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Doma cafe and art gallery in New York has teamed up with Albany Associates to support the Darfur Library Project by collecting donations of books. For more information contact Doma Cafe & Gallery, 17 Perry St, New York, NY 10014, tel: + 1 (212) 929-4339.

Click here for information on Albany’s work in Sudan.

Above: Albany staff Maha Adnan Badir and Zina Alsatar at work in Albany’s office in Amman; Albany/UNESCO Conference in Amman for the Iraqi Communications and Media Commission.

Albany Associates, a globally renowned UK-based strategic communications and media development company, have opened a new office in Amman, Jordan to support its work with UNESCO to develop a free and fair media in Iraq.

Staffed by Iraqis and Jordanians, the office also coordinates Albany’s training activities for the Iraqi Communications and Media Commission (CMC), the country’s first independent telecoms and broadcasting regulator, which was established in 2004 with the help of Albany who were at the time working in Iraq.

Commenting on Albany’s continuing expansion into the Middle East, Albany Director, Dieter Loraine said: “We have been visiting and working in the region for a few years now and we felt that the time was right to invest in a permanent infrastructure to provide a launch pad for future work across the entire Middle East. Setting up an office in Jordan significantly increases our overall capacity to deliver regional broadcasting, telecoms, regulatory and strategic communications training across the Middle East.”

Since its establishment in late 2004 Albany has worked in some of the world’s most challenging countries such as Iraq, Sudan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Lebanon. It has offices and representation in France, Sudan and shortly Afghanistan.

Interest of our Master Class series has continued to grow in recent years and we are pleased to announce that our next Master Class in Broadcast Regulation will take place from June 23-26, at the Cumberland hotel in London.

For more information and to book online please click here.

Albany Director, Douglas Griffin has been appointed as an advisor for the creation of a Media Law Assistance Website for use by international media rights advocates, lawyers and scholars in cooperation with Center for Global Communication Studies at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania and the Centre for International Media Assistance at the National Endowment for Democracy.

A photographic exhibit entitled “The African Union in Darfur” opens in the South Gallery of the General Assembly Visitors’ Lobby on Friday, 14 March. The exhibit is open to the public and admission is free. The exhibit will remain on display through 2 April.

The exhibition features a collection of photographs highlighting the work of the African Union Mission in the Sudan (AMIS) to contain the violence and improve security in Darfur during its three-and-a-half-year presence (April 2004 to December 2007). On 31 December 2007, as authorized by the United Nations Security Council, AMIS transferred its responsibilities for supporting the peace process in Darfur to the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID). Many of the pictures were shot by Stuart Price, a photographer working for Albany Associates in Darfur.

Albany Associates has been assisting AMIS and UNAMID with strategic communications and public information efforts in their support for the Darfur peace process since mid-2006. Albany's work in Darfur has been funded by the United Kingdom's Department for International Development and the governments of Canada and the Netherlands.

This exhibit was prepared by Albany Associates and sponsored by the Peace and Security Section of the United Nations Department of Public Information.

Address: United Nations Headquarters, Visitors’ Entrance, First Avenue at East 46th Street, New York, NY 10017.

Viewing hours: Gates are open to the public from 9:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. The gallery is open until 6p.m.

For more information on Albany Associates and its work in Darfur, please do not hesitate to contact me at caroline@albanyassociates.com or visit Albany's website at www.albanyassociates.com.

For information on UN exhibitions, please contact Jan Arnesen at +1 212 963 531 or arnesen@un.org, or Liza Wichmann at +1 212 963 0089 or wichmann@un.org.

Albany Director, Doug Griffin is to provide instruction at the Jordan Media Law & Policy Institute 2008 on Technology and New Themes in Media Regulation, organised by the Center for Global Communication Studies, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania in Amman, Jordan, 22-27 March 2008

DFID Framework Agreement for Governance, Justice and Peace Building in Conflict Affected Environments was launched in March 2008 with Albany Associates leading on media capacity building, strategic communication and media regulatory reform in conflict affected environments. The consortium is lead by Coffey International Development.

Simon Haselock conseiller special en communication de la Mission de l’Union africaine au Soudan et de la Minuad.

http://www.liberation.fr/rebonds/314135.FR.php

“Going Public with Diplomacy” – With public opinion being increasingly shaped by the media, the internet and mass markets, how will diplomacy meet the communications challenges it now faces. Albany Communications Head, Caroline Jaine writes for Diplomat Magazine.

http://www.albanyassociates.com/pubs/diplomat.jpg

Albany Associates have been contracted by DFID, and the governments of the Netherlands and Canada, to continue to provide public information support in Darfur and, in particular, to assist with the transition to the joint AU/UN mission to Darfur (UNAMID). For more information visit our projects page. To view the video of the Afia Cultural festival click here.

Albany Director, Doug Griffin has been appointed to the Jordanian government’s New Media Task Force, a group including representatives of the Audiovisual Commission, Higher Media Council, Ministry of Information and Communications Technology, Telecommunications Regulatory Commission and other stakeholders. The Task Force meets regularly to discuss plans for addressing technological convergence in Jordan’s legislation and regulations and other issues.”

Efforts Underway to Spread the Word Verbally about the Darfur Peace Agreement – Listen again to interview with Albany Director, Simon Haselock on UN Radio http://www.un.org/radio/news/html/17717.html

more to follow

On 6th December Simon Haselock spoke at the United States Institute of Peace. To listen again to Simon's address click here.

FULL STORY: On 6 December Simon Haselock will speak will speak at the United States Institute of Peace:

"As the African Union prepares to renegotiate the Darfur Peace Agreement, communicating and disseminating information on the process and provisions will be crucial to gaining public buy-in. In Sudan, years of conflict have destroyed critical infrastructure, silenced media and left entire generations without an education, creating an information vacuum and extremely limiting vehicles for dissemination. How can the provisions of a peace agreement be disseminated to the public whose lives it will profoundly affect? How can public opinion be gauged? How can a constituency for peace be built?"

For more information please click here.

FULL STORY: On 7 December Simon Haselock and Doug Griffin will speak will speak at the United States Institute of Peace:

“Last month, Iraq's Communication and Media Commission, with support from UNESCO and Albany Associates, continued a series of workshops designed to improve the legal framework governing Iraq's media and to include broadcasters and media professionals in shaping the framework that will govern them Doug Griffin and Simon Haselock will give a special briefing on the progress of the workshop series and recent developments in the effort to build the capacity of Iraq's Communications and Media Commission”.

FULL STORY: On 4 December Simon Haselock will speak at the Centre for a New American Security in Washington on Information Operations - Lessons Learned from Kosovo to Iraq.

“Simon Haselock is the Company Director at Albany Associates and he is currently writing a book on the role of information operations in today's wars. Haselock will share his practical and operational expertise in media reform and regulation in Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq, including seven elections.
His previous positions include the Deputy High Representative for Media in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Media Commissioner and Director of Public Information in Kosovo, and the Head of the Media Development Advisory Team that devised and implemented a strategy to create a plural, free, independent, and professional media in Iraq. In this off-the-record discussion, Haselock will share some thoughts on information operations lessons learned based on his experiences.

This is the third event in our "Voices from the Field" program. Voices from the Field provides a platform for military and civilian personnel to share insights with members of the policy-making community in Washington. Having returned from the front lines, these individuals have unique and often invaluable insights and field perspectives to offer.”

For full UNESCO press release featuring Albany run workshops as part of the Communication and Information Programme for Iraq click link.
http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=25650&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

Former British Diplomat Caroline Jaine has been appointed as Head of Communications & Marketing for Albany Associates. Her initial focus will be on new business development and a visit to Afghanistan to explore a number of contracts along with Director Simon Haselock is already underway.

Bio:

Caroline has 12 years experience with the British Government, last year working as Press & Public Affairs Officer in Basra where she developed a coalition wide communication strategy for Southern Iraq, engaged with local and international journalists and established a functioning press section at the British Embassy Office. Since her return she has helped train new Press Officers prior to their postings overseas. Her other assignments have included heading an internal communications programme, this time developing an internal communications strategy and in 2005 she was Ministerial Speech Writer attached to the Foreign Office Press Office.

Caroline has also written articles for national publications and published a photographic book promoting peace in Sri Lanka. Caroline has a background in art & design and has held successful exhibitions of her work in Slovakia, Sri Lanka and Israel/Palestine.

New UN Iraq envoy spotlights crucial role of media in ending conflict (from a UN Press Release). Staffan de Mistura stresses the key role of the media in resolving differences both within and outside the war-ravaged Iraq at a UN-backed media law workshop jointly run by Albany Associates in Jordan. Visit the UN website for the full story.

The BBC have show cased images from the second cultural festival held in Afia Darfur. The festival forms part of Albany’s work with the African Union Mission in Sudan on a Public Information Campaign to promote the Peace Process in Dafur. For more information visit our projects page.

Albany Associates have won their bid to the Telecoms Regulation Agency in the United Arab Emirates to design and implement the regulatory authority’s Communications Strategy.