AFRICAN UNION



|AFRICAN UNION | | |

| |[pic] |UNION AFRICAINE |

|[pic] | | |

| | |UNIÃO AFRICANA |

|Addis Ababa, Ethiopia P. O. Box 3243 Téléphone : 5517 700 Fax : 5511299 |

|website : africa- |

DIVISION OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION

PRESS RELEASE N0. 04/ 16th AU SUMMIT

JOURNALIST SCHOOLED ON COVERAGE OF AFRICAN UNION SUMMITS

Addis Ababa, 22 January 2011 – The Directorate of Communication and Information (DCI) in partnership with the Fiedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) Foundation, is organizing a workshop grouping some journalists of renown media from the Eastern, West and Southern part of Africa. The workshop grouping close to 20 Journalists opened today Saturday 22 January 2011, at the headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Holding within the framework of Intensifying and broadening public awareness and dialogue on the transformation of the AU, the aim of the workshop is to abreast the journalists with the practical modalities in the coverage of AU Summits, focusing on the theme. This year, the journalists are trained to cover the 16th AU Summit under the theme: "Towards Greater Unity and Integration through Shared Values”, scheduled to take place from 24-31 January 2011 in Addis Ababa.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mrs. Habiba Mejri- Cheikh, Director of Communication and Information of the African Union, welcomed the journalists in what she said, has become a traditional joint DCI-FES workshop aimed at introducing the main activities of the African Union for a better understanding of the Union to facilitate coverage of the AU Summits. She briefed the journalists on the agenda of meetings and issues to be discussed by the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) on 24 and 25 January 2011, the Executive Council (EC) to hold on 27 and 28 January 2011 and the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU scheduled for 30 an 31 January 2011.

Mrs. Mejri-Cheikh stressed on the importance of organizing such workshops to enable the African journalist inform better on the activities of the AU while giving a true picture of the socio-economic and political development of the Continent. She thanked FES for the good cooperation with the DCI and reiterated full support of the leadership of the AU Commission through the Directorate of Communication and Information to ensure good working conditions of the journalists during the Summit.

Speaking later, Mr. Arne Schildberg, Resident Representative of FES, Addis Ababa office, highlighted the different areas of cooperation FES has embarked to implement with the DCI. He expressed satisfaction to positive results achieved so far by DCI and FES.

Mr. Schildberg wished that the training will result to the creation of a network of enlightened and continuously engaged Journalists and News Editors on topics of the AU transformation, Peace and Security and the African Governance Architecture. He also hoped to have the development of an African Media willing to give issues around AU transformation. Among others.

According to the organisers, the training has five objectives. They are:

a) Enhancing awareness among Media practitioners on the institutional transformation of the AU and on the structure, functioning, challenges and prospects of the African Peace and Security Architecture and its linkage to other sub-regional, regional and global organizations;

b) Facilitating dynamic interaction between African Journalists/Editors and key actors, based on contacts at the African Union Headquarters;

c) Facilitating the creation of a network among relevant Journalists/Editors in the target region on integration issues especially those on peace and security;

d) Facilitating the production of articles, reports and programs of quality on issues relating to African integration; and

e) Raising awareness necessary to enhance the ability of African citizenry to articulate key themes and policy issues of integration as they continually benefit from better and critical reporting on specific integration questions including the 16th AU Summit discussion topic on “Towards Greater Unity and Integration through Shared Value”.

The two-day workshop will include presentations by Experts and Resource persons on identified issues and happenings in the Continent. The DCI-FES training ends on 23 January 2011.

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