In a major effort to raise public awareness of legal and judicial issues, Public Prosecution – Dubai (DPP) has instituted an award for the best coverage of the forthcoming 6th International Association of Prosecutors Middle East and Asia & Pacific 2009 in the Arabic and English language media, taking place in Dubai next week under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai.

Journalists from all Arabic and English speaking media platforms – print, broadcast and online – are eligible to be considered for the awards, which will also carry a citation from DPP.

The winners will be selected by a panel of experts appointed by DPP and judged on the basis of the reporter or writer’s depth of understanding of the issues that concern the public prosecution and its role in society in general, especially from the point of view of the Middle East.

IAP-MEAP, scheduled to be held in Dubai from November 14 to16, will the first major international conference concerning the legal fraternity to be hosted in the Middle East. Some 200 delegates, mainly public prosecutors, are expected to attend the conference whose theme of “Public Prosecution in the 21st Century”, addresses the concerns and the challenges facing members of public prosecution around the world in their daily work and their quest to achieve justice.

Baqer Abdul Wahid, Head of the Public Relations at Public Prosecution-Dubai, and Manager of the Media Committee of the conference, said:

“The IAP-MEAP is an important milestone in the evolution of public prosecution in the United Arab Emirates and Dubai. It provides an ideal opportunity for the media to help raise the level of public awareness and contribute positively to complementing our role, by presenting with clarity and insight issues concerning the public prosecution and the society at large. The purpose of the awards is to raise the bar for media reporting on legal/judicial issues in the country.”

The awards cover two categories namely the best coverage in Arabic Media and the Best Coverage in English Media. The first two winners in each category will receive a cash award of AED 10,000 and AED 5,000 respectively, in addition to certificates of appreciation.

DPP is the moving force behind the three-day event, which is being organised in conjunction with the IAP. It has already set up a website (http://dppevents.ae ) for the conference for online registration of participants. The website also offers details about the topics of the conference and the speakers.

While the conference theme is “Public Prosecution in the 21st Century”, the event will also feature expert discussions on two key topics: “Use of Information Technology in the prosecution process” and “Risk Management: Anti Corruption Measures for the prosecution service”.

The IAP, established in 1995 as a non-governmental, non-political organisation, is a global community of prosecutors committed to setting and raising standards of professional conduct and ethics for prosecutors worldwide.

Its mission is to be a world authority for prosecutors in the conduct of criminal prosecutions and associated matters and to operate as an organisation of international repute and referral.