Yemen: Journalists’ safety must be a priority, reiterates IFJ

More than 160 Yemeni journalists and media workers were trained on occupational safety as part of a one-year project implemented by the Yemeni Journalists' Syndicate (YJS) with the support of UNESCO and International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). It was designed to enhance journalists' protection. The IFJ praises the projects' results, but emphasises that more needs to be done to make journalists' safety a priority in Yemen, where a ten-year long conflict is permeating all the aspects of citizens' lives, including the journalistic community.

Participants of the eighth and last workshop on occupational safety for journalists on 31 October in Taiz. Credit: YJS.

The eighth and last training session on occupational safety for journalists was attended by twenty leaders from media and journalistic institutions on 31 October in Taiz, southwest of the country. The conclusions of the session pointed at the need to develop a specific safety protocol focusing on psychological support, occupational safety tools and risk assessments for journalists working in Yemen.

Furthermore, participants recommended the establishment of groups that offer psychological support for media workers; the integration of occupational and digital safety into the safety curriculum in the country's universities that teach media studies, among others.

This was the last workshop held by the YJS with UNESCO and IFJ support, as part of the one-year project, 'Monitoring and documenting media violations and promoting professional safety for journalists in dangerous journalistic environments in Yemen'. The project, which ended in October 2024, included the organisation of eight training sessions to enhance the safety of journalists and media workers in the Yemeni provinces of Aden, Taiz, Hadramawt and Marib. Furthermore, reports on the challenges faced by media workers were published, ten newsletters to boost safety at work were launched and a specific workshop to combat impunity for crimes against journalists was celebrated.

YJS Secretary General Imad Al-Saqaf made the opening remarks, emphasising the union's commitment to the protection of journalists, and the urgency to continue working to enhance journalists' safety in the country beyond the end of the project.

IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: "The work we are doing together with our affiliate YJS and UNESCO to raise awareness on the safety of Yemeni journalists, with the valuable contribution of the Norwegian Union of Journalists, is essential to support the devastated media landscape in the country. Guaranteeing the safety of journalists must be a priority in Yemen - a country that is immersed in a ten-year long conflict, in which citizens as well as journalists are paying a heavy price. Without adequate protection, journalists cannot carry out their work".