Afghan Ad Hoc Communication and Information Commission moves ahead
22-03-2006 (Paris/Kabul)
Participants during the meeting
© Olivia Grey Pritchard
Sustainability, accountability, and trends of the Afghan media were the focus of talks during the inaugural meeting for the Ad Hoc Independent High Commission of Communication and Information for Afghanistan held last week at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.
During its week-long talks from 13 to 17 March, 15 commissioners appointed by the President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai canvassed a range of issues central to developing a sustainable and accountable media and to consolidate press-freedom in Afghanistan, including the role of the media law and current legislation to enhance the rule of law, the importance of journalistic self-regulation and the contribution of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) to development and national reconciliation. Representatives from media outlets, media professionals’ associations as well as the government and the Parliament took stock of the problems facing the Afghan media in order to draft recommendations to assist the government in implementing a medium term plan for media development.
International experts facilitated discussions on a range of issues including setting standards for journalism training, developing codes of practice and implementing a scheme of professional self-regulation as well as the role of public service broadcasting. Experts included: Martin Hadlow, director of the Centre for Communication for Development and Social Change of the University of Queensland; Toby Mendel, Law Program director of Article 19; Narasimhan Ram, editor-in-chief of The Hindu - with contributions also from Rhonda Breit, University of Queensland; Ricardo Grassi, media development expert; and Zahir Tanin, editor of BBC’s Afghanistan & Central Asia Persian Service.
The Paris meeting of the Commission is the first of a series aiming to develop a final report to be ready by the end of the year. UNESCO’s is providing technical and financial assistance to the exercise with the support of Japan’s Funds In Trust. UNESCO has been an active partner in developing independent media and encouraging public service broadcasting in Afghanistan since its Kabul office was established in December 2001. During the last four years UNESCO has conducted a Communication and Information programme which included two major projects funded by Italy for the rehabilitation of the Educational Radio Television Service and for the upgrade of the Afghan National Broadcaster, a project financed by Japan to assist the Kabul Faculty of Journalism, several projects supporting community and independent media outlets thanks to United States of America, Luxemburg and the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), as well as journalists’ training and institutional capacity building initiatives.
International experts facilitated discussions on a range of issues including setting standards for journalism training, developing codes of practice and implementing a scheme of professional self-regulation as well as the role of public service broadcasting. Experts included: Martin Hadlow, director of the Centre for Communication for Development and Social Change of the University of Queensland; Toby Mendel, Law Program director of Article 19; Narasimhan Ram, editor-in-chief of The Hindu - with contributions also from Rhonda Breit, University of Queensland; Ricardo Grassi, media development expert; and Zahir Tanin, editor of BBC’s Afghanistan & Central Asia Persian Service.
The Paris meeting of the Commission is the first of a series aiming to develop a final report to be ready by the end of the year. UNESCO’s is providing technical and financial assistance to the exercise with the support of Japan’s Funds In Trust. UNESCO has been an active partner in developing independent media and encouraging public service broadcasting in Afghanistan since its Kabul office was established in December 2001. During the last four years UNESCO has conducted a Communication and Information programme which included two major projects funded by Italy for the rehabilitation of the Educational Radio Television Service and for the upgrade of the Afghan National Broadcaster, a project financed by Japan to assist the Kabul Faculty of Journalism, several projects supporting community and independent media outlets thanks to United States of America, Luxemburg and the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), as well as journalists’ training and institutional capacity building initiatives.
Afghan Commission Group Portrait© Olivia Grey Pritchard
Afghan Commission Group during the meeting© Olivia Grey Pritchard
Related themes/countries
· Afghanistan
· Freedom of Expression: News Archives 2006
· Public Service Broadcasting: News Archives 2006
· Media Development: News Archives 2006
· News Archives: 2006
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