Sudan Commemorates the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists

On 6 November 2019, the UNESCO Khartoum office in collaboration with the Sudanese Ministry of Culture and Information (MoCI), National Commission for UNESCO (NatCom), and different media organizations, commemorating the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (IDEI), organized a workshop for discussing issues of Safe Journalism in Sudan, and grounding in the country the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity. The even took place on the premises of the MoCI, and attracted attention of about 80 journalists and media experts, including the Minister of Culture & Information, H.E. Mr. Faisal Mohammed Saleh. The workshop was organized in frameworks of the project on Media Reform in Sudan, and was co-financed by Italy, and the UNESCO's Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists (*).

The workshop commenced with welcoming speeches of Dr. Sumaya Elhadi (MoCI), Dr. Abdulgader Noureddin, (NatCom), and Dr. Aiman Badri (UNESCO). Then, Mr. Steve Buckley, expert in Media Development, explained to participants how the institution strengthening around Safety of Journalists contributes to the Media Reform in areas of (iii) using media as a platform for democratic discourse, and (iv) capacity building and institutional support to ensure freedom of expression and diversity of media. Mr. Buckley also presented the action plan of the workshop.

The participants were divided into several groups to discuss the following themes:

Group A: Diversity within society and media.
Group B: Having a self-regulated media.
Group C: Requirements for justice, impartiality and integrity.
Group D: Public confidence in the media.
Group E: Safety of journalists in general, and women-journalists in particular.

© UNESCO: Sudan commemorates IDEI 2019: Journalist’s brainstorming. 6 November 2019.

The Group A (Diversity within society and media), resulting its discussions, came with following recommendations:

Ensure the independence of the media from the state.
Amend and review laws and legislations restricting freedoms.
Involve media in decision-making for the benefit of society.
Raise awareness among citizens on outlines of establishing the foundations of democracy.
Put media discourses under governance of a professional code of ethics, based on serving national issues, rejecting bulling, hating and violence, and supporting national cohesion and acceptance of others

The Group B (Having a self-regulated media) concluded:

Improve a legal environment of the Sudanese media industry. For this: the Prime Minister has to make right delegation to the MoCI, enabling it for increasing quality of the policies in place.
Re-vitalize the National Council for Press and Publications, making it affiliated with the Ministry of Information.
Reduce barriers for establishing professional unions in the media industry.
Remove the Press and Publications Law.
Establish a Code of Conduct for media workers.

The Group C (Requirements for justice, impartiality and integrity) brought the following:

Ensure the independence and transparency of media.
Review of laws regulating media organizations (amendment or repeal).
Improve media professionals’ wages, employment terms, work environment etc.
Enhance capacities of media professionals through training locally and abroad.
Agree on a code of ethics for journalists to regulate the profession within the media institutions.
Review laws governing ownership of media companies.

The Group D (Public confidence in the media) put on the table:

Develop professional performance of media workers in line with international media standards.
Introduce the concepts of interactive media and society engagement.
Change laws and legislation freeing ways for media industry to re-build the trust of the Sudanese.
Establish legal controls for media discourses.
Lift the control of security over the media, excepting cases affecting national security.
Make efforts for re-gaining trust in media professionals, attracting viewers, readers and listeners.
Establish new institutions to replace authoritarian old ones.
Clarify sources of funding for media institutions and ensure transparency.
Ensure increase of qualification and merit-based promotions for the staff in media, fight all types of discrimination.
Include the issues of peace and diversity in programs to meet the needs of different segments of society.

Group E (Safety of journalists in general, and women-journalists in particular):

Reform and harmonize the national laws respecting the Constitution and international treaties
Establish an independent body for treating legal issues of journalism, current deficiencies and cases of violation of journalist’s rights.
Establish independent bodies for monitoring violations against journalists and media owners, preparing and publishing reports.
Encourage media-owners to improve the work environment, so that journalists can perform.
Provide legal and financial assistance to journalists.
Organize awareness-raising, capacity building, training and providing journalists with a manual on safety within the Sudanese context.
Strengthen relationships with universities, media and legal academic institutions, encouraging them to make appropriate researches.
Train personnel working in state security and law enforcement services (army, security, and police) on how to deal with journalists – including women – to ensure their safety, freedom of expression, and public access to society relevant information.

Then, all groups jointly discussed the findings – in presence of the Minister of Culture and Information. After this discussion some more recommendations have appeared:

Train media professionals on democratic political practices and understanding tightly link between peace and democracy; to prepare media professionals to serve culture of peace and respecting diversity.
Ensure a transition from the revolutionary discourse to the state-building discourse; and focus on issues of transitional justice, with special attention to the committees working on reconciliation, and the judicial processes.
Lead the political, media, religious and social discourses to promote, build and sustain peace, confronting deviations of all types pushing people to bulling and hating.
Enhance the role of arts, culture and sports to promote peace building and sustainability; and highlight such their role through the media.
Cover all rural Sudan by broadcasts of Community Radio programs of the state’s radio stations; strengthen the Specialized Media Department in its support to the Community Radios in states; and building the capacities of employees, involved in the rural radio broadcasting.
Enlarge cultural, ethnic, social and political diversity in program broadcasting.
Form a program planning council to control media content, and review media licensing.
Push state-owned channels and radios in the states to contribute to developing the Sudanese civil society, and transforming Sudan towards the democracy.

About the Multi-Donor Programme for Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists (MDP)

The Multi-Donor programme on freedom of expression and Safety of Journalists (MDP) serves to further strengthen UNESCO’s work at a global, regional, and national levels, by channeling funds towards emerging priorities and the most pressing needs to achieve its mandate on freedom of expression. It enables UNESCO’s communication and information Sector to address complex issues through the design and implementation of holistic medium and long-term interventions at national, regional and global levels. The clear advantage of this mechanism is that it allows UNESCO and its partners to achieve greater impact and sustainability, whilst reducing fragmentation of activities in the same field.

Protect journalists and freedom of expression, visit:

Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists

About the Multi-Donor Programme for Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists (MDP)

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