March 1^st. In cooperation with the Palestinian Central Elections Commission and the Embassy of Italy in Palestine, the University organized a workshop as part of the Promotion of Electoral Participation in the Palestinian Society project. This was the second workshop of its kind to be held for the University students; the first workshop targeted 60 Law students. A number of students of the Faculty of Media participated in this workshop which was supervised by the UNESCO Chair on Human Rights and Democracy at the University.

Mr. Samer Aqrouq, the supervisor of the workshop and key trainer, said that such workshops target the students of Media because of the important role they play with respect to information transfer in their local society. The workshop aimed at training students on various concepts in the field of media, as well as how to write press reports about issues related to elections.

Such workshops aim to reinforce social awareness and offer more information regarding various social issues including elections. These workshops reinforce democratic tendencies among people in Palestine and Media students are considered a major part in this process as they contribute to the communication of information to people in the different parts of the country regarding elections.

The workshop was attended by Mr. Sameer Dwaikat, Coordinator of the Palestinian Elections Commission Office in Nablus, who spoke about the role that the University students play in delivering more information about the participation in elections to as many people as possible. He also explained the structure of the Elections Commission, how members are selected, as well as the tasks they perform.

Mr. Nafez Ahmed, the trainer in the workshop, said that such workshops are designed to introduce the participants to the elections law and what information it contains about the different type of elections, their goals, who has the right to be nominated, in addition to the electoral propaganda, sorting of voices, and announcement of results. He also discussed the electoral tribunal, the right to appeal, control over elections, the preparation of reports and other related issues.