Full Coverage: Information & media

31.01.2006 Stand by for the annual feast of films at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, in London, 15-25 March which promises "a programme of 22 intelligent, inspiring and indispensable feature films and documentaries from 20 countries, articulating many of the human, environmental and geo-political stories of our times."

25.01.2006 The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) sent an open letter to the President and the Prime Minister of Croatia, the President of the European Commission and the leadership of the Croatian Radiotelevision at the beginning of this week, to express their concern over the events surrounding Croatian journalists at the end of 2005.

25.01.2006 The Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia adopted the Law on Free Access to Public Information. The Law elaborates the Constitutional principle that guarantees the free access to information and freedom to receive and transmit information, as well as the principle of public operations of holders of information.

17.01.2006 The “Resource Centre” Project of the B&H Centre for Promotion of Civil Society will make direct contribution to the establishment of vital and sustainable civil society in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Over 2000 CSOs, business and governmental organizations from all parts of B&H and the region will be able to use the services of the newly established Resource Centre, thus expanding their know-how and strengthen their capacity.

17.01.2006 The agenda for the African leg of the World Social Forum does not include HIV/AIDS or good governence--two of the greatest challenges facing the African continent. This week's meeting, a counterpoint to the World Economic Forum, will address the shortcomings of the neo-liberal agenda, which some believe has become an easy scapegoat for Africa's woes.

13.01.2006 Nongovernmental organisations ARTICLE 19, Foundation Open Society Institute – Macedonia, PRO MEDIA and Transparency Macedonia sent an open letter to the highest offices of the Republic of Macedonia stating their concerns regarding the weaknesses in the latest Draft Law on Free Access to Information, as well as lacking of real progress towards its adoption.

13.01.2006 Aid must be based on the real situation of affected people and not by media coverage or political factors, the head of the United Nations refugee agency said.

12.01.2006 The representatives of the non-governmental sector strongly criticize the draft-Law on Access to Information, claiming that it lacks even the minimum of the internationally accepted standards. The main remark refers to the fact that the proposal to establish and independent body to supervise the implementation of the Law was completely deleted from the draft text.

10.01.2006 For over a year now the EUPM’s Press and Public Information Department has trained and advised the spokespersons of the BiH police forces on all aspects of their work. As a result the first ever jointly planned and implemented PI campaign is about to kick off in January 2006.

05.01.2006 Reporters Without Borders' annual roundup on Press Freedom finds that at last 63 journalists were killed in 2005 while doing their job or for expressing their opinions, the highest annual toll since 1995 (when 64 were killed, 22 of them in Algeria). Five media assistants were also killed.

02.01.2006 Mr.V.Sundaram, IAS shares his view about right to information. He mentions that in the recent years the right to information has been recognised as a fundamental human right, which upholds the inherent dignity of all human beings. The right to information forms the crucial bedrock of participatory democracy—it is essential to ensure accountability, transparency and good governance.