Southern African Journalists' Association
First Annual Meeting, July 18-19th 2002
Mbabane, Swaziland
SAJA welcomes the recent launch of the African Union and acknowledges it as a further step in the positive development of our continent.
SAJA asserts that it will cooperate and give support to all and any efforts undertaken by the African Union towards the development of a free and independent media in our continent, as well as the protection and preservation of journalistic independence throughout Africa.
SAJA calls on the member states of the African Union to support efforts by journalists and African media professionals to establish pluralist, professional and independent media systems throughout Africa.
SAJA notes that in many countries of Africa journalists work under intolerable conditions because of disregard of their professional, social and trade union rights.
SAJA calls for the removal of all obstacles, legal and political to the exercise of free and independent journalism in Africa and for the African Union to play a positive and practical role in promoting freedom of the press throughout the continent.
In particular, SAJA calls for African Union endorsement of the principles set out in the Windhoek Declaration of 1992 and for respect of all International Labour Organisation conventions and labour standards.
The annual meeting instructs the SAJA Executive Committee to prepare proposals on how SAJA members should engage with the African Union on these issues and with other initiatives for economic and political co-operation, including the New Africa Programme for Development, and the Southern African Development Community protocols.
Finally, SAJA believes that Africa-wide political co-operation can be invaluable in sustaining and developing free media and for that reason the process should be as inclusive as possible. In this regard, SAJA supports the call from media professionals in Madagascar for that country to be included in the African Union process.
Swaziland July 19, 2002