There have been significant gains in media
freedom in Africa since the adoption of
the Windhoek Declaration on Promoting
an Independent and Pluralistic African
Press in 1991. However, the declaration
focused primarily on the promotion of
the print media and was silent on issues
such as broadcasting liberalisation and
the globalisation of the communications
industry. These issues have far reaching
social and economic implications
for media freedom and threaten to
jeopardize the production of media that
reflects Africa’s rich cultural diversity.
A representative group of African media
practitioners sought to address these
concerns at a UNESCO conference called
to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the
original Windhoek Declaration. The result
was the African Charter on Broadcasting,
which serves as a modern blueprint
for policies and laws determining the
future of broadcasting and information
technology in Africa.
We the Participants of Windhoek+10
Declare that:
Acknowledging the enduring relevance
and importance of the Windhoek
Declaration to the protection and
promotion of freedom of expression and
of the media;



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Noting that freedom of expression
includes the right to communicate and
access to means of communication;
Mindful of the fact that the Windhoek
Declaration focuses on the print
media and recalling Paragraph 17
of the Windhoek Declaration, which
recommended that a similar seminar
be convened to address the need for
independence and pluralism in radio and
television broadcasting;
Acknowledging the enduring relevance
and importance of the Windhoek
Declaration to the protection and
promotion of freedom of expression and
of the media;
Noting that freedom of expression
includes the right to communicate and
access to means of communication;
Mindful of the fact that the Windhoek
Declaration focuses on the print
media and recalling Paragraph 17
of the Windhoek Declaration, which
recommended that a similar seminar
be convened to address the need for
independence and pluralism in radio and
television broadcasting;
Recognising that the political, economic

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