31 October 2014 - UNIOGBIS PIU held on 30-31 October in Bafatá (east) a training workshop on "Building Public Opinion in a Democratic State", the second of four, covering all the nine regions of Guinea-Bissau, in the framework of the Peacebuilding Fund's program titled "Strengthening the Media's Watchdog Role".

It involved a dozen trainees, mainly director and editors in chief of community radios, as well as representatives of civil society Human Rights and Gender organizations.

Bafatá training workshop activity, covering the regions of Bafatá and Gabú, followed a first one - on the same model - held earlier in October in São Domingos (north), covering the regions of Biombo, Cacheu and Oio. Two additional trainings are expected in coming weeks, respectively in Buba (south), covering the regions of Quinara, Tombali, Bolama and Bijagos, and in Bissau.

In total, atleast 50 trainees will benefit directly from these workshops, following the capacity building provided to journalists in the first semester 2014 under PBSO/PBF/UNIOGBIS/PIU programme "Strengthening the Media's Watchdog Role".

The trainers, besides professional journalists, namely local, all of them foreign correspondents and the chairman of the union SINJOTECS, were accompanied by experts from all substantive sectors of UNIOGBIS: PAS, ROLSI, Human Rights and Gender, who also delivered their key note speeches on "Building Public Opinion in a Democratic State".

Final recommendations from the trainees:
1- UNIOGBIS/ANP support providing information on capacity and institution building in GB;
2 - A Media Observatory, an independent Media Ombudsman and a Journalists Code of Conduct;
3 - Training on preventing political manipulation of media mainly during electoral cycles: reliable sources, editorial policy and the respect for the principle of contradiction;
4 - UNOGBIS/SSR training on good governance for peace and reconciliation;
5 - UNIOGIS/MDGs sensitization on fighting poverty and women empowerment on decision making;
6 - A network of community radios - reactivating the ARC - broadcasting in local languages and access to internet.