SUMMIT

Promoting Media Discussion on
Respect for Individual Humanity
Dr. Nafis Sadik
I am very happy to be here, because it allows me to thank AIBD, first of all for its excellent
work in training and developing broadcast skills; and secondly, for its iniave in bringing
us together from all over the region. This conference offers a rare opportunity for you to
step back from your busy lives and look at the big picture. I’m sure you are making the
most of it.
I would like to introduce three points that may help your discussion here:
First, the Asian world of the 21st century is changing more profoundly, and more quickly,
than at any me in the past.
Second, these changes call for fresh ways of thinking and creave ways of responding to
new challenges. All over the region, a conversaon is going on about economic stress,
internaonal migraon, globalizaon and a host of other subjects. There is even a discussion
about new ways to play cricket.
Finally, media across the region have a unique responsibility to help this conversaon
along and report on its results. As broadcasters, you are at the very heart of the economic
and social transformaon of the Asia-Pacific region.
When I was a child, a railway journey was a big adventure and listening to the “wireless”
was a novelty. Nowadays, we take it for granted that anyone can fly from Tehran to Tuvalu
in a few hours. News, ideas, approaches to the challenges of life go across naonal and
cultural borders at the speed of light. We are connected in ways that my parents could not
have dreamed of. My grandchildren can’t imagine living without the mobile phone and the
internet – not to menon Wii and Grand The Auto 4.
We have to remember first of all that Asia’s history is one of co-operaon and harmony.
We learned in school about bales and border wars, conquests and confrontaons, within
and outside the region – but co-existence, just as much as conflict, is part of the Asian way
of life. The 21st century presents new challenges such as HIV/AIDS and climate change,
and many old challenges in a new form, such as migraon; but we will be much more likely
to reach good soluons if we stress what we have in common, rather than what divides
us.
There are many problems and many differences. I was privileged to be part of the Alliance
of Civilizaons High-level Group, which reported in 2006. Our report points out that
people in many countries and cultures are under stress from economic, polical and
demographic changes, over which their leaders have lile direct control. The Report
acknowledges that tensions across cultures have spread beyond the polical level into the
hearts and minds of populaons; but polical leaders sll have an obligaon to act.
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