Union Nationale de la Presse du Congo (UNPC) (partner NiZA)
The UNPC was created in 1971 by Congolese journalists, at the time under another name. The UNPC is a national body, with a membership of journalists and other media practitioners. It has a national reach through provincial sections in all provinces in the DRC. The mission of the UNPC is to 'defend the interests of journalists' and to serve as an organising body for the media in DRC. For a considerable period of time until March 2004 the UNPC was largely dormant, with an ineffective board which did not take any initiatives and also did not have funds to organise any activities (not even a national congress).
This ended in March 2004 when a National Congress was held in Kinshasa with representation of the media, civil society and the government. At this Congress a new board was elected, and the role the UNPC should play was set out. Although progress thus far has been limited, the new UNPC is in a position to play a strong role in the future, particularly in relation to the following activities:- Issuing of national press cards
- Serving as a co-ordinating body for the media (working journalists, editors and publishers/ owners) in the DRC.
- Assist in the establishment of an independent media monitoring structure to monitor the quality and independence of media outlets as well as individual journalists.
- Assist in the establishment of a 'Maison de la Presse', a place where journalists from the DRC as well as international journalists can meet and exchange individually or in groups.
- Serve as a mediator between the government and the media sector in terms of legislation and services.
- Establish a training centre for journalists with a special focus on the use of Information and Communication Technologies.