Features IDRC on Just Societies and Healthy Democracies — Afghanistan Women play a central role in reuniting shattered families and rebuilding fractured communities, often with little official support. Despite national and international agreements guaranteeing equality, many women are unable to exercise their rights and realize their full potential. Such is the case in Afghanistan.

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To commemorate the 17^th Jailed Journalists Support Day, Reporters Without Borders (RWB) Canada and Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) invited two Afghan journalists to speak about freedom of the press. Public events were held November 17 in Halifax; November 20 in Montréal; November 21 in Toronto; November 22 in Ottawa; and November 23 in Calgary (see itinerary).

Five years after the fall of the Taliban, Mehria Azizi, camerawoman for the NGO AINA, and Najiba Ayubi, director of the independent press group Killid, spoke about freedom of the press and the role of women in Afghan society.

Clips from Mehria Azizi’s documentary, Afghanistan Unveiled, shot throughout Afghanistan in 2003 and screened at numerous film festivals, were shown in Canada for the first time during the five-city tour.

As the violence mounts in Afghanistan, Reporters Without Borders wants to demonstrate that freedom of the press is yet another front on which the battle for democracy is being fought. A RWB Canada delegation to Afghanistan in July assessed press freedom and evaluated the needs of independent Afghan media. The Canadian tour marks the launch of RWB Canada’s campaign to support an independent Afghan media.

RWB launched the Jailed Journalist Support Day in support of incarcerated journalists in 1989. The day allows media outlets (200 to date; 40 in Canada) to acknowledge and support their colleagues who have been imprisoned for doing their jobs as reporters, attempting to keep their communities and the world informed. RWB exposes their plight to the public and works to pressure the governments responsible to be more concerned about the fate of their prisoners. RWB acknowledges the support of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO for this tour.

For more than 35 years, IDRC has supported researchers from the South in their quest to find solutions to development issues faced by their citizens. In former conflict zones and in Afghanistan, IDRC-supported researchers are examining ways to tap into movements for social change to advance justice and equity, especially for women. IDRC also believes that research is the foundation for freedom of expression, open inquiry, and debate — all of which are essential to the building of democracy. By strengthening local research capacity and applying the knowledge gained to create sound policies, the people of Afghanistan and elsewhere can strengthen their own chances for peace, order, and good government.

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Media contacts

Emily Jacquard
1000 Fullum – Montréal, QC H2K 3L7
Tel.: 514-521 4111 – Fax: 514-521 7771
rsfcanada@rsf.org – Additional information www.rsfcanada.org

Isabelle Bourgeault-Tassé
International Development Research Centre
250 Albert St Ottawa, ON K1G 3H9
Tel.: 613-236- 6163 #2343 — Fax: 613- 563-2476
ibourgeault-tasse@idrc.ca — Additional information web.idrc.ca

2006-11-15

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