PRESS STATEMENT

AMI, Int’l Human Rights Groups And Press Organizations Make Recommendations on Freedom of Expression in Doha International Conference

Nairobi, 28 July 2017: The African Media Initiative (AMI) was invited to participate in a two-day international Conference on Freedom of Expression in Doha, Qatar. The conference, which was organized by the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) of Qatar in cooperation with the International Federation of Journalists and the International Press Institute under the theme “Freedom of Expression: Facing Up to the Threat”, took place on July 24-25, 2017.

AMI’s Chief Executive Office, Eric Chinje, and Senior Advisor Wangethi Mwangi, represented the pan-African media organization as part of 200 participants from around the world.

Recommendations of the International Conference “Freedom of Expression, Facing up to the Threat”

Doha, Qatar 24-25 July 2017
We, representatives of international, regional and national organisations of journalists, human rights and freedom of expression groups meeting at the International Conference in Doha, Qatar on 24-25 July 2017, organised by the National Human Rights Committee of Qatar in co-operation with the International Federation of Journalists and the International Press Institute,
Condemn unequivocally the threats by the governments of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Kingdom of Bahrain, demanding the closing down of Al Jazeera and other media outlets, including Arabi21, Rassd, Al Araby Al-Jadeed and Middle East Eye.

and

Express our total solidarity with journalists and other media and ancillary workers at Al Jazeera and other targeted media.

 

This Conference recommends: 
ON SAFETY OF JOURNALISTS
Conference recognizes the numerous resolutions adopted in recent years by the UN General Assembly, the Security Council and the Human Rights Council deploring the impact of attacks against journalists and other media workers on the public’s right to information and freedom of expression, and expressing concern at the chilling effect that such attacks, especially when perpetrated with impunity, have on the media as a whole.

Conference also expressly recognizes that the work of media professionals often places them at specific risk of intimidation, harassment and violence (UN Security Council Resolution 2222 (2015), UN Human Rights Council Resolution 33/2 of 29 September 2016, and UN General Assembly Resolution 70/162 of 17 December 2015 on the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity). In addition, it has been widely recognized that ensuring accountability for all forms of violence against journalists and other media professionals is a key element in preventing future attacks.

Conference supports the developing of a new binding international instrument dedicated to the safety of journalists, including a specific enforcement mechanism, which would improve the international response to attacks against journalists and the culture of impunity. A Convention on the Safety of Media Workers, potentially negotiated within the UN General Assembly, would present the advantage of systematizing the relevant obligations inferable from multiple legal texts and making them more accessible to decision-makers and law-enforcement authorities and bringing together the applicable human rights and humanitarian law norms, tailoring them to the situation of journalists.

Such a Convention includes, for example, the obligation to protect journalists against attacks on their life, arbitrary arrest, violence and intimidation campaigns, the obligation to protect against forced disappearances and kidnapping (by state agents or private actors), the obligation to carry out effective investigations into alleged interferences and to bring the perpetrators to justice; in the context of armed conflict, the obligation to treat media workers and facilities as civilians (and hence illegitimate targets) and to conduct military operations with due diligence in such a way as to avoid unnecessary risks to journalists reporting on the conflict.

Conference finally believes that current legal provisions should be expanded beyond the obligation to protect journalists against attacks on their life, and include forced disappearances and kidnapping (by state or private actors), arbitrary arrest, intimidation, deportation/refusal of entry, confiscation/damage to property and new forms of violence experienced by journalists during the 2011 Arab Spring, and further develop Human Rights Council resolutions S-2/1 and S-9/1 concerning the attacks on media installations and allowing access as well as safe media corridors in conflict zones.

Conference, therefore, calls on governments:

1. To recognize all recommendations, covenants, declarations and resolutions promulgated or endorsed by international organisations such as the UN and its agencies such as UNESCO;
2. To implement forthwith the UN latest plan of action and enhance their working with organisations dedicated to the safety of journalists and media workers;
3. To acknowledge and accept their obligations to give journalists protection as civilians in situations of conflict;
4. To strengthen national mechanisms and laws, including criminal laws and overhaul justice system to end impunity and to provide judicial and legislative assistance to prevent serious violations of international humanitarian laws including the targeting of journalists.

It also calls on news organisations to acknowledge their duty of care for all their journalists, in particular news gatherers, staff or freelance and their responsibility to provide hostile environment safety training and equipment whether at time of conflict or not.
ON MEDIA FREEDOMS

Believing that freedom of expression is a fundamental human right enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), defined as the freedom “to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers” along with its corollaries of freedom of information and press freedom, freedom of expression is one of the cornerstones of democracy;

Believing also, as set out by UNESCO, that states have a duty to ensure that legislation designed to address national security and crime concerns does not override source protection laws other than in narrowly defined exceptional circumstances and that states legislate to protect the rights of sources;

Conference calls on governments to recognize the right of media organisations to report information freely and without interference from government and to allow citizens to access information on their own government and institutions in the cause of transparency and accountability.

It also calls on governments to limit their ability to curtail media access and set the limits of reporting and access to information and allow transparent and independent adjudication on decisions relating to publication.

Conference also acknowledges the vital role played by trade unions in supporting freedom of expression for journalists and defending the right of journalists to report on often contentious issues and hold power to account.

Recognising the danger in establishing legal limits on expression, and accepting the risks in allowing states the ability intervene on online information, conference calls on governments and media organisations to work to challenge hate speech, including misogyny, racism, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism, and extremism, and to promote the idea that encouraging a plurality of ideas and ideologies is the solution to challenge bigotry and prejudice.

Conference also calls on journalists to respect codes of conduct that demand fairness, accuracy and the need to oppose the scapegoating of minorities and pandering to prejudice and ignorance.

ON INTERNATIONAL WORKERS RIGHTS

Conference recognizes that the freedom of expression and in particular of the media is inextricably linked to the freedom of media workers to carry out their professional role without fear of intimidation or discrimination.

Acknowledging the central role of the International Labour Organization in establishing and implementing global labour standards:

Conference recognizes the vital principles enshrined in the eight fundamental conventions of the International Labour Organization, including (i) Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87) and (ii) Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98).

The right to just and favorable conditions of work is contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Recognizing the ability of trade unions to protect and defend the right to freedom of expression through codes of conduct, the setting of professional standards and collective endeavors,

Conference calls on government to honour the provisions of Article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to act in compliance with the conventions of the International Labour Organization.

Participants agree to transmit these recommendations to regional and international institutions and to governments,
Participants recommend that all working papers and reports of workshops are considered as official documents and will be published in agreement with the authors.
Finally, participants express their appreciation and thanks to the National Human Rights Committee of QatarCHR for its efforts to organise the Doha conference and call upon it to continue its work with other concerned parties to implement the adopted recommendations.

 

My task is to help AMI transform the media landscape in Africa – new chair, Aboderin

 

Who is Mr. Wale Aboderin?

My name is Wale Aboderin, a Nigerian businessman and chairman of PUNCH, Nigeria’s leading newspaper. We publish three print newspapers and two digital newspapers. We also run four major print presses in Nigeria. We have very strong pro-public credentials because of our support for democracy, during the fight against military rule and afterwards, and our campaigns for social justice.

I trained as a commercial pilot at the Burnside-Ott Flying School, Florida, United States. I was appointed chairman of the company’s board of directors in 2012. But I have been involved in the newspaper business for decades. PUNCH was co-founded by my father and he introduced me to the business early. And this experience has helped in fashioning a vision that led to some great changes in the editorial quality, management and its fortunes.

I am also involved in music and sports. I am the founder and owner of Dolphins Basketball Club, a leading African female basketball club, with local and continental honours. I used to be the former chairman of the Lagos State Basketball Association and I am a former member of the Nigerian Handball Federation.

How do you feel about your election as the new chair of the African Media Initiative?

I feel humbled and pleased with this new responsibility, although it comes with the challenges of promoting the vision of a fantastic organization whose potential should not be abridged by limited resources. Thank you for inviting me to join the battle for a strengthened media landscape in Africa.  I have always succeeded in my ventures. I am here to ensure AMI does not fail its mission of transforming the media landscape in Africa.

What is your vision for the organization?

I have always believed that the biggest resource in any organization is human capital and the biggest investment is human development. My people perish for lack of knowledge, says the Good Book. Since I joined AMI board, I have never regretted being part of this beautiful project. The more I stayed, the more I like the organization’s mandate. It is important that we invest in human capital. Punch has already become too big in Nigeria and little by little we have been looking for an opportunity to go regional and AMI is empowering me to go around these countries and push for the initiatives developed by AMI. These trips will help me to rediscover Africa and see the opportunities on the continent.

My vision, to start with, is to focus on making AMI a better and greater organization. If you have a fine dress, everybody will see the missing button. So, I don’t want to see AMI staff as the missing button. I want you people to be engaged and know that there is something great to be done. The other part of the vision is to partner with others to develop the capacity of journalists and media companies across Africa. PUNCH is celebrated for its integrity and had I not seen the same integrity in the leadership and vision of AMI, I wouldn’t have accepted to be part of the project.

I insist that print publishers can still survive but we can’t just sit back and wait for new readers to emerge. It’s time to ‘reinvent the wheel’. 

What do you see as the greatest challenges for African media in the 21st century and what are your thoughts on the future of print media?

Ah! The greatest challenge in this century is digital disruption. The lack of true press freedom is also a big challenge in several places in Africa. But I expect this to become less of a problem as we move forward and the ideals of democracy spread on the continent. For example in Nigeria, PUNCH and other newspapers campaigned against military rule. With democracy, the press is freer although things are not perfect.

The use of mobile phones and other digital devices are growing across Africa. People, especially our teeming population of youth, prefer to get their news from the Internet and social media. My daughters, for example, get their news from Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, which are also quite popular in Nigeria.

But the future of print in Africa is not as bleak as painted. I always tell my team that a form of growth is still possible. However, as publishers, we would need to moderate our returns on investment expectations. Print publishers shouldn’t expect to be as profitable as they once were. In PUNCH we are exploring cross-media opportunities in a way that would help us to use the newly found strengths of our digital initiatives to help the weaknesses of print. So, African media need to constantly reinvent in order to stay in business and relevant.

Mr. Wale Aboderin 

new AMI chair

 

 

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Communiqué de presse

Professionnels des médias, représentants des commissions électorales et experts électoraux convergent au Kenya pour discuter des élections

Nairobi, 23 juin 2017 – Une cinquantaine de responsables de haut niveau évoluant dans les secteurs des médias et des élections vont se réunir pendant deux jours pour discuter de la « Couverture des élections en Afrique ». L’atelier se déroulera les 3 et 4 juillet à Nairobi, en présence des participants issus des pays africains appelés à organiser des élections présidentielles ou législatives dans les 18 prochains mois.

Cet atelier est une initiative conjointe de l’Initiative des médias d’Afrique (AMI) et de l’Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF). Il bénéficie également du soutien de l’Institut international pour la démocratie et l’assistance électorale (IDEA).

Les élections constituent un test majeur de la démocratie et de la bonne gouvernance en Afrique depuis au moins les deux dernières décennies au cours desquelles un certain nombre de pays du continent ont réussi à organiser des élections multipartites. L’un des principaux objectifs de l’atelier est de réunir, professionnels des médias, responsables des structures chargées d’organiser les élections et experts électoraux d’Afrique francophone et anglophone pour discuter de manière ouverte et interactive. Il sera question, plus précisément de voir dans quelle mesure une couverture médiatique appropriée peut conduire à parfaire la réussite d’un processus électoral.

Evoquant l’atelier, Eric Chinje, le PDG d’AMI, a déclaré que « les échanges durant ces deux jours offriront aux professionnels des médias une occasion unique de partager leurs expériences et bonnes pratiques mais aussi d’acquérir de solides connaissances auprès de experts impliqués dans l’organisation des élections. Ces échanges mutuellement bénéfiques aideront sans doute à développer un ensemble de connaissances susceptibles d’être partagées à travers le continent ».

Tidiane Dioh, coordonnateur des Programmes des médias de l’OIF pour sa part, demeure convaincu qu’ « une élection ne se limite pas à introduire un bulletin de vote dans l’urne. L’électeur doit disposer de toutes les informations pertinentes sur ceux qui sollicitent les suffrages, sur les enjeux et sur les programmes. Or, seuls des médias professionnels et libres permettent d’assurer une telle information ».

L’atelier se tiendra au Centre de conférence Desmond Tutu à Nairobi, au Kenya. Les pays participants viendront d’Algérie, d’Angola, du Cameroun, de la Côte d’Ivoire, de la République démocratique du Congo, du Gabon, du Kenya, du Libéria, de Madagascar, du Mali, du Rwanda, de la Sierra Leone, du Sénégal et du Zimbabwe.

FIN

Pour plus d’informations, prière de contacter le responsable des relations avec les médias et du rayonnement, Justus Machio, par e-mail à l’adresse suivante jmachio@africanmediainitiative.org, ou par téléphone au numéro : +254700857024

À propos d’AMI

L’Initiative des médias d’Afrique (AMI) est une organisation panafricaine ayant pour but de renforcer les médias privés et indépendants du continent, en mettant l’accent sur les propriétaires et les gestionnaires, afin de promouvoir la gouvernance démocratique, le développement social et la croissance économique. Elle y œuvre grâce à un ensemble d’activités stratégiques visant à transformer le paysage des médias et des communications sur le continent. L’objectif global d’AMI est de promouvoir l’émergence des médias pluralistes en tant qu’ingrédient nécessaire et crucial de la gouvernance démocratique, ainsi que du développement économique et humain en Afrique.

À propos de l’OIF

L’Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) a été fondée en 1970 et a son siège social à Paris. Sa mission est d’incarner la solidarité active entre ses 84 États membres et les gouvernements qui, ensemble, représentent plus d’un tiers des États membres des Nations Unies et une population de plus de 900 millions de personnes, dont 274 millions de francophones. L’OIF mène essentiellement des activités de nature politique et des actions de coopération multilatérale au bénéfice des populations sur les cinq continents.

À propos de l’IDEA
L’Institut international pour la démocratie et l’assistance électorale (International IDEA) est une organisation intergouvernementale qui soutient la démocratie durable à travers le monde. La mission d’IDEA International est de favoriser le renforcement des institutions et processus démocratiques, ainsi qu’une démocratie durable, plus efficace et plus légitime. Composé de trente Etats membres, International IDEA travaille dans ses quatre domaines d’expertises: les processus électoraux; la participation et la représentation politique; l’élaboration de constitutions ; et la démocratie et le développement, ainsi qu’en matière de démocratie en relation à l’égalité des genres, la diversité, les conflits et la sécurité. De sa base à Addis-Abeba, le programme Afrique et Asie de l’Ouest d’IDEA International collabore étroitement avec les acteurs nationaux et les organisations régionales pour réaliser des activités dans plus de 40 pays. Les priorités du programme sont le constitutionnalisme, le dialogue entre les partis politiques, l’intégrité électorale, la gouvernance des ressources naturelles, la participation des jeunes et la représentation des femmes.