OSCE-supported roundtable discussion on media self-regulation in Tajikistan

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe organized a roundtable discussion on 10 years of media self-regulation in Tajikistan, its opportunities and challenges on 21 June 2019 in Dushanbe. The event brought together 70 participants, including representatives of the parliament of Tajikistan, chief editors and journalists, as well as international organizations working in the field of media development.

At the roundtable, the participants discussed the three-year strategy and action plan of the Media Council of Tajikistan, which was developed with OSCE support. OSCE experts shared good practices and examples of the merits and nature of media self-regulation and informed them about the functioning of press councils in the OSCE area.

The Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, Valeriu Chiveri, thanked the host country for the co-operation in the area of media development in Tajikistan. “Our Office stands ready to support the Government of Tajikistan, civil society and the Tajik people to further improve freedom of speech, media pluralism, and access to information in the country,” he said.

Participants of the roundtable welcomed the OSCE contribution in promoting media freedom and pluralism in Tajikistan. “The goal of the Media Council is to promote freedom of speech and improve the quality of journalism in Tajikistan in line with all international standards. The media must become a platform for discussion of topical issues for a society,” said Shahlo Akobirova, Chairperson of the Media Council of Tajikistan.