DUSHANBE, December 3, 2008, Asia-Plus  -- The Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) has launched a new radio journalism project for Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan and has begun to broadcast radio programs on social problems.  

Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, the project editor in Tajikistan Zebo Tadjibayeva said that implementation of the project started in the countries last October and a series of training were conducted.  The project has begun to broadcast the radio programs this month and in Kyrgyzstan, the programs are broadcast on Kyrgyz Radiosu.  For Tajik nationals, the programs are available on the IWPR website – www.iwpr.net .  

According to her, journalists working with both state-controlled and independent radio stations and news agencies have been involved in production of the programs working with IWPR as freelance reporters.

Noting that the project aims to promote improvement of local radio journalism, Ms. Tadjibayeva noted that the interested Tajik radio stations could use programs produced from subjects prepared by Tajik radio reporters.  For this, they should preliminary get in touch with the IWPR office in Tajikistan.

Established in 1991, IWPR builds democracy at the frontlines of conflict and change through the power of professional journalism.  IWPR programs provide intensive hands-on training, extensive reporting and publishing, and ambitious initiatives to build the capacity of local media.  Supporting peace-building, development and the rule of law, IWPR gives responsible local media a voice.

The Institute now exists as an international network for media development, with not for- profit divisions in Europe, the US and Africa supporting training and capacity-building programs for local journalism, with field programs in more than two dozen countries.  In central Asia, IWPR has worked since 1999.