Fellowship Training Programme on Decent Work

Building the capacities of journalists in the Arab region to communicate labour-related issues using a human-centred approach

Towards a Solution

ILO developed a fellowship training programme to promote a more robust, comprehensive, and human-centred approach to reporting on labour markets and decent work in the Arab region. The programme emphasized cooperation to amplify communication across the region ILO worked collaboratively with academic, policy, civil society, and media institutions to implement the fellowship programme.

The programme methodology supported journalists from different countries to share and learn from each other’s experiences and adapt good practices. Participants received scholarships to create stories in a variety of formats (in-depth reports, articles, videos and blogs) on labour and decent work issues. The reports produced by the journalists were widely publicized by the ILO Regional Office for Arab States on all communication platforms, thus promoting ILO results to numerous stakeholders.

Twenty-five journalism fellows attended two days of intensive training and peer learning through a workshop conducted by media organizations and supported by an ILO technical specialist. The fellows then passed their knowledge to peers in media organizations in their home countries, positively influencing the journalistic narrative on World of Work issues and multiplying the benefits of the knowledge and experience the fellows gained.

As part of the programme, a panel event titled “Ethics in Reporting on Labour Market Issues” was held at the Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) Annual Forum 2021. A set of ethical reporting guidelines for journalists on reporting on labour market issues in the Arab region was launched by the ILO.

Through the programme, participating journalists built their capacity to cover pressing labour-related issues that are not receiving adequate coverage in the region and shared their newly acquired knowledge with colleagues in their media organizations. Thus, the programme made inroads in building a generation of journalists that are knowledgeable about ILO’s human-centred approach to achieving social justice and decent work mandates, labour standards, fundamental principles and rights at work, and the centrality of decent work to successful economic, social and environmental policies and realization of the SDGs.

This good practice contributed to strengthening ILO’s position as a global centre of excellence for knowledge on the world of work.