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One of the areas of competence of Unesco being in the field of Communication, the National Communication Committee of the Uganda National Commission for Unesco is responsible for the realization of Unesco's activities in this field. It is concerned with the promotion of "free flow of ideas by word and image" and with the "freedom of expression and freedom of information" at national level. This falls in line with what is enshrined in the Uganda National Constitution, 1995 which stipulates "every person shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression, which shall include freedom of the press and other media".
By fulfilling this mandate, the Communication Committee wanted to ensure that as wide a public segment as possible would be able to freely express themselves and in return, get access to information so disseminated. Again, this is a Constitution Provision stating that "every citizen has a right of access to information in the possession of the state or any other organ or agency of the State except where the release of the information is likely to prejudice the security or sovereignty of the State or interfere with the right to the privacy of any other person". |
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The national provision reinforces Unesco's Constitutional mandate
of widening access to information. Although Unesco is international Organisation,
its activities are carried out for the benefit of Member States - hence,
for example, its mandate to strengthen communication and information capacities
in less developed Member States in order to enable all nations and communities
to actively participate in the world of communication process and not just
be spectators.
During the period under review, the National Communication Committee, in conjunction with other stakeholders, undertook a lot of activities related to its area of competence. Between February 1998 and January 1999 it worked closely, courtesy of technical assistance from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) office in Kampala, the Regional Unesco office in Nairobi Kenya, and with the Directorate of Information, Office of the President, Kampala, to help the Government of Uganda formulate a National Information and Communication for Development Policy Framework. The Policy envisaged empowering the public at all levels in society to have access to information and participate in designing and utilization of information relevant to their development needs. The committee further actively got involved in organization and running of a five day Regional Workshop on "Promoting Community Media in Africa", sponsored by Unesco. It took place in Kampala in June 1999 and chaired by the Chairperson, Uganda National Communication Committee. Participants came from Africa, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean. Case studies from those regions highlighted the relevance of Community media vis a vis mass media in reaching the communities with appropriate developmental information. At the beginning of 2001, the committee, in conjunction with Unesco Nairobi office, undertook to help Uganda Government develop mechanisms for transforming its public service broadcasting media into an autonomous body called Uganda Broadcasting Agency (UBA) with total editorial Independent. A write-up was made to that effect. For three years now, the Committee has been involved in a Multipurpose Telecenter (MCT) pilot project at Nakaseke, Luwero District. Unesco, ITU and IDRC support the project and its main aim was to test and demonstrate the role of information and communication resources as catalyst for rural development. The center was equipped with library, computer, photocopier, telephone, fax, video etc. to enable the local community to easily and quickly access information. Other MCT projects were extended to Nabweru and Buwama. At a later stage, these three MCTs plus Radio Kagadi and Radio Apac were to be integrated into Community Radios to form a network of Community Multimedia Centers (CMCs) to provide the rural people with an interactive medium of communication. This can also enhance the participation of a large percentage of the population, albeit illiterate. Another activity in which the committee got actively involved from October 1999 to date is the process of formulation of a National Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Policy. The chairperson of the communication committee is part of the National Task Force, formed and coordinated by the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST), for that purpose. The project is supported by Unesco, IDRC, UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) etc. The National Task Force prepared a working document and organized a National Workshop in Kampala in September 2000 to get wide inputs on the ICT policy. On every World Press Freedom Day 3 May, the committee interact actively with the media - both Public and Private. This is in the spirit of the Windhoek Declaration of 3 May 1991 on "Promoting an Independent and Pluralistic African Press".
Most of the activities undertaken by the communication committee have been completed. The National Information and Communication for Development Policy Framework 1998-99, is now in a White Paper draft form. Also successfully imple-mented in Uganda is the spirit of the Windhoek Declaration on Promitong and independent and Pluralistic African Press. The media in Uganda are among the freest and pluralistic in the world, certainly in Africa. Whereas ten years ago there were only the public broadcasting media - Radio Uganda and Uganda Television, there are now 35 Radio and Six T.V. Stations operating in the country. In all, to date up to 70 Radio and 14 TV applications have been approved and granted permission by the Broadcasting Council, to operate. Newspapers have equally been mushrooming throughout the country. The integration of community radios into the existing CMCs of Nakaseke, Nabweru and Buwama and integration into Kagadi and Apac Radios has been achieved. Further more, a document on the formulation of the National ICT Policy has been finalized after a series of consultation with both international and local experts. It will be presented to a final National Workshop on the same in the near future. |
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For centuries journalism has, when performing at its best, been the craft through which skilled writer-reporters working for organizations financially powerful enough to afford expensive print, recording and broadcasting infrastructures have tapped into authoritative, trusted sources and followed events closely in order to provide information to the public. But now the rules of the game are changing. Today, via the Internet, where users as well as creators of web sites can contribute news, members of the public are often performing the jobs traditionally reserved for the media. This is but the latest breakthrough in technology which has helped pluralize control of the media. As technology improves, it generally gets easier to learn how to wield the tools of the trade. At the same time, costs of setting up a news service have overall dropped. Small TV, radio, print and online news outlets have proliferated. More points of view are being aired than ever before. |
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