Conference Programme of the World Press Freedom Day 2012
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Conference Programme World Press Freedom Day 1 Conference Programme World Press Freedom Day 2012 New Voices: Media Freedom Helping to Transform Societies 3 - 5 May 2012 Karthago Le Palace Hotel, Tunis, Tunisia Consistent with Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the establishment, maintenance and fostering of an independent, pluralistic and free press is essential to the development and maintenance of democracy in a nation, and for economic development. – The Declaration of Windhoek, 3 May 1991 Thursday 3 May 2012: Pre-Events (by invitation only) 3 May Registration (for all participants) 10:00-14:00 1-6 May* Highway Africa Youth Newsroom Training Organized by Future Journalists Project Venue: Nadwa Room 2 May* Roundtable on Media & Governance: Sustaining the Pioneer Role of Tunisia in the Arab Awakening 17:00-19:30 Organized by The Center for Developing Communication (CDC Tunis) and Tunisia-Live with the support of African Development Bank Venue: Novotel Mohamed V 3-5 May Training Session on The Role of Media In Fostering Accountability Organized by African Development Bank Venue: Centre africain de perfectionnement des journalistes et communicateurs (CAPJC) 3 May World Press Freedom Day Fellows Programme 12:30-15:00 Organized by IREX With support from the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Venue: Serail Room 3 May Meeting with the Group of Technical and Financial Partners to Support the Tunisian Media Sector 09.00-12.30 Convened by Swiss Embassy in Tunisia Venue: El Diwan Room 3 May Lunch 13:00-14:30 Supported by Audiovisuel extérieur de la France (AEF) Venue : Restaurant Ryadh (by invitation only) 3 May Award Ceremony UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize 16:00-19:30 Venue: Presidential Palace (by invitation only) Conference Programme World Press Freedom Day 2 Friday 4 May 2012 08:00-09:30 Registration (for all participants) 09:30-10:30 Opening Session Welcome Remarks: Mohammed BELHOCINE, UN Resident Coordinator in Tunisia Special Remarks: Message from Jean PING, Chairperson of African Union Commission Opening Speeches: Irina BOKOVA, Director-General of UNESCO Hamadi JEBALI, Prime Minister of Tunisia 10:30-11:00 Refreshments break 11:00-12:30 Plenary Session 1: Media Freedom Helping to Transform Societies: New Voices, Youth, and Social Media Venue: Serail Room Description: Tunisia demonstrated the transformative power that can be brought forth by the convergence of social media, mobile connections, satellite TV, and the will of the people to fundamentally change socio-economical-political situation. It triggered a domino effect, strengthened by an earnest desire for freedom of expression, which went on to reach Tahrir Square in Egypt, the city of Benghazi in Libya and other parts of the region. The actions of young people have been crucial during the Arab spring movement. The confluence of press freedom and freedom of expression, through various traditional as well as new media such as social media, has given rise to an unprecedented level of media freedom. From developed countries mired in economic woes to developing countries, people and especially young people have found a voice where there was none before. As media freedom grows, the strength of the each individual voice grows in tandem, and calls for social transformation and positive political change become an unstoppable force. Moderator: Rana SABBAGH, Executive Director, Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ), Jordan Keynote Speech: Tawakkol KARMAN, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Panel: Frank LA RUE, UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression Lina BEN MHENNI, The Tunisian Girl Blog, Tunisia Omar BELHOUCHET, El Watan, Algeria Asieh AMINI, Political Affairs Editor for Radio Zamaneh, Iran Vivienne WALT, Journalist, Time, USA Moeed AHMAD, Head of New Media, Al Jazeera Sample questions: What are the best ways to engage youth in the wider promotion of freedom of expression? How can the voice of the youth be reinforced and their role as important part-takers during transitional times adequately recognized? How can media freedom be used to improve the democratic development of a country? How can governments use new media to better meet citizens’ right to information? What are the added values of social media in contributing to democratic debate? New media has helped create a new level of media freedom, how do capitalize on the gains made and ensure that freedom of expression be guaranteed? What lessons can traditional journalism draw from social media’s implication in the transition towards democracy - and vice versa? Conference Programme World Press Freedom Day 3 12:30-14:00 Lunch Supported by African Development Bank Venue: Restaurant Ryadh (by invitation only) 14:00-15:30 Parallel Session 1 Round Table on Regulation and Self-regulation of Media Space Supported by Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) Venue: Cèdre d’Or Room Description: Freedom of expression as embodied in the major international reference texts, is certainly one of the pre-requisites of democracy. In transitional period, freedom of the press plays an even more important role. Ethical regulation of media space by public authority, institutions of broadcast regulation, associations of journalists and bloggers, allows for true democratic governance. Thus, new legal frameworks for these freedoms and their application must be in line with international standards. In terms of media regulation, good practices which were identified may be useful for regulating independent, transparent and professional media. Finally, freedom of the press exercised by journalists and bloggers covers the rights, but also implies duties, especially in transitional period where editorial independence, integrity and professionalism are the cornerstones of a healthy coverage of media and citizens. Moderator: Slimane ZEGHIDOUR, Editor-in-Chief, TV5MONDE, France Panel: Dunja MIJATOVIC, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Larbi CHOUIKHA, Member of Instance nationale indépendante pour l’Information et la Communication (INRIC), Tunisia Mohammed GALLAOUI, Member, La Haute Autorité de la Communication Audiovisuelle, Morocco Sarra GRIRA, Journalist and International Editor, Observateurs France 24 (AEF), France Sample questions/topics: What are the comparative experiences on the links between media, governance and democratic transition? What is the legal and institutional framework guaranteeing freedom of expression under international and regional standards? Why enshrine freedom of expression, press freedom and access to information? How to guarantee media independence and access to information? How to promote media pluralism and digital culture? What are the best practices observed for democratic regulation of the media in countries in democratic transition? How to reconcile freedom of expression and self-regulation of journalists and bloggers? Conference Programme World Press Freedom Day 4 ∞∞∞∞∞ Parallel Session 2 Journalism Ethics in Transitional Situations Supported by DW Akademie Venue: El Diwan Room Description: Changing mindsets is essential in times of transition. Journalists in transitional situations, who were used to deliver government-friendly information and were accustomed to self-censorship, are faced with the challenge of changing their editorial habits. Holding governments and powerful institutions accountable, and adopting the methods of investigative journalism are essential tasks in a new media context. Media must develop their role of watchdogs respecting ethical principles in accordance with international standards. Moderator: Patrick H. LEUSCH, Head of Project Development Division, DW Akademie Panel: Aidan WHITE, Coalition for Ethical Journalism Angela SIRBU, former Director, TV Moldova 1, Moldova Atidel MEJBRI, The Center of Arab Woman for Training and Research (CAWTAR), Tunisia Bechir OUARDA, Director, Observateur de la déontologie des médias, Tunisia Celso SCHRODER, President of the Federation of Latin American and Caribbean Journalists (FEPALC) Kevin BANKSTON, Senior Counsel & Free Expression Director, Center for Democracy & Technology, USA Omar Faruk OSMAN, President, Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) Sample questions: How can journalists help counter corruption within media (such as “brown envelopes”) and transform professional attitudes in the media sector and develop trust among the audience? What measures need to be implemented both by the public authorities and by media organizations in order to promote independent quality journalism? How ensure that changes in editorial practices in a new media landscape are actually taking place? Ethics and covering sensitive subject matter (sexuality, religion) ∞∞∞∞∞ Parallel Session 3 Are all media reforms created equal? Exploring the roles of parliament and government in media reform during democratic transition processes Supported by ARTICLE 19 Venue: Serail Room Description: 2011 was a year marked by uprisings and revolutions, some of which resulted in major changes to the political landscapes of countries, paving the way for democratic transition. In this context, what role can media reforms, including legislative and regulatory reforms, play towards consolidating democratic building processes? By exploring recent experiences in Egypt and Tunisia as well as drawing from lessons learnt in Senegal and Kenya, speakers and experts will