GNF 2015: Disaster Risk Reduction – A major challenge for the international community

The ABU 2015 Global News Forum kicks off this Sunday in Sendai, Japan. Every two years broadcast journalists across the globe and in the Asia-Pacific Region meet for an open and high-profile dialogue on dominant issues facing the media sector. The main topic this year is how the broadcasting industry copes and covers the occurrence of natural disasters. The forum is being held in parallel with the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, a Japanese region struck by The Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011.

NHK-Japan is hosting the event. Hikaru Doumoto, Executive Vice President of the Japanese national broadcaster who is also ABU Vice President says that “ it is extremely significant that ABU members, which are the cores of broadcasting in Asian countries and broadcast journalists to gather here in Sendai  to share knowledge and experiences, and discuss  tasks and better ways of disaster reporting.”

In his message, ABU Secretary General, Dr Javad Mottaghi underlines that “In order to fulfil the media’s immense potential as an information disseminator and powerful behaviour changer, broadcasters should not be seen as mere messengers but as powerful partners in developing Disaster Risk Reduction policies at the regional, national and local levels.”

Various speakers coming from different parts of the world will intervene at the forum and its associated event, the News Group Meeting.