Note to Correspondents

Reham Al-Farra Memorial Journalists Fellowship Programme for 2012

 

Begins Today at United Nations Headquarters

 

For the thirty-second consecutive year, the United Nations Reham al-Farra (RAF) Memorial Journalists Fellowship Programme starts today at United Nations Headquarters.

Organized by the Department of Public Information, the five-week Programme brings together 12 young journalists representing media organizations from Armenia, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burundi, Kazakhstan, Liberia, Malawi, Niger, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.  Since the Programme’s inception in 1981, 499 journalists and broadcasters from 165 countries have taken part.

The Programme was established in 1980, when the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to develop fellowships for journalists and broadcasters from developing countries and those with economies in transition, in order to acquaint them with the work of the United Nations.  Formerly known as the Department of Public Information Training Programme for Broadcasters and Journalists from Developing Countries, it was renamed in honour of Reham al-Farra, a young journalist and Department staff member killed in the 2003 attack on the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad.

The schedule of activities will include briefings by senior officials of the United Nations Secretariat, specialized agencies, programmes and funds on major issues on the agenda of the sixty-seventh session of the General Assembly.  The participants will also get the opportunity to observe the Organization “in action” by attending meetings of the General Assembly and engaging in hands-on activities with United Nations media professionals in their respective field of expertise.

Participants will also visit several major media organizations and relevant non-governmental organizations in New York City to observe their operations, in addition to taking part in a two-day academic workshop at Fordham University.

The last week of the Programme will be spent at the United Nations Office at Geneva, and will focus on human rights issues.

The following chart provides the name, country, and media specialization of each participant in the 2012 Programme:

First Name	Last Name	Country	Media Specialization
Yekaterina	Poghosyan	Armenia	Internet
Peri	Dias	Brazil	Internet
Siti	Mohd Sofian	Brunei Darussalam	Radio / TV
Svetoslav	Ivanov	Bulgaria	TV
Philemon	Ndayizigiye	Burundi	TV
Aboubacar	Abari Amitti	Kazakhstan	TV
Yaroslava	Naumeko	Liberia	Internet
Danicious	Sengbeh	Malawi	Print
Tiwonge	Kampondeni	Niger	Print
Sarah	Peter	Saint Lucia	Radio / TV
Qubul	Alhajri	Saudi Arabia	Print
Bushra Saleh Ali	Al-Ansi	Yemen	Print

For further information, please contact Zvi Muskal at tel.:  +1 917 367 5142, or email muskal@un.org; or visit www.un.org/en/media/fellowship.

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For information media • not an official record