NEW DELHI, October 8: A group of journalists representing Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cameroon, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka unanimously floated a networking platform for journalists under the name South Asian Media Alliance on Environment to propagate and network environment and development issues.
The platform was developed at the end of the 4-day media colloquium held under the aegis of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) as part of the World Sustainable Development Summit in New Delhi on Saturday.
The idea of the colloquium was to build capacity amongst journalists to consistently and efficiently project sustainable development issues.
The journalists were given a unique opportunity to interact with leading environment and climate change experts’ vis-à-vis industry and corporate leaders, who are putting to practice sustainable goals as commitment to the Paris Agreement on climate change.
The journalists were also given a special an opportunity to interact with deputy head of European Union Cesar Onestini and Henriette, counsellor of environment energy and climate change, Randal Newton, vice president, Enterprise Engineering, Ingersoll Rand.
Apart from these, the 20 dedicated environment and climate change journalists also interacted with award winning journalist Anita Pratap, a former war correspondent of CNN, who is presently writing on issues confronting climate change from around the world and senior journalist Nitin Sethi who had covered several global negotiations and agreements on climate change and environment.
The team of journalists led by IANS UN correspondent Arul Louis and Gitanjali Aiyar, communication consultant with TERI. Aiyar is known to be India’s pioneer in presenting news in English on TV, who was associated with national broadcast Doordarshan for nearly three decades.
Three journalists from North East were also privilege to be part of this colloquium, this correspondent, independent journalist Syeda Ambia Zahan and Saidul Khan.
“A colloquium of this nature gives us more media related information on various facets in diverse fields. I hope concerned parties will play a key role in creating a network between scribes and experts in disseminating sustainability issues to the masses on time”, said Saidul.
“It was a privilege for me to come to New Delhi to attend the WSDS and learn further about the latest situation on environmental issues. Obviously, being a regional leader in today’s scenario, India has more responsibility in securing healthy environment for billions of people living in this part of the globe compared to other nations”, said Harisharan Lamichhane, News Editor, Radio Nepal.
He also said organisations like TERI would play a vital role in future. “Being a media community, it becomes our responsibility to act as a watchdog on this global agenda and to bridge the communication gap between people and the policymakers”, Lamichhane added.
“TERI’s initiative of organising such a leading summit and a media colloquium to achieve a vision through promoting eco and green businesses, making people aware of global environmental issues, eradication of poverty, ensuring competitiveness of the economy, improving social development, ensuring good governance, and a clean and healthy environment is laudable,” said Prasad Dharmasena, a journalist from Sri Lanka.
