MEETINGS OF INFORMATION MINISTERS
Recognizing the importance of information exchange and dissemination
amongst Member Countries, the Council of Ministers at its Seventeenth Session
held in New Delhi on 19-20 December 1996, called for the convening of a Meeting
of SAARC Information Ministers, which is the highest body to strengthen the
information and media related matters among member countries. So far, five meetings
of SAARC Information Ministers are held.
In pursuance of it, the SAARC Information Ministers met first
time in Dhaka on April 25-26, 1998. At the end of the Meeting, the SAARC Information
Ministers adopted a Comprehensive Strategy for Cooperation in the field of Media
and Information with the following goals and objectives:
- To actively encourage greater flow of information in the SAARC region
on all issues of common concern to Member Countries for the promotion of
peace and harmony in South Asia as well as sustained development of all
peoples of the region.
- To generate, disseminate and exchange information materials in support
of SAARC and all SAARC initiatives in important areas with special emphasis
on trade and investment, social and cultural development, functional cooperation,
environmental protection and human resource development.
- To promote the optimal utilization of available resources and facilities
in the SAARC region to strengthen cooperation in the field of media and
information and upgrade the professionalism of media persons through human
resource development programmes and regional exchanges.
- To initiate collective regional actions to enable Member Countries to
fully benefit from the use of new technologies to ensure greater flow of
information within the region and between South Asia and the outside world.
- To consistently work to project and promote a positive image of SAARC
abroad as well as provide regular information on specific SAARC initiatives.
In order to achieve the above objectives, the Information Ministers
agreed to implement the following 18 points-SAARC Plan of Action on Media and
Information to promote cooperation to:
- Ensure free flow of information, newspapers, periodicals, books and other
publications.
- Reduce postal and telecommunication rates for media transmission and information
materials.
- Increase cooperation amongst news agencies of SAARC countries.
- Facilitate easier travel for media persons within the region.
- Work towards the evolution of a SAARC recognized Regional Media Forum.
- Hold an annual conference of editors and working journalists from SAARC
countries.
- Create a web page for exchange of news amongst news agencies of SAARC
countries.
- Enhance exchange of data through E-mail and Internet.
- Arrange regular exchange of TV and Radio programmes.
- Organize regular exchange and joint production of documentaries and films
as well as holding of periodic SAARC film festivals.
- Arrange training for media persons of SAARC countries.
- Include SAARC orientation modules in the syllabi of national media training
institutes.
- Improve the programmes under the SAARC Audio Visual Exchange Programme
(SAVE) by making them more attractive and popular and increasing their frequency.
- Hold annual meetings of heads of national TV/Radio organisations to review
the SAVE Programmes.
- Evolve model guidelines on transnational satellite broadcasting in the
region.
- Examine the financial and technical feasibility of establishing a SAARC
satellite.
- Explore the feasibility of setting up a SAARC Information Centre with
Media Production, Research and Training units as well as a SAARC Media Development
Fund.
- Discourage negative projection of member countries by media in SAARC countries.
The Tenth SAARC Summit (Colombo, 29-31 July 1998) approved
the Plan of Action on Media and Information. In order to promote deeper understanding
in the common regional issues and to project a more balanced view of developments
in the region, the Summit called for concerted endeavours for the promotion
of practical programmes among the Member States in the field of information
and media.
The Second Meeting of the SAARC Information Ministers (Islamabad,
March 2002) reviewed the status of implementation of the Plan of Action and
proposed inter alia to evolve a SAARC recognized Regional Media Forum; develop
model guidelines on transnational satellite broadcasting in the region; establish
a SAARC Information Centre; and project and strengthen the South Asian identity
beyond the region.
In order to boost cooperation in information sector, the Information
Ministers at their Third Meeting (New Delhi, November 2003) decided to initiate
weekly SAARC Radio News programmes and monthly SAARC Television News programmes,
‘SAARC Radio Bulletin’ and ‘SAARC TV Bulletin’, respectively,
at all national channels of member countries.
At their Fourth Meeting (Islamabad, 15-16 December 2004), the
SAARC Information Ministers agreed to establish SAARC Information Centre in
Kathmandu, which was later endorsed by the Twelfth Summit (Islamabad, 4-6 January
2002). The Centre will maintain a data-base for the SAARC region covering economic,
social, media including establishment of a library of various programmes on
core areas of cooperation and make available the information to the Member Countries
through the internet. While commending the SAVE Committee’s performance,
the meeting directed the SAVE Committee to arrange a simultaneous/auto translation
of SAVE programmes into national languages of member countries and hold the
SAARC Radio Quiz in 2005 by teleconferencing as a test case. It thanked the
Government of Sri Lanka for its offer to host the First SAARC Feature Film Festival
on Television in 2005. However, the Festival is yet to be realized. It also
welcomed the decision of the SAARC Council of Ministers to grant a status of
the SAARC Recognized Body to the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA).
Taking into account the new challenges emerging in the knowledge
based industries due to rapid developments in the technology; the Fourth Meeting
also reviewed the Plan of Action and adopted the Revised Plan of Action on Information
and Media-2004, which is reproduced below.
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