(Monrovia, March 18, 2015): The Press Union of Liberia says all is now set for the holding of its two-day mini congress which kicks off in Monrovia on Friday, March 20, 2015 at the Capitol Hill Campus of the University of Liberia. 

The Country Director of Action Aid Liberia Korto Williams will deliver the keynote address and launch the Union’s three-year Strategic Direction during the opening ceremonies.

Scores of local and international guests including representatives of diplomatic missions and the governmental cycles are expected to join at least 200 journalists from across the country at the opening ceremonies.  

At this year’s Congress, the PUL will also hold a special discussion on the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which seeks the welfare and wellbeing of journalists working with media houses, and also present the first report of its ongoing media monitoring program which will point out ethical and professional issues in the media. 

The Congress will also feature a number of initiatives, including the launch of the OSIWA-sponsored Media Monitoring Program; a review of the media ethics monitoring program supported by the National Endowment for Democracy; discussions on the Freedom of Information Law; among other issues supportive of media, democracy and development in Liberia. The Congress will further entail several working sessions, wherein journalists will be provided latest updates on various issues related to media, as well as the ramifications on democracy and development in Liberia.

The Constitution of the Press Union of Liberia requires the holding of a Mini Congress at the end of the union’s fiscal year. The Congress is an opportunity for the leadership to report to the membership on progress and financial situation in the union. However, due to the Ebola outbreak plus logistical constraints, the event had been delayed.