of the difference between decentralised
public broadcasting and community
broadcasting.
3.

The right of community broadcasters to
have access to the Internet, for the benefit
of their respective communities, should
be promoted.

possible, including to stakeholders and
the general public, both in Africa and
worldwide.
2.

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.

3.

All debates about broad casting should
take into account the needs of the commercial broadcasting sector.

4.

UNESCO should undertake an audit of the
Charter every five years, given the pace of
development in the broadcasting field.

PART Four

TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND
CONVERGENCE
1. The right to communicate includes access
to telephones, email, Internet and other
telecommunications systems, including
through the promotion of communitycontrolled information communication
technology centres.
2.

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.

3.

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.

5.

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.

4.

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.

6.

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.

5.

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. UNESCO should distribute the African
Charter on Broadcasting as broadly as

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So This is Democracy? 2014

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