A regional expert meeting on the promotion of cooperation between Arab and African journalists, organized by ISESCO in collaboration with the International Network of Arab and African Journalists (INAJ), started this on may 2, 2019 at the headquarters of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) in Rabat. The meeting is being held within the framework of ISESCO’s 37th anniversary and World Press Freedom Day.

 

At the opening session of the meeting, Dr Ahmed Said Ould Bah, Director of External Relations and Cooperation at ISESCO, Dr Mohammed Salem Ould Bouk, Director General of IBU, and Cheikh Tidiane Diouwara, President of the Network, delivered their respective speeches.

 

At the end of the session, a memorandum of understanding was signed between ISESCO and the Network, including a number of areas of cooperation for the benefit of media professionals in ISESCO’s Arab and African Member States.

 

Subsequently, the participants started discussing a number of issues and themes under three headings: “Ethical dimensions of information technology between freedom of expression and respect for human rights”; “Challenges of developing continuous training programs for media specialists”; and “Ways of dealing with stereotypes about Arabs and Africans in the international media and combating Islamophobia and hate speech in the media”.

 

The meeting will be attended by a number of journalists from Arab and African countries, heads of regional organizations and media institutions, experts and teachers in media law and training of journalists, as well as students and researchers in information and communication