The Afghan Journalists Safety Committee (AJSC) hosted an event in Kabul to mark September 28, the International Day for Universal Access to Information.
The gathering focused on journalists’ access to information, the challenges facing media work, and ways to improve media outlets and journalists’ access to information.
The event was attended by Mawlawi Hayatullah Muhajir Farahi, deputy minister of publications of the ministry of information and culture, Mawlawi Naeem-ul-Haq Haqqani, director of the government media and information center (GMIC), Mujiburrahman Baheer, dead of Ariana News; Hujatullah Mujaddedi, head of the Afghan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA) Khubaib Ghufran, MOIC spokesperson, Abdul Qadir Munsif, head of Pajhwok News Agency, Mawlawi Abdul Haq Hammad, MOIC adviser, Mufti Abdul Matin Qani, spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior Affairs MoIA, Ghayour Waziri, head of the Killid Group, Mansour Nikmal, head of Khaama Press, Sanger Hashemi, head of One TV, as well as journalists and representatives of media outlets and media-support organizations.
In his speech, Jamil Weqar, head of the AJSC, said that in recent days, AJSC had conducted meetings in several provinces and regional capital cities to identify journalists’ challenges in accessing information. He said that the lack of spokespersons in some government institutions, unequal access to interviews with officials, difficulties in receiving complete and timely responses, limited access to information needed for investigative reporting, and the limited capacity of some spokespersons were among the major challenges raised by journalists. He called for these challenges to be addressed and for better and timely access to information to be facilitated for journalists.
Deputy Minister Mawlawi Hayatullah Muhajir Farahi said that steps had been taken to facilitate journalists’ access to information and that efforts to improve the process were continuing.
Mawlawi Naeemulhaq Haqqani, head of GMIC, also emphasized the importance of journalists’ access to information and said that addressing the existing challenges requires fundamental work.
Media managers also highlighted the challenges facing media work, stressing the need to improve journalists’ access to information and calling for greater cooperation from government spokespersons and officials.
September 28 has been designated by the United Nations as the International Day for Universal Access to Information. The day highlights the importance of public access to information and its role in society.
AJSC has been consistently working to address challenges facing the work of journalists and facilitate a safe environment for them.
