UNDP holds workshop on climate change reporting
M. Irshad Ullah
MINGORA: UNDP conducted a three-day training for journalists on responsible reporting on climate change and glacial lake burst flooding.
The three-day training was organized in collaboration with UNDP’s GLOF-II project and Green Climate Fund with the Ministry of Climate Change.
In the training, 27 journalists from Chitral, Swat, Upper Dir, Peshawar and Kohistan were made aware of the devastating effects of climatic disasters such as Glacial Leak Out Burst Floods (GLOFs), torrential rains and floods.
They were also told how to report these disasters with journalistic values and responsibility through the media, considering their impact on human lives and residents.
The training sessions also elaborated on the values of digital journalism, storytelling, multimedia reporting, narrative journalism, creative formats and safety and security of journalists.
The participants of the training shared their experiences along with reporting, especially during the 2022 floods.
Training in responsible and ethical reporting on climate-related disasters is important considering the expected occurrence of GLOF in the monsoon season due to global warming.
Journalists participating in the training said that it is important to understand the ethics of journalism. Especially when it comes to the ever-increasing reality of climate change, we journalists have a great responsibility to inform the public about climate events.
The aforementioned training for journalists this year was the first training of the GLOF-II project.
In the coming months, journalists will be trained on the same topic in Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad. GLOF-II project of UNDP is implemented in 16 valleys of Gilgit-Baltistan and 8 valleys of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
It will help local residents identify and manage the risks associated with GLOFs and related impacts of climate change, strengthen public services to reduce GLOF-related disaster risks, and train these people to improve disaster response. helps to make
The project also supports the development of alternative sustainable livelihoods in the respective areas and particularly focuses on women’s participation in ensuring food security and livelihoods.