PARAMARIBO, Suriname (CMC) — The Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM) Friday said the ongoing crisis in Haiti is inarguably the most urgent Caribbean humanitarian concern.

“It is an issue of immediate, daily concern to the region as a whole and to adjoining Caribbean states through its contribution to irregular migration flows and the now widely acknowledged association of social and political disorder in Haiti, with the trafficking in people, arms, and illicit drugs,” the regional media grouping said.

In a briefing note on Haiti to be submitted to the secretariats of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Caribbean Community (Caricom), the ACM also outlined a number of recommendations to aid media workers, particularly women in the French-speaking Caricom country where criminal gangs are seeking to overthrow the Government.

The ACM will table the briefing note at the meeting next week in Germany of IFEX, formerly International Freedom of Expression Exchange, a global network of more than 120 independent non-governmental organisations dedicated to the defence and promotion of human freedom of expression as a human right.

ACM said its position on Haiti is guided by the findings of a team it constituted to investigate the state of press freedom in Haiti in the face of ongoing violent conflict and instability.

“It follows a series of consultations with key Haitian operatives and agencies, with an interest in press freedom. There is a need for a far more comprehensive and detailed study, but we believe our findings have captured most of the main issues at this time,” said the team that was led by its former president, Wesley Gibbings.

The ACM said it believes that a “combination of proactive and reactive measures is required”, noting that the proactive measures are necessary “to ensure that the deepening of systemic weaknesses does not escalate to situations in which reactive measures are required to address the outcomes of violence and other instances in which press freedom comes under threat and attack.

“We recognise that some of this relies heavily on the enlightened intervention of regional and international players in the process of addressing the current crisis but propose that the state of media in Haiti constitutes a key condition in the identifying of sustainable solutions.”

In its recommendations, the ACM proposes continued action to restore democratic institutions to acceptable levels in the county and that greater attention be paid by all major regional and international players to the state of media in Haiti with a focus on measures to assure their continued viability.

It said that all official missions to assess country conditions should include specialists in this area of concern and that international non-governmental organisations focused on media development and press freedom “should conduct an assessment of industry needs in the country and assist in assuring the financial sustainability of media enterprises, key professionals engaged in the practice of journalism, and representative organisations such as SOS Journalistes”.

The ACM said that numerous media professionals have fled Haiti and sought refuge in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, and elsewhere and is, therefore, calling”on all countries involved, and following due process, to facilitate their easy passage and settlement.

“We urge Caribbean media professionals to provide assistance to Haitian colleagues through greater collaboration on stories of relevance to the country, and call on regional media houses to ensure due financial compensation is offered to collaborating Haitian colleagues,” the ACM said, noting there needs to be focused attention on the role of women journalists in Haiti through channels of direct financial and other support.

“Media development agencies should also conduct an assessment of the impact of the current conflict on such journalists and media workers. Greater focus should also be placed on the situation with the numerous media enterprises that operate in areas outside of the capital city that currently rely heavily on dispatches from main operators in Port-au-Prince,” the ACM said, adding, “It is not inconceivable that their role will grow in significance as the national crisis persists.

It said mechanisms, involving regional and international agencies, for prompt responses to journalists and media workers in distress should be determined and include the provision of legal, medical, and financial assistance.

“There should be urgent financial and psychological assistance to women journalists and other media workers who have been attacked and/or have lost their livelihoods as a result of the grave risks to the women of Haiti,” the ACM added.