UNI Global Union and the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) have announced a new partnership to promote action on climate change and gender equality in the media and broadcasting industry. The two organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 25 April, setting a framework for a two-year joint programme of activities starting in June 2023.

The partnership will focus on how media organizations can promote climate action and disaster prevention, as well as adopt environmentally sustainable practices in their own activities. It will also center on issues around the health and safety of female media workers; the representation of women in media, both on and off-screen; and support for women’s access to the industry as well as career development.

The MoU was signed by UNI General Secretary, Christy Hoffman, and ABU Secretary-General, Ahmed Nadeem.

UNI General Secretary, Christy Hoffman, emphasized the media’s powerful role in mitigating the climate crisis through reporting and informing the public, and many in the media and entertainment industry are looking at how to reduce carbon emissions in their own productions. Gender equality and diversity are also important in front and behind the camera, and UNI and ABU are committed to broadening their work in this area with new projects to support the work by broadcasters and unions in the region.

ABU Secretary-General, Ahmed Nadeem, noted the urgency to address climate change and the media’s duty to serve audiences with high-quality, accurate, and relevant content for climate action and disaster preparedness and prevention. The parties’ joint work on climate action recognizes the need for a broad partnership, a global movement to make fundamental changes in policies and strategies, and to address the climate urgency.

The commitment between UNI and ABU marks the first time that the two organizations will collaborate to promote action on climate change in the media and broadcasting industry, as well as strengthen their joint work on gender equality in the sector.

UNI’s Media, Entertainment & Arts (UNI MEI) sector represents over 500,000 workers in more than 140 trade unions and guilds worldwide, while ABU is a professional association of nearly 250 broadcasters and broadcast media players in 60 countries, with the potential to reach over 3 billion people across the globe.