DUSHANBE, November 18, 2008, Asia-Plus  -- The Independent School of Journalism “Tajikistan – 21st Century” (School) has completed implementation of the “Access to Information: Cooperation and Transparency” project.

Implemented under support of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, the project aimed to promote providing reliable access to information of significance for society through raising professionalism of journalists and press service employees and establishing an efficient interaction between media and press services of the state institutions.

According to the School Executive Director Safo Safarov, three working meetings for establishment of constructive dialogue between media and press services as well as a series of training and master-classes for 40 journalists and press secretaries have been held in the framework of the project that was designed for six months.

“Representatives of president’s office, employees of press services of the executive power, parliament, and the Supreme Court, as well as representatives of media, public associations and international organizations active in the country took part in the events,” the executive director said, noting that one of significant results of the meeting was signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation between media and press services that was submitted for consideration to president’s office and parliament.  

“Another important point of the project is a survey that has been conducted among journalists and press service employees to find out mutual assessment of their activities,” Safarov said.

He further added that they had also worked out and published a manual, “Access to Information: Cooperation and Transparency,” in the Tajik and Russian languages.  

Established in June 1999, the Independent School of Journalism “Tajikistan – 21st Century” aims to promote improvement of professionalism of journalists, development of Tajikistan’s information market, ad strengthening of competitiveness of media.  Over the period of its activity, the School has implemented some 20 projects, including “Tajikistan’s Journalism in New Century”, “Management in Media”, “Journalistic Resource Center” as well as the cross-border project “Tajikistan-Afghanistan: Bridges of Friendship”, etc.   As part of the projects, the School has conducted seminars, trainings and training courses on raising professionalism of journalists, instructing media personnel in modern methods of management and marketing, information and computer technologies, norms of journalistic ethics, etc.