|
|
14 National Broadcasters Join Together for AIDS Awareness
The Kaiser Family Foundation
August 9, 2005
Representatives from fourteen national broadcast companies from across the Asia-Pacific Region gathered at UNDP Regional Centre in Bangkok today to launch of a co-production initiative to raise awareness about the impact of HIV/AIDS global health risk through the creation of media content.
The initiative was organised through a cooperative arrangement involving the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), UNDP's Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme (UNDP-APDIP), UNAIDS, UNICEF, UNDP Regional HIV Programme, MTV International and the Kaiser Family Foundation. This innovative and timely partnership will produce a series of made for television programmes to raise awareness of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Participating broadcast producers will create segments to be packaged together as a complete short-form programme that will be shared among all participating broadcasters to air in the different countries. The 'HIV/AIDS Reports' will focus on the implications of the epidemic in the contributing producer's home country with an emphasis on the human or social dimension. The programming will also be made available rights-free to all ABU member broadcasters.
The ABU, an organisation of national broadcasters from countries across the region, coordinated the involvement of broadcasters including Bangladesh Television; China Central Television; Doordarshan TV (India); PT Surya Citra Televisi, Indonesia; PT Indosiar Visual Mandiri Tbk, Indonesia; Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Berhad (TV3); Nepal Television; Geo Independent Media Corporation, Pakistan; Media Niugini; Papau New Guinea; ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation, Philippines; MediaCorp News, Singapore; EAP Networks (Pvt) Ltd - Swarnavahini (TV), Sri Lanka; National Broadcasting Services of Thailand (Channel 11); and Vietnam Television.
"The role of the media is very important in building understanding of HIV/AIDS prevention and to promote technology for the development of AIDS drugs," said Ms Tepin Craivanich, Channel 11, Thailand.
"HIV/AIDS prevention is not the sole responsibility of the government and health workers in China. Media has a role to play in preventing what could be a large disaster in the most populous country in the world," said Mr Xie Zheng, Sr. Producer, China Central Television International.
"The implementation of this initiative reflects the ABU's commitment to pro-social initiatives and the commitment we made in announcing our participation in the Global Media AIDS Initiative at MIPTV last April." ABU Secretary-General, David Astley, said. "The participation of some of our largest and most influential broadcasters demonstrates the increasing awareness of the media of our role and responsibility in perpetuating health and developmental agendas."
Commenting on the participation of his company with fellow broadcasters from across the region, Mr Tanka Upreti of Nepal Television said, "It is a brainstorming among prominent communicators."
UNDP-APDIP are supporting the project by providing content advisory assistance and by coordinating responses and support from sister UN agencies and other international developmental organisation.
"This initiative involving various UN agencies in partnership with 14 national broadcasters, multi-lateral organisations and the private sector is a clear demonstration of the collective need and urgent measures required to address this epidemic in the region. This is the first of many steps we hope to forge and encourage in the region." Shahid Akhtar, Programme Coordinator, UNDP APDIP added.
The Kaiser Family Foundation, is supporting the project by providing substantive expertise on HIV/AIDS and approaches to reporting on the disease. Jackie Judd, a Vice President at Kaiser who led sessions during the meeting about reporting on HIV/AIDS said, "the media is a great untapped resource in the fight against HIV/AIDS. This unique collaboration has the potential to reach millions of people in a part of the world confronting the tremendous consequences of this epidemic."
MTV International is supporting the initiative by playing the role of executive producer, providing technical support to the participating producers and drawing on the achievement of its long-running Staying Alive campaign.
"This partnership is a key building block in encouraging and training broadcasters about raising awareness of HIV and AIDS," said Bill Roedy, Vice Chair, MTV Networks. "Crucially, these workshops enable the broadcasters to develop a series of rights-free shared programming, which will reach millions of people across the Asia-Pacific."
|
|
