São Paulo – For the first time ever, Latin America will host the International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East, organized by the United Nations with support from the Brazilian government. The event, which starts today (27th) in the city of Rio de Janeiro, will be launched by the United Nations undersecretary general for Communication and Public Information, Kiyo Akasaka, and by the Brazilian minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Amorim.
The seminar should bring together 150 guests from several countries, including a group of 26 Palestinians and Israelis who are going to engage in an interactive debate. The main lecturer in the first day will be Karen Koning AbuZayd, general commissioner of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNWRA). Established 60 years ago, the agency supplies basic services such as education, health and services to over 4.6 million Palestinian refugees in the Middle East.
The theme of the first panel today will be “The challenge of the post-Gaza war reconstruction,” and the second panel will discuss “The peace process, the UN and new actors.” On Tuesday, “Shaping public policy and public opinion in and about the middle east through the media” and “The role of Israeli-Palestinian civil society and media in bridging divides.”
The event aims to approach the latest events in the Middle East and discuss ways for engaging Israelis and Palestinians in the quest for a long-lasting political agreement. The seminar will also feature a debate with journalists from Palestine, Israel, Russia, Austria and Turkey.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
