50 FM Radio Stations Establish Peace Community

According to this online news article, over 50 FM radio stations from across Pakistan have established a formal community of peace on air and pledged to use the airwaves in the service of promoting peace, development, and social empowerment of communities.

The establishment of 'The Radio Partnership for Peace' was announced at the first "National Summit of FM Radio Stations" in Islamabad, Pakistan, June 2010. "In the first phase, the Radio Partnership of Peace will include 60 FM radio stations, of which 51 were represented by their senior management present at the summit, and in the coming months will be joined by all the 130 FM stations currently on air in Pakistan." The summit included independent radio stations, government-run FM stations, university campus stations, and other community stations such as the FM stations run by the Islamabad Traffic Police. The summit was conducted by Intermedia, an independent Pakistani media support organisation specialising in advocacy, research, and training on media issues.

Stations from all regions of Pakistan, including: Balochistan; Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir; Punjab; Sindh; and the federal capital, Islamabad, met for the first time to share experiences and to develop ideas to improve professional standards. The summit discussed the positive role of FM radio in community service across Pakistan in recent years and discussed various ways to strengthen this role, to raise the profile nationally and internationally, and to document this positive role. The summit also formally launched the project "Radio For Peace Building", which is supported by Search For Common Ground (SFCG), and will be implemented by Intermedia and Uks Research Centre. "Under the project, among other things, a web portal will be established to showcase the richness and diversity of the FM radio sector in Pakistan to principally serve as a platform to share the success stories, various radio programs, ideas and various developments in the sector."

Radio Partnership of Peace is intended to become a united voice of peace and development in local communities across Pakistan through training, coaching, and technical assistance for the members of the new alliance of FM radio stations of the country. Intermedia and Uks will offer a range of services, facilitation, training, and technical assistance to all the current and future members of Radio Partnership For Peace, according to a memorandum of understanding signed by representatives of all 50 radio stations present.