For Immediate Release
10 April 2013: To All Media
Meeting
with reporters and media editors in Banjul, The Gambia today, representatives
of the Department of Political Affairs of the African Union and the African Centre
for Democracy and Human RightsStudies shared their plans to engage citizens
across Africa in public dialogue about human rights and the protection of
personal freedoms at all levels of African societies.
Dr.
Hannah Forster, Executive Director of the African Centre for Democracy and
Human Rights Studies, Dr. Salah HamnadSiddiq, human rights expert, Department
of Political Affairs of the African Union,and Dr. AlieuBadaraSajaTaal, Senior
Lecturer Department of Political Science University of the Gambia, met with media representatives to discuss values
critical to Africa’s integration and unity such as freedom of expression and
freedom of association.
The
briefing was held as a side event at the 53rd Ordinary Session of
the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, at the Kairaba Beach Hotel
in Banjul.
“We
at the African Union are committed to bringing the concept of African Shared
Values to the people of Africa, in ways that they can understand and accept,”
saidDr. Salah HammadSiddiq, human rights expert for the African Union
Commission. “Shared Values are the basic
beliefs, ideals and principles that we as Africans agree can best unite our
countries and our continent,’ Hammad explained.
“For
more than six months now, we have been travelling the continent talking with people
about Shared Values to better understand what they think are the essential values we need to follow in order to create a
united, peaceful and prosperous Africa.,” Hammad added. “We at the African Union aim to get Africans
at all levels excited and committed to Shared Values – values such as freedom
of expression, freedom of speech, solidarity between nations, respect for
differences, and supporting each other in times of need, despite national
borders.”
The
Department of Political Affairs of the African Union is sponsoring a series of
Shared Values Conversations in major cities of Africa through September of this
year. Future Conversations are
currently planned in Addis Ababa, Nairobi and Johannesburg – with the plans to add other cities later.
According
to Hammad, reporters and broadcasters are critical partners in helping the African
Union communicate the importance of Shared Values, especially to Africa’s
future generation. “Those of you working
as reporters, editors or producers today can play a critical role with us in
reaching the African leaders of tomorrow – and to encourage their commitment to values-based decision-
making,” Hammad said. “Together with us, we can realize a future in which a
universal set of values underlie the governance of most African countries.“
Hammad
also called upon members of the media to sponsor their own dialogues with the
public – such as through radio call-in programmes or through social media
forums – in order to hear from people of diverse outlooks. He challenged reporters to use their
positions to introduce African Shared Values into everyday thinking and
everyday living, in The Gambia and elsewhere.
Forster
called upon the media to work with organizations like the African Union and the
ACDHRS to learn more about human rights and the protections provided under many
countries’ laws, and to work with NGOs in educating the African public about
democracy and human rights.
Dr.
Taal, on his part noted that the future of Africa’s unity depends on its
citizens. Media has big role in
educating the public about the importance of African Unity.
###
The
Department of Political Affairs of the African Union sponsors an African Shared
Values website: www.africansharedvalues.org. Those interested can visit this website to
engage in online discourse about Shared Values.
You will also find a list of the African Shared Values on this website.
African
Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies website is: www.acdhrs.org
African
Shared Values can also be debated via social media, as explained below.
.
Online Media Dialogue
Any
reporter, presenter, editor or producer can participate in the media dialogue
online. Simply post your questions or
comments on our Banjul forum by April 11, 2013 at: www.http://www.africansharedvalues.org/en/forum.
Questions
and comments will be addressed and shared during the face-to- face media
dialogue as well as answered online.
For Further Information Contact:
Mikias
Sissay, +2206759756msissay@gmail.com
George
Christiansen, +220 3711777, goryombul@gmail.com
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