Ady Jean-Gardy (born 15 September 1957) is a Haitian historian,journalist and former Minister for Communication (2012-2013).[1][2] He founded the Haitian Press and developed reforms for public communication aimed at avoiding propaganda and respecting human rights organizations. He served as a civil servant at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). He was also an influential member of the African Union in Addis Ababa,Ethiopia.[3] Jean-Gardy worked to help end the civil wars in Africa and promote the image of Haiti as an international leader for peace. He is the founder of the Haitian Press Federation,an umbrella organization for various Haitian press associations,and the Haitian University of Journalism and Social Communication,also known as the Haitian Center for Teaching Journalists.
He participated in training missions in West Africa and helped establish the African Press Federation (Fédération de la Presse Africaine),collaborating with press leaders from Mali,Togo,Benin,Senegal,Ivory Coast,Congo,Madagascar,Morocco,Tunisia and Algeria. According to a certain source,the Conference of Ouagadougou in 2004 advanced the goals of the federation's founder with support from Daniel Whitman of the State Department.[citation needed]
Early life and education
Ady Jean-Gardy began his education at the Catholic School of the Salésiens Fathers and then continued at Alexander Pétion High School. By age 12,he'd contributed caricatures to the Creole newspaper Bon Nouvel,directed by Jorris Ceuppens. At 14,he wrote a novel in Creole titled Deblozay,which reportedly received the Prize of National Creole Media.[citation needed] He later served as Director of Cultural Affairs for the magazine Petit Samedi Soir and edited a libertarian review,Inter Jeunes.
He pursued higher education at the Institute of Applied Linguistics in Haiti,studied architecture at the Civil Engineering Institute of Richard Leconte,and received a bachelor's degree in economics at the Institute of Economic Science and Politics in Haiti. He received a USAID scholarship to study Economics,Finance,and Administrative Management at the University of Pittsburgh.
He directed the documentary Christmas in Voodoo Colors,which received regional acclaim at a Caribbean film festival.
Career
Jean-Gardy,who signs his name as Adyjeangardy on professional documents,served at the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) and as operations manager of the United Nations Programs (1989–1992). He was also an associate of the Environmental Programs at the Ministry of Agriculture of Haiti (1992–1993),operations manager at the Office of UNESCO (1993–1994),representative of Haiti at the Center for Strategic Studies and Diplomacy in Paris (1994–1997),and operations manager at the Center for Communication Studies of Deutsche Welle in Germany (1998).
In the early 2000s,he brought international attention to the assassinations of Haitian journalists,including Brignol Lindor in Petit-Goave and Jean Dominique,Director of Haiti Radio-Inter. He alerted the International Press Federation,the Committee for the Protection of Journalists,the Inter-American Press Association,and the International Court of Human Rights at The Hague.[citation needed]
In 2003,Jean-Gardy traveled to Amsterdam to meet with members of the International Court of The Hague regarding the trafficking of Haitian children under the guise of adoption.[citation needed] He discussed the subject with Dutch government officials,advocating for better control over international adoptions to prevent a new form of slave trade originating from Haiti. These actions reportedly led to systematic inspections of adoption records between Haiti,the Dominican Republic,the United States,and Europe.
In 2004,Jean-Gardy led missions to the Governor of Florida,Jeb Bush,and his officials to advocate for assistance for Haiti focused on public health,education,and donations of equipment for rubbish collection and fire control.[citation needed] In Florida,he created a television network called Haiti World TV (HWT),which broadcasts information programs about Haiti and Haitian history for the education of Haitian communities.[citation needed]
Since 2004,he has been contracted by the International Center for Journalists in Washington,D.C.,consulting for two years with the Africa Section of the U.S. State Department. Since 2005,he has served as an advisor to the Office of Haiti-Freedoms France.[citation needed]
As the representative of Haiti to the International Conference of the Inter-American Press Association on Communication Strategies,he expressed his desire for the Haitian State Media (radio and television) to become a community media organization subject to scrutiny by Parliament and press organizations in the country. As president of the International Media Foundation (IMF) in 2006,he produced reports and recommendations for professional development in the media.
As Dean of the University Center for the Training of Journalists,he was asked by the Military Academy of Haiti in 1985 to deliver courses on communication techniques. He was later asked again by the Police Academy of Haiti in 1995.
Fall of Duvalier
Following the fall of Haitian President Jean-Claude Duvalier,the National Council of Government of Haiti (CNG) appointed Jean-Gardy as director of the daily newspaper Haiti Released. He reportedly resigned six months later,citing concerns over civilian casualties. Jean-Gardy reorganized the Association of Haitian Journalists (AJH),which he directed for four years,establishing the presence of this institution within the new Haitian Constitution of 1987.[citation needed]
He was Director General of the Investigation Group Press (1987) and was called by President Ertha Pascal-Trouillot to head the national radio of Haiti (1990–1991). He contributed to the organization of the presidential elections in which Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected. He was reportedly appointed Ambassador of Haiti to Japan by President Aristide in 1991. Jean-Gardy resigned following the arrest of President Ertha Pascal-Trouillot. He then joined the United Nations system,where he was hired by Reinhart Helmcke (Germany) as Coordinator of Programs (Hai89018 project) and National Consultant at the World Health Organization (WHO). He also became the Representative in Haiti of the International Union of the French Press for Freedom of Expression and a permanent correspondent for Voice of America (USA) in Haiti.
Awards
Ady Jean-Gardy has reportedly received international recognition from Mali,Benin,Togo,Guinea,Ivory Coast,Germany,France,the United States,and several nations in Latin America. He received an award in Florida after inspiring American authorities to introduce Haitian history into Floridian schools. Following his recommendations,the Mayor of Miami-Dade County,Carlos Alvarez,published an official decree recognizing January as the month of Haiti's Independence.
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