Tariqul for more equitable share of globalisation benefit

Information Minister Tariqul Islam yesterday focussed on the need for a more equitable share of the benefit of globalisation for the developing counties.

He was speaking on 'the impact of globalisation on media and broadcasting' at the First Conference of Ministers on Information and Broadcasting in Asia and Pacific held in Bangkok, according to a message received here.

The minister highlighted both the opportunities and the challenges facing the media and the broadcasting industry in the wake of globalisation.

The two-day conference was organised by the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) in collaboration with the Thai government, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), UNESCO and UN-ESCAP.

Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand Wissanu Krea-Ngam chaired the ministerial session.

Tariqul called for increased use of the media and broadcasting infrastructure to alleviate poverty, eradicate diseases, promote human rights, gender parity and literacy, and educate people about their rights.

The minister pointed out how digital divide is widening the gap between the South and the North, between the poor and the rich.

The blessings of the technology that scaled down the world into a global village, he said, could not have been more true in its essence and meaning if its fruits could also be brought to the distressed and the needy.

The information minister said the current international system at the economic, technical and information levels does not ensure the common benefits to the global population.

He urged the developed countries to help the developing countries strengthen their information and communication infrastructure and capacity building.

Tariqul also emphasised the need for cooperation among the developing countries to preserve their values, culture, heritage and tradition.

He said the government of Bangladesh is committed to the principles of democracy and to the freedom of the press and media.

The print and electronic media, he said, enjoy a wide range of freedom.

The minister also said that the private TV and radio broadcasters in Bangladesh had also set a qualitative competition for the public broadcasting services.

The public stations, on the other hand, broadcast in a very transparent way, he added.

On Tuesday, the information minister led the Bangladesh delegation at the inaugural session of the conference.

The delegation included Bangladesh Ambassador to Thailand Hemayetuddin, Dr Rezwan Siddiqui, Director General of PIB, and Mohammad Saifullah, Additional Chief Engineer of BTV.