AMARC, the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters, calls on community radio broadcasters worldwide to rally in support of the people of Haiti, following the massive earthquake that has killed thousands of people and destroyed essential infrastructure.

Accra, Ghana, December 18, 2009. AMARC Africa Board and network and coommunity radio representatives from eleven countries of Western Eastern and Southern Africa met in Accra, Ghana, to improve knowledge sharing on best practices in order to develop integrated sustainability models for Country Community Radio Networks and to increase the social impact of community radio in alleviating poverty and promoting democracy and achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Montreal, December 19, 2009. A delegation of 12 community radio journalists of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters, (AMARC) from Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and Europe and Latin America & the Caribbean (Pulsar news Agency) participated in civil society debates, highlighted through the Internet the voices of local communities, followed the debates and negotiation sessions among government representatives and the activities of the 15th United Nations International Conference on Climate Change(COP15) held in Copenhagen, Denmark from December 7 to December 18. For the AMARC Declaration to COP15 and to listen to the coverage go to: http://www.amarc.org/index.php?p=AMARC_cop15_2009&l=EN&nosafe=0

A delegation of community radio journalists of the radios members of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters, (AMARC) covers the United Nations International Conference on Climate Change (COP-15), in Copenhagen, December 7-18.

Spanish from 17h00 to 17h30 (GMT)

French from 19h00 to 20h00 (GMT)

We, as community broadcasters, are acutely aware that dominant patterns of production and consumption are causing environmental devastation, resource depletion and extinction of species. The benefits of development are not shared equitably and the gap between rich and poor is widening. Injustice, poverty, ignorance and violence are to be found everywhere, and cause great suffering to people and to the natural environment. In treating information as a commodity and not as a right of peoples, the mainstream media pay more attention to short term gain and the interests of the powerful. Thus, the environmental agenda has been reduced to the fatalities and catastrophes when in reality the environmental crisis is also the moral crisis of an economic system and of our political and social institutions.