The Old Fort Declaration embodies the joint commitment of more than 20 of Africa’s leading broadcasters to intensify their contribution to the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa. This historic pledge was the result of a three-day summit meeting of Africa broadcast leaders convened for the purpose of reviewing the contribution of broadcast media to the fight against HIV/AIDS and to explore ways of increasing the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS related communication and programming. The broadcast leaders concluded that broadcast media has a pivotal role to play in helping turn the tide of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa and resolved to redouble their effort.
ABMP Member Companies (as of September 2007):
The Old Fort Declaration on HIV/AIDS
African Broadcast Media Leaders’ Summit
Johannesburg, October 3-5, 2005
We, the leaders of Africa’s broadcast media, inspired by the spirit of the Old Fort that represents the victory of the against apartheid, acknowledge that the HIV/AIDS epidemic sweeping our continent and neighbouring island states is a threat to humankind and an urgent impediment to the future prospects and wellbeing of all our nations, undermining our efforts to build social capital and strong economic systems in our countries. However, it is also an opportunity to reaffirm our common humanity and to strengthen our bonds with one another.
Convinced that broadcast media have a critical role to play in the fight against HIV/AIDS and that African broadcasters can make a very important contribution to HIV/AIDS information dissemination, awareness, behaviour change, prevention, care and support in our countries, we therefore make the following commitments:
- To redouble our efforts to combat HIV/AIDS by ensuring
that our organisations at all levels understand HIV/AIDS
as a developmental, national and corporate priority, see
the importance of HIV/AIDS within the context of our public
broadcast mandates, business strategies and budgets, set
clear goals and targets, and lead by example through the
implementation in our organisations of appropriate HIV/AIDS
work place policies and programmes.
- To use our executive authority within our organisations
to make HIV/AIDS an integral part of our strategic business
plans and in so doing to prioritise the integration of
HIV/AIDS-related messaging and information across radio,
television and all new media platforms, and all programme
genres.
- To engage our governments on the strategic alignment
of HIV/AIDS communication with our national plans to combat
HIV/AIDS, and develop a complementary communications plan
for HIV/AIDS with targets, time frames and budgets.
- To adopt a people-centred approach to HIV/AIDS communication
and information, with understanding and in partnership
with the audiences we are targeting.
- To prioritise effective communication and programming
that targets children, youth, women, orphans and other
vulnerable groups who are at great risk for HIV/AIDS.
- To devote substantial and increased radio and television
broadcast airtime in both peak and shoulder periods and
utilise new media for all HIV/AIDS-related communication
and programming including public service announcements.
- To produce programmes that reduce stigma, and focus on
gender relations, high-risk sexual behaviour and the link
between poverty and HIV/AIDS .
- To work with partners in our own countries and in our regions to enhance our capacity and resources to produce research-driven programming and evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of our efforts so that we improve our contribution to combating HIV/AIDS.
To give effect to the above and, recognising that funding and capacity will be required to achieve these commitments, we further commit to an ongoing collaborative partnership with our fellow African broadcasters – to be known as the African Broadcast Media Partnership Against HIV/AIDS in collaboration with existing pan-African and regional broadcast organisations – with the following objectives:
- Increased and sustained communication, education and
information-sharing with regard to HIV/AIDS programming.
- Develop editorial policies and quality assurance guidelines
on HIV/AIDS-programming.
- Take proactive steps to secure self-funding for local
HIV/AIDS programming on radio and television.
- Collaborate with one another and with global partners
to advocate for and establish a funding and resource-sharing
mechanism for regional projects and co-productions that
are transparent, accountable and have clear goals.
- Establish more systematic and sustained interchange
among television and radio programme producers, and with
independent producers, to devise creative programme content,
develop innovative approaches to promoting HIV/AIDS messaging
and information across genres, and seek resonance with
local cultural, traditional and religious practices wherever
we can.
- More routine sharing of HIV/AIDS-relevant broadcast programme
material, and synchronised schedules, programme exchange
and easier access to HIV/AIDS-relevant rights-free broadcast
materials.
- Create opportunities for co-production and multi-country
production of HIV/AIDS-relevant materials.
- Provide technical and infrastructural support to enhance
in-country HIV/AIDS-relevant production capacity, broadcast
connectivity and mechanisms for extending audience reach.
- Take pro-active steps (for research, technical assistance,
seed funding and HIV/AIDS programming expertise) to enhance
in-country television and radio HIV/AIDS programming production
skills and the empowerment of talent.
- Ongoing research-based monitoring and evaluation of our HIV/AIDS programming with the purpose of continuously enhancing the impact on relevant audiences.
Lastly we, African broadcast leaders gathered at the Old Fort, Johannesburg, on this 5th day of October 2005, commit to holding ourselves and our organisations accountable for the pledges contained herein and for that purpose to meet again at the executive level in no more than 12 months from the date of this Declaration.
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