GARDEZ - The media’s key role in supporting democracy was highlighted at a meeting that brought together Afghan media professionals from across the country’s south-east region.

The one-day meeting in Gardez brought together 16 print, radio and television journalists from Ghazni, Khost, Paktya and Paktika provinces, along with local representatives from the UN. Due to the security situation in these provinces, many of the participants had to travel indirect routes, including through Kabul, to participate in the meeting, which comes just a few weeks ahead of World Press Freedom Day.

Recognizing the key role of media in a democratic society -- including an informed public that is better equipped to participate in democratic processes -- participants discussed the issues and concerns facing them in their professional work.

One topic discussed at length was how to verify information. In Afghanistan, journalists frequently do not have access to all the resources necessary to verify information, whether due to security or financial constraints, and therefore must present attributed information from different parties, leaving it to the audience to draw its own conclusions.

Asil Zazai, head of the Independent Association of Paktya Journalists and director of the local Jond radio station, said journalists have an important role to play in supporting subnational governance and development. He called the meeting an excellent opportunity for media professionals to share information and experiences, and to learn more about the work of the UN.

Mohammadullah Hematyar, a journalist with Milma Radio in Paktika, said journalists’ best sources of information are their communities. “Many people are willing to be sources for the media to the point of travelling to neighboring districts to meet journalists,” said Mr. Hematyar.

“In a situation in which we face two dominant narratives, ordinary Afghans are our best allies,” he said.

Despite the geographical proximity of the four south-eastern provinces, the meeting participants addressed different challenges they face in their respective communities. They focused, for example, on issues surrounding the reporting of information related to violence against women, which must be done sensitively everywhere in Afghanistan, but especially in Paktika, the most conservative of the four provinces.

UNAMA is mandated to support the Afghan Government and relevant international and local non-governmental organizations to assist in the full implementation of the fundamental freedoms and human rights provisions of the Afghan Constitution and international treaties to which Afghanistan is a State party, in particular those regarding the full enjoyment by women of their human rights.