77% OF WOMEN CANDIDATES USED THE SPONSORED ADVERTISEMENT PROGRAM 19.09.05

ACTIVITIES OF THE MASS MEDIA DURING 48-HOUR CAMPAIGN SILENCE PERIOD 15.09.05

CANDIDATES IN THREE PROVINCES ARE ALLOWED TO USE THE SPONSORED ADVERTISEMENT PROGRAM IN NEIGHBOURING PROVINCES 10.09.05

SPONSORED ADVERTISEMENT PROGRAMME ATTRACTS CANDIDATES THROUGHOUT AFGHANISTAN 29.08.05

JEMB ESTABLISHES MEDIA COMMISSION FOR THE WOLESI JIRGA AND PROVINCIAL COUNCIL ELECTIONS

July 20, 2005
The Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB) established the Media Commission on July 19, 2005. The Commission is composed of three Afghan and two international Commissioners.

The responsibilities of the Media Commission include:

• monitoring the coverage of the electoral campaign by the mass media;
• addressing complaints of unfair reporting and coverage of the political campaign, or other violations of the Mass Media Code of Conduct;
• setting up and overseeing a Sponsored Advertising program that will provide each candidate equitable access to a radio or television station to broadcast their message during the official campaign period from August 17 to September 15.

The Commission will complete its work no later then 30 days after the certification of the September 18 Wolesi Jirga and Provincial Council election results.

Any member of the public can lodge a complaint with the Media Commission. This can be done at any provincial JEMBS office or directly with the JEMB or Media Commission located on Jalalabad road in Kabul.

The Afghan Commissioners are:

• Ms. Horia Mosadiq, journalist and human rights advocate;
• Mr. Dadmohammad Annaby, journalist, and former head of radio programs at RTA;
• Mr. Mohamad Arif Gharwal, author, journalist, and educator.

The international members are:

• Mr. John Matisonn, a broadcast regulator from South Africa;
• Mr. Baqer Moin, a journalist from the United Kingdom.

The Media Commission’s website is: Media Commission.

For more information please contact:

MC Spokesperson Machteld Bierens de Haan
machteldb@unops.org.af
mob: + 93 (0) 79 88 75 99