On March 28-29 in Amsterdam, South Caucasus media decision makers conference
was held. It was organized by the Media Diversity Institute (MDI), based in
London, under a three-year project “Minority Empowerment and Media Development
in South Caucasus”, which is implemented by this non-governmental organization
with the support of the European Commission and the Netherlands Ministry of
Foreign Affairs. Support to the event was also rendered by a number of Dutch
NGOs (De Balie Cultural Center, European Cultural Foundation, Mira Media, Press
Now), IREX-Azerbaijan, Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation-Armenia,
Open Society-Georgia Foundation.
At the conference, the results of the monitoring of Armenian, Azerbaijani and
Georgian media coverage on various minorities and socially vulnerable groups
were presented. The two-year research (2004-2006) was conducted by MDI, jointly
with the partner organizations of the three countries, including the Yerevan
Press Club. The participants of the event discussed the role of public service
broadcasting in reflecting diversity, the issues of freedom of expression and
political/religious/ethnic/racial sensibility, prospects for joint regional
media initiatives in the South Caucasus.
