INDEPENDENT MEDIA CENTRE KURDISTAN

Wednesday June 27, IMCK organized a presentation and a discussion panel at Erbil based Aras Publishers for the new book 'Iraqi Treasures' (Kunuz al-Iraq), which explores the subject of the natural resources in the country. The discussion panel consisted out of Avin Omer, a member of the oil and gas committee in the Kurdistan parliament, IMKC-trainer, journalist and supervisor of 'Iraqi Treasures' Khaled Suleiman, and advisor for the region's cabinet of ministers Ahmed Mufti.  The discussion was mainly on transparancy. On the one hand journalists cannot get the information on oil issues because the Oil Ministry in Erbil does not have a spokesman and Minister Ashti Hawrami is difficult to catch for journalists. Also the year reports of the Ministry are in English, as are the oil contracts. Against that was said that journalists should learn languages, and that they have to work to get and understand information, and they have to work to get and understand...

30 April 2012. IMCK-director Judit Neurink paid a two day visit to Basrah, the south of Iraq. The goal of the trip was two sided. The Royal Dutch Shell company invited IMCK for a meeting together with fifteen journalists and experts of Shell. The oil-company gave presentations on the history of Shell in Iraq, the different contracts that have been signed, the environment, and on the relationship between the company and the consumer. The other reason is that IMCK is talking with Shell about a future cooperation. Together with Shell, IMCK wants to improve the knowledge of journalists in Iraq on oil and gas. Previously, IMCK gave workshops in Erbil on natural resources to journalists. The participants published stories on the website Iraqi Treasures . The media in Iraq are developing slowly and journalists do not cover all subjects that are important for people in a developing democracy. One of these subjects are oil and gas. For an oil rich country like Iraq, oil is hardly a...

On the 24th of March, seventeen journalists from all over Iraq finished the third workshop of three on Natural Resources, that IMCK organised in cooperation with Mesalla and Kirkuk Journalists Group. Participants that finalized all three workshops were presented with a certificate. The workshop focused among others on transparency, details about contracts used in the oil and gas industry in Iraq, the water situation in Iraq, and on economical, environmental and social-political implications of the winning of natural resources. The results from the workshop are to be found on a special website . IMCK will choose the best story and publish that on its website and Facebook page. Trainers were James Gavin, Ben Lando and Khaled Suleiman, who is also editing the stories. The project was funded by Norwegian People's Aid.

Twenty journalists from all over Iraq joined international trainer James Gavin in Erbil for the final of three workshops on Natural Resources. The workshop gives detailed information about oil, gas and water issues in Iraq. The five day workshop started on March 10, 2012 with a guest lecture by Ben Lando, who leads the Iraqi Oil Report website in Baghdad.He informs the participants about oil- and gas-contracts as they are used in Iraq. The project, in which IMCK partners with Mesalah and Kirkuk Journalists Group is funded by Norwegian Peoples Aid (NPA). Earlier workshops took place in October and December 2011. The stories produced during the workshop will be published on the special website made for the project: Iraqi Treasures.com

Communications director Diego Perez from Shell Iraq informed participants of the Natural Resources Workshop in Erbil on details about the work of Shell in Iraq, oil contracts and other interesting details. The workshop, which is a project of IMCK and NPA, runs for five days. Twenty journalists from all over Iraq take part, of whom about half women.

IMCK and Norwegian Peoples Aid started on December 10, 2011 the second of three workshops on Natural Resources. The training lasts five days and takes place in the Safeer Hotel in Erbil. From the first group of thirty participants, twenty were selected to take part. Trainers are James Gavin, an expert in reporting on oil and economics, and IMCK co-trainer Kholoud Alamary. Experts are invited in the mornings to inform the journalists about the subjects related to oil and water. Afternoons are spent on writing stories and getting information on how to improve journalistic skills. The best stories will be edited and published on the 'Iraqi Treasures' website opened for this project. Apart from IMCK and NPA, also Mesalah and Kirkuk Journalists Group are involved in the project. A third workshop is planned for March.