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The Second Conference of Editors and Working Journalists of SAARC Countries is being organized here on 28-29 October, 2004. Senior editors and working journalists from SAARC countries will take part in the two-day Conference to be inaugurated by the Minister of Information & Broadcasting and Culture, Shri S. Jaipal Reddy. First conference of Editors and Working Journalists of SAARC countries was held at Dhaka, Bangladesh last year.
Agenda for the two-day conference includes country presentations on current situation of print and electronic media in member countries, consideration of directives from the 3rd meeting of SAARC including proposal to set up SAARC recognized regional media forum and discussion paper by Bangladesh for setting up of a SAARC Media Development Fund. The conference will also work towards identifying points relating to print media for evolving a SAARC Common position for presentation at the World Summit on the Information Society scheduled in Tunis in December next year.
The conference will also provide inputs for the revised plan of action on information and media as it is being felt that many items of the action plan of 1998 have become outdated due to innovative developments in the field of information technology. The Heads of TV and Radio organizations at their Third Meeting held in Thimpu in April 2004 has identified some areas for inclusion in the revised plan. These include development of SAARC media training academy to carry out training programmes/courses for human resource development in ICT sector, encourage member countries for e-government and e-strategies and also work towards establishment of gradual digitized technology for TV and Radio. A similar action programme for print media is also to be worked out by the conference.
Delegations from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have confirmed participation. Indian delegation will be led by Smt. Shakuntala Mahawal, Principal Information Officer, Government of India. It will include representatives of Indian Federation of Working Journalists, National Union of Journalists, Indian Journalists Union, The Press Association and Working News Cameraman’s Association besides senior journalists from various newspapers.
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