Ten Jordanian civil society organizations  - winners of a sub grant competition aimed at using media to advance human rights  - signed grant agreements totaling 250,000 Euros in the presence of the European Union’s Ambassador to Jordan.

The grants funded by the European Union and managed by the Community Media Network will help advance human rights with special emphasis on women’s rights.

Nearly one hundred Jordanian NGOs responded to the call for proposals which aim at empowering NGOs in Jordan to advance their human rights efforts using media.

Ambassador Andrea Fontana told the grantees at the CMN offices that "freedom of expression and the voice of women in the media; as partners in media outlets, as journalists, experts, and opinion leader, are strongly supported by the European Union." He also expressed his hope that the grantees will be able to develop their skills and further contribute to pluralism in the Jordanian media landscape.

Daoud Kuttab, Director General of Community Media Network, said the grants are part of a three year project aimed at empowering Jordanian women. “The information revolution has provided the possibility for all people to use media to advance their goals. Our aim in this project is to give special help to human rights organizations especially women led ones to use media to raise awareness.”

For her part, Etaf Roudan, the Project Director, said a fair and transparent process was carried out to choose the winning organisations. “All participating organisations had equal chances to win the grants. An independent committee of experts made the final decision on who got the grants.”

Community Media Network’s Empowering Civil Society through Media is carried out in affiliation with Sisterhood is Global (SIGI) and the Information, Research Center at the King Hussein Foundation, Community Media Solutions and the Federation of Community Radio Stations (AMARC).