03 Feb 2017 News Disasters & conflicts

UN Environment Supports Capacity Building of Environmental Journalists in Africa

Addis Ababa, 3 February 2017 - Journalists are often quick to report on isolated cases that need relief, to call for charitable interventions for those afflicted in times of climate and environment related disasters. But they lack the same gusto in proactively reporting on and in addressing the core issues that trigger and aggravate climate change in the first place.

Besides warning of looming disasters, how can journalists in Africa change the narrative in environmental reporting to a tune that empowers and offers hope? How can media provide a platform to address critical issues that can serve to inform audiences better on environmental issues? How can media contribute to the strategies, policies and action plans on climate change at country, regional and global levels?  How can journalists better play a leading role in the climate change debate? These and many more, were some of the questions that a group of 30 journalists drawn from across Africa, sought to address at a recent media training held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

A media training workshop organized by the Pan African Media Alliance for Climate Change (PAMACC) in partnership with the UN Environment, aimed to boost the capacity of African environmental journalists.  The training was held in Addis Ababa from February 1-2, 2017 following the 28th African Union Summit. Trainers shared information to enhance the journalists’ knowledge, understanding and reporting capacity on crucial climate change issues and Africa’s standpoint on global climate change negotiations.  Participants were trained on how to develop stories that are simple, powerful and accurate, and which resonate with the lives of their audiences.

To reinforce their skills on technical reporting, the journalists were also briefed on the UN 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, the Africa Union Agenda 2063, the Paris Agreement as well as the processes of the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties. Media is among non-state actors tasked with the responsibility of monitoring and reporting both achievements and setbacks countries make on these global agendas. Hence, a thorough understanding of these processes is crucial to ensure they produce accurate news and stories on these issues. The training also discussed ways in which media professionals can use advanced communication technology to reach a wider audience, especially through social media.

Prior to commencement of the training, the journalists also participated in two meetings on the sidelines of the 28th AU Ordinary Summit in Addis Ababa. These meetings, focusing on Africa Policy Dialogue on Climate Change and Sustainable Energy in Africa, were organized by the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), with support from UN Environment, UN Economic Commission for Africa and the African Climate Policy Centre. It provided a platform for non-state actors to debate on issues relevant to the continent’s development, particularly on environment, to ensure that Africa’s priorities are well captured and brought to the attention of African leaders attending the AU Summit. The meetings also discussed the post-Marrakech perspectives as well as the implementation of the provisions of the Paris Agreement.

At the end, participants requested UN Environment to facilitate the creation of a new functioning platform of environmental journalists where they can interact and share African stories on environment and sustainable development.

Contact:

For more information, please contact: Regional Information Officer for Africa at: mohamed.atani@unep,org tel. +254(0) 727531253