Kuwait Times

Published Date: November 03, 2008
By Nawara Fattahova, Staff Writer

KUWAIT: The United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office in collaboration with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Office for the High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) organized a two-day training course for journalists to provide them with key humanitarian references and reporting techniques. The two-day interactive training workshop was conducted by experienced UN representat
ives and focused on the main principles, players and mechanisms of humanitarian assistance. In addition, there was a session on the tools and techniques required by journalists who report on humanitarian issues.

The first day commenced with a welcome speech addressed by the United Nations' Resident Coordinator, Valerie Cliff from Kuwait. "The media in Kuwait play a central role in disseminating information about humanitarian crises and we welcome all journalists to this event. It is of great importance that the humanitarian and development work of the UN is represented to the Arabic-speaking world, and we are fortunate to have many knowledgeable speakers joining us from IRIN, OCHA, UNICEF, UNHCR and UNDP to make t
his workshop successful," she noted.

Representatives from national and regional media participated in the workshop. Journalists discussed the best ways for them to cover issues such as the implications to civilians of food insecurity, health issues, and vulnerability to conflict and natural disasters.

The United Nations has an official media website (IRIN), where the news of the UN is published. "Journalists are free to take news from the site; all they have to do is mention the source where they took it from. IRIN publishes stories in four languages namely; Arabic, English, French, and Portuguese on a daily basis. There are also video records that are available on the site," said Ahmad Rajab, the Head of Newsroom IRIN Regional Bureau, Dubai.

Rajab also explained the basic techniques required in writing an article. "There are two kinds of intros; the news intro and the hanging or color intro. The reporter should use easy terminology instead of complicated expressions. Also the will of the source should be respected, if he/she doesn't want to publish his/her name," he pointed out.

IRIN seeks cooperation with journalists from all over the world, said Khaled Khalifa, Head of IRIN's Middle East Asia Bureau in Dubai. "IRIN is very pleased to have the opportunity to enhance the role of the media in humanitarian reporting, and we have been greatly encouraged by the interest shown by Kuwait-based journalists in enhancing their skills in this area," he stated. He also explained the tools that participants attending the course need to cover humanitarian stories effectively and spoke about th
e role that journalists have to play in advocating the needs of vulnerable groups.

A strong dialogue with the media is more crucial than ever if we are to be successful in our mission to highlight the situation of civilians whose lives have been overturned by conflicts and natural disasters in this region and beyond," he advised.

When humanitarian access is hampered by the increase of instability and confrontation, the media constitute an ideal bridge to ensure that the rights and immediate needs of women and children are properly voiced and action is taken to revitalize their continued wellbeing," said Wolfgang Friedi, Communications Specialist for UNICEF MENA.

The course also aimed to inform the participants who the major players in the region are; so that they know who to refer to on different countries or topics. "We aim to let you understand the categorization and relevance of various types of humanitarian actors, and how they relate to each other," stated Sarah El-Khazin Bouvier, Regional Emergency Response Officer OCHA, Dubai.

Then Sahar Shawa the Program Analyst UNDP-Kuwait spoke about reporting on gender issue. Her speech was followed by another addressed by Zeina Habib Lietaert, Communications and Partnerships Officer UNICEF, Gulf Area about the convention on the rights of children.

The organizers hope that Kuwait-based media houses will invest more of their resources in sending reporters to the field to cover humanitarian stories, especially the forgotten ones in disaster-struck areas.