The world Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) is an international network of community radios (CR) and federations as well as institutions and individuals working for the development of the community broadcasting sector in communities, across nations, regionally and internationally. It was established in 1983 in Montreal has gained more than 5,000 members over the last 36 years in more than a hundred countries.
AMARC is a membership organization and its members comprise primarily of community radio stations and individual broadcasters, advocates of freedom of expression and community broadcasting, not-for-profit content developers and supporters of grassroots media.
The fundamental purpose of AMARC is to ensure freedom of expression and support community development through the use of community radios. Broadly stating, AMARC aims to achieve this purpose by carrying out activities under the following three categories:
Administratively, AMARC has a federal structure. AMARC has four regional chapters in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and Latin America & Caribbean. All regional chapters are autonomous and headed by regionally elected board of directors. All regional offices are led by a regional director. AMARC Asia-Pacific office is based in Kathmandu, Nepal.
AMARC Asia-Pacific keeps it’s activities relevant to the concerns of communities at the grassroots through regular consultations with member radio stations. It works closely with network of local community radios stations in identifying challenges and seeking solutions through community radios.