Networking event for Jordanian information officers held

AMMAN — Information officers from government ministries and public bodies in Jordan met on Thursday at the National Library in Amman for a networking event to foster debate around creating a “community of practice” for these officers, a statement from the organisers said.

Under the patronage of Minister of State for Media Affairs and Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani,  the networking event was a follow-up to the  trainings on the implementation of the Access to Information (ATI) Law organised by UNESCO Amman Office, the Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) and the  Department of the National Library, as part of the EU-funded and UNESCO implemented “Support to Media in Jordan” Project, the statement said-

The networking event was meant to serve as a forum for discussion and information sharing among information officers. Mohammed Abbadi, Information Commissioner and Director General of the Department of the National Library, expressed the department’s keenness to cooperate with UNESCO Amman Office and CLD to raise awareness of the Access to Information Law and to facilitate the event, according to the statement.

“Access to information is central to the 2030 Agenda and the promotion of the Sustainable Development Goals,” Costanza Farina, representative of UNESCO in Jordan, said at the event.

“The right to access information is intrinsically linked to democracy, the rule of law and good governance and therefore development, peace and stability. This is the reason why UNESCO is committed to support initiatives, like today’s networking event, that empower public bodies to implement the Access to Information Law properly and in full,” she added.

According to the statement, Momani confirmed the “strong commitment” of the government to provide a proper environment that enables the implementation of the ATI Law. This comes, the statement continued, as part of the government’s work to advance freedoms in the country and protect the rights of citizens and society in line with international examples and models.

“Freedom of expression and access to information are essential foundations of the European Union. In Jordan, we believe that effective implementation of the Access to Information Law will allow citizens to participate in key decisions that affect their lives. We are pleased to be supporting this initiative, and the Support to Media in Jordan project, to assist Jordanian information officials to share experiences and improve the flow of information in Jordan,” Andrea Fontana, EU ambassador to Jordan, was quoted as saying in the statement. 

The series of trainings on ATI implementation, which took place between January and March 2017, reached out to all 60 information officials in every government ministry and other public bodies in Jordan, as well as several journalists and local trainers from non-governmental organisations and other bodies who will be able to carry on future training, the statement said.

The event was part of UNESCO’s “Support to Media in Jordan” project, a comprehensive project aimed at supporting Jordan’s efforts to advance the Jordanian media to further increase its freedom, independence and professionalism. The three-year project (2014 – 2017) is funded by the European Union and implemented by the UNESCO Amman office in close collaboration with the Minister of State for Media Affairs and the media community in Jordan, according to the statement.