A New NGO in Geneva :
International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ)

with

Moaid ALLamy
SG of the Iraqi Syndicate of Journalists

Hedayat Abdelnabi
Press Emblem Campaign (PEC )

Thursday 13th September 2007 at 11 a.m.

« La Pastorale » Route de Ferney 106, Genève

More than ten press syndicates have agreed in Geneva Saturday and Sunday to establish a new non-governmental organization (NGO): International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) headquartered in Geneva.

• The new organization stands for “Press-Freedom-Protection”.
• The ICPJ will work on developing a new mechanism to protect media and in this context it will call upon the regional groups in the human rights council to convene a special session on media protection.
• In addition the ICPJ will call upon the Council which starts today in Geneva to establish a working group to start deliberations on a new covenant to protect journalists.
• The new organization will assist families of fallen journalists, or those abducted and others.
• The ICPJ will work on developing an insurance scheme to protect journalists.
• The new organization will make a contribution to the Peruvian journalists hit by the 15 August earthquake.
• The ICPJ condemns in the strongest possible manner violence against journalists in Iraq, Palestine, Somalia, Eritrea, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Columbia and other countries around the world.
• The participants agreed to support and work closely with the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) in its quest for the protection of journalists in zones of conflict, wars and other dangerous situations.
• The ICPJ expressed its full solidarity with the President of the Bahraini society of journalists Isa Al Shaijji in his steadfast position in defense of press freedoms against intimidation.

The founding members

Iraqi press syndicate-Union of Sudanese Journalists-President of the Union of West African Journalists-UAE society of journalists-Iranian syndicate of Journalists-Association of Independent newspapers in Mauritania- National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSJ)- The Federal Union of Pakistani Journalists-Tunisian Society of Journalists-Bahraini Society of Journalists UNION of Palestinian Journalists- The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC)

• Download the official statement of this event to PDF format