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Recognizing the legal and moral responsibilities of media organizations in protecting its employees, the representatives of the Iraqi media organizations gathering in Amman agreed to the following:
First: Iraqi media organizations agreed to do everything in their power to provide their staff with suitable and safe working environments. To fulfil this commitment, they will work toward executing the following action plan:
1. Media organizations will adopt safety codes and procedures and will ensure that these codes are disseminated to all staff in a written form.
2. every media organization will appoint a safety officer tasked with the implementation and monitoring of the safety code. In the case of small organizations, this will be the manager’s responsibility.
3. to put a safety and monitoring system around the organizations’ premises and to have this system regularly updated.
4. to work toward designing a safety training program that will take into consideration the context of the Iraqi situation and the local environment under which Iraqi journalists operate to be able to respond to their needs.
5. All Iraqi media workers will have equal opportunity to benefit from this training programme without discrimination.
6. All media organizations are required to provide their employees with safety equipment.
7. All media organizations are required to have medical and first aid equipment on their premises. All organizations should guarantee that all vehicles transporting staff on assignment should have a medical kit. We recommend coordinating with the Iraqi Red Crescent to prepare these kits.
8. asking ministry of interior and other security establishments to establish a permanent unit concerned primarily with the safety and security of media organizations and media staff. This unit will be the first contact point in emergency situations.
To guarantee the follow up and the implementation of this action plan, the meeting recognized the importance of supporting the work of the Iraqi Media Safety Group (IMSG). We call on the government and independent bodies to cooperate with the IMSG and provide it with financial and technical support.
Second: recognizing that media organizations bare the responsibility for their employees, it should do all it can to secure the future its staff. More so, in the case of some body who was injured during their work. Media organizations should take care of the families of killed Iraqi journalists who paid with their lives defending the Iraq people’s right to know. The meeting emphasises the importance of:
1. the commitment by Iraqi media organizations to protect the health of its employees during working hours.
2. the commitment by Iraqi media organizations to guarantee the rights of its staff.
3. all media organizations (public and private) should support the families of killed journalists.
4. establishing a fund to support families of killed media workers. Media organizations will contribute to this fund and a percentage from the monthly payment for media workers will go to this fund.
5. the state has the responsibility to protect its citizens including journalists. The Iraqi government is obliged to contribute to this fund.
In order to adopt a final draft of this document, the participants in the meeting recommend organizing a meeting in Baghdad in the near future that will bring together media managers, Iraqi government officials, journalists organizations and IMSG.
Amman, 25 October 2007
List Participants in the meeting:
Iraqi Media Organizations:
Al Forat TV
Bilaadi TV
Al Baghdadiya TV
Al Sharqiya TV
Al Diyar TV
Iraq Radio FM
Al Fayhaa TV
Ishtar TV
Radio Nawa
Al Mirbad Radio
Al Naas Radio
Kurdistan TV
Dijla TV
Kurdistan radio
Radio Dijla & Baghdad
Zaghros and Duhuk TVs
Other organizations:
BBC WT
BBC High Risk Team
Iraqi Media Safety Group (IMSG)
International Federation of Journalists
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