As part of activities for the tenth anniversary celebrations of the United Nations Action Plan on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, UNESCO and the Norbert Zongo Cell for Investigative Journalism in West Africa, CENOZO, are organizing an online training for journalists from Africa.
The training course which focuses on “Journalistic investigation techniques related to the theme of migration,” will hold between March 23 and 24, 2022 with 24 journalists participating from eight West and Central African countries.
A statement signed by Arnaud Ouédraogo, Coordinator of CENOZO, explained that the training is part of a support initiative for the production and dissemination of investigative reports on migration in the sub-region in local languages.
The statement read in part, “Dakar, March 21, 2022 – UNESCO, through its Regional Office for West Africa (Sahel), and the Norbert Zongo Cell for Investigative Journalism in West Africa (CENOZO), are organizing the 23 and March 24, 2022, an online training workshop on “Journalistic investigative techniques related to the theme of migration in West and Central Africa, in the context of the Covid-19 crisis”.
The statement said the 24 journalists will be participating from countries like Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal.
It said the main objective is to enable journalists from the sub-region to build their capacity in investigative journalism, fact-checking and processing information related to migration in Africa.
“Indeed, West and Central Africa has nearly 150 million young people, a large part of whom choose or are forced, for various reasons; training, employment, security, climate change, to migrate to other countries in the sub-region and even beyond.
“However, it is increasingly recognized that when migration is the result of a choice, even if it is not always informed by reliable, up-to-date or sufficient information, potential candidates for migration can be victims of misinformation, which sometimes has a heavy impact on their migratory journeys, particularly towards Europe.
“Thus, objective 3 of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (A/CONF.231/3) recommends “providing accurate information at all stages of migration”.
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“Similarly, according to the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the migration policy framework for Africa recommends, among other strategic actions, to “provide access to accurate information on labour migration at the stages preceding the departure and following arrival, including on working conditions, remedies and access to legal advice in the event of a violation.”
Since the end of 2018, UNESCO has been implementing in eight countries in West and Central Africa (Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Niger, Nigeria, Mali and Senegal), as well as in Europe (Italy), the project “Empowering young people in Africa through media and communication”, with the support of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), through the “Fondo Africa” of the Italian Ministry Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (DFAIT).
The project aims, among other things, to build the capacity of the media in the sub-region to enable young people in West and Central Africa to make informed
decisions on migration issues through better access to quality.
The Next Edition reports that among the activities implemented under the project, UNESCO trained and supported media professionals in 2019 and 2020 for the production of journalistic investigations on migration in West and Central Africa, in French and in English.
Through this activity, UNESCO has contributed to the implementation of the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, of which the year 2022 marks the tenth anniversary since its adoption in the UN General Assembly, which aims to create a free and safe environment for journalists and media professionals, both in situations of conflict and in times of peace, with the aim of strengthening peace, democracy and development around the world.
It is, however, within the framework of this project that CENOZO, with the support of UNESCO, implements an initiative of “Support for the production of investigative reports in local languages on migration in West Africa and of the Center”.
The statement said following the training on “Journalistic investigative techniques in connection with the theme of migration in West and Central Africa, in the context of the Covid-19 crisis”, the second phase of the initiative will consist in supporting the actors and actresses of the media involved in the process for the production and dissemination of 24 investigative reports in local languages on migration in
West and Central Africa.
The statement said journalists will receive support, financial, editorial and legal insurance, for the production of documented and researched stories related to different aspects of migration in West and Central Africa.
