A/HRC/36/24
safety issues for journalists working in areas of conflict or where the right to freedom of
opinion and expression has been threatened. The Danish Institute for Human Rights
conducted a mapping of human rights training for journalists in Denmark and met with the
Danish Union of Journalists to discuss the issue.
38.
Some respondents reported on training programmes at university level. In Argentina,
some universities offered graduate and postgraduate courses in communications and human
rights, as well as seminars and other initiatives for journalists in cooperation with NGOs
and governmental authorities. In Morocco, human rights modules were included in the
curricula of both the basic and master’s degrees of the Institut supérieur de l’information et
de la communication, which trains media professionals.
39.
Some respondents had developed relevant training materials. For example, the
National Human Rights Commission of Korea developed textbooks and session plans for
media professionals and journalists, including the 2016 “Guide to journalism and human
rights”, and related training activities. Since 2010, the Commission has also organized an
annual human rights conference for journalists to raise awareness of their role in promoting
and protecting human rights.
40.
Some respondents reported initiatives focused on fostering dialogue and cooperation
between the media and other actors. In the Philippines, the Commission on Human Rights
signed a memorandum of understanding with the Movie and Television Review and
Classification Board to develop human rights training for media professionals. As a start,
the Commission organized a focus group discussion with media professionals and
representatives of academia, NGOs and governmental agencies to identify priorities and
foster the sharing of good practices. The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights
Commission and the Human Rights Commissioner of Azerbaijan organized conferences to
promote dialogue between national and international journalists, university professors and
national and local government officials on issues related to freedom of expression and the
human rights challenges faced by media professionals. In Morocco in 2012, the Ministry of
Communication launched a dialogue with professional media associations and a broad
coalition of national human rights NGOs on communication and public information, and
engaged in a process to improve legislation concerning freedom of opinion and expression.
41.
Some respondents highlighted the need to sensitize journalists to human rights
considerations in reporting on issues concerning groups in situations of vulnerability. The
Office for Human and Minority Rights in Serbia supported 59 civil society organizations in
implementing national anti-discrimination policies through projects targeting media
companies and journalists involved in reporting on human rights and specific social groups.
The Ministry of Culture and Information also supported projects to train journalists from
the local media in reporting on the human rights of people with disabilities and improve
professional and ethical standards in reporting on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
communities. In addition, the Association of Journalists in Serbia organized a course, in
cooperation with UNICEF, on supporting the inclusion in education of children from
groups in situations of vulnerability through media coverage. Germany supported 270
community media outlets in 20 countries in strengthening freedom of expression and access
to information for groups in vulnerable situations, trained 1,400 individuals to become
citizen journalists and supported training programmes on local university campuses
focusing on human rights for journalists working in rural areas.
42.
On refugees and migrants, in Greece the Secretariat General for Media and
Communications organized training activities for the media and communications services
on the rights of refugees, including on the protection of the rights of refugee children in the
media. Slovenia highlighted the work of the Peace Institute, an NGO that provides briefings
for journalists on the human rights of refugees and migrants. In Hungary, the Office of the
Commissioner for Fundamental Rights worked with the Council of Europe European Youth
Centre to train young journalists on human rights, including the rights of refugees and
asylum seekers, through an international seminar entitled “Diversity voices.” Furthermore,
Germany supported media projects for people living in refugee camps to enable them to
access digital community platforms to share information, news and educational content.
13
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents