2 3 whose ownership and management is representative of the community, which pursues a social development agenda, and which is non-profit. There should be a clear recognition, including by the international community, of the difference between decentralised public broadcasting and community broadcasting. The right of community broadcasters to have access to the Internet, for the benefit of their respective communities, should be promoted. PART Four TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND CONVERGENCE 1 2 3 4 5 The right to communicate includes access to telephones, email, Internet and other telecommunications systems, including through the promotion of community-controlled information communication technology centres. Telecommunications law and policy should promote the goal of universal service and access, including through access clauses in privatisation and liberalisation processes, and proactive measures by the State. The international community and African governments should mobilise resources for funding research to keep abreast of the rapidly changing media and technology landscape in Africa. African governments should promote the development of online media and African content, including through the formulation of non-restrictive policies on new information and communications technologies. Training of media practitioners in electronic communication, research and publishing skills needs to be supported and expanded, in order to promote access to, and dissemination of, global information. PART Five IMPLEMENTATION 1 2 3 4 5 6 UNESCO should distribute the African Charter on Broadcasting as broadly as possible, including to stakeholders and the general public, both in Africa and worldwide. Media organizations and civil society in Africa are encouraged to use the Charter as a lobbying tool and as their starting point in the development of national and regional broadcasting policies. To this end media organisations and civil society are encouraged to initiate public awareness campaigns, to form coalitions on broadcasting reform, to formulate broad casting policies, to develop specific models for regulatory bodies and public service broadcasting, and to lobby relevant official actors. All debates about broadcasting should take into account the needs of the commercial broadcasting sector. UNESCO should undertake an audit of the Charter every five years, given the pace of development in the broadcasting field. UNESCO should raise with member governments the importance of broadcast productions being given special status and recognised as cultural goods under the World Trade Organization rules. UNESCO should take measures to promote the inclusion of the theme of media, communications and development in an appropriate manner during the UN Summit on the Information Society in 2003. So This Is Democracy? 2008 -299- Media Institute of Southern Africa