(IAPA/IFEX) – The following is a 29 May 2002 IAPA press release: Heads of State in the Caribbean Commit to Freedom of the Press Promise to pass laws that support freedom of expression by signing Declaration of Chapultepec Miami (May 29, 2002) – Several Heads of State of the Caribbean promise to promote a more […]
(IAPA/IFEX) – The following is a 29 May 2002 IAPA press release:
Heads of State in the Caribbean Commit to Freedom of the Press
Promise to pass laws that support freedom of expression by signing Declaration of Chapultepec
Miami (May 29, 2002) – Several Heads of State of the Caribbean promise to promote a more favorable climate for freedom of expression and freedom of the press, during a campaign of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) to obtain the endorsements of the Declaration of Chapultepec, which has been signed by 27 countries in the Western Hemisphere.
The Declaration of Chapultepec, drafted during a hemispheric conference in Mexico in 1994, contains 10 principles necessary to guarantee freedom of the press and to support democracy, and has been backed by the majority of the hemisphere’s governments.
As part of the IAPA campaign, the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, signed the Declaration on May 13. During the ceremony in the capital, Kingstown, the government promised to implement a Freedom of Information Act before the end of the year. St. Vincent and the Grenadines has two main newspapers and numerous privately-owned publications.
Meanwhile, in Guyana, President Bharrat Jagdeo, endorsed the Declaration of Chapultepec on May 25, during a ceremony in the capital, Georgetown. The Guyanese leader expressed his satisfaction in signing the document and promised to present a bill that would end the state monopoly on broadcasting.
The President of Suriname, Runaldo Venetiaan, added his name to the list of leaders that endorse the Declaration of Chapultepec, on May 20. During his speech given at the Presidential Palace in Paramaribo, Venetiaan referred to a new respect for freedom of expression in his administration, separating itself from prior governments during which numerous attacks against journalists and the media had occurred.
On May 25, the hemispheric organization also visited the Dutch colonies of the Caribbean. The Prime Minister of Aruba, Nelson Oduber, signed the document in the capital, Oranjestad, and his counterpart from the Netherlands Antilles, Miguel Pourier, signed the Declaration in the government capital, Willemstad. Both leaders seemed to be receptive to promoting laws of access to public information in their respective countries.
The Declaration of Chapultepec was also signed by the Prime Ministers of The Bahamas, Hubert A. Ingraham, on April 29; Dominica, Pierre Charles, on May 17, and of St. Kitts & Nevis, Denzil L. Douglas, on May 24.
The initiative to seek these endorsements was started in 1998 by then IAPA President Oliver F. Clarke, The Gleaner, Kingston, Jamaica, the first president of the hemispheric organization from the English-speaking Caribbean. During his term, the Prime Ministers of Belize, Grenada, and Jamaica signed the Declaration.
Obtaining the endorsements of the Caribbean leaders was one of the objectives of the 20th Forum on the Declaration of Chapultepec, which took place during the UNESCO-sponsored Fifth Annual Caribbean Media Conference on May 16-18, 2002, in Antigua. The IAPA activity included a panel on the situation of press freedom and the Declaration of Chapultepec in the region, as well as other promotional activities.
Of the 35 countries in the Western Hemisphere, the Declaration of Chapultepec has not been signed by Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Canada, Cuba, Haiti, St. Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago, and Venezuela. The Prime Ministers of Antigua & Barbuda and St. Lucia have agreed to sign in the coming weeks.
During the various events, the IAPA was represented by the following members: Alejandro Miro Quesada C., El Comercio, Lima, Peru; Oliver F. Clarke, The Gleaner, Kingston, Jamaica; Earl Maucker, Sun-Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Harold Hoyte, The Nation, Bridgetown, Barbados; Victor Winklaar, Bon Dia, Aruba; Sonia and Margaret Wever, daughter and granddaughter of the late Sir G. J. Schouten, The News, Oranjestad, Aruba; David de Caires, Stabroek News, Guyana; Craig Reynald, Caribbean Communications Network, Trinidad & Tobago; Julio Muñoz, IAPA Executive Director; Ricardo Trotti, Press Freedom Coordinator; Jairo Lanao, Chapultepec Project Attorney, and Sean Casey, Chapultepec Project Administrator.
