A first batch of equipment was handed over to fifteen new association radios on Friday, August 7, 2020. This distribution took place in Tunis, during an official ceremony organized by the Independent High Authority for Audiovisual Communication (HAICA), when the latter had just granted the radios their licenses. This initiative was supported by the Council of Europe (CoE) as part of its joint programme with the European Union entitled “Project to support independent bodies in Tunisia - PAII-T”.

Twenty-six thousand euros were handed over to HAICA through this joint programme. The objective is to support the interventions of the High Authority with the local media in order to facilitate their informative mission and their remote work, especially in these times of crisis related to the restrictions of COVID-19. In particular, the workers of these radio stations will benefit from technical support provided by experts specialising in IT issues. They will also be trained in fact-checkingand in tools to combat misinformation. The aim of this collaboration is to provide reliable and quality information to local populations in order to deconstruct disinformation or fake news. By strengthening the capacities of local media, HAICA, the Council of Europe and the European Union thus intend to support their pluralism and their fundamental role within any democratic society.