First int’l conference on Broadcast Media and Climate Change

With a view to enhance awareness on climate change, UNESCO along with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is going to hold an international conference on ‘Broadcast Media and Climate Change: A Public Service Remit’ on September 4 and 5 at its headquarters in Paris.

The purpose of organizing such conference is to raise awareness on climate change as well as to increase the capacities of national broadcasters to report on climate change and foster cooperation among them, as electronic media could be a useful tool in raising awareness. The event is also expected to help improve the quality of information and programmes on climate change.

More than 180 national broadcasters, key international broadcasting associations and scientific organizations will meet to explore current coverage of climate change issues in different regions of the world. Participants will also seek solution to the challenges being faced by broadcasters, particularly those from the developing countries. These challenges include access to essential content and material needed to report effectively on climate change and promote mitigation strategies at local and international levels.

Commenting on the significance of organizing the conference, former Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan said that the conference will help to increase awareness and seek better reporting on climate change “at a time when the deathly silence around this crisis is becoming a major impediment for international action.”

The meeting will also look at the mechanisms and frameworks necessary for a global broadcast media partnership on climate change. A number of organizations, including the BBC, France Télévisions, the Global Humanitarian Forum, TVE, the Algerian Ministry of the Environment, and the production companies Dansk AV Produktion and Ki-Productions have partnered with UNESCO to provide a range of quality audiovisual material and resources rights-free to national broadcasters from developing countries.

Three months later in December the United Nations Climate Change Conference will be organized in Copenhagen, Denmark.