Beirut, 26 April 2017 — Under the patronage of Lebanese Minister of Information Melhem Riachi, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Regional Office in Beirut (UNESCO Beirut) and Maharat Foundation, in cooperation with the United Nations Information Center in Beirut, are organizing an event on “The Role of Media in Promoting Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies”, on Wednesday, May 3, at UNESCO Beirut, Bir Hassan, facing the Sports City.
Held on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, the meeting opens at 10:30 am with speeches by Minister Riachi, Director of UNESCO Beirut Hamad Al-Hamami and the Executive Director of Maharat Foundation Rola Mikhael.
The opening is followed by a session on “The Role of Media as a Catalyst for Peace and Mutual Understanding”, which includes statements by the Dean of the Faculty of Information at the Lebanese University, George Sadaqa and journalist Pierre Abi Saab.
A second session follows on “Freedom of Opinion and Expression in the Arab World”, with statements by the Executive Director of the Gulf Center for Human Rights Khalid Ibrahim and the representative of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information in Egypt, Karim Abdel Radi.
The event concludes by the launch of a Report on Freedom of Opinion and Expression in 13 Arab countries, jointly prepared by the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, the Gulf Center for Human Rights and Maharat Foundation.