Jakarta Statement of Commitment unites Asia-Pacific broadcasters

Leading broadcasters in the Asia-Pacific issued a Jakarta Statement of Commitment at the conclusion of the inaugural ABU Media Summit on Climate Change, ICTs and Disaster Risk Reduction in the Indonesian capital last week.

After three days of hearing reports on the threats to the 4.2 billion people living in the Asia-Pacific – two-thirds of the world’s population – broadcasting delegates to the Summit pledged to do more to inform their citizens of impending disasters and to help in recovery.

The Jakarta Statement speaks of ensuring the media are better prepared to deliver life-saving information and support in times of emergency and disaster, increasing collaboration on reporting on climate change and disaster risk reduction, developing more program content about climate change and disasters and improving training for staff coping with the issues.

The Statement went on to detail ways to “enhance news management” through cooperation, the support of volunteer networks and the development of standard operating procedures for media covering climate change and disaster.

Finally, it encouraged the roles of social media, citizen journalism and community media in disseminating information about climate change and disaster risk reduction in a responsible manner.

ABU Secretary-General Dr Javad Mottaghi said the Union was fully committed to playing a central role in helping to save lives by bringing together the ABU’s 260-plus members to work cooperatively on strategies and practical actions in areas of climate change and disaster management.

“The Jakarta Statement is our commitment to current and future generations.”

The Jakarta Statement of Commitment can be found here.