AMARC Asia-Pacific is the regional autonomous chapter of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC International). AMARC Asia-Pacific is constituted by the members of AMARC from countries in the Asia-Pacific region. AMARC Asia-Pacific has sub-regional governance structure that consists of South Asia, South East Asia, the Pacific and East Asia.
AMARC Asia-Pacific (AP) was created by community radio members in November 2005 by the 1st AMARC-AP regional Conference and Assembly. As of 2020, AMARC-AP counts on more than 500 members in 20 countries. AMARC Asia-Pacific aims to promote social justice, promote Human Rights and sustainable, democratic and participatory human development. In pursuit of its goal AMARC’s purpose is to amplify the voices of the excluded and marginalized through community media and new ICTs, to support peoples’ access to communications, and to defend and promote the development of community radio.
Promotion of Indigenous Community Broadcasting by advocating for enabling legislative frameworks and building capacities of members of Indigenous communities is one of the principle objectives of AMARC Asia-Pacific. In its last regional assembly, held in Yogyakarta in November 2018, AMARC-AP confirmed its decision to enhance its advocacy work contributing to Indigenous Peoples’ rights through ownership or access to Community Radio.
AMARC Asia-Pacific firmly believes that indigenous community radios can play a vital role in the support of the promotion of Indigenous rights.
Radio is a powerful medium for celebrating humanity in all its diversity. For Indigenous Peoples in many countries, radio is the most accessible platform to have their say in the languages that they speak and understand. Radio therefore is a fundamental means of communication for Indigenous Peoples to maintain their languages and to exercise and defend their rights. Moreover, radio is a means of ensuring the right to information in all sectors of society.
For Indigenous Peoples, however unless we have access and ownership of the radio station, and means of production of information in our languages, radio is pointless. Furthermore, it is imperative to support Indigenous Peoples to fully realize their rights in establishing their own media in their own languages and help them access all forms of media without discrimination, as stated in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), 2007. In this program, current president of AMARC Asia-Pacific, Ram Nath Bhatt, discusses about the importance of community radio for voicing their issues and rights, and also about the AMARC Asia Pacific’s work in advancing the rights of Indigenous Peoples through radio.
For more visit: https://amarc-ap.org/
Also visit:
https://www.indigenousmediafoundation.org/