III Meeting of the Regulatory Entities’ Platform for Media, from the Countries and Territories of Portuguese Language – REP
The State Secretariat for Media (SoSM) organized in Dili, in Hotel Timor between September 29th and October 3rd, the III Meeting of the Regulatory Entities’ Platform for Media, from the Countries and Territories of Portuguese Language – REP.
On this meeting, supported by the European Union Media Program – Delegate Cooperation in Portugal – financed by the European Development Fund (EDF), were also present representatives of media regulatory entities from seven Portuguese Speaking countries (Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe and Timor-Leste).
The aim of this meeting was to promote a reflection on the existing media regulatory models in the lusophone space, as well as to look for the best ways of bilateral and multilateral cooperation, based on the specific needs of the media sector in each one of the due countries.
It was also on this 3rd meeting that Timor-Leste, through the Secretary of State for Media, Nélio Isaac Sarmento, took on the Presidency of the REP for the year of 2015, until then held by São Tomé and Príncipe.
The first session was open to the public, the second was only attended by REP delegations and by the observers to the meeting or candidate members of the Platform and, the public closing session took place on the last day.
At the closing ceremony, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed, between the State Secretariat for Media of Timor-Leste, and the Regulatory Entity for Media, from Portugal (portuguese acronym ERC), represented by the Secretary of State for Media, Nélio Isaac Sarmento, and the ERC Chairman, Carlos Magno.
The cooperation established by this Memorandum ofUnderstanding involves the training of personnel, through actions and initiatives on issues related to the regulation of Media and through cooperation on the process of the establishment and settlement of the independent administrative regulatory entity in the Media sector of Timor-Leste.
According to Nélio Isaac Sarmento, this Memorandum "will assist the Government of Timor-Leste to strengthen the new Higher Press Council which will be established. We also expect the support of other Member States of the CPLP". According to Carlos Magno, this was the materialization of the intention for cooperation between both countries.
During the closing session, the Dili Declaration was signed, sumarizing the work carried-out, and stating that the next meeting of the REP will be hosted by the Portugal's Regulatory Entity for Media, in 2015.
