The first World Electronic Media Forum – WEMF (Geneva – Swiss, December 2003), affirmed
the vital importance of radio and television in the Information Society. WEMF II (Tunis, November
2005) did built on this affirmation through focused discussions on the role of the electronic media in the digital age – for example in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, in guaranteeing cultural diversity, in preserving audiovisual archives or in promoting Journalists Safety in zones of conflict.
Broadcasters, academics and decision makers from around the globe discussed these and other issues before submitting their conclusions to the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan and to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).
The President of COPEAM and ASBU, Habib Chawki Hamraoui, took part as panellist in the
Session devoted to “Cultural diversity and dialogue of civilisations in the Information Society”, where the media’s function in preserving cultural diversity and fostering a dialogue among civilizations has been discussed. May new technologies risk to encourage cultural homogenization, or the prevalence of some cultures to the detriment of others? How can they be used to enhance the diversity, representation and understanding of different cultures? Mr. Hamraoui lamented the distortion in the media’s presentation of information.
Since ten countries monopolized information, they could “bombard the world with confrontational
values,” he said. He decried the fact that Western programmes were devoid of ethical or educational content. Another important Session has been the one devoted to “Safety of journalists in zones of
conflict”. Starting from the urgency of this topic, the final day WEMF saw participants ask United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, to convey to the international community one key message: the need to improve the security and physical integrity of journalists, media staff and associates in situations of armed conflict. The Forum invited the Security Council to adopt a resolution ensuring that killings of reporters will be punished as a grave form of war crime. Finally, during WEMF’s Concluding Session, the key participants in all preceding sessions, such as H.C. Hamraoui, draw together their messages for the UN Chief, Kofi Annan, in order to transmit them to the Heads of State and Government attending the WSIS (World Summit on the Information Technology) who are
invited to “Develop the information society in the spirit of freedom of expression, pluralism, cultural diversity and public service as set out in the Broadcasters’ Declaration of 2003” and to “Affirm the vital role of the media as communicators of information, exchange and dialogue between cultures, and of public service broadcasters in particular as having a particular duty of technical and programme innovation”.