Tuesday 2 July 2013
Southeast Asian journo groups unite, vow to work for press freedom, safety, welfare
June 19, 2013 9:20 AM
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- Journalists’ unions from five Southeast Asian countries have banded together and pledged to work together to ensure better welfare and working conditions, and fight for an end to attacks on press freedom and journalists in the region.
The “Phnom Penh Declaration” was signed here Monday by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, the Indonesian Alliance of Journalists, the Cambodian Association for the Protection of Journalists, the National Union of Journalists Malaysia, the Myanmar Journalists Association and the Federation of Media Independent Unions, which organized themselves into the Southeast Asian Journalist Unions or SEAJU.
All the signatories are affiliates of the International Federation of Journalists, which represents some 600,000 journalists worldwide.
In the declaration, the journalists’ unions said they “face common problems of poor welfare and working conditions as evidenced in low wages, violations or outright suppression of our right to organize, and violations of our labor rights.”
They also noted that the policies of many states and the impunity with which the murders and other attacks on journalists around the region continue to be carried out “erode press freedom and freedom of expression, and also deprive our people of the right to access to information.”
The declaration also acknowledged “the need to promote gender equity and awareness within journalists’ unions and media organizations, broaden and improve gender-sensitive reporting within the media, and to implement programs that promote gender awareness and equity.”
The SEAJU members pledged to work together to improve the welfare and working conditions of journalists; “build an informed public by advancing press freedom, freedom of expression, access to information and independent media;” fight for the protection and safety of journalists and to end impunity; promote gender equity within media groups; and build their organization’s capacities.
The declaration was signed by General Secretary Schave Jerome on behalf of the National Union of Journalists Malaysia.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/64384/southeast-asian-journo-groups-unite-vow-towork-for-press-freedom-safety-welfare
IFJ World Congress
The World Congress of the International Federation of Journalists, meeting in Dublin in June 2013, has elected the members of the Administrative Committee and its advisers. They are as follows:- President, Jim Boumelha, President
(NUJ, Great Britain and Ireland)
- Senior Vice President, Youness M'Jahed
(SNPM, Morocco)
- Vice President, Celso Schröder
(FENAJ, Brazil)
- Vice President, Jasmina Popovich
(TUCJ, Croatia)
- Honorary Treasurer, Wolfgang Mayer
(Ver.di, Germany)
The International Federation of Journalists
The International Federation of Journalists is the world's largest organisation of journalists. First established in 1926, it was relaunched in 1946 and again, in its present form, in 1952. Today the Federation represents around 600.000 members in more than 100 countries.
The IFJ promotes international action to defend press freedom and social justice through strong, free and independent trade unions of journalists.
The IFJ does not subscribe to any given political viewpoint, but promotes human rights, democracy and pluralism.
The IFJ is opposed to discrimination of all kinds and condemns the use of media as propaganda or to promote intolerance and conflict.
The IFJ believes in freedom of political and cultural expression and defends trade union and other basic human rights.
The IFJ is the organisation that speaks for journalists within the United Nations system and within the international trade union movement.
The IFJ supports journalists and their unions whenever they are fighting for their industrial and professional rights and has established an International Safety Fund to provide humanitarian aid for journalists in need.
IFJ policy is decided by the Congress which meets every three years and work is carried out by the Secretariat based in Brussels under the direction of an elected Executive Committee. The last Congress was held in Dublin on June 2013.
IFJ Asia-Pacific represents 27 IFJ affiliates and associates across the Asia-Pacific region.
WHAT we do
IFJ Asia-Pacific works with national journalists’ unions and associations to improve the working conditions of journalists and the quality of journalism through training programs and advocacy campaigns in defence of media-related rights. These rights include:
• The right to safety and decent working conditions
• The right to freedom of expression
• The right to a free media
• The right to access information
• The right to free association
• The right to justice and fair legal proceedings
IFJ Asia-Pacific runs international campaigns on journalists’ safety, press freedom, public service values, editorial independence, ethics, gender equality, children’s rights, tolerance and decent working conditions.
WHERE we work
Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China/Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor L’este, Taiwan
WHEN we act
IFJ Asia-Pacific initiates actions at the request of affiliates, associates and partners in the Asia-Pacific region. This work ranges from emergency missions to draw international attention to immediate crises (as occurred during Nepal’s royal coup in 2005 and Pakistan’s state of emergency in 2007) to long-term training, campaigning and institutional support.
WHY we do what we do
Press freedom, journalists’ safety and decent working conditions are rights, but they are not automatically given.
Strong organisations are best positioned to combat threats ranging from physical attacks to restrictive regulation of the media. They are essential in assisting journalists to practise free, fearless and independent reporting.
Dedicated and quality journalism is a public good that supports democratic and transparent processes. It gives ordinary people access to the fair and critical information they need to make important choices about their lives.
IFJ Asia-Pacific aims to:
• Strengthen the organisation and leadership of journalists’ unions and professional bodies
• Improve journalists’ working conditions
• Assure journalists of safety and protection
• Defend freedom of the media, freedom of expression and freedom of association
• Enable quality journalism to thrive
• Ensure the media and journalists’ organisations are open to participation by all.
HOW we work
IFJ Asia-Pacific seeks to achieve these aims by:
• Identifying training needs, developing training resources, training trainers
• Conducting in-country workshops, seminars and national forums
• Building the capacity of national journalists’ organisations
• Initiating regional and international campaigns
• Advocacy actions targeting national leaders and the international community
• Disseminating news alerts, bulletins and media guides
• Promoting networking and solidarity among journalists across Asia-Pacific
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