P6_TA(2006)0360

Media and development

European Parliament resolution on the media and development (2006/2080(INI))

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted on 8 September 2000 at the UN Millennium Summit in New York,

- having regard to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), adopted on 18 December 1979 by the UN General Assembly,

- having regard to the Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development, adopted on 4 September 2002 by the World Summit on Sustainable Development,

- having regard to the resolution on the results of the special session of the United Nations General Assembly of 5- 9 June 2000 on "Women 2000: Equality, Development and Peace for the Twenty-First Century", adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on 12 October 2000 in Brussels [1],

- having regard to the resolution on the rights of disabled people and older people in ACP countries, adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on 1 November 2001 in Brussels [2],

- having regard to Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 10 of the 1950 European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Article 13 of the 1969 American Convention on Human Rights, and Article 9 of the 1981 African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights,

- having regard to the Partnership Agreement between the members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States of the one part, and the European Community and its Members States of the other part, signed in Cotonou, on 23 June 2000 [3], which entered into force on 1 April 2003, and in particular Article 43, which deals with information and communication technologies and the information society,

- having regard to the resolution on the progress made in achieving universal primary education and gender equality in the ACP countries in the context of the MDGs, adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on 21 April 2005 in Bamako [4],

- having regard to its resolution of 12 June 2001 on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and developing countries [5],

- having regard to the "Geneva Declaration of Principles" and the "Plan of Action" of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), adopted on 12 December 2003,

- having regard to the "Dakar Declaration" on the Promotion of ACP cultures and cultural industries, signed by Ministers of Culture of the ACP States on 20 June 2003,

- having regard to the "Tunis Commitment" adopted by the WSIS on 18 November 2005,

- having regard to Rule 45 of its Rules of Procedure,

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Development and the opinion of the Committee on Culture and Education (A6-0264/2006),

A. whereas the primary role of the media is the dissemination of information, a process through which they provide citizens with an effective circulation of news, policies and activities of governments,

B. whereas the media are the most important vehicle for public participation in the decision-making process,

C. whereas the media have a particularly important role to play in consciousness-shaping and in imparting information,

D. whereas the media can help a country's development, because people's quality of life can be affected by ICT; the media can have a positive influence on people's mentality, culture, and the socio-political framework; and the shaping of the civil and political consciousness of citizens could lead to more representative government,

E. whereas improving information flows and communication services is a necessary condition by which to eliminate poverty and whereas freedom of expression, including access to information and a free press, is a fundamental human right that allows people to demand the right to health, to a clean environment and to the effective implementation of poverty-reduction strategies,

F. whereas a lack of information or inappropriate communication strategies by governments and intergovernmental agencies can lead to mistrust, misrepresentation and disinformation,

G. whereas in 2005, 63 journalists were killed and in 2006, to date, 27 journalists and 12 media assistants have been killed, while 135 remain imprisoned, according to the statistics of professional organisations,

H. whereas radio and television are important information tools that are much more widespread in developing countries than telephones or the Internet and much more effective than newspapers,

I. whereas rural radio represents a fundamental tool for agricultural extension and rural development,

J. whereas a well-informed and independent civil society (non-governmental organisations (NGOs), professional associations, independent media, research institutions, etc) can play a crucial role in breaking the circle of violence and corruption by encouraging open debate and demanding more accountable government,

K. whereas a free press is a central condition for the development and maintenance of a transparent and honest government, durable economic growth and progress in social and political development and stability,

L. whereas more than 20 countries in Africa have only one newspaper (while in 2004, there were 1456 daily papers in the 25 Member States), which is not surprising, given the high rate of illiteracy,

M. whereas in regions where illiteracy is very extensive, radio is the most appropriate communications technology, because it is available to the majority of people, and particularly to disenfranchised rural communities, women and the young,

N. whereas fewer than 30 % of broadcast television programmes in developing countries are own productions and the level of investment in the field of television communication is particularly low,

O. whereas the cinema has registered very high records in developing countries' audiences in recent years,

P. whereas ICT can be used in many ways in support of education in developing countries and as a way out of isolation (particularly thanks to satellite links) while more traditional ICT (radio and television) can lay claim to numerous successes in distance education at competitive costs,

Q. whereas computerisation has substantially improved journalists' work and the networking of computers between different departments has saved a considerable amount of time; whereas Internet connections also facilitate journalists' work, enabling them to draw on more varied sources and complementary information as well as reporting in the field,

1. Recognises the important role of the media on government transparency, accountability and the public scrutiny of decision-makers in power, by highlighting policy failures, maladministration by public officials, corruption in the judiciary and scandals in the corporate sector;

2. Calls on the European Union (EU), Member States, the acceding countries and the ACP countries to involve civil society organisations, including private enterprises, and particularly the media, in attaining their objectives for development;

3. Considers it important to further improve the dialogue and consultation between local non-State players and national authorities in developing countries in crucial areas, such as the media, in order to strengthen the abilities, accountability and transparency of public institutions and to increase public sector effectiveness in applying the principles of respect for human rights and good governance and in fighting corruption;

4. Affirms the importance of ensuring a more systematic integration of freedom of expression and communication within the strategies and funding policies of the development agenda;

5. Underlines the importance of the media in fostering respect for cultural diversity and promoting national and international cultural development;

6. Insists that the role of the media is not restricted to mainstream models, but that alternative media and informal communication networks should be strengthened and included in any infrastructure development plan;

7. Calls on the Commission to place further emphasis on and to support programmes in the area of the media that will help to:

- improve access to information for particular groups in society, such as women, youth, minorities, internally displaced people and disabled people,

- develop pluralism in the media,

- train radio and print journalists,

- train journalists in developing countries with the collaboration of UN organisations such as Unicef and Unesco and international journalists' organisations such as the International Federation of Journalists and the BBC World Service Trust,

- develop public information campaigns in order to raise awareness among well-targeted audiences

- increase the effectiveness of humanitarian aid;

8. Considers that funding programmes with a mandate on and for development should include a more systematic integration of State-independent media;

9. Calls for women's effective access to the media in order to achieve an increase in their participation in production and to contribute to economic development;

10. Underlines the importance of considering youth as the pivotal component in facilitating and organising information and communication mechanisms in developing countries;

11. Welcomes and supports events such as:

- the European Development Days organised by the Commission as a tool to further sensitise the public and to increase visibility for the better use of development aid,

- the World Congress Communication for Development, organised by the World Bank and to be held in Rome in 25 to 27 October 2006,

- the Lorenzo Natali Prize, with which the Commission offers to support journalists from the written press who have witnessed significant levels of discrimination when reporting on human rights and democracy in the developing world,

- the fact-finding visits by journalists, in cooperation with the office of the EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), Javier Solana, to regions where missions are taking place in the context of the CFSP (Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova, etc.) and visits by journalists to observe elections (e.g. to Congo);

12. Supports all government policies that provide support for public service radio, commercial radio, community radio and rural radio, as it is widely seen as the most appropriate and cost-effective tool for promoting information and communication for development;

13. Appeals to the Commission, in emerging conflict situations, to direct more attention and to increase the most direct possible financial support to the independent media;

14. Underlines the role of the media in the education of people in developing countries, especially in terms of health care (sexual and reproductive health, malaria, etc.), employment, agriculture, trade, and environmental sustainability, such as the role played by the BBC World Service Trust for the use of communications for development;

15. Understands the problem of the "personalisation" of news, which can manipulate both the audience of developing countries and the western public, and encourages the organisations that provide training to journalists to give particular importance to the achievement of a minimum salary for people working in the media, which will make them less vulnerable to corruption;

16. Realises that independent and professional media play a key role in providing knowledge and in giving a voice to marginalised people, by developing a culture of criticism where people are less apprehensive about questioning government action;

17. Supports NGOs and trusts which invest in the education of journalists in developing countries and which improve the working conditions of media professionals so that they have a real chance to do their work in a secure and independent way;

18. Underlines the importance of strengthening the social and educational infrastructure by investing in better schoolbooks and funding media programmes which also offer educational content;

19. Encourages the role of the media in peace-process and post-conflict situations, by helping to inform the public about peace agreements and their implications and thereby facilitating public participation;

20. Stresses the decisive role of the media in promoting the protection of human rights in developing countries and in raising public awareness in countries in the West and, by extension, increasing their contribution to humanitarian aid;

21. Calls on governments and public authorities throughout the world to end in particular the culture of impunity regarding violence against journalists by investigating and punishing those responsible for attacks on media professionals, and by taking the necessary precautions that make it possible for journalists to continue to provide citizens with the essential knowledge and objective information that flow from a free and independent press;

22. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission, to the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of the acceding countries, to the ACP-EU Council of Ministers, to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and to the President of the World Bank.

[1] OJ C 64, 28.2.2001, p. 49.

[2] OJ C 78, 2.4.2002, p. 64.

[3] OJ L 317, 15.12.2000, p. 3. Agreement as last amended by the Agreement amending the Partnership Agreement (OJ L 209, 11.8.2005, p. 27).

[4] OJ C 272, 3.11.2005, p. 17.

[5] OJ C 53 E, 28.2.2002, p. 121.

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