Bahrain Journalists Association to attend IFJ congress in Tunis

Manama, June 10 (BNA): Bahrain Journalists Association (BJA) will seek membership on the Gender Council of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) at the 30th congress in Tunisia this week. "We are keen on contributing to the protection and promotion of women in the media across the world," Ahdeya Ahmed, the president of the BJA, has said. "Getting BJA elected would be a tremendous honor for Bahrain and would prove that we have a long way in elevating the status of women in the media," Ahdeya said ahead of the congress to be held in the Tunisian capital on June 11-14. Ahdeya made history in Bahrain when she was elected the first woman president of the BJA founded in 2002. Rashed Al Hamer, the BJA vice president, will address the status of newspapers in the digital age and will highlight Bahrain's experience in dealing with challenges and keeping abreast with the latest developments generated by the inexorable growth of social media. IFJ Secretary General Anthony Bellanger said that it was the first time since 1926 when the IFJ was established that the global congress would be held in the Arab world and on the African continent. "For this reason this Congress is very important. Our affiliates in Africa and the Arab world are very important for us because many issues in these countries will be discussed in Tunis," he said. Over 300 participants representing journalists unions and associations across the world will attend the 30th IFJ Congress. Delegates will also discuss and adopt a new IFJ Global Charter of Ethics for Journalists, also known as the Bordeaux Declaration, that was first adopted in 1954 by the IFJ's World Congress and last amended in 1986, the IFJ said. The latest amendments will take on board ongoing media challenges and encourage journalists to abide by the highest ethical standards at a time when debates over disinformation are raging. The IFJ, an organisation that today boasts 600,000 members from more than 180 affiliated unions in 140 countries, will actively promote the charter in workplaces and media across the world. "The adoption of the Global Charter of Ethics for Journalists will be a milestone in the history of the IFJ because ethics was one of the IFJ's founding pillars when it was created in Paris in 1926. This new document builds on the professional duties laid down in 1954, but it also puts an emphasis on rights, in a world where journalists’ rights are being abused. Tomorrow, all journalists around the world will be able to identify themselves with the IFJ Global Charter of Ethics and use it to defend themselves against unscrupulous employers," Bellanger said. Delegates will also debate and approve the IFJ 2019-2022 working program. "This roadmap seeks to strengthen the position of the IFJ as the global voice for journalists and journalism and to support its member unions worldwide in their mission to build global solidarity, be at the forefront of struggles to tackle precarious work and abuses of labor rights, lead the fight against impunity for crimes against journalists, mainstream gender equality in media and strengthen the regional organizations of journalists." Mounir Zaarour, Middle East and Arab World Policy and Program Director at the IFJ, told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that the IFJ is looking forward to strengthening the relationship and the working program with the IFJ members in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC) which include journalist associations in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and UAE. "This working program will look into how we can support the future of journalism in the region with these five Gulf countries. We want to strengthen the relations with the associations in the Gulf countries to form a kind of alliance to protect the future of journalism," he said. Debates on the first day of the congress will focus on the future of journalism in the digital age, good trade union practices around the world and journalism after the Arab revolutions. The election of the IFJ Gender Council will be held on Monday and that of the IFJ President and Executive Committee on Thursday and Friday.