Seventeen television producers from Asia and Africa are meeting in Mauritius to co-produce three programmes on reducing the risk of disasters.

The meeting on 23-26 March is part of the WBU/UNDRR Media Saving Lives Initiative, a unique collaboration between the members of the World Broadcasting Unions (ABU, ASBU, AUB, CBU and EBU) and several UN agencies (UNDRR, ITU, WMO and UNESCO – IOC).

The producers are working together to shape three co-productions around the theme Too Much Water/Not Enough Water.

The production of the short documentaries by members of the ABU and the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB) will be led by three experienced Executive Producers – Emmanuel Wongibe, Gerard Guèdègbé and Russell Isaac.

The three co-production teams aim to produce their documentaries by mid-May so they are aired during the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Bali (23–28 May 2022) and during the AUB General Assembly in Dakar, Senegal (first week of June 2022).

In Phase 1 of the initiative, the participating producers went through an online DRR knowledge course to enhance their knowledge of Early Warning Systems and Messages, Impact–based Weather Forecasting and DRR Content Production.

The Mauritius event will be followed by a similar co-production meeting of members of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union on 30 and 31 March, which will close Phase 2 of the WBU/UNDRR Media Saving Lives Initiative.