The Harare Statement of the MacBride Round Table on Communication
The MacBride Round Table on Communication met in Harare, Zimbabwe, 27-29 October 1989, to assess the state of global communication ten years after the publication of the report of the International Commission for the study of Communication Problems, which was chaired by Sean MacBride. The Round Table was convened by the Federation of Southern African Journalists in collaboration with the International Organization of Journalists (IOJ) and the Media Foundation of the Non-Aligned (NAMEDIA). Thirty-five communication professionals and specialists from 14 countries and 18 non- governmental organizations participated in the Round Table and issued the following statement.
The Round Table reiterated the principles on which the New World Information and Communication Order (NWICO) was based and underlined its importance for the present and the future, at local, national and international levels. The changes which have occurred in the world since the MacBride Report was published make the search for NWICO even more compelling. The Report's title, "Many Voices -- One World" encapsulated the contemporary reality of an increasingly interdependent world on the one hand, and recognized the diversity of cultures and value systems on the other. This calls for common action as well as pluralism and decentralization.
In analyzing the role of mass media in national affairs and international relations, the Round Table took cognizance of the rapid changes in communication technologies and their impact on national sovereignty, economic growth, and cultural identity, as well as on the development of individuals and communities. The Round Table was particularly concerned with the emerging forces in the search for cultural emancipation. Cultural ecology is now an indivisible and central part of the global communication debate.
Recognizing the diversity of cultures, social systems and communication traditions, the Round Table emphasized the challenges and opportunities which this poses to the mass media. It was noted that the mass media could play a more decisive role in furthering the democratic process, in the realization of people's rights to self-determination and in the quest for peace and international understanding. As Sean MacBride stated 'there has been a change in the centre of the gravity of power in the world -- from government to public opinion, to the public sector.'
The Round Table was convinced that the operation of the mass media, both at the national and international levels, should be determined primarily by professional media personnel, committed to the public interest, without undue government or commercial influence. Professionalism in the media must be associated with the idea of a free and responsible press. This calls, increasingly, for professional autonomy of journalists as well as public accountability. Questions of communication ethics and public morality are now central issues in international communication. This underlines the importance for more intense dialogue between and among professional and non-governmental organizations, and concerned citizens.
The importance of the MacBride Report is further underlined by the fact that ten years after its publication it is now clear that the debate on NWICO was not over one single issue but was related to the entire structure of world communication resources. It included such vital areas as international law, telecommunications, international trade and tariffs, transnational data flow, intellectual and artistic property rights, and the individual's right of privacy.
INVESTMENT NEEDED TOGETHER WITH APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGIES
The Round Table noted that economic and technological disparities still characterize the current international system. The rapid advances in communication technologies in the affluent parts of the world have widened the gap between the 'haves' and 'have-nots'. Urgent investment is needed to improve the weak communication infrastructure in many developing countries. Appropriate technologies must be developed in the countries of the South, and bilateral and multilateral programs should be initiated to remedy these disparities and imbalances. Such measures can be accelerated and accomplished only by harnessing knowledge, which requires systematic research in all areas of communication.
Furthermore there is a great need for education and training of media personnel at all levels.. The Round Table emphasized that such efforts must be made with a great deal of cultural sensitivity, leading to authentic indigenous forms of communication practices.
Recent technological developments and the globalisation of communication systems necessitate the creation of a multilateral regulatory framework for international communication. Towards this end the UN system should be better coordinated. There should be closer collaboration between such organizations as the United Nations Committee on Information (UNCI), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and other bodies.
In all these efforts, participation is the key. This includes access to the media, people's right of reply, and their involvement in the decision-making processes. All these are basic elements of the right freedom of expression.
The core of the MacBride Report lies in the conviction that communication is a basic human right. Communication is both an individual human need and a social necessity -- constituting the nervous system of society.
In pursuance of these and other questions, further MacBride Round Tables should be organized at regular intervals. To mobilise existing international resources, a network of interested non-governmental organizations is needed to promote dialogue on and advance new initiatives towards 'a new, more just and more efficient world information and communication order'.
Harare, 29 October 1989