بالعربي

Recent projects in the Middle East and North Africa include:

Yemen
ARTICLE 19 has recently undertaken a series of missions to Sana’a, Yemen in order to meet with key government officials and civil society organisations and further developments for the protection of freedom of expression in the country. In particular, we have been involved in law reform, including a detailed analysis of the Press and Publications Law, which followed an advocacy mission engaging various civil society actors, the Yemeni

Journalists’ Syndicate and government representatives. ARTICLE 19 also held a series of activities to promote awareness of the right to freedom of expression, including access to information and advocacy for positive legal standards in the protection of the media and public participation in government processes. ARTICLE 19’s Middle East and North Africa Programme has also researched and released a report on Freedom of Expression in Yemen in Arabic and English and plans to launch a programme of activities which will look at the way women and their issues are reported in the media. We then hope to build the capacity of journalists to report in a gender-sensitive manner.


Iraq
In December 2006, ARTICLE 19 launched a UNDP funded project to strengthen the legal and regulatory framework to protect media freedom and independence by engaging stakeholders in a broad-based media law working group to reach consensus on two draft laws. The project also built the capacity of media professionals to campaign for freedom of information.

In March 2007, in cooperation with Media Diversity Institute (MDI), we organised an intensive workshop on ‘gender-sensitive reporting in conflict situations’ for Iraqi senior and junior journalists, and a professional skills training for mid-career women journalists. The two workshops were held in Amman, Jordan with the financial backing of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). The objective of the workshop was to contribute to a more diverse and gender-sensitive media and build the professional capacity of women and their access to the media. The findings of the workshop were also published online.

In 2005, UNESCO commissioned ARTICLE 19 to develop guidelines for Iraqi journalists on how to cover the January elections. The work aimed to provide an introduction to international standards and best comparative practice in the area of election coverage by the news media, as well as more general freedom of expression standards for an audience with little or no practical experience of the democratic process. ARTICLE 19 produced two main documents to guide Iraqi journalists: “Guidelines for Election Broadcasting” and a series of nineteen “Briefing Notes” in Arabic and English on pertinent topics. In July 2005, we were commissioned by UNESCO to assist the Iraqi Constitutional Drafting team with the development of relevant and adequate provisions on freedom of expression (see above). We also worked with Iraqi civil society and media organisations to produce a media policy for the country, raise public awareness about freedom of expression and organise a training on the role of media and matters of public importance and interest.

In January 2004, we published analyses of all freedom of expression laws then in force – which included a range of Hussein-era laws as well as some interim government orders – that affect the exercise of the right to freedom of expression. In November 2004, we were contacted by that Commission and asked to review a set of codes of practice drafted by them, as well as their proposal for a draft Interim Media Law. Our analysis of the Codes was welcomed positively and many of our recommendations were adopted in the final drafts.


Jordan
ARTICLE 19's involvement in Jordan commenced in October 1997, with the publication of a report entitled "Blaming the Press: Jordan’s Democratisation Process in Crisis" The report criticised a number of restrictive amendments to the 1993 Press and Publications Law and called for their revocation. This call was echoed by a gathering of distinguished Jordanians convened by ARTICLE 19, Al-Urdun Al-Jadid Research Centre and the Arab Institute for the Media. In an unprecedented move, the amendments at issue were subsequently struck down by Jordan’s High Court in January 1998. Following the High Court's decision, ARTICLE 19 has continued its constructive engagement in Jordan, providing concrete recommendations to the government on how to bring the country's laws in line with international standards on freedom of expression. Most recently, we prepared two memoranda on the provisional Audiovisual Media Law and the draft Press and Publications Law 2004, both in cooperation with local journalists and media experts (publication upcoming). A further analysis of the draft Law on the Guarantee of Access to Information and the provisional Law on the Protection of State Secrets and Documents was conducted in 2005. This was presented to a task force consisting of journalists and paliamentarians in November 2006.



Lebanon
ARTICLE 19 recently hired a Beirut-based programme officer. Although we have not yet launched a project in Lebanon, the Middle East and North Africa programme has participated in a number of seminars and meetings on freedom of expression, the most recent was on Art Censorship in the Middle East.


Morocco
ARTICLE 19 participated in the first National Press Meeting (Assises nationals de la presse) which brought together members of the media, NGOs and government officials. The objective of the meeting was to discuss the reform agenda as it relates to freedom of the press (new draft laws are being discussed), agree on a collective convention bringing together journalists, media owners and government representatives, and move the sector further towards self-regulation.