support and contribute to the development of community and participatory radio along the principles of solidarity and international cooperation. The association is a member of the
International Freedom of Expression Exchange IFEX, formerly International Freedom of Expression Exchange, is a global network of 124 independent non-governmental organisations that work at a local, national, regional, or international level to defend and promote freedom of expression as a ...
, a global network of non-governmental organisations that monitors free expression violations worldwide and defends journalists, writers, Internet users and others who are persecuted for exercising their right to
freedom of expression Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...
. It is involved in the
Tunisia Monitoring Group The Tunisia Monitoring Group (IFEX-TMG) is a coalition of 21 free-expression organisations that belong to the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), a global network of non-governmental organisations that promotes and defends the righ ...
, a coalition of 16 free expression groups that campaign to end human rights violations in
Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...
. It has also supported the
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) is a Palestinian-led movement promoting boycotts, divestments, and economic sanctions against Israel. Its objective is to pressure Israel to meet what the BDS movement describes as Israel's obligations ...
movement against
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, over Israel's policies and actions during the Arab-Israeli conflict. Members of the association gather every 3–4 years for a general assembly. Many member stations also operate organisations at the regional or national level. For example, New Zealand community radio stations belong as stations of the
Association of Community Access Broadcasters The Community Access Media Alliance (CAMA) (formerly the Association of Community Access Broadcasters (ACAB)), also known as the Access Radio Network, is a group of twelve New Zealand community radio media organisations. The stations were establ ...
.


Principles


Operational principles

Association members are required to uphold the following principles: * Believe in the need to democratise access to information and communication in order to promote more just relationships and equitable exchanges among peoples. * Contribute to the expression of different social, cultural and political movements – in all their diversity – by working to promote all initiatives that encourage peace, friendship among peoples, democracy, and development. * Recognize the fundamental and specific role of women in establishing new communication practices. Women's participation in the decision-making structures of community radio stations is essential.


Programming principles

Association members are required to do the following things through their programming: * Respect for peoples’ sovereignty and independence. * Respect for solidarity and non-intervention in the internal affairs of other countries. * International cooperation based on equality, solidarity, mutual respect, and the refusal of all discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion. * Respect for the cultural identity of all people.


History


General assemblies

The association began as a movement in 1983, during a gathering in
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
. It became an association at its 1986 conference in
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
and was recognised as a non-government organisation at its 1988 conference in
Managua ) , settlement_type = Capital city , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Nicara ...
. The 1990 conference in
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
focused on freedom of expression, and an International Women's Network and International Solidarity Network were launched at the 1992 conference in
Oaxtepec Oaxtepec is a town within the municipality of Yautepec and the Cuautla metropolitan area in the eastern part of the Mexican state of Morelos. Its main industry is tourism, mostly aimed at the inhabitants of nearby Mexico City, and the town posses ...
. The independence of local members and branches was recognised in the 1995
Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in 2 ...
conference, and the need to collaborate on technology and legal issues was recognised in the 1998
Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
conference. The 2003
Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...
conference hosted the signing of the Kathmandu Declaration - an agreement that "rampant militarism, accelerated privatization of the world's basic resources, religious fundamentalism and extreme capitalism" posted a critical threat to human rights. The declaration stated that radio was "the most affordable, egalitarian and accessible communication technology" in the world. It called on every government to recognize and uphold the right to freedom of expression, including the right to radio spectrum and community radio broadcasting, particularly for disadvantaged groups like women, children and disabled people. At the 2010 general assembly in
Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
, members committed to promoting opportunities for indigenous communities to access community broadcasting. Their declaration stated that research and documentation of traditional knowledge is important to preserving and conserving indigenous traditions, languages, cultures and the management of natural resources.


Local activities

By 2003, the African arm of the association was supporting the legal, political and cultural framework in which both men and woman were able and encouraged to participate in radio broadcasting. It had a regional network of broadcasters to distribute information, share experiences and transfer skills. The association was also giving members access to new technology, human resources and training programmes on broadcasting, gender issues, new technologies and communication. It was also coordinating exchanges, research, content development, new initiatives and news gathering. The World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters was also involved in the development of community radio in other parts of the world. Between 2003 and 2008, it helped Fijian women trial "radio in a suitcase" using mobile facilities. Its member stations in
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
have also been recognised for giving women and minorities new opportunities to broadcast their views.Nafiz, A. Z. (2012). Reaching the community through community radio: readjusting to the new realities: a case study investigating the changing nature of community access and participation in three community radio stations in three countries, New Zealand, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The association has many member stations in Nepal, and has sought funding to restore their broadcasting infrastructure.


International activities

During August and September 2014, the
Food and Agriculture Organization The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...
and the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters hosted regional virtual consultations for the global farming community. The consultations were open to development professionals, people involved in community media, rural development agencies and private sector companies. The campaign marked the International Year of Family Farming. Between March and December 2015, the two organisations collaborated again to produce 80 audio pieces by producers and community radio journalists to recognise the International Year of Soils. The twice-weekly series was aimed at sparking discussions and education about the
environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...
,
climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
,
food security Food security speaks to the availability of food in a country (or geography) and the ability of individuals within that country (geography) to access, afford, and source adequate foodstuffs. According to the United Nations' Committee on World F ...
,
agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
,
sustainable development Sustainable development is an organizing principle for meeting human development goals while also sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services on which the economy and society depend. The des ...
, resilience, and the importance of
soils Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Some scientific definitions distinguish ''dirt'' from ''soil'' by restricting the former term ...
.


Lobbying


Radio industry lobbying

At the 2003 ITU World Summit on the Information Society, the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters criticised the lack of representation of community-based media. It made a submission to the summit to have community radio recognised as important, and submitted that community-based radio stations should be allocated "suitable frequencies, equitable access to licenses, and public financial and technological support and training". The submission went on to argue community media are key to creating a "strong, socially responsible civil society'", provided they have sufficient financial resources and can respect and preserve their independence from government and commercial media. The association said governments should reinvest their revenues from the sale of spectrum, cable and telecommunications licenses into social communication objectives, and provide tax incentives, production funds and legislative support for community radio stations.


Political lobbying

In 2011, the association wrote a letter in support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
. In it, the association said it boycott was in line with the front-line community access broadcasting model of its member stations. The letter said the International Middle East Media Center, a member station in
Palestinian territory The Palestinian territories are the two regions of the former British Mandate for Palestine that have been militarily occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967, namely: the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. The ...
, was reporting on the daily life for Palestinians for many of its member stations around the world. However, the association did not claim to speak on behalf of any member stations. In 2012, the association held the Tunisia Community-Associative Media Conference, a gathering of 60 freedom of expression activists from Tunisia, and community radio leaders from around the world. The conference focused on advocacy, content development and radio production, and ways community broadcasting to cause change in Tunisia. Its focus was on the freedom of expression of both men and women in Tunisia, as it fitted into the wider political and social context.


See also

*
Alternative media Alternative media are media sources that differ from established or dominant types of media (such as mainstream media or mass media) in terms of their content, production, or distribution.Downing, John (2001). ''Radical Media''. Thousand Oaks, C ...
*
Community radio Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial and public broadcasting. Community stations serve geographic communities and communities of interest. They broadcast content that is popular ...


References


External links


AMARC's websiteAMARC's WikiIFEX
{{Authority control Publicly funded broadcasters International journalism organizations Organizations established in 1983 Community radio organizations Boycotts of Israel