Bangkok, Thailand  2^nd-4^th December, 2013

FINAL STATEMENT

We, the delegates to the First Global Forum on Media and Gender, held in Bangkok, Thailand from 2^nd-4^th December, 2013, declare our commitment to the fundamental human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the promotion of gender equality in and through media, the empowerment of women, and to the creation of a Global Alliance on Media and Gender (GAMG).

 We reaffirm the outcomes of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

We recognize that the media has a crucial role to play in promoting women’s full participation in every aspect of life and society and, to this end, we invite UNESCO and UN Women to endorse this Statement and implement its recommendations.

We also invite other UN agencies, intergovernmental bodies, media organizations, training and development institutions, professional organizations, donors, commercial businesses and foundations, relevant NGOs and education institutions, to embrace this statement and to support the implementation of its recommendations as appropriate.

COMMITMENT

We are committed to gender equality and women’s empowerment across generations to fully participate and enabling women’s access to expression and decision-making by promoting a gender-inclusive media and communication environment that reaches gender equality in media organizations, unions, media education and training institutions, media professional associations, media regulatory and self-regulatory bodies; attains gender balance in media governing boards and in management, whose levels set company policy, make key financial decisions, and oversee media operations, thereby influencing the following aspects:

•  access to and participation in digital platforms;
•  safety of women in media;
•  a positive, non-stereotypical and balanced portrayal across all forms of media and media content;
•  promotion of ethical principles and policies supporting gender equality;
•  improvement of the gender spread within media occupational groups;
•  empowerment of communicators with media and information literacy skills that can help advance the cause of gender equality.

We support the establishment of the Global Alliance on Media and Gender (GAMG) in line with principles and objectives outlined in the Framework.

 We call on UNESCO and UN Women, as well as the UN family and all partner organizations to join the Global Alliance on Media and Gender and contribute to the implementation of its Framework and Action Plan.

We call on UNESCO and UN Women to disseminate widely through the United Nations system our proposals for the inclusion of Gender and Media in the Post 2015 sustainable development agenda, in particular to the goal related to Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (Annex I) and the goal of good governance, and in the 2015 UN Conference on Women (Annex II).

 We also call on all who can assist the Global Alliance on Media and Gender (GAMG) to join us in supporting women in accessing the opportunities and benefits which the knowledge society and media technologies are bringing to humankind today, and which can do so even more in the future.

Belfast’s Irish language community radio station Raidió Fáilte has won the Radio Academy Nations and Regions Award for the Northern Ireland region. Beating off strong competition from other stations Raidió Fáilte won the award, gaining high praise from the Radio Academy judges who stated that “despite stiff competition from other excellent stations, Raidió Fáilte won out through its ambition and breadth.” The judges went on to say “It was a total joy to listen to this entry and a real treat for the ears — Raidió Fáilte oozes passion for its language, its audience, and for radio itself in everything that it does. It works hard to promote and preserve not just a language, but also creative and authentic radio.”

Welcoming the Radio Academy Nations and Regions Award, Raidió Fáilte Manager Fergus Ó hÍr said “This is a fitting recognition of the hard work done by the small dedicated team of staff and the volunteers at Raidió Fáilte and I want to thank and congratulate them for their valiant efforts. Raidió Fáilte gets very positive feedback from listeners all over the world, but it is gratifying that the work of the station has been recognised by a prestigious organisation such as the Radio Academy. Last year’s winner of the award was BBC Radio Foyle and for a community station such as Raidió Fáilte, with a tiny budget and broadcasting in the Irish language, to have been given the award ahead of major broadcasters with large budgets is indeed a wonderful accolade ”.

Raidió Fáilte works with a small number of fulltime staff and a team of dedicated volunteers. It broadcasts 24 hours per day on 107.1fm in the Belfast region and can be heard worldwide on www.raidiofailte.com. The station provides high level training for people interested in broadcasting and more than twenty former trainees have gone on to be employed in the media. The station has a strong outreach ethos having people from the Protestant/Unionist community and from the new immigrant communities listening to and broadcasting on the station.

Raidió Fáilte as a community station is currently restricted to broadcasting, on the airwaves, only in the Belfast region. Many people outside the Belfast area have expressed their desire to have the Raidió Fáilte service broadcast in their area. It is hoped that this award will strengthen the case with the broadcast regulator Ofcom for Raidió Fáilte to be allowed to extend its broadcasts over a wider area.

Tá Raidió Fáilte i ndiaidh Radio Academy Award a bhaint fá choinne Réigiún Thuaisceart Éireann  

In ainneoin comórtais géir ó stáisiúin raidió eile is ag Raidió Fáilte a bhí an bua sna Radio Academy Awards. Fuair stáisiún raidió Gaeilge Bhéal Feirste ardmholadh ó mholtóirí an chomórtais a dúirt “in ainneoin chomórtais ghéir ó stáisiúin iontacha eile, is ag Raidió Fáilte a bhí an bua de thairbhe uaillmhianachta agus fhorleithneacht a chlár” Anuas air sin, arsa na moltóirí, “Is pléisiúir a bhí ann a bheith ag éisteacht leis an iarrthóir seo, ba bhinn leis na cluasa iad a gcuid clár. In gach aon rud a dhéanann siad tá sé le tabhairt faoi deara go bhfuil Raidió Fáilte ag cur thar maoil le paisean dá dteanga, dá lucht éisteachta agus do mheán an Raidió é féin. Oibríonn siad go crua ní amháin le teanga a chur chun cinn agus a chaomhnú ach le raidió cruthaitheach fireannach a chur chun cinn chomh maith.”

 Chuir Bainisteoir Raidió Fáilte Fergus Ó hÍr fáilte roimh an duais a rá ‘tugann an duais seo aitheantas don obair mhór mhaith a dhéanann foireann agus craoltóirí deonacha Raidió Fáilte agus ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leofa ar fad as a ndíograis. Faigheann Raidió Fáilte áischothú dearfach ó éisteoirí fud fad an domhain ach is mór an sásamh é d’fhoireann an stáisiúin aitheantas a fháil ó mhóreagraíocht ar nós an RadioAcademy. Is é BBC Raidió Feabhail a bhain an duais anuraidh agus is mór an moladh do Raidió Fáilte, stáisiún pobail Gaeilge a bhfuil mionbhuiséad aige gur chinn na moltóirí go raibh an duais seo tuillte againn.’

Tá foireann bheag ag Raidió Fáilte agus is craoltóirí deonacha iad formhór na gcraoltóirí a dhéanann cláir ann. Bíonn an stáisiún ag craoladh 24 uair in aghaidh in lae, 7 lá na seachtaine ar 107.1FM i mórcheantar Bhéal Feirste agus ar www.raidiofailte.com ar fud an domhain. Cuireann an stáisiún traenáil raidió d’ardchaighdeán ar fáil i scileanna raidió agus craoltóireachta agus tá breis agus 20 iarthraenálaithe i ndiaidh fostaíocht a fháil i ngnéithe éagsúla na meán cumarsáide. Tá eiteas láidir for-rochtana ag an stáisiún agus bíonn daoine ón phobal Phrotastúnach agus ó phobail nua na n-inimirceach ag éisteacht agus ag craoladh ar Raidió Fáilte.

 Faoi mar atá rialacha craolacháin Ofcom i láthair na huaire níl cead ag Raidió Fáilte ach a bheith ag craoladh i gceantar Bhéal Feirste. Tá cuid mhór daoine taobh amuigh de Bhéal Feirste atá ag iarraidh go mbeadh Raidió Fáilte ar fáil i gceantar s’acu féin.  Anois go bhfuil an duais seo faighte ag Raidió Fáilte táthar ag súil go mbeidh cás níos láidre ag an stáisiún le cur os comhair an rialaitheora craolacháin OFCOM le cead a fháil an seirbhís a leathnú thar limistéar tíreolaíochta níos forleithne.

Social Movements and Their Technologies. Wiring Social Change (a new book by Stefania Milan) explores the interplay between social movements and their “liberated technologies”. It analyzes the rise of low-power radio stations and radical internet projects (“emancipatory communication practices”) as a political subject, focusing on the sociological and cultural processes at play. It provides an overview of the relationship between social movements and technology and investigates what is behind the communication infrastructure that made possible the main protest events of the past 15 years. In doing so, Stefania Milan illustrates how contemporary social movements organize in order to create autonomous alternatives to communication systems and networks and how they contribute to change the way people communicate in daily life, as well as try to change communication policy from the grassroots.

From the book:

“The question of infrastructure might sound trivial in times of abundance of “free” social media, microblogging platforms and apps allowing people to voice their opinions and share pictures and videos at will, and at virtually no cost. But we often forget that these platforms are owned and controlled by media and telecoms corporations whose agenda focuses on profit and corporate interests rather than participation, empowerment, and social justice. With this in mind, in recent decades activist groups have increasingly challenged media corporations and state-owned broadcasters on their own terrain. They have created alternatives to existing communication infrastructure by setting up community radio and television stations, and alternative websites for self-produced information. Such grassroots media have allowed broader swathes of the citizenry to access media production and secure communication channels. They have become what DeeDee Halleck calls “infrastructures of resistance” (2002, p. 191) to the neoliberal order in the media realm.”

From November 25th to December 10th 2013, the Women’s International Network of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC-WIN) will actively participate in the 16 days of activism against gender violence with an Internet campaign to denounce all kinds of gender violence comprising radio shows from around the world.

About
The 2013 international theme of the campaign is “From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Let’s Challenge Militarism and End Violence against Women!” The 2013 16 Days Campaign advocates for awareness and action on the multi-faceted intersections of gender-based violence and militarism, while highlighting the connection between the struggle for economic and social rights and ending gender-based violence. The theme focuses on militarism as a creation and normalization of a culture of fear that is supported by the use or threat of violence, aggression, as well as military intervention in response to political and social disputes or to enforce economic and political interests. Like every year, the Women’s International Network of AMARC joins women’s organizations, governments and international organizations around the world by dedicating those 16 days of action to eliminate violence against women across the globe.

The 16 days
The 16 days campaign starts on November 25th with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women; it continues on November 29th with the International Women’s Human Rights Defenders Day; followed by December 1st: World AIDS Day; December 6th: Commemoration day of the Montreal (Canada) Massacre in 1989 and ended with the commemoration of sixty years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10th for the International Human rights Day.

AMARC and 16 days
The 10th AMARC World Assembly, which took place in 2010, firmly took position against gender violence, stating that: “Community radio stations express their solidarity and denounce all forms of sexual or gender violence, from domestic violence to armed conflict. We ask states and governments for the recognition of the UN Convention for the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, the Platform for Action of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.”

The death toll from the storm ‘Typhoon Haiyan that hit the Philippines last Friday has risen above 3500. The storm swept away the port-city of Tacloban. Victims were drowned, hit by debris or trapped under rubble. The number is expected to rise as news trickles in from remote settlements. The devastation is widespread across six Philippine islands. It is reported that approximately 11 million people been affected, many displaced or left homeless.

At this hour of great distress and pain, the Asia Pacific Regional Board of AMARC offers deepest condolences to those that have list their loved ones and sympathies for those that have survived but are under great pain and distress. On behalf of community broadcasters in the Asia Pacific region and beyond, AMARC expresses solidarity and strength to all.

In order to help facilitate the ongoing relief activities through its regional and international network of community radios, AMARC Asia Pacific and its members have begun to work with Philippines based members for setting up emergency radios for relief and rehabilitation.

Although International and Philippines based aid agency are working on aiding survivors, many survivors have not been covered by aids, especially those living outside urban areas near the Tacloban city, one of the most devastated areas by the storm. These are areas that are difficult to reach and receive limited coverage from the mainstream media.

Under these circumstances, AMARC Asia Pacific is helping coordinate efforts for providing access to communication and information so that survivors can better access food, shelter and  other basic needs. AMARC and its members in the Asia Pacific region, especially those from Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines are developing plans for setting up several emergency radio stations in strategic locations within the affected areas, especially those that have not been covered by mainstream media. Plans include providing simple training to volunteers to operate and manage emergency radio stations as well as develop content for radio program.