A delegation from the High Authority, headed by its President Ms. Amina Lemrini Elouhabi, and composed of Ms. Rabha Zeidguy, Ms. Khadija El Gour, members of Higher Council of the Audiovisual Communication, and Mr. Amin Azziman, International Cooperation Director, took part, the 23^rd February 2017 in Bandung (Indonesia), of the 5^th Annual Meeting of IBRAF (Organization of Islamic Cooperation Broadcasting Regulatory Authorities Forum), organized by the Indonesian broadcasting Commission (KPI).

Chaired by Mrs. Yuliandre Darwis and Hamit Ersoy, respectively President of the KPI and Secretary General of the IBRAF, the first session of the meeting was dedicated to the annual activity report of the forum and its members. It was within this framework that the main events of 2016 were presented by Ms.  Rabha Zeidguy, Ms. Khadija El Gour, who specifically examined the scope of the revision of the two laws regulating the audiovisual communication and the high authority, as well as the role of the HACA in framing the media coverage of October 2016 legislative elections, and the monitoring process of this coverage, of which the results had recently been publicly disclosed.

Discussions on the theme of this 5^th Annual meeting, which is “media literacy”, had been conducted with the participation of Ms. Amina Lemrini Elouahabi as a keynote speaker. This intervention underlined the pedagogic and political challenge of media literacy, because of its contribution in training independent citizens, with critical thinking when it comes to media content, thus able to participate to democratic development of their communities.  The historic development of media literacy as a global dynamic, the meaning of concepts, the consequent educational logics and choices either in school or in media themselves, and the role of regulators are topics that had been highlighted. A brief reminder revolved around the integration for the first time, within the framework of the new law (presented above), of a public service obligation to contribute in media literacy, and a new mission for the HACA, which is to encourage and ensure that audiovisual media are involved in the structuring citizen project.

Many topics regarding the Forum and its activities had been debated, such as:

• IBRAF membership enlargement, by the validation of accession of the Union of Comoros (Office de Radio et Télévision des Comores – ORTC) and Somalia (Office of information, Communication and Digital Economy Technologies). Thus, the number of IBRAF members will rise up to thirty two (32) institutions, including fourteen (14) African institutions;
• The implementation of an “Audiovisual Media Observatory of member states of the OIC” charged with creating a data base on audiovisual landscapes in those countries ;
• The planning of future activities, through the suggestion of many topics including the update of IBRAF Charter, proposed by the HACA. These proposals will be further refined by the end of May, within the framework of the elaboration of the agenda of Forum’s 6^th Annual Meeting.

Finally, presidency of the IBRAF was conferred to the Indonesian instance KPI, which has been unanimously supported to a reappointment for a further one year term. The 6^th Annual Meeting will be organized by one of the African member institutions, in compliance with the Charter of the Forum that foresees a geographic rotation of presidency among member-institutions of Africa, Arab World and Asia.

After the work sessions, participants discussed about the content of “Bandung Declaration on the role of media in promoting tolerance and in the fight against terrorism and islamophobia”. This Declaration, which has been recommended for adoption to the IBRAF at the end of the meeting of Information Ministers of OIC countries held in Djeddah from 19-22 December 2016, will be considered as definitively adopted in case no member-institution expresses an objection or proposes an amendment before 1^st May 2017.

It is to be noted that IBRAF’s 5^th Annual meeting has been preceded on Wednesday 22^nd February by an International Conference on: “Media in service of global harmony, in presence of several prominent politicians, media professionals and academics of national and international renown.

Intervening in the context of official opening session of the Conference, President of the HACA has particularly pointed out paradoxes of the world today in terms of progress and withdrawal attitudes, which generates discrimination and violence. She also made the connection between “the spirit of Bandung” (1995) in one hand, which calls for the promotion of Human Rights, understanding and solidarity between populations in their diversities, and the “Rabat Plan” (2012) in the other, as a result of a global consultation conducted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (HRHC) in favor of the fight against racial, national and religious hate speech, as well as the promotion of dialog, equality and tolerance principles. The role of traditional or new audiovisual media was considered, in light of this perspective, as determinant for the present and the future of the planet.

Ms. Lemrini Elouahabi seized the opportunity to provide information about the legal safeguards brought about by the law on audiovisual communication and the one regulating the HACA to guarantee pluralism of currents of thoughts and opinion, cultural, linguistic and social diversity, respect of equality between men and women and media literacy. Besides, she also indicated the related projects, launched within the framework of different audiovisual regulatory networks, particularly the francophone- REFRAM, the African-RIARC and the Mediterranean- RIRM.

International Conference organized by the KPI, and IBRAF 5^th Annual Meeting were attended by representatives of the fourteen (14) institutions of the following OIC member-states: Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Benin, Gambia, Indonesia, Iraq, Morocco, Mauritania, Mozambique, Somalia, Soudan, Turkey and Union of Comoros.