Principles

Objectives

Freedom of the press is a critical element of building strong democracies, enhancing civic participation and good governance, and promoting justice and peace. Article 19 of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

To what extent good governance, transparency, and the participation of civil society in public decision-making determines the development of our partner countries ultimately depends on whether the media can fulfil their core functions: to provide comprehensive information and to act as a critical check on political powers.

The IIJ's capacity building programme seeks to strengthen the professional competence of print and online journalists as well as to improve the performance of journalistic training centres in the partner countries. It is based on the principle of networking among participants. The international dimension of the programme engenders cross-border learning and international knowledge communities. These are complemented by the global exchange of experience that we maintain with our partners. Our networking activities enable us to stay in touch with our participants which helps us to pursue common goals in the future.