DUSHANBE, November 29, 2011 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović is organizing the thirteenth Central Asia Media Conference in Dushanbe on November 29, the OSCE Office in Tajikistan said.

More than 100 journalists, representatives of non-governmental media organizations, parliamentarians, government officials and academics from Central Asia as well as international experts are discussing issues related to media pluralism and Internet governance.

Discussions focus on the role of the Internet in promoting pluralism in the OSCE region and Central Asia in particular, new trends in Internet regulation related to access, content regulation, licensing and liability, findings of the OSCE media freedom representative’s report on freedom of expression on the Internet in the OSCE region, and the latest media freedom-related developments in Central Asia.

During the conference, a side event on the digitalization of broadcasting and its implications for media freedom will be facilitated by the Director of the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Andrey Rikhter.

The participants are expected to draft and adopt recommendations in a concluding conference declaration, which will be shared with the authorities of the Central Asian states as a guide and reference.