Trade union strengthening and journalists' solidarity in MENA

With huge changes sweeping the media landscape in many parts of the Middle East and Arab World, this project will help strengthen journalists' unions to be able to reform and adapt to the changing economic structures of the media and information sector.

It will help journalists' unions engage with and help shape the newsroom and conditions of the future to ensure journalism can survive and flourish in a changing economic environment where a system of state subsidy and political patronage are under pressure.

The project will aim to hep unions protect the rights and conditions of journalists, to respect their professional rights and responsibilities as well as their conditions in the face of these changes and position unions to face the challenges of the growing digitalisation of the media.

Among the projects key activities will be:

  • Organizing digital media workers
  • Building a regional youth working group to advise on to discuss how the union can attract members and what services they can provide or should develop
  • Capacity building for emerging unions
  • Organizing solidarity meetings for journalists and editors in Yemen
  • Conducting research into new forms of journalism and recruiting opportunities for unions

Location: Middle East and North Africa

Dates: 2018 - 2020

Funders: Union To Union