A coordinated approach to media support in Southeast Asia
How should media in Southeast Asia be strengthened? More than 40 international and local media support organisations are meeting in Bangkok to discuss
The two-day meeting from 1-2 March brings together over 60 representatives from Southeast Asian and international organisations for in-depth talks on how to improve efforts in promoting press freedom and media development in the region.
– As international media aid partners we must to a larger extent coordinate and harmonize our efforts when we support those working with media development and press freedom, said Jesper Højberg, Executive Director of International Media Support leading up to the meeting.
Hosted by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance, the meeting follows similar previous meetings held in Paris, New York and Copenhagen, but this time focusing solely on the needs of media in countries such as the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Malaysia.
Improving effectiveness
A very diverse region in terms of challenges to media support, Southeast Asia comprises some of the world’s most media repressive countries. Vietnam ranks 172nd in Reporters Without Borders’ annual press freedom index of 2011, and Indonesia is 146th with two journalist killings, five kidnappings and 18 assaults.
To counter such poor rankings and improve the support to local media outlets across the region, the meeting gives international, regional and national organisations a chance to share experiences and needs and find ways of improving their work through joint action plans.
A regional approach
Taking a partnership approach to press freedom breaches and other media development challenges is nothing new. Over the years, many joint projects and partnership missions have taken place. Most recently in the form of visits to Nepal,Bahrain and Yemen.
At the most recent partnership meeting in Paris in 2010, it was decided though to complement this global work with efforts to establish collaborations closer to the regions and countries where press freedom is at stake and media development is practiced. The first such effort is this week’s meeting in Bangkok.
The coming days will see discussions on the needs and challenges in each of the 10 countries represented at the meeting. The IMS website will be covering the meeting, reporting its preliminary outcomes later this week.
The Southeast Asian Partnership meeting is organised by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance, International Media Support, Open Society Foundations, International Federation of Journalists, UNESCO and UNDP.
For more information on partnerships see the coverage of the 2010 meeting in Paris, and New York.
