Communication Rights: at the centre of all development processes

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By Maria Teresa Aveggio, Programme Manager, WACC

Over the last 10 years communicators around the world have begun to speak increasingly of “communication rights” and have described these rights as inseparable from human rights as recognised by the world at large. WACC has persistently advocated for the recognition of communication rights arguing that by recognising, implementing and protecting people’s communication rights, societies are recognising and implementing all other human rights.

Some countries have begun to recognise in different ways the centrality of communication rights to democratic life. Article 6 of Bolivia’s new constitution states that the State must guarantee all Bolivians “the right to communicate and to information” while the citizens of at least 90 countries around the world can now benefit from Right To Information legislation.

A most clear call to place people’s communication rights at the centre of development processes has been made by The Bangalore Community Radio Declaration at the end of the 2nd AMARC Asia Pacific Conference held in Bangalore, India from 20-23 February 2010. AMARC, the World Association of Community Broadcasters, a global non-governmental organization brings together some 4000 members in over 100 countries and has regional offices in Africa, Europe, Latin America and Asia.

Representatives of some 23 countries and observers from Africa, Europe and Latin and North America participated in the conference and affirmed that “all people have the undeniable right to be informed about decisions affecting the quality of their lives such as right to health, right to education, right to work, the right to free expression, and the right to information.”

The Bangalore community Radio Declaration can be found at:
http://asiapacific.amarc.org/index.php?p=2_Conference_Asia_Pacific_2010

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WACC promotes communication as a basic human right, essential to people's dignity and community.

The World Association for Christian Communication is a UK Registered Charity (number 296073) and a Company registered in England and Wales (number 2082273) with its Registered Office at 16 Tavistock Crescent, London W11 1AP. It is an incorporated Charitable Organisation in Canada (number 83970 9524 RR0001) with its head office at 308 Main Street, Toronto ON, M4C 4X7.