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AMARC Strategic Plan 2007-2010

Goal and Purpose

AMARC’s goal is to combat poverty, exclusion and voicelessness and to promote social justice and sustainable, democratic and participatory human development

In pursuit of this goal AMARC’s purpose is to amplify the voices of the excluded and marginalized through community media and new ICTs, to support popular access to communications, and to defend and promote the development of community radio worldwide

Objective 1 - Advocacy and policy research

To achieve improvement in the policy, legal and regulatory environment for community media and for the right to communicate

(a) Advocacy for community media at the national, regional and international level

Global activities
  • Making community media practitioners voices heard in international forum to improve policy level understanding and support including
  • participation in the activities of UNESCO (World Press Freedom Day, UN Roundtable on Communications for Development 2007
    • WSIS follow-up of Action Lines on Media and Cultural Diversity)
    • ITU (World Radio communications Conference 2007 and related work on spectrum policy and digital broadcasting standards)
    • Global Alliance on ICTs for Development (participating in GAID Strategy Council)
    • World Bank (follow-up of WCCD)
    • UNCSTD (WSIS follow-up)
Africa
  • Make community radio practitioners voices heard in regional and international forums.
  • Visibility of Community Radio in country For a to improve policy and legislation. For example, World Press Freedom day and International telecoms day.
  • Lobby work in countries that are yet to establish legislation favorable for community radio.
Asia Pacific
  • Access and Intervene in regional & sub regional political platforms/institutions such as ASEAN, SAARC, PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM Secretariat related meetings and others.
  • Access to Commonwealth Secretariat as lobbying platform.
  • Develop a framework for media process freedom.
Latin America & Caribbean
  • Visibility of legal challenges in diverse events.
  • Lobbying governments international organizations, parliaments and experts.
  • Solidarity networks for threatened media and journalists.

(b) Policy research, monitoring and knowledge exchange

Global activities
  • Monitoring and reporting on the policy environment for community media at country, regional and world levels;
  • Publications for lobbying on communications reform; Production of annual review of the enabling environment for CR 56 country reports updated; Models of CR legislation are made available for knowledge sharing;
  • Knowledge sharing is supported by further develop of the interactive AMARC media policy observatory http://obsmedia.amarc.org
Africa
  • Monitor and reporting for advocacy.
  • Documentation and dissemination of new initiatives/emerging models of community radio in Africa
Asia Pacific
  • Finalize and update the existing 15 Country profiles/reports and initiate development of profiles of other countries of the region;
  • Develop more country profiles in the region.
  • Drafting of model legislation for broadcasting and for developing skills for advocacy and lobbying
  • Documentation of CR friendly legislations from around the world including Asia Pacific.
  • Advocating & lobbying for CR friendly legislation by assisting governments in defining, drafting & amending existing laws parallel to respect of principles and autonomy of CRs.
Latin America & Caribbean
  • Up-dating of comparative legislative frameworks
  • Systematization of best practices, both on legislation programs and website

(c) Solidarity activities including response to urgent calls from community radios threatened with closure or other interference and country solidarity missions.

Global activities
  • 50 international solidarity action alerts per year;
  • 5 international missions with partner organisations to selected countries;
  • Lobbying and representation of concerns in selected countries in front of international human rights institutions including UN Human Rights Council, UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression, regional rapporteurs on FoE (OAS, OSCE, AU).
Africa
  • Solidarity activities with community radios suffering repression
Asia Pacific
  • Strengthen regional advocacy helping to protect and empower the CR movement through alerts and statements, links to useful resources, advocacy tools, capacity building tools are added to the website
Latin America & Caribbean
  • Presentation of cases in the Inter American court
  • Solidarity Network with media and persecuted journalists
  • Missions to country with hostile legal environments

Objective 2 - Knowledge sharing and capacity building

To strengthen the sustainability, effectiveness and relevance of community media and to increase the appropriation of community media by excluded and marginalized communities to better identify, discuss, articulate and voice their development concerns.

(a) Training of trainers, managers and producers

Global activities
  • Producer training on thematic content (health, rights, environment);
  • Training for trainers on broadcast production and new ICTs;
  • Training for managers on participation and sustainability
Africa
  • Reorganize the AMARC Africa training and capacity building program
Asia Pacific
  • Initiate need assessment at sub regional levels to identify specific training requirement. Develop project proposals based on need assessments and establish list of potential partners and donors;
  • Training for trainers ensuring gender equality
  • Document CR experiences and good practices.
  • Prepare a handbook on setting up CR (concept to technology to sustainable management). Inputs to be taken from existing materials such as the UNESCO handbook and the AMARC Africa handbook.
Latin America & Caribbean
  • Training for trainers in thematic areas (management, production , gender, environment

(b) Knowledge sharing and research

Global activities
  • Production of learning materials and guidance notes;
  • Action research into sustainability and good practice;
  • Establishment of a longitudinal impact assessment study;
  • Knowledge sharing seminars and workshops
Africa
  • Facilitate knowledge sharing on best practices.
  • Action research and its documentation and dissemination.
Asia Pacific
  • Support content development at sub regional levels:
    • Initiate discussion in the existing sub regional \e-list of Indonesia and Nepal.
    • Support content development for country specific web pages: Generate relevant material in English, Nepal and Bahasa Indonesia for the related web pages;
    • Negotiate with partners in Association of Community Radio Broadcasters to take over the site
  • Start country specific web page for any other priority countries
Latin America & Caribbean
  • Knowledge sharing through cooperation exchanges between radios and medias
  • Organization of seminars and regional workshops
  • Follow-up processes of up dating communication processes

(c) Technical guidance and support

Global activities
  • Technical assessments, advice and guidance;
  • Micro-finance to accelerate take-up of new ICTs;

Objective 3 - Content exchange and social action campaigns

To amplify the voices of the excluded and marginalized on key issues in sustainable democratic development and to strengthen south-centred perspectives.

Regional news and features services in Latin America, Africa and Asia

Global activities
  • Supporting a network of community correspondents in Latin America providing Internet-based radio news and features (Pulsar);
  • Supporting a network of community correspondents in Africa providing Internet-based radio news and features (Simbani);
  • Support the establishment of a network of community radio correspondents in Asia Pacific (Name to be determined)
Africa
  • Reorganize the news Agency in Africa (Simbani Africa) and its network of correspondents.
Asia Pacific
  • Explore the establishment of news and featuring services for Asia Pacific region
Latin America & Caribbean
  • Development of Information agency Pulsar
  • Further develop the network of national correspondents

Community media reporting from international fora and events

Global activities
  • Pulsar, Simbani and other AMARC correspondents participation and reporting from World Social Forum, WTO, UN international conferences etc.
Africa
  • Participate in regional and world coverage
Latin America & Caribbean
  • Special coverage for WSF, summits, thematic forum,

Social action broadcast campaigns on HIV/AIDS, health, environment, migration, anti-racism, food security, water & sanitation;

Global activities
Africa
  • Participate in global campaigns
Asia Pacific
Latin America & Caribbean

Interactive platform for programme exchange.

Global activities
  • Development of on-line audio content management system;
  • User interface for easy upload/download of material
  • Knowledge sharing on program & news exchanges and wireless networks;
Africa
  • Share/exchange programmes, once Simbani? Africa has been reorganized.

Objective 4 - Gender equality and women's rights

To promote women's voices and rights, to combat gender-based discrimination and to strengthen women's participation in community media at all levels.

Joint international broadcast campaigns

Global activities
  • Women’s rights on International Women’s Day;
  • 16 Days Campaign against gender violence
Africa
  • Participate in the joint international campaigns. World Women’s Day, 16 days campaign against gender violence.
Asia Pacific
  • Integrate and strengthen the participation of WIN AP within WIN Internationally by participating in the different coordinated broadcasts & campaigns by WIN;
  • In the AMARC AP Online news letter and Website guarantee to make visible women's contribution to CRs and the communities.
Latin America & Caribbean
  • Participate and develop Radio campaigns

Advocacy on media and gender

Global activities
  • participation and advocacy on media and gender at meetings of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) and other international events
Africa
  • Articulate Africa women’s voices on media.
Asia Pacific
  • Make women voices heard.
Latin America & Caribbean
  • Make Latin American women voices heard

Training and capacity building

Global activities
  • Training on gender evaluation methodologies;
  • Training in the use of new ICT tools;
  • Training for women community radio managers
Africa
  • Reorganize the training and capacity building activities
Asia Pacific
  • Take proactive actions to build women's skills and guarantee their full and constructive participation in the institutional development of AMARC AP.
  • In the AMARC AP Online news letter and Website guarantee to make visible women's contribution to CRs and the communities.
Latin America & Caribbean
  • Seminars to think the role of the board and analyze what we understand by “gender perspective”

Networking and knowledge sharing

Global activities
  • Strengthening the regional and international networks of the AMARC Women International Network (WIN) through web-based tools and electronic conferences;
  • international and regional WIN meetings;
  • publication of a WIN members’ directory
Africa
  • Reorganize/strengthen the Women International network in Africa.
Asia Pacific
  • In all AMARC AP activities and programs, such as training, workshops, researches, campaigns and publications assert that women are at least 50 % represented, that women's contributions and situations is taken into account and made visible/audible.
Latin America & Caribbean
  • Reorganize the Women International network Profile the successful experiences of radios managed by women

Objective 5 - Network development and communication

To strengthen AMARC structure and functioning, to strength country, regional and international networking and communication within the community media sector and to strengthen alliances between community media and other networks and social movements.

Network communications and meetings

Global activities
  • Interactive website and electronic lists for exchanges and knowledge sharing;
  • Publication of InteRadio annual review;
  • Publication of monthly AMARC Link e-newsletter
  • Decision making structures of the AMARC network meet to take decisions and coordinate the community radio movement.
Africa
  • Develop AMARC Africa website
Asia Pacific
  • Develop support mechanisms for CR: Identify key needs on the basis of the deliberations mad in the regional assembly - Development of emergency support funds, soft loans for CRs, technical back-up support, sharing of content -- at sub regional and country levels.
  • Publication of online newsletter. Seek contributions from members with focus on local issues, experiences, good practices, technical issues, and funding related issues.
Latin America & Caribbean
  • Develop AMARC LAC website
  • Publication of Cara y senal (bulletin & magazine)

Partnerships for development

Global activities
  • Partnership with other freedom of expression organizations through the International Freedom of Expression Exchange including AMARC Latin America and Caribbean section hosting of IFEX Annual Assembly in Uruguay – October 2007;(
  • Reinforcing partnership activities with international stakeholders and non-governmental organisations in support of communication through GKP and including support for and participation in GK3 2007;
  • Participation in joint impact assessment activities of the BCO partnership;
  • Participation in Global Forum for Media Development;(v) Engagement with other social movements through the World Social Forum process at regional and world level and through other networks and events
Africa
  • Reinforce partnership activities with organized country networks.
  • Reorganise and reinforce relationships with stakeholders
Asia Pacific
  • Regular reporting to Executive Committe, Regulation Board and International General Secretary;
  • Prepare and present financial reports;
  • Develop proposals on the basis of the priorities set out by the e-list discussion groups
Latin America & Caribbean
  • Participate in initiatives of social movements, incorporating the communications dimension.

Monitoring and evaluation

Global activities
  • Systematic and cross-cutting programme monitoring and evaluation feeding into the management framework, annual review and overall learning processes. The approach will be results oriented with clear indicators of process, impact and effectiveness.
Africa
  • Develop monitoring and evaluation consistent with participatory approaches
Asia Pacific
  • Prepare and present financial reports;
  • Develop proposals on the basis of the priorities set out by the e-list discussion groups

Dissemination of results

Global activities
  • Promoting and disseminating tools for community radio impact assessment;
  • Publication of papers and reports on community radio development including a PLA Journal special edition on community radio;
  • Promoting and disseminating tools for community radio impact assessment;
  • Presentations at key international events (such as the UN Round Table on C4D) to governments, policy makers and the development community
Africa
  • Disseminate and discuss the evaluation processDisseminate tools for evaluation
Asia Pacific
  • Roundtable on CR Social Impact: Removing Barrier, Increasing Efficiency
  • Ensure participation and coordination of member radio stations and partners participate on on-line discussions/fill questionnaires.
Latin America & Caribbean
  • Reinforce links with international and regional officesUp date the constitution of AMARC LAC

Organisational development

Global activities
  • Development of new tools for joint planning, monitoring, evaluation and control;
  • Training and capacity building to embed monitoring and evaluation, including impact assessment, into AMARC activities at country, regional and world levels;
  • Regional meetings in Asia, Africa, Latin America, Middle East and Europe;
  • International meetings to coordinate the programe of work
Africa
  • Reorganize AMARC Africa operational capacity/structure
Latin America & Caribbean
  • Articulation with other regions of AMARC

AMARC Regional and World Conferences of Community Radio Broadcasters.

Global activities
  • The Tenth AMARC World Conference of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC 10) will be held in 2010 at a location to be determined by the International Board.
Africa
  • Organize the Pan-African Conference
Asia Pacific
  • The 2nd regional conference of AMARC Asia Pacific will be held in 2009 at a location to be determined by the regional board.
Latin America & Caribbean
  • Organize the AMARC LAC regional conference

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