(MFWA/IFEX) – The following is a 31 October 2005 joint press release by MFWA, Media Rights Agenda, Journaliste en danger and the Media Institute of Southern Africa: A three-day Conference of African freedom of expression promoting organisations has been held in Accra, Ghana to promote the advancement of press freedom and freedom of expression on […]
(MFWA/IFEX) – The following is a 31 October 2005 joint press release by MFWA, Media Rights Agenda, Journaliste en danger and the Media Institute of Southern Africa:
A three-day Conference of African freedom of expression promoting organisations has been held in Accra, Ghana to promote the advancement of press freedom and freedom of expression on the continent.
Held at the Conference Hall of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research from October 28 to 30, 2005 the meeting brought together 42 participants from 33 major local and international free expression advocacy organisations including the International Media Support (IMS), International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), Article 19, Index on Censorship, International Federation of Journalists and representatives of over 20 continental free expression advocacy organisations from Northern, Southern, Central, Eastern and West Africa.
During the conference, participants reviewed the state of freedom of expression on the continent. They also discussed key issues and challenges facing freedom of expression advocacy organisations in Africa in recent times and how to address those issues.
There were discussions also on the current most critical freedom of expression issues in Africa. The participants identified lack of access to information, arrests and detentions of journalists, inadequacy of legal expertise, clampdown on media organisations, lack of independence of regulatory bodies and lack of independent judicial systems among others as impeding the development of freedom of expression on the continent.
Participants also assessed in particular, freedom of expression in Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan and Zimbabwe and developed strategies for lobbying the African Union, ECOWAS, Southern African Development Community (SADCC) and other inter-state bodies on the need to reform laws obstructing free speech and expression and ways of developing proposals for common legal standards for free expression legislation in Africa.
At the end of their deliberations, participants established a network that would seek to improve over the next decade the environment for freedom of expression in Africa. The newly created Network of African Freedom of Expression Organisations (NAFEO) issued a communiqué containing collective issues that African constituencies would be informed of.
In attendance also at the meeting was the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression in Africa, Commissioner Andrew Chigovera.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) and Journalists en Danger (JED) collaborated to hold this conference with sponsorship from UNESCO.
Issued in Accra
October 31, 2005
We, 42 participants from 33 organizations dedicated to freedom of expression and media freedom in Africa, met at a conference sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Accra, Ghana, from October 28 to 30, 2005, and hosted by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), in partnership with Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) and Journalists en Danger (JED);
Agreed to establish a network that will seek to fundamentally change over the next decade the environment for freedom of expression in Africa called the Network of African Freedom of Expression Organisations (NAFEO).
To this end, we agreed:
1. To form a coordinating committee that broadly represents all constituencies, comprised of JED, MFWA, MISA, MRA, the International Federation of Journalists Africa office (IFJ/Africa), the West African Journalists Association (WAJA), Organisation des Medias d’Afrique Centrale (OMAC/OCAM), All Africa Editors Forum, and groups from North Africa, East Africa and the Horn of Africa.
2. To invite the MFWA to serve as the host organization.
3. To invite the coordinating committee to designate a convening organization, on an annually rotating basis.
4. To build and strengthen the capacity of regional and sub-regional organizations, especially in the Horn of Africa, East Africa and North Africa.
5. To put in place a rapid response mechanism to deal with crises that seriously impact on freedom of expression in Africa.
6. We agreed to address the following issues:
6.1 Legal And Institutional Frameworks
* strengthen and harmonize continental and sub-regional protections; and
* at the national level, work for the repeal of criminal laws affecting the media (e.g. sedition, defamation, insult, false news); reform and reduce penalties associated with civil laws; reform broadcasting laws to promote pluralism; transform state media into true public service bodies; reform media regulatory bodies (build/strength their independence).
6.2 Media Issues
Work to stop violent attacks on, and detention of, journalists; stop financial pressures on the media (e.g. manipulation of government advertising and price of newsprint); and improve working conditions of media practitioners.
6.3 Access to Information Laws/Practice
Work towards the enactment of democratic access to information laws in all African countries over the next 10 years.
6.4 Training
Including for journalists on legal issues/professional standards, especially with respect to privacy and accuracy and avoiding defamation; and for lawyers on international freedom of expression standards.
7. To address these issues, we agreed to develop campaigns, mechanisms and methods of engaging the international, regional and sub-regional structures, and to involve international freedom of expression organizations.
8. In particular, we agreed to identify a few major campaigns on which to focus each year; and to also launch campaigns to address urgent issues as they arise.
9. We agreed to establish specific structures (issue-based coalitions) to address specific issues, e.g.:
a. For work at the African Union (AU), including the Executive Council, the Summit and the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR), on issues including the drafting of a Treaty on Freedom of Expression in Africa, and to respond to country reports on freedom of expression.
b. To issue a resolution on strengthening of freedom of expression in Africa.
c. For work at regional bodies, including the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), East Africa Community and others.
d. For work at the international organizations, including the United Nations (UN) and UN Human Rights Commission or Council (media and freedom of expression violations), UNESCO (communications, culture, language), the Economic Commission for Africa, ECA (information and communications technologies, ICTs), the European Union, EU and the European Commission, EC (trade impacts on freedom of expression), the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP and the World Bank (role of media in development and the Millennium Development Goals), the International Labour Organization, ILO (rights of media workers), Red Crescent and Red Cross (visits to journalists in detention).
e. To address detention of journalists in particular countries, e.g. in Eritrea.
f. To take advantage of summits and other regional and sub-regional high-level meetings.
10. The methods of action should be designed to maximize effectiveness, including making legal challenges, submitting papers, launching protests (letters, visits, petitions, and demonstrations), targeting scheduled meetings, and convening consultations, workshops and conferences.
Host Organisations
1. Journaliste en Danger (JED)
2. Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)
3. Media Institute for Southern Africa (MISA)
4. Media Rights Agenda (MRA)
Participating Organisations
African Organisations
5. AFMF: Africa Free Media Foundation (formerly NDIMA Network for the Defence of Independent Media in Africa)
6. AMDISS: Association for Media Development in Southern Sudan
7. CNLT: National Council for Liberties in Tunisia
8. EFJA: Ethiopian Free Press Journalists Association
9. FAMEDEV: Inter-Africa Network for Women, Media, Gender Equity & Development
10. FXI: Freedom of Expression Institute
11. HornAfrik Media
12. NGE: Nigerian Guild of Editors
13. OMAC: Organisation des Medias d’Afrique Centrale
14. OTM: Observatoire Togolais des Medias
15. PIWA: Panos Institute West Africa
16. SCFE: Somali Coalition for Free Expression
17. TAEF: All Africa Editors Forum
18. URATEL: Union des Radios & Televisions libres du Togo
19. WAJA/OJAO: West Africa Journalist Association/ Union des journalistes de l’Afrique de l’Ouest
20. CREDO: Centre for Research Education & Development of FOX & Association Rights
Non-African Organisations
21. ARTICLE 19: Global Campaign for Free Expression
22. Free Voice
23. AMARC: World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters
24. IFJ: International Federation of Journalists
25. IMS: International Media Support
26. Index on Censorship
27. OSI: Open Society Initiative – Network Media Program and Justice Initiative
28. CHRI: Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative
Ghana Organisations
29. AI: Amnesty International, Ghana Section
30. GCRN: Ghana Community Radio Network
31. CHRAJ: Commission on Human Rights & Administrative Justice
32. Ghana Bar Association
33. Ghana Journalists Association
Invited
34. ACHPR: Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression in Africa, Commissioner Andrew R. Chigovera
