Newsletter Content & Design

From 2015 –2016, I worked with the UNESCO Iraq Office to improve their external communications and visibility. This period also coincided with the rise of ISIS (The Islamic State) in Iraq and in neighbouring Syria, as well as their war on cultural heritage. Given their mandate to protect and preserve cultural and natural heritage, UNESCO’s work in Iraq became even more pertinent, almost overnight.

The news coming out of Iraq was bleak and the unbelievable damage that ISIS was inflicting on all forms of cultural heritage was heartbreaking. On the other hand, so much work was being done to protect and uphold Iraq’s material cultural heritage. With all eyes on Iraq now, we needed to communicate to a larger local/international audience. So, I initiated a quarterly newsletter to be shared with our partners, stakeholders, the Iraqi press and media sector, the government as well as other UNESCO Offices and headquarters, to inform them about what we were doing in Iraq.

My role involved gathering and consolidating information from implementing partners, the government, and other stakeholders, re-packaging it into digestible articles and stories, including success stories, program updates, achievements, and announcements. I also developed and designed newsletter templates in both Arabic and English to ensure continuity and consistency. My role also included structuring the content, drafting, editing, and re-editing text, as well as collecting and designing all visuals for the newsletters. Finally, I was responsible for managing and growing our database of key contacts.

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