The Mauritanian Journalists’ Union, in cooperation with the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), will host the IFJ regional meeting for the Arab world and the Middle East in Nouakchott from 11 to 13 January 2027. Participants will include 21 leaders of journalists’ unions and press organisations from countries across the region, alongside the IFJ president, its general secretary and several members of its administrative team.
The meeting in Mauritania represents a major professional event, given the scale of participation and the issues on its agenda. It will also be the first conference of its kind and scale hosted by the country in the field of journalism and trade unionism, reflecting its standing at both regional and international levels.
In hosting this event, the Union is guided by its firm conviction that Mauritania’s standing in the field of freedoms at Arab, African and international levels enables it to play an active role in hosting international professional conferences and gatherings. That standing calls for the country to become a place where global media decisions are shaped, rather than simply attending conferences hosted by other countries.
The Union believes that hosting such meetings gives practical expression to the country’s standing and helps strengthen its presence within international professional institutions and organisations.
The meeting will discuss the challenges facing journalists and their unions in the region, and ways to develop joint trade union action and its mechanisms at national, regional and international levels. It will also address decisions concerning the region adopted by the IFJ congress in May 2026, review the regional programme of work and update its priorities, and consider launching new regional campaigns to respond to current and emerging challenges.
The agenda will also cover mechanisms to strengthen regional trade union solidarity, monitor journalists’ circumstances, defend their rights and professional freedoms, and track violations against them. Discussions will further examine the effects of artificial intelligence on journalism jobs and the future of the profession, and the challenges that technological changes present to media organisations and their staff.
On this occasion, the Mauritanian Journalists’ Union reaffirms its commitment to serving the national press, defending its members’ interests and representing the Mauritanian journalistic community in regional and international forums with professionalism and responsibility. It will work to ensure that Mauritania’s representation holds its rightful professional place, strengthening the country’s presence and influence in the discussions and decisions that shape the future of journalism and media trade union action internationally.