KATHMANDU: A two-day communications conference entitled ‘journalists’ role in nation’s building’ organized by the SAARC Journalists Forum (SJF) in India concluded by issuing a seven-point Delhi declaration.

The event held on January 11 and 12 was supported by the Gautam Budhha University based in Greater Noida, India. It came up with commitments for promoting the freedom of the Press and the expression by strengthening media norms, values, codes and principles. It insisted on the role of media to explore voices of voiceless in media.

According to Forum International Chair Raju Lama, the Conference has urged all governments in the SAARC nations to make steps in favor of the freedom of the Press and of expression and journalists’ professional rights, security and wellbeing.

It has urged the bodies concerned to recognize increasing Mass communications and journalism industry in the SAAR region as the ‘Fourth Estate’.

The event urges corporate agencies in the SAARC nations to abide by norms, values and integrity, and cultivate the thinking for pro-people and sovereign nation’s building for advancing towards social transformations.

It also wants the entire governments in the SARRC to contribute for establishing durable peace to advance towards development, progress and stability.

The event witnessed paper presentations on around 50 parallel themes.

Indian Institute of Mass Communications (IIMC) Director General Prof Dr Sanjay Dwivedi and University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr RK Sinha addressed the inaugural session while the concluding session was attended by India’s Minister for Industry Minister Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey.

The Conference endorsed an organizational report presented by Forum General Secretary Mohammad Abdur Rahman.

It has re-constituted a committee for India chapter under the leadership of Dr Anirudh Kumar Sudhamshu and nominated Prof Dr Smrita Mishra in the vacant post of international committee.

SFJ Nepal chapter coordinator Prakash Silwal led a 20-member team to the Conference. The next SJF Conference has been scheduled to take place in Dhaka of Bangladesh next year.

RSS