In today’s highly volatile and ever-changing situation, we face a dire emergency with challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. This health crisis has created complex dynamics that are far greater for any single organization to solve alone. Around the world, reopening schools with a safe learning environment for children remains one of the most daunting challenges for restarting national economies.

"Everything has advantages and disadvantages!” says Abu Shadi, a farmer from Battir Village. “But do you know what the advantage of this Coronavirus Crisis is? It brought people back to their roots; to their lands” he added.

To help contain the spread of the coronavirus, the government of Palestine announced the State of emergency on March 5, 2020, and requested the closure of all schools and universities in Palestine as a protective measure to avoid the spread of the Corona Virus known as COVID-19.

West Bank/Gaza, 15 February 2020 – The UNESCO National Office for Palestine, in cooperation with The Center for Public Liberties and Human Rights at Al-Jazeera Media Network and the International Federation of Journalists, concluded two specialized training sessions, for the benefit of 40 Journalists, aimed at enhancing the capacities of Journalists working in dangerous and hostile environments.   These activities were conducted within the framework of the establishment of a Safety Officers Network within media organizations in the country, an initiative jointly implemented by UNESCO and the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate. The aim of the training is to provide improved security conditions for journalists by focusing on reinforcing physical, psychological, legal and digital safety protocols in newsrooms.  The session also highlighted the need to take into account gender-specific threats in safety protocols and practices.   These training sessions for safety focal points within media organizations are also part of the implementation of the UN Plan of Action on Safety of Journalists, which UNESCO has been mandated to lead. The training will contribute to improving mechanisms for journalists on dangerous assignments and to promoting more rigorous security assessments, protocols and systems.  The establishment of a network of safety officers will allow for the exchange of information and good practices among media organizations, and will create opportunities for collaboration and mutual support. Such trainings are expected to have a highly positive impact on the safety, as well as on the ethical and professional performance of journalists in the field, ensuring their preparedness in a high-risk profession.   Within the Palestinian context, safety stands out as one of the major challenges affecting journalists and media workers. UNESCO fully recognizes the extent of these challenges, and has therefore made the safety of journalists one of its priority areas of intervention.                 For more information on UNESCO’s activities in Palestine, please visit www.unesco.org/ramallah  and visit us on : UNESCO National Office for Palestine For more information on this activity, please contact: Hala Tannous, Communication and Information focal point at the UNESCO Ramallah Office, at h.tannous@unesco.org