Lausanne/ Kinshasa, May 18th, 2007 (FH) Jean-Claude Labrecque, a journalist from Radio-Canada, will take over the job Head of Project for Fondation Hirondelle within Radio Okapi on July 9th, 2007. The current Head of Project, Yves Laplume, will be in charge of all the programming at the Fondation Hirondelle offices in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Jean-Claude Labrecque, a journalist from Quebec, is presently Director of Professional Development and the Workplace Environment at Radio Canada, the Canadian Public Radio -Television Service, after having held several positions with editorial and journalistic responsibilities. With degrees in sociology and journalism, he also has a master's in Public Administration, and has taught journalism on a university level. As a specialist on electoral questions, Jean-Claude Labrecque has been Director and Vice President of the Professional Federation of Journalists and a member of the Council of the Press of Quebec. He has represented Radio Canada with the Public Francophone Radios (RFP) and the Radio Commission of the CIRTEF (International Council of French-Speaking Radio and Television).

Since 2004, Yves Laplume has been Head of Project for the Fondation Hirondelle within Radio Okapi. Among other accomplishments, he guided the station through the recent ballots in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the referendum on the constitution and the presidential, legislative, and provincial elections. He played a key role in the broadening and consolidation of Radio Okapi and a network of approximately 30 partner radio stations.

Radio Okapi has been operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since February 2002, within the framework of a partnership between the United Nations and the Fondation Hirondelle. It is the radio station of the United Nations in the DRC, co-managed by MONUC and the Fondation Hirondelle. Its goal is to broadcast impartial and professional information to the approximately 60 million inhabitants of the DRC. Radio Okapi offers a wide variety of programs - news, education, and entertainment - and targets all segments of the population. It broadcasts in five languages, 24 hours a day, and is also available on the internet.

The Fondation Hirondelle - Media for Peace and Human Dignity, is an organization that creates independent media in areas of crisis or conflict. Its headquarters is in Lausanne, Switzerland. It has developed its projects in the African Great Lakes area, Kosovo, Timor, the Central African Republic, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Sudan, Tanzania, and the DRC.

FH/DO/JME/CV - May 18th, 2007

For more information: Jean-Marie Etter: +41 79 287 36 46 Yves Laplume: +243 81 899 3198 Jean-Claude Labrecque: +01 514 597 57 22 Marco Domeniconi: +41 79 417 35 58