It was the declaration of the first Conference of Community Radio in the Caribbean. They called for transparency in investment for the reconstruction of Haiti. They also demanded public resources for promotion and development.
Broadcasters and civil society organizations in Haiti, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Dominica and Guadeloupe met in Port-au-Prince, between 4th and 6th May.
There were also representatives from Asia Pacific, European and Latin American radios.
The final declaration of the meeting stated that “a system of independent media and community radios are needed to ensure an inclusive, participatory and gender sensitive reconstruction” in Haiti.
In addition, it demanded from the authorities a “public policy that legislates in favor of community radio a stakeholder in democratic development”.
It also demanded the Haitian government investigate and punish the perpetrators of the attack on community radio Carice, in northeast Haiti.
Caribbean Community radio warned that “the situation of the Haitian people remains extremely difficult”. It recalled that “more than a million people still live in tents in the streets”.
They also noted that the level of physical and sexual violence against women reached alarming figures on the island after the earthquake.
The declaration of the conference stated that the Haitian reality also reflects “the imposition of neoliberal policies by financial institutions such as the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. ”
Finally, the radio called for a careful review “of international cooperation policies and the role of the Commission for the reconstruction”.
Story courtesy of Agencia Púlsar, the news agency of AMARC-ALC.
