It is a privilege for me to be serving as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan at a time when this country is working very hard to get back on its feet after many years of conflict and destruction.

It is particularly significant that as part of this process you open today this seminar aimed at promoting independent and pluralistic media in Afghanistan. UNAMA congratulates Minister Raheen and Deputy-Minister Mubarez for this initiative and thanks the sponsors for making it possible. UNAMA is honoured for having had the opportunity to support the seminar, particularly with so many Afghan and international experts, including participants from several of this country’s provinces.

I could try to tell you how necessary it is that there is a pluralistic approach to communication and that independence of the media is a key element of such an approach.

But I will not do that. And I will not do that because I think that you already know it.

As women and men who remained in Afghanistan and suffered during these years of conflict or as individuals who were away but followed the struggle and heroism of the Afghan people, you know the importance of free access to multiple sources of information. How important it was for Afghans living in some small hamlet to turn on their short wave radio and listen to the news available in more than one radio broadcast, offering different perspectives. That little radio in some mountain village was a lifeline for many Afghans during these years of isolation.

Perhaps more than any other people, Afghans understand and know the importance and value of independent information.

Today, I encourage you to have a good, frank and open debate. The benefit of experience from other lands is very important, but let us not lose sight of the fact that you are discussing the development of media in a very specific context – Afghanistan with its unique history, culture, needs, limitations and wishes. An Afghanistan that wants, as President Karzai said, to be prosperous and secure, with a credible State, an efficient and transparent government, and a well-developed civil society with democratic institutions.

The media sector, as we know, has a very important role to play in this effort. In a message earlier this year on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, the United Nations Secretary-General, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UNESCO Director-General reminded us that “the media must search for and publicize the truth, present information and views impartially, consider their words and images carefully, and uphold high standards of professional conduct. A responsible press,” they said, “is a self-regulated press. The temptation to impose drastic regulation upon the media must be resisted.”

The policy directions paper issued by the Ministry of Information and Culture in June outlines an ambitious agenda to develop the media sector in Afghanistan. This seminar can make important contributions to those ideas and propose clear plans for action.

Changes, however, will not come from one day to the next. They require commitment and determination to stay the course because the road ahead is long. But walking such a road will certainly be a more momentous journey than the path of war and destruction that Afghans had to endure for more than two decades. It will be a more momentous journey because this time Afghans are re-building their country with the benefit of the lessons of the past - lessons that certainly show them that respect for human rights in general and women’s rights in particular is one of the key foundations for a just society.

Finally, a word to those donors and NGOs that have been supporting both state and non-state media. UNAMA extends a warm thanks to you, with the hope that you will continue providing assistance aiming at the sustainable development of Afghan media. For its part, UNAMA will continue to work with and support the Afghan media sector; though there have been accomplishments and improvements, needs are still quite significant.

I hope that your deliberations will be fruitful and I wish you a successful seminar.

Kabul, 3 September 2002

Copyright © United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA)