Media Engagement Programme 2016

During 2016, the URG, with the support of the Permanent Mission of Germany and the Canton of Geneva, brought 25 journalists to Geneva to follow the final week of the 31st, 32nd, and 33rd sessions of the UN Human Rights Council, and to participate in an intensive training programme.

Participants from the following countries took part: Turkey, Georgia, Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Kenya, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Ecuador, Argentina, Burundi, Venezuela, DRC, Thailand, Slovenia, Dominican Republic, Rwanda, Maldives and the USA. This meant overall participation of journalists from 5 countries from the African, Asian and Eastern Europe regions, 8 from Latin America, and two from “the West” (including Turkey). Unfortunately, three more participants (one from AG, and two from APG) were not able to participate in the programme due to last minute visa denials.

5 of the participants were from Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and many more from low-middle income, and at-risk countries. The URG consulted with the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Article 19, and Journalists for Human Rights to identify high-quality participants, with an interest in human rights. Efforts were made to ensure gender balance to the extent possible, with 11 female and 14 male journalists taking part (another female participant was denied a visa).

The training programme included organised briefings with key Ambassadors and diplomats (from Germany, Botswana, Chile, the EU, Switzerland, and the UK), NGOs (UPR Info, ISHR, Human Rights Watch, Article 19), the International Federation of Journalists, and key representatives of the ICRC and OHCHR. During the week, the URG also helped journalists reach out to diplomats, and NGO and OHCHR representatives to set up one-on-one meetings/interviews.

Impact

The URG continues to provide up-to-date information to all former participants, to allow them to continue covering the work of the Council from their own countries. The URG is also helping a number of former participants to organise training sessions for other journalists interested in the work of the Council in their own countries. This will maximise the impact of the programme even further.

URG/ACANU pre-Council informal press briefings

The URG also organised three press breakfasts during 2016 – before each regular session of the Human Rights Council. For each roundtable meeting, URG worked with the Geneva Correspondents Association (ACANU) to bring together four ambassadors (e.g. the Ambassadors of Switzerland, UK, EU, US, Egypt, China, Pakistan, Chile, Argentina, Ghana) and around 16 Geneva-based journalists (from news wires, printed press, and broadcast press).

Global Media Survey

The URG published a report on the global media coverage of the Human Rights Council in 2016 in January 2017. That report is available here.

The report – the first of its kind published about the Human Rights Council and the UN’s human rights pillar – was very well received – offering an invaluable snapshot of how the Council is perceived and presented by the world’s media. 

Testimonials

Please see below the testimonials of a selection of four participants (from Africa, Asia, Latin America and North America) in the media engagement programme in 2016:

I have covered Maldives in the UN Human Rights Council since Maldives got elected as a member in 2010. However my coverage was limited to information I could get through the Internet and by watching ongoing sessions via the UN website.

I had the opportunity to be part of the journalism program conducted by the Universal Rights Group during the 33rd session of the HRC. I was finally able to experience the sessions going on at HRC and also talk to a lot of experts including diplomats and NGOs, through which I have learned a lot about the functioning of the UN human rights mechanism.

Going forward, the information and the contacts that I have accumulated through the week-long program will without a doubt enhance my reporting about the HRC. It will help me do in depth stories bringing the issues and the agenda of the HRC to readers in the Maldives.”

– Journalist, Maldives Independent

“When I was at the UN in Geneva, I could have been the only independent media voice for Venezuela. Our government made great campaigns to show in Room XX – and inside Venezuela – that it was “winning” an international conflict against it revolutions. Thanks to the URG’s programme, I was able to make daily reports on the radio. I work in the most popular radio show in a private network that is still operating in Venezuela, so it was really important to show another part of the reality to our audience: the role of the UN, the concern about our domestic situation among other countries, international civil society and even the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Secretary-General of the UN. My pieces went viral in the NGO and media spectrum in my country.

To me was really important be part of this journalistic project because we live in a country with serious problems for freedom of speech and access to public information. To know the system in Geneva and make alliances was other important part of this, and that’s something that is impossible to do only “online”.”

-Journalist, Circuito Exitos – Exitos FM (Venezuela)

Participer au programme de Universal Rights Group sur “l’engagement des médias” est quelque chose de très importante pour nous journalistes. Mon séjour à Genève m’a permis de mieux comprendre le fonctionnement et l’importance du travail du conseil des droits de l’Homme de l’OON. Je ne savais pas que ce travail était si capital pour le combat dans la lutte contre l’impunité face aux violations des droits de l’homme. J’ai compris, par exemple, que des états, des ONGS et d’autres acteurs internationaux ont formulé des recommandations à mon pays la RDC sur des situations précises et que mon pays a pris acte de certaines de ces recommandations. En ma qualité de journaliste, j’ai une raison valable pour effectuer le suivi quotidien dans mon pays au travers du travail journalistique. Mes reportages peuvent rappeler à mon gouvernement que telle recommandation pourtant acceptée n’est pas toujours mises en application, ou qu’elle est partiellement soit pas accomplie comme il se devait. Cela favorise l’exercice d’un journalisme responsable. Dès mon retour en RDC je suis entrain de préparer un atelier de restitution avec les journalistes membres de notre Club National des journalistes de droits de l’homme pour qu’ils comprennent la nécessité pour eux de couvrir de manière régulière les travaux du conseil.

Ce que je peux recommander à URG est que ce programme continue en offrant aux journalistes l’occasion de palper du doigt le grand travail accompli par le conseil. Enfin, j’avais du mal à croire que URG était une si jeune organisation car la maitrise dans l’organisation d’un tel programme non le moindre m’a beaucoup impressionné.

-Independent Journalist (DRC) working with Journalists for Human Rights

URG’s journalist program offered a multi-faceted and deep dive into the work of the Human Rights Council and those that advocate at the Council. While there are journalists who are staffed there year-round, the week I spent in Geneva made it clear how opaque the OHCHR is to journalists who live and work outside that bubble. Therefore the URG program offered us an ideal education, allowing us to familiarize ourselves with the Council’s processes while also then being able to see the bigger picture in how we can leverage that information in our daily reporting from afar. The gift of interacting with journalists from around the world, as part of the program, also needs to be noted. All of us came from diverse backgrounds and in discussing our various experiences and country situations, we were all able to enhance our collective understanding of why the work of the HRC is so important. I would recommend this program to anyone I come across!”

– Reporter, The Huffington Post (USA)

Selection of stories published to date by participants in the URG’s 2016 media engagement programme

Mohamed Junayd, “No justice for Maldives journalists,” Maldives Independent, 2nd November 2016 

Mohamed Junayd, “Does the Maldives practice what it preaches globally on human rights?,” Maldives Independent, 4th October 2016

L’ONU vote pour la création d’une commission d’enquête indépendante sur le Burundi,” Radio Publique Africaine (Burundi), 3rd October 2016

Darío Mizrahi (Argentina), “El Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU, atravesado por el retorno de la guerra fría,”  infobae, 2nd October 2016

Freddy Mata, “Freddy Mata reports in from Geneva,” Blog for Journalists for Human Rights

Darío Mizrahi (Argentina), “Argentina ante la ONU: “Las Islas Malvinas se encuentran ilegítimamente ocupadas por el Reino Unido”,”infobae, 1st October 2016

Willa Frej (USA), “U.N. Fails To Agree On Independent Inquiry Of Human Rights Abuses In Yemen,” The Huffington Post, 30th September 2016

Robert Mugabe (Rwanda), “UN council passes rough resolution on Burundi,” Great Lakes Voice, 30th September 2016

Darío Mizrahi (Argentina), “Dura condena de la ONU a Bashar al Assad, Hezbollah y el Estado Islámico por las violaciones a los derechos humanos en Siria,” infobae, 30th September 2016

Darío Mizrahi (Argentina), “Oscar Cabello, vicecanciller de Paraguay: “Estamos muy preocupados por la situación de los derechos humanos en Venezuela”,” infobae, 29th September 2016

Darío Mizrahi (Argentina), “Paraguay ante la ONU: “Compartimos preocupaciones sobre las graves y repetidas denuncias de represión en Venezuela”,” infobae, 29th September 2016

Robert Mugabe (Rwanda), “UN Council passes Safety of Journalists Resolution,” Great Lakes Voice, 29th September 2016

Darío Mizrahi (Argentina), “Paraguay planteará ante la ONU la preocupación por los derechos humanos en Venezuela,” infobae, 28th September 2016

Darío Mizrahi (Argentina), “Una jueza del Tribunal Supremo de Venezuela dijo que es “imposible” hacer el referendo antes de febrero de 2017,” infobae, 26th September 2016

Emine Kart, “Turkey among initiators of significant UN resolution on Internet and human rights,” Hurriyet Daily News (Turkey), 2nd July 2016

Judie Kaberia, “UN rights body appoints expert to probe LGBT abuses,” Capital FM (Kenya), 1st July 2016

“Глава представительства Беларуси при ООН в Женеве: Ничто, навязанное нам извне, не будет приниматься нашим государством,”  BelaPAN (Belarus), 1st July 2016

“Совет ООН по правам человека одобрил продление мандата спецдокладчика по Беларуси,”  BelaPAN (Belarus), 1st July 2016

“В Совете по правам человека ООН началось голосование по резолюции о Беларуси,” BelaPAN (Belarus), 1st July 2016

“Дипломат ЕС: Снятие санкций вовсе не означает, что Евросоюз перестала беспокоить ситуация с правами человека в Беларуси,” BelaPAN (Belarus), 30th June 2016

Rafael Targino, “ONU aprova resolução que cria ‘especialista’ para monitorar violência contra pessoas LGBT,” operamundi (Brazil), 30th June 2016

“Из-за ситуации в соседних странах в Европе начали смотреть на Беларусь по-другому, считает глава женевского офиса Фонда домов прав человека,” BelaPAN (Belarus), 29th June 2016

“В проекте резолюции СПЧ по Беларуси предлагается еще на год продлить мандат спецдокладчика по ситуации с правами человека в стране,” BelaPAN (Belarus), 27th June 2016

Daniella Sánchez Russo, “Cárceles: ¿un sistema fallido?” El Espectador (Colombia), 8th April 2016

Juan Pittaluga, “Uruguay impulsa en Naciones Unidas medidas contra la tortura, con informes sobre tratos inhumanos en el país como antecedente,” Busqueda (Uruguay), 31st March 2016

Emine Kart, “Turkey leads resolution in favor of peaceful protest in Geneva,” Hurriyet Daily News (Turkey), 31st March 2016

Shiran Illanperuma, “UN report highlights caste-based discrimination in Sri Lanka,” Daily FT (Sri Lanka), 25th March 2016

Emine Kart, “Syria considerations confine calls for accountability in Geneva bubble,” Hurriyet Daily News (Turkey), 25th March 2016

Daniella Sánchez Russo, “La amenaza paramilitar,” El Espectador (Colombia), 25th March 2016

Najla Kalai, “Le CDH vote pour la résolution sur les effets négatifs du non-rapatriment des fonds d’origine illicite,” Agence Tunis Afrique Presse (Tunisia), 24th March 2016

Emine Kart, “Possible shift of freedom, security balance grips UN human rights body,” Hurriyet Daily News (Turkey), 24th March 2016