UN-supported Iraqi news agency nominated for prestigious award

Aswat al-Iraq (Voices of Iraq), an independent Iraqi news agency supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been nominated for the prestigious One World Broadcasting Trust’s Special Award, it was announced today.

The Special Award honours an outstanding media project or organisation working on the ground in the developing world, which has made a real impact on the lives of those living and working near it.

“It is a tremendous honour for UNDP to support and be associated with such an important and great part of Iraq’s independent press. Aswat al-Iraq is key in our efforts to develop a broader freedom of expression and a strong democracy in Iraq,” said Paolo Lembo, UNDP’s Country Director for Iraq.

Set up in 2004, Aswat al-Iraq is the country’s first independent news agency. It covers political, business, sport, culture and civil society news in Iraq, is not affiliated to any political party and is recognized by its high professional standards of coverage.

Three of the agency’s journalists have been killed during the course of their reporting, while many others were forced to cease work as journalists following intimidation and threats, UNDP said in a news release.

“Our day-to-day challenge is to be journalists in the most dangerous place, Iraq,” said Zuhair al-Jezairy, the news agency’s Editor-in-Chief.

Mr. al- Jezairy noted that among the challenges were producing balanced coverage in post-conflict divided society, using a variety of reliable sources, reporting all sides of the story and reflecting Iraq with all its political, ethnic and religious diversity.

He added that a particularly difficult challenge was to build an independent news agency after 35 years of state control over the media. “But we have done it.”

The awards ceremony will take place in London on 22 June.