Dutch parliamentarians in Ghana

Accra, Nov. 8, GNA - The Dutch Parliament (Second Chamber) will this week discuss the need to support media in developing countries to be independent and focus on developmental issues instead of concentrating on political and commercial news. The need to support the media in developing countries is one of the 14 proposals adopted by an organization called: The Third Chamber, a Netherlands based organization that advocates strengthened political support for development cooperation between Europe and developing countries.

The Third Chamber, which acts as a shadow parliament in the Netherlands is made up of 150 volunteers: 120 from the Netherlands and 30 representing various developing countries.

All members of The Third Chamber work on one or more proposals to improve the Dutch policy for international development cooperation. The proposal titled: "Good Governance through Support free and Independent media in developing countries," was jointly done by Mr Niek Jaspers, a retired medical doctor who is currently working on a providing preventive healthcare for the elderly in the Netherlands and Miss Hannah Asomaning, a Ghanaian Journalist working with the Ghana News Agency (GNA)

The 14 proposals adopted by the Third Chamber would be offered to the Dutch government, politicians and companies to source funding for their implementation in various developing countries. Other proposals adopted by the Third Chamber includes: support for HIV/AIDS patients in developing countries, Bursaries for teachers in developing countries, support for Education and Enterprise, improving local farming as a key to development and sustainable tourism as an instrument for poverty alleviation.

Mrs Marijke Koeman, Policy Advisor at the Radio Netherlands World Service, an organization that provides training for journalist in some developing countries pointed out that training was key to improving media independence in developing countries.

She noted that there had always been a fundamental misunderstanding about the role on the media in developing countries between politicians and the media and said education and quality training was important to define the role of the media.

Mrs Koeman suggested the need for public media houses in developing countries where the citizens pay separate taxes for the development of the media and explained that when such things were carried out it would enhance the media's work as being a mouthpiece to both the powerful and the vulnerable in society.

Mr Jos Van Gennip, Chairman of the Netherlands National Commission for International and Sustainable Development (NCDO), the organization that funds the activities of The Third Chamber said the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 as formulated by the United Nations depended largely on the role of Europe in developing countries. He announced that the Netherlands had been designated as the best nation that regards development cooperation for two conservative times.

Other activities by members of The Third Chamber include organizing awareness-creating activity to call for attention to international development cooperation within the Dutch public. The Third Chamber works within the framework of the United Nations (UN) formulated Millennium Development Goals.

The Third Chamber is seen as a bridge between concerned citizens and politicians and a means to develop ideas and a platform for citizens of the global village.