A presentation of the studies on media and civil society issues in four Central Asian countries carried out by IWPR was held in Dushanbe on November 5, 2018.
These two studies – “The status of media and the role of social media in CA states” and “The situation of the civil society in CA states” – were based on the results of 35 in-depth interviews with representatives of media outlets and survey of 251 journalists and 235 representatives of civil society organizations of four countries in Central Asia.
The studies developed within the framework of Giving Voice, Driving Change – from the Borderland to the Steppes Project with the financial support of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs contain the analysis of the current situation in the sphere of media and civil society in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The studies demonstrated how media journalists and NGO staff use communication technologies, set their agenda, describe the intensity of their cooperation and their influence on the wider processes taking place in Central Asian states’ society.
Opening the presentation of the studies, IWPR Central Asia Programme Director Abakhon Sultonnazarov said the situation in the sphere of media and civil society in Tajikistan and region is very dynamic, but along with the positive changes, there remains a n
umber of unresolved issues.
In her presentation of the peculiarities of the position of journalists and NGO workers in Tajikistan,
IWPR Tajikistan Program Manager Lola Olimova highlighted that the research revealed that media in Tajikistan lose their functions of controlling and influencing societal tendencies.
“The studies reveal the existence of the problem in cooperation between civil society and media. At the same time, many research participants stated that such cooperation should be intensified”, – underscored Olimova.
Presenting the comparative analysis outlined in the studies, IWPR Tajikistan Program Coordinator Dmitry Zavialov underlined that media in all four Central Asian countries do not wish to be seen as the opponents of the respective governments, and consider it necessary to create content based only on the fact-checked information. Describing the position of civil society, he said the civil society in Tajikistan stands out as NGOs prefer to cooperate with local authorities.
Download “The status of media and the role of social media in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan” (ENG/RUS)
Download “The situation of the civil society in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan” (ENG/RUS)
The representatives of media, civil society, international organizations and IWPR Tajikistan partner organizations attended the event.
The presentation was followed by the ceremony of awarding the winners of the National Contest “The Best Coverage of the Issues of Human Rights, Religious Freedom and Countering Radicalization” announced by IWPR Tajikistan this summer. For more information, please see this (LINK) press-release.