UNESCO Office in Amman

Under its EU-funded media project to improve the quality of election reporting in Jordan, UNESCO has partnered with the Jordan Media Institute (JMI) to conduct a five-day workshop to promote independent media coverage of the upcoming parliamentary elections on January 23, 2013.
 
Concluded on January 17, the workshop featured a number of well-known media figures as key speakers. These included journalist and columnist Mr. Fahed Al Khitan, Chief Editor of Al Ghad newspaper Mrs. Jumana Ghunaimat, researcher and journalist of Al Arab Al Yawm newspaper Mr. Walid Husni, General Manager of Jordan News Agency PETRA Mr. Feisal Al Shboul, lawyer Dr. Sakher Al Khasawneh, former Ambassador to Russia Mr. Ahmed Mubaideen, and Lebanese journalist and lecturer at JMI Dr. Jean Karam.
 
The workshop covered various key topics such as a review of elections and democracy practices in Egypt and Lebanon in comparison with Jordan, Jordan election laws vis-a-vis international standards, elections from a gender-sensitive perspective, and guidelines to independent and professional elections coverage.
 
The workshop is a part of UNESCO’s 12 month project working with local media partners Community Media Network (CMN), Jordan Media Institute (JMI) and the Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) to develop the capacity of journalists and media professionals on quality election coverage. In addition, the project aims to develop a participatory strategy to support the Jordanian media community in understanding its essential role in the electoral process.
 
For more information on the project, please contact Ms. Rut Gomez Sobrino at r.gomez-sobrino@unesco.org