Doha, Qatar - September 1, 2007: Al Jazeera Network announced today that its Training and Development Centre will launch a training partnership with the Syrian International Academy. A senior Al Jazeera delegation headed by the Director General of the Al Jazeera Network, Wadah Khanfar and comprised of Abdullah Al-Najjar, Commercial Director and Abdulaziz Al-Horr, Director of the Al Jazeera Media Training and Development Centre visited the Academy to inaugurate this relationship.

For the first time since its inception in 2004, the Al Jazeera Media Training and Development Centre will launch a number of training courses in Damascus starting from September 2007.

Abdulaziz Al-Horr, Director of the Training Centre said: "After four years of its existence, Al Jazeera Training and Development Centre is now ready to expand globally. We have the experience and expertise to move forward and widen our scope of partnerships. In addition to the various courses and activities we are initiating worldwide, the four courses our trainers are instigating in Damascus this weekend will mark the first step of this move in Syria"

Director General of the Al Jazeera Network, Wadah Khanfar commented on the visit: "I am delighted that in such a short time our Training Centre has achieved this much. It has attained an international status for the training of journalists and media professionals in the Arab world. This expansion will strengthen the Centre's ties in the Arab world and give broader access to Al Jazeera's unique media approach."

Business meetings and seminars will also be held throughout the visit with media professionals and management of the Syrian International Academy.

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About the Al Jazeera Network
Al Jazeera started out ten years ago as the first channel in the world dedicated to providing comprehensive, independent television news and live debate for the Arab world. The Channel now has an estimated audience of over 50 million viewers and in 2005 was ranked by Inter-Brand as the most recognizable and influential news brand globally.  As a natural extension of its spirit and mission, Al Jazeera has over the years created a number of other channels and services - in March 2006 Al Jazeera was formally named the Al Jazeera Network, transforming its operation into an international media corporation.

The Al Jazeera Network now consists of: the flagship Al Jazeera Arabic, Al Jazeera English, Al Jazeera Documentary, Al Jazeera Sport, Al Jazeera.net (the English and Arabic web sites), the Al Jazeera Media Training and Development Centre, the Al Jazeera Centre for Studies, Al Jazeera Mubasher (Live), and Al Jazeera Mobile.

About the Al Jazeera Media Training and Development Centre
Al Jazeera Media Training and Development Center is one of the pioneering projects of Al Jazeera Network. It endeavors to promote the Arab media in particular and global media in general in the fields of visual, audio, print and electronic journalism in addition to planning and managing media corporations, marketing and advertising, legal and ethical principles, communication and public relations, Data and Archiving. Our service is second to none with proven experienced professional careers and many award winners in the fields of Media and Journalism.

Launched in February 2004, the centre was, in its first three years, able to organize over 300 specialized media training courses in which more than 3000 trainees from all over the Arab world participated. Such an achievement is clear evidence of the need for media training to keep abreast of the rapid change of content in the media world, its management, new technologies, competition and market needs. The centre also made considerable progress in the field of consultancy and development planning.

Our clients range from media organisations, colleges and media institutes, to the business sector, and individual and media professionals.

For more information visit: http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/23449C52-E473-47DA-B89D-5FE86F206457.htm

CONTACT:
International and Media Relations
imr@aljazeera.net
Tel: +974 489 6046

© Press Release 2007