The UNESCO publication “World Trends of Expression and Media Development” (WTEMD) states that Latin America has very high levels of commercial media concentration. Although efforts are underway to establish anti-monopoly regulations, the process is slow or has failed to generate results. In countries such as Peru, Chile, Argentina, Mexico and Uruguay, there are intense debates about the need for government intervention in order to avoid monopolization of ownership and control of the media by a small number of groups due to the impact that they have on the quality of democratic debate. 
 
Following the World Summits of the Information Society of 2003 and 2005 and based on UNESCO’s WTEMD Regional Report, it was felt that digital TV transition processes were an opportunity for the development of more pluralist media and a more diverse media system. At the same time, experts warned that such developments could be a threat, generating higher levels of concentration with the resulting limitation of freedom of expression. Technological convergence increases the importance of this topic and the need to address it further. 
 
These and other issues such as the establishment of spectrum reservations for community and public radio, the future of the digital divide, the promotion of pluralism and diversity in ownership and the content of the media, the creation of fair procedures for access to new services, and policies for supporting the needy so that they are not excluded from new technologies are key issues that must be included in public policy and national legislation. 
 
Citizen participation should be a vital part of the development and implementation of new regulations and public policy on national communication in order to achieve more vigorous and inclusive democracies. It also is a central component of the Post-2015 Development Agenda. In order to play this important role, civil society must have more information, knowledge, and comparative experience and engage in dialogue to a greater extent. The Latin American Observatory for Regulation, Media and Convergence (OBSERVACOM) is in a position to provide these resources and tools. 
 
UNESCO’s WTEMD Regional Report is an important input for this discussion, as it addresses the topics mentioned and the main trends. If it were presented and expanded and enriched through the gathering and analysis of new key information on the situation and trends of concentration in Latin America as well as the proposals and recommendations of experts, activists, researchers and social organizations from the region, it could become an important tool for collaborating on important processes. These include the drafting of the Post-2015 Development Agenda and WSIS +10 in the area of freedom of expression, media development and pluralism, and the generation of regulatory frameworks and adequate national public policies. 
 
In the context of the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), OBSERVACOM thus proposes the implementation of sustained actions for the dissemination and expansion of the WTEMD Regional Report and the promotion of processes of dialogue and collaboration with experts, researchers, media outlets, regulators, and civil society organizations in the region. 
 
OBSERVACOM also proposes gathering data, conducting comparative research and other studies, and formulating recommendations and promoting coordination among various stakeholders in order to contribute to the strengthening of civil society’s ability to have an impact, participate and develop proposals at the national level and to more active participation of Latin America as a region in the process of consultation and definition of the Post-2015 Development Agenda and WSIS +10. 
 
The Latin American Observatory for Regulation, Media and Convergence uses its Website (http://observacom.org), newsletters and other tools and communication resources to contribute to these processes, facilitating open access to systematic and current information on pluralism and concentration in television, a regulatory database, recommendations, and comparative research and other studies. The Observatory also generates spaces for dialogue and collaboration among key stakeholders.