A seminar was held at the UN building in Ashgabat for media representatives, content creators and staff of government press services, focusing on the coverage of disability issues in accordance with the principles of the UN Convention. This was reported by the news agency ‘Turkmenistan: Golden Age’.

Ksenia Siminchuk from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Moldova served as an expert at the seminar. She shared her experience of applying a human rights-based approach and emphasised the principle of ‘Nothing about us without us’, which provides for the participation of people with disabilities in the development of decisions affecting their interests.

Participants discussed the importance of appropriate terminology in the media, issues of inclusive communication, the information needs of people with disabilities, and communication ethics. A UNICEF publication was also presented: a guide to communication in the field of mental health and a glossary of professional terminology for journalists and content creators.

The practical part included an online ‘Living Book’ session, during which Viktor Izbash, project coordinator for inclusive education, and activist Diana Jalbă spoke about the media’s influence on perceptions of people with disabilities.

The organisers noted that the use of inclusive communication principles and professional terminology helps foster a respectful attitude towards people with disabilities.