Colombo, Sri Lanka

In connection with the World Press Freedom Day, the Asia Pacific Region of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) is organising the Roundtable "Community Radio Social Impact: Removing Barriers, Increasing Effectiveness".

The three key issues of the Agenda to be discussed by the participants to the Roundtable are:

1. Community Radio in Asia Pacific Review. The review will place community radio in the context of poverty reduction, fighting exclusion, developing accountability, the emergence of new informatinon and communication technologies ( ICTs), and its contribution to international development goals. It will focus, in particular, on learning that can improve the effectiveness of community radio in achieving development goals.


2. Community Radio Impact Assessment. The aim is to assess community radio impact in poverty reduction and to develop tools for community radio impact assessment in the Asia Pacific Region. This will include also the generation of new and the review of existing impact assessment material at community, country, international and thematic level that can contribute to the development of the knowledge base and advocacy materials on the impact and effectiveness of community radio.


3. AMARC Effectiveness Evaluation. The aim is to engage community radio leaders and stakeholders in a participatory and interactive process contributing to an evaluation of AMARC's effectiveness in relation to its mission and goals and informing its future priorities and strategies. The review will seek to better define expectations of community radio and communications for development stakeholders towards AMARC as a global network and sector lead body.

The Asia Pacific Roundtable is part of the worldwide ongoing evaluation of the community radio movement being implemented by AMARC in all its regions that will culminate in the AMARC 9 World Conference to be held in Amman, Jordan on November 11-17 2006. All stakeholders are invited to participate in this process adding value to the discussion and facilitating knowledge sharing. The discussion will also provide AMARC an opportunity to learn about your work and to find ways of supporting each other.

The Roundtable is intended to produce the following outputs:

• Draft Community Radio Asia Pacific Review Report - building from the First Asia Pacific Conference minutes and Jakarta declaration;
• Draft Community Radio in Asia Pacific Impact Assessment Report - with the perspective of contributing to build a tool kit for community radio impact assessment; and
• Draft Evaluation Report of AMARC activities and effectiveness in Asia Pacific on the basis of the Action.

AMARC is an international non-governmental organisation founded in 1983, serving the community radio movement in over 110 countries, and advocating for the right to communicate at the international, national, local and neighborhood levels.

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