AMARC and more than 25 years of community media activism

Abstract

Founded in 1983, AMARC, the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters, is a global network of stations, federations and community media stakeholders that promotes the use of community radio as a tool for social and cultural development. It advocates for the right to communicate at all levels, from the global to the local, and the creation of equitable, democratic and participatory development. This article provides an overview of both AMARC’s general objectives and its recent initiatives. Among the initiatives that took place for its 25th anniversary, AMARC promoted the 14 Principles for Community Broadcasting in Latin America, summarizing what governments should consider in order to implement legislation enabling community media. It also organised a pan-European conference in Bucharest that highlighted the recent progresses at the policy level, as well as the need for further lobbying in the countries that have still no legal and regulatory frameworks for community radio. Globally, the association has developed a gender policy for community radio and for the media landscape, in recognition of the role of the media in promoting women’s equality. Finally, AMARC undertook research on the impact of community radio with a project consisting of three elements: an assessment of the state of community radio in each country where it is present, an evaluation of AMARC and its partners’ effectiveness in working to support community radio, and a preliminary effort to assess the development impact of community radio worldwide.