Finn Rasmussen from IMS (right) talking to EU-representatives at the roundtable in Khartoum. Photo: Michelle Betz/IMS

Media in Sudan call on international organisations to improve coordination of media training efforts. These conclusions were brought forward in roundtable discussions in Khartoum and Juba

Journalists and media training representatives recently met in both northern and southern Sudan to try to explore ways to further cooperation and coordination of media training as Sudan prepares for elections next year.

The first round table discussion was held in Khartoum in partnership with Sudanese Journalists' Union (SJU) while the second was in Juba where IMS partnered with the Association for Media Development in South Sudan (AMDISS).

Participants in the roundtable in Juba. Photo: Michelle Betz/IMS

Both round tables brought together national and international stakeholders who worked together to map out lessons learned and outlined challenges and priorities for media training in Sudan in the context of the current political situation as well as the upcoming national elections and referendum. Participants included working journalists, representatives from government, local media organizations as well as local and international NGOs and donors.

Recommendations for future initiatives

The discussions served as a forum to coordinate existing initiatives in the field of media training and initiate new projects and programmes to further develop journalistic skills with regards to reporting on political topics and covering elections.

Several recommendations came out the discussions and included:

- Training must include the next generation of journalists.

- There must be coordination between the National Electoral Commission (NEC) and local and international NGOs.

- The NEC needs to be properly trained and have regular briefings with media

- Training institutions need to ensure they meet the needs on the ground.

- Donors must include equipment in their packages.

- There should be a round table discussion for local media organizations to work on coordination/harmonization.

 -Training modules should be shared. (UNIFEM, UNESCO and IMS have offered up modules that could be inserted into journalism training programs).

Participants in the roundtable in Khartoum. Photo: Michelle Betz/IMS

The round table discussions were largely based on an IMS review focusing on the efforts and lessons learned regarding media training in Sudan. The review found that there was a need for strengthened coordination and cooperation among Sudanese media outlets and training institutions as well as between the international organizations providing the media training.  The main recommendations include:

- Need for joint strategy for long-term media training and capacity building;
- Need for strengthened election reporting;
- Encourage networking and cooperation between media outlets;
- Need to address the security and safety of media workers. 

The review will be available on line in near future.