Claver Gatete asserted UNECA’s commitment to facilitating journalists’ access to information and evidence to help amplify African perspectives. He also underscored the role journalists play in shaping the African narrative and telling the continent’s story in ways that advance people-centred development. The discussions also focused on the role of the media in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals and how access to reliable information and information integrity can support inclusive and sustainable development.
The FAJ delegation raised issues concerning journalists’ working and economic conditions and the importance of public interest journalism, highlighting the indispensable role journalists play in key areas of UNECA’s mandate.
FAJ President, Omar Faruk Osman, said that independent journalism plays an important role in helping people understand the decisions and policies that shape their lives and in supporting informed public debate on Africa’s development. “People-centred development and home-grown solutions are strengthened when citizens, including journalists, have access to reliable information and can contribute fully to public life,” said Omar Faruk Osman.
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The FAJ delegation welcomed UNECA’s recognition of the vital role journalists can play in its work on Africa’s development priorities. Closer institutional engagement can help African journalists explain the developmental priorities and bring African perspectives into public debate. The FAJ delegations expressed the Federation’s unflinching commitment to advancing public interest journalism and ensuring journalists partake in conversations about the continent’s future while fulfilling their crucial watchdog role.
The FAJ delegation was led by its president, Omar Faruk Osman, and included Treasurer Maria Luisa Rogério and Steering Committee Member Jean-Claude Coulibaly.
For more Information, please contact the IFJ – Africa Office
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