“Getting the Message Across on Climate Change” ABU Twinning Workshop Concludes
Twenty two broadcast and print journalists from fifteen countries, representing the Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Asia Pacific regions, participated in the ABU Twinning Workshop entitled “Getting the Message Across on Climate Change.” The workshop was funded by the Malaysian Government through “Malaysia Funds-in-Trust,” and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The workshop took place from 7 to 12 October and was held in Kuala Lumpur with location visits to agricultural, natural, and tourism sites in the Kuala Selangor area that are being impacted by climate change.
The workshop consisted of information sharing sessions with technical and media specialists from the Malaysian Meteorological Department, United Nations Disaster Risk Reduction, (UNDRR), International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and Food Security.
On location visits, the participants formed production teams and were able to film and record interviews with farmers, agricultural and food security experts, environmentalists, and providers of tourism services, on the issues and challenges of climate change, climate change adaptation, and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). After the conclusion of the location visits the workshop participants returned to Kuala Lumpur where their respective teams prepared TV or radio production pieces guided by the expertise of long-time ABU consultant Russel Isaac. The teams then presented to the entire workshop body their respective pieces for sharing, learning, and constructive commentary.
At the workshop’s graduation ceremony, the participants were awarded certificates as well as video and audio copies of the various production pieces prepared at the workshop to take back to their respective countries to share with their colleagues and media outlets to help build local and national media dissemination and communication capacities on the critical and complex issues of climate change and efforts to successfully adapt to the ever-changing landscape.