Media Monitors Capacity Strengthened

16.12.2014 - Juba, South Sudan

The training which aimed at strengthening media capacity in documenting and reporting cases of human rights violations against journalists and media in South Sudan was held on the 11th December 2014, at the UNESCO Juba Conference Room.

“Before I came for this training, I had no idea that these three terms: crime, abuse and human rights violations meant differently and are committed by different groups of people within the society, but as the training went on I came to understand the definitions and meaning of these three terms” stated Alfred Taban, focal person, Central Equatoria State media observatory committee.

The one day training was supported by the Government of Sweden through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the project is implemented by UNESCO. It is both global and country specific and is implemented in cooperation with local partners such as UN agencies, leading NGOs, media professionals’ organizations and advocacy groups. 

In his remarks, Mr. Jerzy Makarowski, Minister-Counsellor, Head of Office in Juba, Embassy of Sweden stated that “signing up Human Rights conventions means you will be watched. Human Rights activists and journalists have a right and obligation to watch what the government is doing.”

The one day workshop, conducted by UNMISS Human Rights Division and lead by Ms. Irena Angelova, UNMISS HRD Officer, capacitated UJOSS Media Monitors with the methodology used by UNMISS HRD in gathering and reporting human rights violations. It is a follow-up to a series of capacity building and sensitization initiatives carried out in close collaboration with South Sudan Media Sector Working Group (SSMSWG) that is convened by UNESCO. These series of capacity building sessions fall also within the framework of the UN Plan of Action on Safety of Journalists and Issues of Impunity, of which South Sudan is one of the five selected countries piloting this Plan of Action globally.

Addressing the participants, Mr. Salah Khaled, UNESCO Country Representative enumerated UNESCO’s support given to journalists and media houses, through a series of human and technical capacity within the framework of the country’s Plan of Action on safety of Journalists and issue of immunity. These include training at the national and regional level, sensitization and advocacy programmes, study tours in the region and provision of monitoring and reporting equipment. “Media Monitoring should not be limited to only the incidents affecting journalists and the media houses but should very strongly also focus on hate speech and statements made through the electronic broadcast and print media” he emphasized. 

Mr. Edward Terso, Secretary General of UJOSS, pointed out that UJOSS as an institution had achieved important milestones towards monitoring and reporting on journalists and media houses incidents on violations and impunities committed as a result of the various trainings that have been held since the year began drawing participants from all parts of the country.