The Afghan Journalists Safety Committee (AJSC) commemorated September 28 ‘International Day for Universal Access to Information’ in a ceremony in Kabul.
In this event, head of directorate of access to information, spokespersons for the ministries of interior and information and culture, directors and journalists of media outlets, and representatives of national media support organizations had participated.
The United Nations 74th General Assembly proclaimed September 28 as the ‘International Day for Universal Access to Information, to emphasize the significance of the universal access to information.
Abdul Qadeem Wyar, AJSC deputy and acting director, in this event said the benefit of providing credible and timely information is that it prevents spread of fake information and misinformation and does not allow for an information vacuum to be created.
In this event, Rahmatullah Naraiwal, head of directorate of access to information, said that access to information is a recognized right of the society, journalists and the media, adding that they can request for information from the spokespersons considering the Islamic values, national interests and traditions.
Zabihullah Sadat, head of TOLOnews, spoke about the right to access to information and said that lack of our colleagues’ access to information facilitates for an information vacuum and spread of misleading information.
During her talk in this event, Zakia Alizada, journalist, spoke about the challenges facing female journalists regarding access to information, saying that women do not have access to first-hand information. Ms. Alizada also urged facilitating female journalists’ access to press conferences.
Mufti Abdul Matin Qani, MOI spokesperson, in his speech during this ceremony, said that Islamic Emirate is committed to facilitating access to information.
Mujiburrahman Baheer, head of Ariana News, Shafiq Wardak, professor of journalism at Kabul University, Najibullah Anwarzai, head of Shamshad Tv, Khubaib Ghufran, MOIC spokesperson, and a number of national media support organizations’ officials also emphasized on the importance of facilitating better access to information in their speeches during this event.
AJSC has been continuously working to facilitate a safe environment for journalists and media workers across the country.
