BEIRUT - The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) hosts the 3rd Arab Free Press Forum in Beirut, Lebanon, December 12-13 2008. A joint initiative of the WAN and the Lebanese An-Nahar daily newspaper, the Forum will provide an overview of the latest press developments in the Arab world.

Stakeholders from the Middle East and North Africa are due to address the sanctions on independent press in Arab countries, blogs becoming a fifth estate, and government monopoly on news and censorship.

Discussions will follow on Pan-Arab media representing a unique platform for news, opinions and debates across state borders. Other issues will involve challenges and opportunities facing newspaper publishers in Arab countries, as well as strategies on transforming newspapers into successful multi-media businesses.

The event will be concluded by UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, Frank La Rue, and WAN President Gavin O'Reilly.

The Forum expects around 120 leading publishers, journalists and press freedom advocates for discussions and to benefit from networking opportunities.

The closing ceremony will pay special tribute to Gebran Tueni, a long-standing WAN Board Member and press freedom advocate, murdered in December 2005. An award will be presented to an Arab newspaper executive, embodying the qualities Tuneni epitomized.