UNESCO will provide a first batch of 125 helmets and bulletproof vests labeled “Press”, as part of emergency measures to protect journalists covering the conflict in Ukraine, the United Nations organization announced on Thursday.
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, five journalists — three Ukrainians, one French-Irishman and one American — have died.
“Thousands of journalists work on the ground in Ukraine, often without the necessary protective equipment or training. This is especially true of Ukrainian journalists, who used to focus on local issues and who are launched as war correspondents without being prepared for the risks they face,” says the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in a statement.
Unesco announces that it “will supply a first batch of 125 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits, composed of bulletproof vests with the word 'Press' and helmets”.
“Previous experiences of journalism in war zones have shown that having quality PPE can save lives. For this reason, UNESCO will work with its partners to ensure that as many journalists on the ground as possible in Ukraine have this vital equipment,” explains Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO.
They will be distributed through Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), “starting next week”.
Another measure adopted by UNESCO is training to operate in a war zone.
“UNESCO translates into Ukrainian and makes available in several other languages its training manuals for journalists in 'hostile environments', developed jointly with RSF,” the statement said.
The organization will also launch “online workshops” on hostile environments and psychological trauma, in collaboration with IFJ and RSF.
UNESCO is currently working with the IFJ “to relocate the two federations of Ukrainian journalists to offices in Poland, near the Ukrainian border,” the statement added.
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