Journalists from Emerging Economies Got a Preview of the Bali Negotiations

A group of thirty journalists, the majority from developing countries  such as Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Indonesia and Blangadesh, participated in an especial “on the job training” seminar organized by COM+  in Vienna, Austria, on September 27-31.

The special seminar was held  in conjunction with a special session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The training addressed key themes to be discussed in the Ministerial Conference to take place in Bali, Indonesia, next December. Among the media outlets participating were: The Times of India and the Indian Express; La Jornada and Reforma, from Mexico; South Africa Broadcasting Corporation, TV Globo and Folha, from Brazil; Inter Press Service and Xinhua news agencies.

African Journalists Trained on Desertification Issues

A group of 12 journalists from different African countries got together in Madrid, Spain, on September 10-12, as part of the Eight United Nations Conference of the Parties on Desertification (UNCCD), to participate in a On the-Job training seminar organized by COM+, TerrAfrica, World Bank, UNCCD and the Consultative Group for International Agriculture Research (CGIAR), to better understand the development challenges arising from desertification in Africa.

Journalists got a sense from a scientific, economic and political perspective of the relevance of the issue and its links to other global issues such as climate change.

An expert from Reuters Foundation, a COM+ partner, led the training. Among the media outlets participating were: Deutsche Welle Radio; Mail & Guardian, from Uganda; The Nation Media Group, from Kenya; and BBC Africa.

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Central American and Caribbean Journalist Address Social Corporate Responsibility

With the objective to provide Central American and Caribbean journalists with the tools to distinguish genuine social corporate responsibility practices from just philanthropy, COM+ organized in San Jose, Costa Rica, last September 27th  and 28th,  a workshop on the subject in conjunction with the Associations of journalists in the region and the Asociación de Empresarios para el Desarrollo (AED).

A total of 18 journalists from a broad variety of media participated in the training, including those specialized in business reporting.

Central American and Caribbean Journalists Tackle Depletion of Marine-Coastal Resources

Last October 30-31st, 20 Central American and Caribbean journalists got together in Roatán, Honduras, to be trained about the situation of the coastal marine-resources in the region.

This On-the-Job training was organized by COM+ with the associations of journalists, the World Conservation Union Mesoamerica Program (ORMA/IUCN) and the National Congress of Honduras.

As part of the training program, the journalists got deeper knowledge about the threats and challenges related to coastal-marine resources in Central America and the Caribbean, the legal and political framework and sustainable initiatives within the Mesoamerican Coral Reef.

COM+ Starts New TV initiative with Reuters Africa Journal

Reuters Africa Journal, a unique features programme covering all aspects of life in Africa, from the news stories shaping it to business, social issues and culture, is partnering with COM+ to produce 10 in-depth television segments of between 6 and 8 minutes, to be aired on the weekly programme.

Each segment will cover issues related to sustainable development that are affecting the African continent and its people such as: climate change, deforestation, water, traffic of endangered species, alternative fuels, readiness for natural disasters and energy, among others.

The weekly 26-minute show is produced by a team of producers in Nairobi, Kenya, and is seen as an essential independent and unbiased source of information.  Trained by Reuters, the 35 video journalists who film stories for Reuters Africa Journal are based all over the continent. Nearly 30 TV client networks in Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Asia and the US subscribe to the program, with a range between 20 to 40 million viewers.

Training Program on Climate Change for Costa Rican Journalists

Next November, Costa Rican journalists will have the opportunity to understand how climate change is affecting Costa Rica. 

Thanks to a On-the-Job training organized by the Fundación para el Desarrollo de la Cordillera Volcánica Central (FUNDECOR), a pioneer organization in the environmental services payment scheme and sustainable forestry management, COM+ and the Ministry of Environment and Energy.

The objective of the training will give the possibility to journalists to get acquainted with the issues  of climate change from a scientific and policy perspective and the challenges Costa Rica is facing to adapt to this phenomena and mitigate carbon emissions.

Stories on Sustainable Development Issues

Take a look of interesting stories on sustainable development issues on the IPS Web Site: http://www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/sustdev/.

This is a joint initiative between the International Federation of Environmental Journalists (IFEJ), IPS and COM+, actually in its second phase