The United Nations Development Programme, represented by Mr. Ross Mountain, UNDP Resident Representative, signed on June 26th 2015, a memorandum of understanding with L'Orient Le Jour and Daily Star newspapers represented by Ms. Nayla de Freije, Executive Director of the General Company of Press and Publication (L'Orient Le Jour), and Mr. Jamal Zein, Director of Finance and Administration in The Daily Star newspaper.
This agreement aims at establishing a framework of cooperation between the parties in printing, distributing and translating three issues of the UNDP "Peace Building in Lebanon" joint news supplement, issued in both French and English.
This supplement is produced by the UNDP "Peace Building in Lebanon" project, funded by KFW. The original Arabic version is distributed with Annahar and As-Safir newspapers while a translated English version is distributed with The Daily Star and a translated French version with L'Orient Le Jour.
It contains articles by writers, journalists, media professionals, researchers and artists from Lebanon and Syria; which cover the repercussions of the Syrian crisis on Lebanon and the relations between Lebanese and Syrians, employing objective approaches, free of hatred and misconceptions.
Mr. Mountain noted that as elsewhere around the globe, media in Lebanon affects how people think and how they understand and interpret situations. “This is why we - at UNDP – recognize the power of diversity and believe in the role of media in creating safe spaces for voices and moderation we hope that this supplement sheds light on the numerous positive initiatives taken by both Lebanese hosting communities and Syrian refugees which often go unnoticed” he added.
Mr. Raymond Tarabay, Cooperation Consultant at the German Embassy in Lebanon pointed out that no country in the Arab region enjoys media freedom like Lebanon, and that various press outlets meeting and working on a unified theme is an excellent example of this.
Mr. Tarabay also explained that The German government has been focusing on supporting peace building and education efforts, targeting both host communities and Syrian refugees through community development programmes.”
Ms. de Freije thinks that the articles - captured by journalists in the supplement - are eye-opening and shed a new light on the implications of the Syrian crisis on Lebanon. She stressed that by translating and distributing this supplement with L’Orient Le Jour, readers will be able to open up to different points of views adding that at the same time, publishing with L'Orient Le Jour will contribute to the consolidation of the “Francophonie” in the region.
On another hand, Mr. Nadim Ladki, Editor in Chief of The Daily Star newspaper, said that through this cooperation, The Daily Star thanks the international community for its work on the issue of displaced people and contributes to civil peace and to encourage Lebanese better understand the "Other".