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Broadcasters'
Declaration
World Broadcasting
Unions (WBU), World Summit on the Information Society
December 09, 2003
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Statements
from broadcasters representing the world's main regions:
Katsuji Ebisawa,
for Asia-Pacific
Comments on Article 4 of the Broadcasters' Declaration.
Broadcasting is
a form of culture that has made constant progress since its birth
in the 20th century, incorporating the most advanced technologies
of the times. Assimilating technological benefits, radio has enhanced
its services, while television has evolved from black and white to
colour broadcasting, and further to "Hi-Vision" HDTV broadcasts.
Now, the world of broadcasting is faced with a sweeping transformation
from analogue to digital services.
This digitalization
of broadcasts is a global task. With the line between broadcasting
and telecommunications vanishing as a result of digital advancements,
television in the 21st century, with its capacity to transcend national
borders, is becoming a general information terminal in each household
that enables family members to access telecom lines for information,
not to mention viewing broadcast programs.
Broadcasting
has great potential to make specific content available for many
in real-time. Through broadcasts, mankind nowadays can instantly
share wide-ranging information on such global issues as population,
food, energy and other resources, the environment, and education.
As you will experience later on, through broadcasting we can share
delight at the magnificent natural beauty of the earth relayed live
from Antarctica, a continent called the window on the environment,
while taking the opportunity to start working together for the sake
of preserving the planet. Broadcasting thus has the power to enhance
social cohesion among a diverse audience.
Broadcasting
can also play a vital role, in conjunction with international events,
in advancing regional culture and public welfare. Last year, we
at the APBU, or the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, launched the
annual "Asia-Pacific Robot Contest," an event hosted on
a rotating basis and aired in relevant countries and regions. This
year, students of 20 universities from 19 countries and regions
got together in Bangkok, Thailand, to match their wits and ingenuity
using robots of their own creation. I believe this new initiative
has tapped a rich potential in science and technology, as well as
offered an opportunity for youngsters to cultivate their creativity
while nurturing their dreams and hopes.
We broadcasters
have to continue to enhance our services by drawing from the digital
edge. This spirit was confirmed at the recent General Assembly of
the APBU held in Istanbul, a city called the crossroad of culture
between East and West, when we resolved to promote exchange of information
on digital broadcasts both in terms of engineering and production,
so that people in the ABU region may share the benefits of digitalization
at the earliest possible date. We also confirmed that we do this
in concert with the European Broadcasting Union. Through these endeavors,
we would like to make the utmost efforts to help diminish and prevent
the "digital divide" information gap, in our ongoing quest
to enhance broadcasting services around the globe.
I believe there
is rising momentum now for the creation of a world in which mankind
will appreciate different cultures and respect different values
through broadcasting. It is increasingly important for us broadcasters
to embrace such perceptions of this time, and provide quality information
that will help enrich people's lives in such fields as education
and medicine, and that will help us secure world peace, from a public
point of view and with lofty aspirations.
We broadcasters
must dedicate ourselves to the promotion of dialogue among civilizations
and enhance mutual understanding, as our principal mission in the
digital society of the 21st century.
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