A Regional Media Dialogue hosted in Fiji by the Regional Pacific Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) Hub has fostered an access point between the Media and Government, aiming to improve information sharing between the two on Pacific NDCs.
NDCs are national climate plans with self-determined targets on greenhouse gas emissions committed by nations under the Paris Agreement.
The Regional Pacific NDC Hub Senior Communications Officer, Priya Chand said the in-person Media Dialogue aimed to strengthen the media’s appetite for Pacific NDCs.
“We had two aims; one, to enable a better understanding in the media of what the NDC hub is all about, and how it supports countries in reviewing and enhancing its NDCs, and two; to bring together our Focal Points in the region in charge of NDC work in their countries and the media, with the hope to introduce the two parties with each other to enable better sharing of information and data,” Chand said.
“The role of media is critical in providing a spotlight on the Pacific’s leadership for climate action and helping leverage further support to help countries realise their ambitious targets, so the communication between the two parties is essential.”
Rimon, a Freelance Journalist from Kiribati attending the Media Dialogue said the Dialogue was very useful, where “I learned that different countries in the region have varying levels of understanding of NDCs and climate change, which is why this dialogue is very important.”
“The Dialogue is important and has shown us that there is indeed a lot of work needed to be done to bridge the gap between Focal Points in Governments and the Media, and the Dialogue provided us with a good starting point.”
Kirata Tekiera, Kiribati NDC Hub Focal Point and representing the Kiribati Government stated that the media is “very important in providing the wider segments of the community information on what its government is doing in terms of climate change and that governments and the media both need to work together to ensure an easy flow of information to the communities.”
Victoria Lepou, Apia Editor of Pacific Environment Weekly and a media expert for the Samoa Alliance of Media Practitioners for Development also stated that "it is very rare to find government representatives and the media to be in the same room, the fact that this Dialogue enabled our paths to cross together and provided an opportunity to talk to each other and get to know each other, it is a valuable moment in strengthening better communication between the two."
Nine Pacific journalists were part of the Regional Media Dialogue. Some journalists could not make it in person due to the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. A virtual Dialogue took place in 2021 due to the pandemic.
