SWAT - UNDP held a three-day training for working journalists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to educate them on responsible reporting on climate change and GLOFs.
The training was organised by UNDP’s GLOF-II Project, a collaboration with the Ministry of Climate Change and funded by the Green Climate Fund. The training provided 27 journalists from Chitral, Swat, Upper Dir, Peshawar, and Kohistan with information on the catastrophic effects of climate-related disasters such as Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), torrential rains, and floods. They were also briefed on how to report these disasters ethically and responsibly through various news outlets, given the implications for human lives and habitations.
In-depth discussions on digital journalism ethics, story-telling, multimedia reporting, narrative journalism, creative formats, hand-held shooting techniques, and journalist safety and security were also included in the training sessions. The participating journalists also shared their own reporting experiences, particularly during the 2022 floods.
This was the first in a series of journalist training offered by the GLOF-II Project; additional journalist training will be offered in Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad in the coming months.
UNDP’s GLOF-II project operates in 16 valleys of Gilgit-Baltistan and 8 valleys in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It equips communities to identify and manage risks associated with GLOFs and related climate change impacts, strengthens public services to reduce the risk of GLOF-related disasters, and improves community preparedness and disaster response. The project also promotes the development of sustainable livelihood options in project areas.
