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African Broadcast Media Partnership Against HIV/AIDS (ABMP)

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The African Broadcast Media Partnership Against HIV/AIDS (ABMP) is a pan-African coalition of broadcast companies that aims to reinvigorate and increase the effectiveness of broadcast media's contribution to the fight against HIV/AIDS. The Partnership has committed to dedicating 5% of daytime airtime to HIV/AIDS-related programming and messaging and to work together on a coordinated pan-African public education campaign.
Communication Strategies

Inspired by United Nations Secretary General's call to action under the Global Media AIDS Initiative, the ABMP aims to create a structured framework for leveraging broadcast media resources with the goal of significantly expanding HIV/AIDS-related broadcast programming across Africa. The leadership for the initiative comes from the broadcast companies working together towards a common commitment to step up efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

ABMP signatory companies, which consist of both public and private broadcasters, have pledged to dedicate approximately one hour per day to HIV/AIDS content. This content is integrated across all genres, including news, public affairs, drama, and entertainment programming. The commitment of broadcasters is defined by an alignment of interests and expectations; airtime is not purchased for placement of HIV/AIDS messaging and companies are committed to leveraging existing resources for increased HIV/AIDS communication. Organisers expect that, as influential opinion leaders in their respective communities, media leaders' active engagement in the fight against HIV/AIDS also sends a powerful signal to policymakers and other stakeholders about the importance of a collaborative and intensified response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

ABMP's objective is to promote a new paradigm in the broadcast industry's approach to HIV/AIDS-content based on:

  • Promotion of a business-centred approach incorporating HIV/AIDS as part of broadcasters' core business and ensuring integration of HIV/AIDS-related messages and themes across all programme formats and schedules;

    By taking a business-centred approach, the ABMP seeks to:

    • mainstream HIV/AIDS-related communication and programming;
    • leverage existing programme formats and broadcast resources in support of increased HIV/AIDS-related communication;
    • provide for sustainability of the approach and the stepped up effort.
  • A consistent pan-African HIV/AIDS-related communications framework targeting key HIV-reduction behaviours and with measurable HIV-prevention-related outcomes.



To meet its goals, the ABMP facilitates two streams of content development within the pan-African strategic HIV/AIDS communication framework:

  • Core content (generally public service announcement (PSAs) and short format programming) centrally developed with creative input from the signatory companies and distributed rights-free across all signatory companies;
  • Company content developed by signatory companies integrating the key messages and themes of the HIV/AIDS strategic communications framework across existing programme formats



The project website compiles information about the campaign, partner organisations, and resources for broadcasters.

Development Issues

HIV/AIDS.

Key Points

The ABMP aims to embrace all African countries and to include both public and commercial broadcasters.

AMBP is based on the Old Fort Declaration signed in October 2005 at a summit of African broadcast leaders.

Click here access this document in English [PDF].

Click here to access this document in French [PDF].

Click here to access this document in Portuguese [PDF].

Partners

Kaiser Family Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Coca-Cola Africa Foundation, Nelson Mandela Foundation, Ford Foundation.

Sources

Broadcast HIV Africa website on January 30 2007 and March 5 2009; and the ABMP document [PDF], accessed March 28 2007.

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