UAE media council opens workshop

Abu Dhabi: UAE citizens are giving a hand to those in need spontaneously and willingly, Director General of the National Media Council (NMC) Ebrahim Al Abed said on Tuesday.

"The UAE citizens are performing humanitarian works spontaneously and the living example of that is what they offered to victims of the recent quake in Haiti," Al Abed said, while opening a media workshop on the international humanitarian law and media, jointly organised by the UAE Journalists' Association (UAEJA) in conjunction with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Around 35 people from various local media establishments are attending the two-day event.

Al Abed said the workshop would provide a platform to address the challenges the media faces while covering disasters and wars.

He lauded the UAEJA's efforts to promote the international humanitarian law and urged the journalists to enrich their knowledge of the professional skills needed during disasters and disputes.

Speaking about the workshop agenda, he said journalists need to know principles of the international humanitarian law and its provisions that protect them at times of wars, and relationship between the international humanitarian law and Islamic Sharia.

He noted that the large presence of members of the media community underlines the care the media organs give to the issue.

Chairman of the UAEJA Mohammad Yousuf said the workshop is a prelude for a partnership between the UAEJA and the ICRC.

He added that more similar workshops would be conducted in the UAE and countries of the region to educate journalists about their rights and commitments under the international humanitarian law at times of disasters and wars.

Deputy Regional Commissioner of the ICRC M. Kalabi said the workshop is the first of its kind to be held in the UAE.

He said that presence of media persons during all humanitarian crises, cal-amities and wars would make them key players.

Abdul Rahman Al Tunaiji, head of Information Department, UAE Red Crescent Authority (RCA), stressed the RCA's desire to heighten awareness about the international humanitarian law.