MAP NGO organizes 4th Media, Peace and Human Rights regional Conference, in collaboration with UNIC Beirut
06 December 2021
Caption: Organizers and moderators at the closing session of the conference, Beirut, Lebanon, November 30, 2021.
UNIC Beirut and Media Association for Peace co-organize the fourth Media, Peace & Human Rights regional conference in partnership with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.
After a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19 and the socio-economic tensions in the country, Lebanon-based NGO Media Association for Peace (MAP), organized on 29 and 30 November, at Lancaster Plaza hotel in Beirut, its fourth annual Media, Peace and Human Rights Annual Regional Conference, in collaboration with the UN Information Centre (UNIC) in Beirut and in partnership with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) - Rule of Law Program in the Middle East and North Africa.
The conference addressed the role of media in fighting corruption and fostering civil peace, freedom of expression and democracy in Lebanon and the Middle East and North Africa and was attended by a notable audience of media professionals, academics, students, and activists from Lebanon, Palestine, Bahrain, and Egypt.
Caption: Photo from Panel IV – From left to right: Moderator Abbas Zalzali and speakers Bassam Abou Zeid and Aly Sleem, talking about how to report elections and enhance civil and political rights.
UNIC Beirut Director Margo Helou hailed MAP for their perseverance in organizing the conference despite all the challenges the country is going through and called for ending impunity, ensuring a free and safe environment for journalists and media workers, and guaranteeing freedom of expression for all.
MAP President and Executive Director Vanessa Bassil said that through this conference, we renew our commitment to creating a free space for discussion and exchange of ideas and opinions, and to finding joint solutions to the obstacles affecting the rights of every human being.”
Director of KAS Rule of Law Programme in the MENA Region Philipp Bremer tackled the importance of strengthening the rule of law in Lebanon and the MENA region. The expert also highlighted the vital role of the fourth power [the press] and deplored the harassments, intimidations, and arbitrary detentions that the media personnel are subject to. “They are risking their lives – simply for informing the public and seeking the truth. The media needs to be free,” Bremer said.
Caption: A young woman participating in the event, asks a question to the panelists in one of the open debates.
Participants engaged in an interactive open debate on media’s role when reporting news, unveiling corruption, and shaping the public opinion, and highlighted new approaches to media practices.