South Asian media committee on human rights formed | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

South Asian media committee on human rights formed

KATHMANDU- Professional journalists and media persons at the second Saarc Peoples’ Forum (SPF) concluding here agreed to form South Asian Media Committee on Human Rights (SAMCOHR).

The SAMCOHR during next year till December 2001 would work in collaboration with the local chapters of Sanfec and Resistance, two networks of the peoples’ movements of South Asia, and country media organisations or individuals.

The journalists who attended the second Saarc Peoples’ Forum in Kathmandu or, who those who would wish to join the SAMCOHR be the Core Group of the Committee and the seven country-coordinators would form the organising committee of the SAMCOHR.

The country coordinators are Shafqat Munir (Journalists for Democracy and Human Rights Pakistan), Angana Parekh (Women’s Feature Service India), Rieta Rahman (Bangladesh), Anil Adhikri (Nepal) and A Rajivan (Sri Lanka). Two country coordinators from Bhutan and Maldives would be announced later.

The country coordinator for Pakistan and President Journalists for Democracy and Human Rights, Shafqat Munir, told journalists that the committee had agreed to hold a formal consultation meeting in Pakistan in 2002 to formulate its long-term agenda.

The SAMCOHR would work to project objectives of the declaration of the second Saarc Peoples’ Forum and do the needful job to get space in local, regional and international media; to highlight the cause of peace, democracy and human rights through media; to promote professional interaction among media persons and media organisations of the regions through workshops, seminars, electronic communications and training programmes; to strengthen links between media persons and organisations of the region; and to sensitise media on human trafficking, gender, women issues, rights to food security, livelihood, movement, self determination, peace and other human rights in the regional perspective.
Source: The News
Date:12/24/2000