Regarding Bangkok Declaration 2003+10 in Bangla

31 October, 2012

  

To

Mr. Kazi Akhtar Uddin Ahmed, Director General Bangladesh Betar 

Mr. M Hamid, Director General, Bangladesh Television

Mr. Md. Makbul Ahmed, Director General, National Institute of Mass Communication

&

Mr. Faridur Reza Sagor, Managing Director, Channel i

Mr. Rafiqul Haque, Managing Director, Radio Today FM

Subject: Regarding Draft Bangkok Declaration 2003+10 in Bangla

Dear Sir,

Greetings from Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC)

BNNRC is in Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social Council strives for achieving UN World Summit on the Information Society (UN WSIS) Action Plan.

The Bangkok Declaration 2003+10 was presented before the 38^th Annual Gathering and 11^th AIBD General Conference in Kathmandu, Nepal from 25-27 July 2012.

After nine years AIBD and its key partners met to review the relevance of the document in Bangkok on 13 January 2012 and acknowledged that the Bangkok declaration 2003 continued to remain valid and relevant. However, they incorporated additional recommendations and drafted the document now called the Bangkok Declaration 2003+10.

In May 2003, the first Conference of the Ministers of Information and Broadcasting in Asia and the Pacific region was held in Bangkok. The conference adopted the Bangkok Declaration 2003, which identified five key recommendations covering globalization, cultural diversity, digital divide, public service broadcasting, and human resource development.

It is an important document that serves as a guide for broadcasters in addressing key global issues and concerns. It recommends a total of 10 themes to include globalization, cultural diversity, digital divide, public service broadcasting and human resource development, accountability systems for the media, social media, climate change and disasters, empowerment of women, and media in countries of conflict and in transition states.

The  Bangkok Declaration 2003+10 served as the broadcasters’ contribution to the thematic debate and preparatory meeting to the UN World Summit on the Information Society(UN WSIS) held in Geneva in 2003.

In line with other countries of the world, there are three types of broadcasting system in Bangladesh; these are public service broadcasting, Private broadcasting and Community broadcasting. 

Presently Bangladesh Television, 23 Private Satellite TV Channel, Bangladesh Betar, 6 Private FM Radio and 14 Community Radio stations are broadcasting regular programs.

Now, considering the relevance and importance, we have already translated the Bangkok Declaration into Bangla and would like to publish the declaration document both in Bangla and English version for broadcast media sector in Bangladesh.

As an AIBD full member/ affiliated organization we are pleased to send 1 copy of the Declaration in Bangla version for your kind attention and opinion. I would like to humbly request you to send your comments (if any) before 15^th November 2012. After that we will proceed to print the document.

We expect your kind cooperation in this regard.

AHM.  Bazlur Rahman-S21BR

Chief Executive Officer

Bangladesh NGOs Network for

Radio and Communication

& Head, Community Media Academy

Cc:

Mr. Yang Binyuan, Director, Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD)

2nd Floor, IPPTAR Building, Angkasapuri, 50614 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Mr. Kazi Akhtar Uddin Ahmed [Additional Secretary] Director General, Bangladesh Betar & Vice President, AIBD Executive Board