Maharat is a catalyst, defending and advancing the development of democratic societies governed by the values of freedom of expression and respect for human rights.
Maharat advances the societal and political conditions that enhance freedom of expression and access to information, both online and offline. Maharat engages and equips a progressive community in Lebanon and the MENA region with the skills and knowledge necessary to create change.
Four human rights organizations launched on the 26th of November a meeting to initiate a network to fight hate speech in the MENA region. The meeting gathered MADA, Gulf Center for Human Rights, Maharat Foundation, and the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the Internet Governance Forum that took place from the 25th till the 29th of November.
“it was just a suicide” this was the report of the head of Sulaymaniyah police in Kurdistan Iraq after the assassination of journalist Amanj Babani and his wife the journalist Lana Mouhamadi and their 3 years old son found dead in their parked car in one of the Sulaymaniyah parking lots. The investigation reports contradicted what witnesses said who ensured that armed people shot them in their car.
The Internet Governance Forum was held in Berlin from the 25th till the 29th of November 2019. The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres launched the forum entitled “One Vision, One World, One Internet”. The German Chancellor Angela Merkel emphasized the Human Rights dimension of the internet and the importance of engaging all stakeholders.
Within the efforts made to promote professional skills for journalists and activists and to improve their coverage of conflict in Lebanon, Maharat Foundation is launching in cooperation with Utopia and Deutsche Welle Akademie 2 training workshops in Tripoly on Conflict Sensitive Reporting and Innovative Digital Storytelling.
The overall sustainability of Lebanon’s civil society sector remained stable in 2018, though CSOs faced growing legal hurdles and harassment.
Maharat is organizing a training program on eco journalism with the aim of promoting professional skills and improving the performance of journalists in covering issues related to economy. This program is organized in collaboration with Konrad Adenauer and the Natural resource Governance Institute.
