Garowe – 3rd May 2015:- Media Association of Puntland (MAP) on Sunday joins the World media fraternity and journalists worldwide in marking this year’s World Press Freedom Day with a call for greater respect for journalists’ rights and press freedom in a colorful occasion held in Puntland state capital, Garowe.
The theme of this year’s marking was, ‘Let Journalism Thrive! Towards Better Reporting, Gender Equality, & Media Safety in the Digital Age.”
The event, which was co-organized by MAP and Puntland Ministry of Information, Communication, Culture and Heritage (“MICCH”) and supported by Relief International and Puntland Development Research Centre (PDRC), has attracted about 90 participants including government officials, media professionals and dignitaries.
In his opening remarks of the event, Puntland Information minister Abdiweli Hirsi Indhaguran highlighted the government’s commitment to promote press freedom “I think you can see the government’s commitment by tirelessly working with Puntland Media Association on the review of media law by the Parliament once more”, indicated Indhaguran.
“On behalf Relief International, I want to mark this day with Puntland journalists and feel the grief and share the hard time with the families and friends of journalists murdered or injured in various parts of Puntland in the last couple of years, notes Omar Ahmed, Relief International Media Program officer in Puntland.
“We need to remember on this important day, the journalists murdered and injured in Puntland in the recent year and the increasing cases of journalists under threat from unknown groups and competing political interests by Somali politicians,” said MAP chairman Faisal Khalif.
MAP calls for the Puntland government to immediately review the recently-signed media law which the organization has raised great concern in number of occasions.
Ali Farah, acting director of Puntland Development and Research Center congratulated the Somali journalists on this World Press Freedom Day, “PDRC is closely collaborates with Puntland media industry, the recent exercise of field media access implemented by MAP and PDRC has enabled for journalists get information from remote areas”. Stated Ali Farah, Director of PDRC.
MAP lastly calls on media enterprise to promote gender equity and respect the labour rights of journalists by paying decent wages to journalists and creating the necessary structures that will facilitate better coverage of the country’s peace building process and promotion of honest dialogue among the Somali people and the leadership of this country.
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