® Southern African Development Community SECTION II INFORMATION ARTICLE 17 OBJECTIVES In fulfilment of the principles of this Protocol, State Parties shall co-operate in the area of information in order to attain the following objectives: a) co-operate and collaborate in the promotion, establishment and growth of community, commercial, public, regional and global media for free flow of information; b) strengthen public information institutions to be effective gatherers and disseminators of information and news; c) develop and promote regional culture, opinion and talent by increasing local content in the media such as magazines, radio, television, video, film and new information technologies; d) take positive measures to narrow the information gap between the rural and urban areas by increasing the coverage of the mass media, whether private, public or community-based; e) encourage the use of indigenous languages in the mass media as vehicles of promoting local, national and regional inter-communication; f) ensure that the media are adequately sensitised on gender issues so as to promote gender equality and equity in information dissemination; g) build public faith and accountability in information institutions by enhancing local, national and regional ownership; h) turn organs of communication into genuine and credible market places of ideas by encouraging diversity, breadth and professionalism in ownership and editorial policy; i) place communication at the disposal of communities, nation-states and SADC for the articulation and development of a tolerant, multicultural, multi-ethnic and multilingual regional culture in the global context; Protocol on Culture,Information and Sport 12