Representative Office of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) in the Kyrgyz Republic conducted two-day trainings “Interaction between NGOs and the media: development of effective strategies to involve society in the discussion of critical issues in the field of human rights” for journalists and human rights activists, employees of non-governmental organizations in Osh and Jalal-Abad regions.
The trainings were held in the framework of the project “Creating a Culture of Investigative Journalism for Furthering Democratic Reform – Linking 
Human Rights Organisations, Government Officials and the Media to Promote Change” funded by the European Union and the Government of Norway.
During the trainings, participants learned what human rights were, and what kind of relationship they had with the life of ordinary citizens, what laws ensured their compliance and how to deal with the violation of human rights, how to attract the attention of authorities and the public to this problem.
In addition to theory, journalists and human rights activists had mastered the techniques of effective communication in practice, which on the one hand, help the media to be aware of original, relevant and controversial topics, on the other hand, by highlighting, the human rights community had an opportunity to draw the attention of public authorities and local residents to violations of human rights, and seek resolution of various contentious issues.
“Mutually beneficial cooperation of mass media and human rights organizations has a positive impact on the work of both sides, which ultimately affects the level of respect for the rights by citizens of Kyrgyzstan”, said Abahon Sultonnazarov, the regional director of IWPR in Central Asia.
The trainers were prominent human rights activists and experienced professionals in their field: Head of PF “Kylym Shamy” Aziza Abdirasulova and Head of PF “Voice of Freedom” Abdumomun Mamaraimov.
Participants noted the practical orientation of the training and said that they would apply the knowledge gained in the development of topics during the 
work on the materials, when writing press releases and covering human rights cases.
“The training helped me understand that the human rights issues require a lot of knowledge in the field of law, ethics and psychology. One should be extremely cautious concerning the information, recheck the facts and details, which I will do in my work”, shared her feedback Sahira Nazarova, a journalist in Osh.
The two-day training sessions were held in the city of Jalal-Abad on February 16-17, 2015, and in Osh – on February 20-21, 2015.
The next training for journalists and human rights activists on effective interaction will be held on: March 6-7, Bishkek (representatives from Talas are also invited), March 10-11 – Naryn, March 13- 14 – Karakol, 17-18 March – Batken
To participate in the training, it is necessary to send one’s CV and a justification of the participation in the workshop (100-150 words) by email: meerim@iwpr.net before March 2, 2015.
For more information, you can contact us by phone. +996 (312) 313097.
About the organization: The Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) is a British non-profit media organization, covering the situation and supporting local media in crisis regions around the world. In Kyrgyzstan, the IWPR has been working since 1999.