Media Reporting On GLOFs Vital To Disaster Risk Reduction: Goraya

Shakila Jalil

Rawalpindi: Media role in bridging gaps between the glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF)-impacted communities and the government is crucial to enhance their disaster preparedness and resilience, said United Nations Development Programme (UNDP-Pakistan) Assistant Resident Representative Amir Khan Goraya.

“Media reporting on GLOFs is directly linked to disaster risk reduction and management,” Khan added.Addressing the concluding ceremony of the two-day media training on ‘Responsible Reporting on Climate Change and GLOFs’, Amir Khan said that the scale and nature of climate change and the environment are changing as new weather patterns are emerging that demand all the stakeholders keep up their efforts in line with the latest scenarios.

The training series was organised on Friday under the GLOF-II project jointly organised by the UNDP-Pakistan and the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, and supported by the Green Climate Fund.Khan stated that the project is important for UNDP-Pakistan as it is directly linked to the lives of the people and their future. The Ministry of Climate Change is the closest partner and has proceeded with the GLOF-II project with dedication, he added.

Goraya informed that the GLOF-II project team in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan, and across the country is supporting people and communities for better disaster preparedness and resilience, along with the installation of early warning systems.He emphasized that the media reporting should aware the communities that how to communicate and connect with the governments and other communities in post-disaster scenarios.

Assistant Resident urged the journalist community to provide inclusive reporting so that the voiceless groups in society—such as women, transgender people, and people with disabilities—could be heard.