OSCE holds seminar for government officials, journalists in Kazakhstan to facilitate access to information

KARAGANDA, Kazakhstan, 28 April 2009 - A two-day OSCE training seminar aimed at fostering effective ties between government bodies and journalists and increasing access to official information started in Karaganda, a city in central Kazakhstan, today.

"The training seminar is timely because of Kazakhstan's 2010 OSCE Chairmanship. We hope that it will encourage professional dialogue between state authorities and journalists to achieve good co-operation between them," said Alexander Boldyrev, the Senior Adviser of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media.

The event, jointly organized by the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media and the local non-governmental organization Medialife, brought together around 30 participants. International and local experts conducted sessions on the legal and ethical principles of interaction between state officials and journalists, as well as on global standards related to access to information.

"We believe that the event will help the media to report on matters of public interest to enhance citizens' participation in decision-making processes," Boldyrev said.

The seminar, the third such event to be held in Kazakhstan, continues a series of more than 20 training seminars conducted by the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media in 10 participating States since 2005.