UNESCO says Caribbean lagging in Freedom on Information legislation

UNESCO says Caribbean lagging in Freedom on Information legislation -as Caribbean media confab opens in G/town
By Neil Marks
Guyana Chronicle, 2 May 2008

THE Caribbean is lagging on the enactment of Freedom of Information legislation, according to Mr. Isidro Fernandez-Aballi of the Jamaica regional office of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

Mr. Fernandez-Aballi, speaking at the opening of the Caribbean Media and Communication Conference in Georgetown, said only three countries in the region – Trinidad, Jamaica and St Vincent and the Grenadines have enacted law for Freedom of Information.

He said that access to information and freedom of expression are the founding principles of good governance, development, and peace, and can be the safeguard for other rights and freedoms.

Mr. Fernandez-Aballi made his comments as Caribbean media workers from across the Caribbean gathered at the Cara Lodge for the annual conference, which is held in conjunction with World Press Freedom Day. World Press Freedom Day will be observed on May 3, the final day of the conference.

The conference, in its 10th year, is being held in Guyana for the second time, and has as its theme: “Freedom of Expression, Access and Empowerment.” The organisers of the conference are UNESCO, Caribbean Broadcasting Union, and Association of Caribbean Media Workers in collaboration with the Guyana Press Association and University of Guyana.

Professor Vibert Cambridge of Ohio University, U.S.A., called for a fund to encourage excellence in programming, failing which there will be a proliferation of “shout out” programming as is the norm on Guyanese television.

He said too that there is need for a harmonisation of the communications education curriculum across the Caribbean.

Professor Cambridge also touted the needs for some aspect of “conflict resolving journalism” to address the conflicts in Guyanese and Caribbean societies, as journalists are being seen as the “mediators.”

He said there is a need for media practitioners to be equipped to report on new challenges, such as rising food prices.

The conference has six plenary sessions: The state of the media in the Caribbean, including the state of the media in Guyana; Public media policy in a market-driven communication and information environment; Role and relevance of media and communication in regional development; Communications technology – Impact and Implications for the Media; Empowering citizen participation in society through media and communication; Behaviour change communication.